The Steel Guitar Forum

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Have you checked out Glenn Ross Campbell with Juicy Lucy or The Misunderstood?

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I don't know about angry but I've heard some ferocious steel. Buddy Emmons comes right to mind, especially the solo at about 1h 29m here: https://youtu.be/iGb9XLFY6C4

Paul Franklin played on a Megadeth album or 2. I believe he's on this tune: https://youtu.be/lPDAA83GN_A

as for dark and moody steel, there are plenty of examples... not sure where to begin. but this Johnny Paycheck/Lloyd Green cut comes to mind: https://youtu.be/aqunV99xBfM

Ricky Skaggs did a song called “Woman, You Won’t Take Mine”. Lloyd Green played some pretty mean sounding steel on it., a lot of attitude. That song is on Skaggs Coming Home To Stay album.

maybe Skunk Baxter's break at the end of Steely Dan's Fire In The Hole?
https://youtu.be/9PwkU4nsJM8

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Hal Rugg on this Osborne Bros tune. It’s just the intro, but it is lonesome ornery and mean in a trad country style kinda way.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MYUPEcUBZyQ

Sneaky Pete, 1969: https://youtu.be/EwAsOPWJt8A

Buddy Emmons..."The Great Stream". Sounds Vicious.


https://youtu.be/Us9HUrkycAQ

Frank Black, “At the End of Miles”.

https://youtu.be/zVPOi-XTBMc

scott murray wrote:as for dark and moody steel, there are plenty of examples... not sure where to begin. but this Johnny Paycheck/Lloyd Green cut comes to mind: https://youtu.be/aqunV99xBfM

I have never heard that one before. It definitely comes very a different place than his other songs and other songs in the genre. Here's another song of his from the same era: https://youtu.be/ZZlZcXJtzsw. It's an angry song, but Lloyd Green's pedal steel lightens it up instead of darkening it.

The OP hits on a truth about the instrument. It really isn't suited to angry moods. I think none the posted links emote anger to any comparable extent to a lot of other instruments.

A few years ago a contributed some pedal steel phrases to an ambient music project. A couple of them had an angry/irritable/tortured feel. I think they ended up in the second half of this part of the album: https://youtu.be/wF3ZlAQPtvs. Aside from that, I'm having a hard time thinking of examples of 'angry' steel.

This is a tongue in cheek video , and yes it is very angry sounding, all the while being done by a man I perceive in my mind as being quite gentle... bob



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNY_R3FmmBw

That was great, Bob! Thanks for posting.

I guess I’m not sure what the OP means by “angry”. The song I posted is about being tired of being lonesome, and I thought the steel intro reflected that frustrated (maybe not quite pissed off) emotion perfectly, without going into the metal zone like Milo did so expertly. But what do I know. Dark and moody are fairly common in pedal steel playing, by comparison.

This just now in from Lloyd Green.

When I recorded “It Won’t Be Long( Til’ I’ll Be Hating You)” with Paycheck way back in the experimental period where they let me play anything I could conceive, I thought Johnny P. sounded angry on this song so I played “demented”, slightly crazy!

Lloyd Green

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Bill Sutton wrote:Buddy Emmons..."The Great Stream". Sounds Vicious.
https://youtu.be/Us9HUrkycAQ

The beginning of that song reminds me a lot of Zappa.

Pink Floyd, One of These Days. Lots of lap steel videos on youtube. Do a search.

Kenneth Caine wrote:Pink Floyd, One of These Days. Lots of lap steel videos on youtube. Do a search.

bingo.
I knew there was an obvious one I was forgetting

I frequently get calls to play angry noise type music.

Here is something I did a while back using difference tones:

https://youtu.be/yLO-Yh9QDgs

Then this sort of soloing has its place;

https://youtu.be/ynJooh88uZQ

This was a super fun session:

https://ingebrigtflaten.bandcamp.com/track/mole-2

Bob...holy crap that is some wild stuff! That rhythmic figure on the Young Mothers tune is intoxicating. Thought the drum solo was gonna give me a heart attack! Really enjoyed all 3 cuts, and your playing on the 2nd one is exceptional, like you could have been the steel player for Sun Ra.

Let’s not forget the sacred steel guys and Dan Tyack. There music isn’t about anger but is plenty aggressive.

This is about is angry and dissonant as I have recorded, so far.... This was featured on a tribute CD to Jeff Beck on a German label and is the first cut on the CD.

https://mikeneer.bandcamp.com/track/jeffs-waltz-single

When I was in my teens,The New Riders of the Purple sage with Buddy Cage on "kick in the head" sounded aggressive to me.
I learned to appreciate it much later.

https://youtu.be/yz9kg_75joA