The Steel Guitar Forum

Not necessarily Country or Steel...

Here's a few that really had a major impact on my musical journey...from very early on.

I can pretty much listen to these today and still get the same vibe.....

-Music from Big Pink- the Band
-After the Goldrush/Harvest -Neil Young
-John Mayal with EC-( the Beano record)

-Rhinoceros #1+#2, -with Doug Hastings
( great great band)Doug may have been the first REAL Tele guy that blew me away.

-1st Steely Dan LP-Donald Fagan emerges
and Elliot Randal appears...

-Fresh Cream

-The Youngbloods- Banana played Steel !
He was the 1st Pedal Steel Player I ever saw LIVE..how about that...I had no clue back then..

and of course from the Steel era once I dscovered it..
The Black Album and Live at Panther Hall

yeh, I'm showing my early roots..
they won't go away...

"I Love it " !

How about you guys, and I'm not just asking about albums you really like-, but MUSIC that really made you take a hard look at your direction.

How I ended up a Country Boy I'll never know..but..maybe I'm not !

T

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TPrior
TPrior Steel Guitar Homesite
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<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 15 June 2006 at 04:56 AM.]</p></FONT>

In 1956, I got the 10" LP, 'Lonnie Donegan Showcase' - there's no question that this was the reason I wanted my first guitar!

Shortly afterwards, Chet Atkins' 'Teensville' was another big stepping stone.

Since then there have been so many, but the CD that gets played the most to this day is Donald Fagan's 'Nightfly'; in my opinion, this one's a masterpiece.

RR

Miles Davis, "In a Silent Way"

Two of the 3 records that influenced me the most were Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and Ommadawn.

The 3rd, actually the first, both chronologically and in terms of the degree of influence, is an all instrumental album by Pete Seeger and his brother Mike called "Indian Summer."

This album, recorded in the late 50s on a 3 track recorder, is one of the earliest example of multitracking. Seeger was contracted to do score 3 fims, and this is what he came up with.

Seeger is of course known as a singer, writer, and member of the Weavers. This was something he did on the side. I doubt that even he realized how tremendous it is. One of the films, "The Many Colored paper" is a set of variations on "Deck The Halls." It remains the best version of the tune I've ever heard.

I cannot praise this album highly enough, nor emphasise how profoundly it influenced me. If you are familiar with my recordings, this is where they came from.

I would not be surprised to learn that this is where Mike Oldfield's recordings came from too.

The album is out of print, but a custom CD can be ordered from the Smithsonian institite.
http://www.folkways.si.edu/search/AlbumDetails.aspx?ID=621
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My web site
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Mike Perlowin on 15 June 2006 at 05:25 AM.]</p></FONT>

Disraeli Gears, Axis Bold as Love,Allman Bros. Live at Fillmore, Fleetwood Mac Penquin, Crosby stills and Nash(1st one with Judy Blue eyes).
JP

Let It Be* as a kid this album sounded somehow important, like the music was above pop. What I thought "grown up" music was. \

Todd Rundgren- Hermit of Mink Hollow- I'd never heard anything like that, I played the grooves off 3 copies of it before it finally got shelved and I still get a little obsessive about it when I break it out.

Steely Dan, comprehensively, through the college years. I was a punk rocker at heart, loved X and the Ramones, but the Dan clan was undeniably the best group of musicians I had ever heard, and still are.

Jellyfish; Bellybutton. When I started to learn about production techniques and arrangement, a friend gave me a copy of this and I still play it for every guy I come in contact with that talks about studio techniques. The production is unreal, especially for an act that never really sold a lot of records. Any time I record I give a copy of this to the engineer for reference.

Kennedy, with the dixie echoes, the little man with the big voice, with Pete Drake, Pete played some of the best steelon that album I have ever heard.

ernie

As a beginner guitar player, in the sixties, nothing really grabbed my attention as much as the "Byrds","Mr. Tambourine Man" album. The jingle, jangle sound of that "Rick" 12 string had me hooked. In fact, every album they made, made me sit up and take notice. But, I have to say that, "Sweethearts of the Rodeo", pulled all the stops out and changed my life forever. I actually disliked ( the, then popular ) country music, until I heard a steel guitar played that way.
Actually,most albums with steel on them ( too many to list ) have an influence on me. I am an avid music fan, but, the steel sound on a track will always influence me the most.

The Band - The Band
Goldberg Variations: Glenn Gould
Kind of Blue - Miles Davis
In a Silent Way - Miles Davis
Blues and Roots - Charlie Mingus
The Live Album of Little Feet
the Double Live album from the Greatful Dead
Another Way to Find you - Chris Smither
Blood on the Tracks - Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan's First album
Every Album by Ramblin' Jack Elliot

Beatles-Revolver
Miles Davis-A Silent Way
Texas Troubadors-Country Dance Time
Joni Mitchell-Court & Spark
Glenn Gould-A State of Wonder: The Complete Goldberg Variations (1955 & 1981)
Jimi Hendrix-Axis Bold As Love
Ray Charles-Genious + Soul
Charlie Pride-Live at Panther Hall
BB King-Live at the Apollo
Donald Fagen-The Nite Fly
Weather Report-Heavy Weather
Jimmy Smith-Organ Grinder Swing
Wes Montgomery-The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
Stevie Wonder-Talking Book
Buck Owens-The Carnegie Hall Concert
Keith Jarrett-Facing You

...and hundreds more

<SMALL>...and hundreds more</SMALL>

That's right.

And Miles' 'Quiet Nights', with the amazing Gil Evans. I've never been the same.

Okay, that does it. I'm starting the "In a Silent Way Forum".

Grand Funk Live
Iron Butterfly - Inna Godda Davida
The Best of Cream
The Who - Who's Next
Little Feat - Waiting for Columbus
(with the Tower of Power horn section - mind blowing..."Mercenary Territory" helped me survive a divorce...)
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
(Yea Roger and Rick S., musta played "New Frontier" a thousand times, and it's still great..., "Ruby" is great too, never get tired of 'em.)<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 15 June 2006 at 08:11 AM.]</p></FONT>

In a Silent Way - creepy, all you steelers....
Allman Brothers Live
Cry of Love - Hendrix
Layla - those other guys

The Inner Mounting Flame
Birds of Fire
Between Nothingness and Eternity - Mahavishnu ruined my life - eek

I'm gonna join the "In a Silent Way" Forum, I don't want to be left out , even though I already am !

t<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 15 June 2006 at 08:53 AM.]</p></FONT>

Music From Big Pink - The Band
The Band - The Band
Turning Point - John Mayall

The first two Band albums really affected me in a musical way, and their influence has stuck with me all these years. I remember the Mayall album as unique because it didn't have a drums. And it will always be indelibly linked in my mind with the magic herb...the first time I smoked, that album was playing. Ahh, the summers in California back then...heady days for sure.

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Mike
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Blue Moon Highway
(Country Music...and then some.)
www.bluemoonhighway.com

Burrito Deluxe
Who's Next
Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (Bowie)
Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (Black Crowes)
Rubber Soul/Revolver
Machine Head (Deep Purple)
Diamond Mine (Blue Rodeo)
Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl
Sticky Fingers
Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Mr. Tambourine Man
Are You Experienced?
If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (Mamas & Papas)

I've been listening to my daughter's Sesame Street stuff. One cd and quite a few LP's I've picked up over the years. Some of that stuff is really great. I think my favorite is "It Ain't Easy Bein' Green".

So... From age 5 to present, I'm a fan!

I think this is an impossible question to answer for most folks in our generation (assuming that the majority here fall into the category of Baby Boomers).

To me its just a big salad bowl of music that has melded together.After The Goldrush by Neil Young. Allman Bros. Live at Fillmore East. Multiple albums by Miles Davis. Multiple albums by Traffic. Of course the Beatles. Multiple albums by the bluegrass group The Seldom Scene.


Many of the albums previously mentioned. A lot of stuff by The Band, Dylan's Blonde on Blonde. Notorious Byrd Brothers. American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, by The Grateful Dead.

Forced to pick just one-the album I have probably listened to the "hardest," as far as what's going on beneath the surface:

Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys great masterpiece: Pet Sounds

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Mark

Two points: 1. it is amazing how much we all like the same music.

2. the most surprising entry so far, for me, is Charlie picking Quiet Nights, what I consider (no offense meant charlie - if you like it , you like it) one of the worst of the Evans/Davis collaborations. Miles hated it as well and didn't talk to Teo for years afterwards because he blamed Teo for the way it came out.

I would say most people's favorite collaboration is Sketches of Spain, which is my favorite of their work together.

As far as In a Silent Way is concerned:

Back in 1973 I had it on the turntable. I was living in Boulder colorado at the time. I began playing my trumpet along with the record (I played trumpet then). The next day, I packed up my clothes, got in the car, and drove to Boston to apply to Berklee School of Music.

I think that counts as a major influence.

Chicago Transit Authority
Allmans- Idlewild South
Meet The Beatles
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 15 June 2006 at 11:01 AM.]</p></FONT>

Hey Bill....In 1973 I too was living in Boulder playing with the jazz band "Fly and the Zippers". Then I got turned on to In A Silent Way by my friend Don DeBacker and shortly ended up joining his country band "Dusty Drapes and the Dusters"....go figure. I think it had something to do with Naropa.

Funny you should say that. I worked on the Hill in a record store and there was a guy who came in who was studying at Naropa. It was Naropa's first year.

When I drove to Boston (actually Cambridge), to apply to Berklee, I parked my car and stood on the sidewalk trying to figure out what to do next. The guy from Naropa walked up to me literally 2 minutes later. He put me up at his house and that night he turned me on to Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations. Weird but true. That was the first sign that I had that I should be a Buddhist.<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Bill McCloskey on 15 June 2006 at 11:18 AM.]</p></FONT>