The Steel Guitar Forum

Just saw that Sundazed is issuing a Speedy West best-of and reissuing the James Burton & Ralph Mooney album "Corn Pickin and Slick Slidin." They also reissued a Merle Travis/Joe Maphis album from 1963.

I may get the Speedy West CD.....anyone have any thoughts on the Burton/Mooney album?

Joe

Joe
I've had the CD reissue of Burton/Mooney for a few years now, it's not a new release.

My thoughts? You should get it ASAP. It's as good now as it was in the late 60's.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

What Herb said. This is a classic record for both guitarists and steel guitar players. Mooney & Burton are such tasteful players! Rather than hot, off the cuff improvisation, they play around the melody of each tune with feel, tone and great taste.

Perhaps you're already familiar with this box set, but it's well worth owning if you're really into Speedy West. The only bad news is that Bear Family's box sets aren't exactly bargain-basement items. This one will set you back in the vicinity of 100 big ones. Worth looking into, IMO!

Link: www.funkyjunk.com/west-bryant-box.htm

I always thought that on the Corn Pickin & Slick Slidin Album that James sounded like a Steel sometimes and Ralph sounded like a guitar sometimes..

Anyway.. a great offering of tasty pickin...



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Tim Harr
Carter D-10 8/9 w/ BL-705s, Hilton pedal, PODxt, Webb 6-14E Amplifier, 65 Twin Reverb

http://groups.msn.com/TimHarrWebPage

Actually it is a new CD reissue of the Mooney - Burton album, the first CD reissue was by the now defunct See For Miles label out of the UK.

It had some nice sleeve notes, which were filled with spelling errors, indeed the spine of my copy has Ralph Moody & James Burton.

The Sundazed reissues of Capitol material is usually remastered in a way that I feel Ken Nelson would approve of.
I don't believe there will be any new tracks or anything like that.

Sundazed are getting the country thing on, they've also picked up the International Submarine Band album from 1968, that's the one with Jay Dee Maness on steel and Gram Parsons on vocals, it's only got one extra track, but it's been years since the CD was on a proper label. (prior to this it was on Siloh who have next to no distro, and prior to that it was on Magnum in a deal with Shiloh.

Sundazed just always do a better job with the artwork as well.

The album is pretty good, no wild guitar stuff at all, just smooth country pickin' and fairly laid back chicken pickin'
It's probably a little too mellow, but the playing is top notch.
The website claims the tracks were cut in late 1966, but I believe they were cut in late 1967 for a 1968 release.

Sundazed also has been doing comprehensive reissue of the Buck Owens & Buckaroos albums,which of course feature Moon and Brumley, as well as a Don Rich Anthology.

I think I have given them more $$ than any other single label in the last few years

I remember sometime back in about '79 hanging out with my friend James Burton in his kitchen when his wife Louise came home and shared her excitement. She had just bought a copy of Corn Pickin' & Slick Slidin' for $100.

<SMALL>The only bad news is that Bear Family's box sets aren't exactly bargain-basement items.</SMALL>

I think the Bear Family box set is a great bargain.
The Speedy West/Jimmy Bryant one has 112 songs and list for $96. You can find it on Ebay or other online site for under $70. That comes out to 72 cents per song.

If you go and buy one of today's top 40 CDs for $18.99 at Tower records and it may have 10 songs on it. That works out to $1.89 per song.

I would rather pay 72 cents per song than $1.89.
Also with the Bear Family box sets the booklet is worth half the price.

When I was in Nashville last week, I picked up the Speedy West CD that Sundazed reissued (it was the old Capitol album from 1960). WOW! Not only was he a great player, but he wrote every song on the album and nearly all of them are very catchy. So much so, that 5 of the 12 tracks made it into my "Best of Pedal Steel" playlist on my mp3 player.

Really good stuff. Wish I had gotten into Speedy's playing sooner!

Joe

Joe...
You are so right...Speedy was not only a great player, but a wonderful human being as well. I am proud that we were friends.

Billy Easton
Casa Grande, AZ

Speedy,,,One of my heroes! I'd play a cut for a friend, and they'd say "Wait! Stop! What was that sound? Like Martian bongos!" I'd say, "That's Speedy! Ain't he great!"
My copy of the Burton/Mooney cd came yesterday. I've played "Lonesome Fugitive" about 50 times already.

STEEL PLAYING: SPEEDY WEST WAS IND IS THE TOP SHELF PLAYER...HE COULD DO MORE WITH THE STEEL GUITAR THAN ANYONE I HAVE EVER WATCHED.. GRANTED IT MAY OR MAY NOT HVE SOUNDED LIKE A GIMICK, BUT HIS PLAYING WAS ONE OF THE BEST TECHNIQUES I HAVER WITNESSED.
I HAD THE PRIVLEDGE OF DOING SOME SHOWS WITH HIM AND ROY LANAHM IN THE 50'S PROMOTING FENDER GUITARS....HE WAS A GREAT FRIEND AND ONE HE// OF A STEEL PLAYER... ROY WAS A GREAT GUITAR MAN , FOR THOSE THAT DONT KNOW, ROY WAS THE GUTAR MAN FOR THE SONS OF THE PIONEERS,,, LENORD SLIGH,[ROY ROGERS] THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS THAT CAN NOT BE DISPUTED......JUST A NOTE ABOUT SPEEDY....
JENNINGS...PK;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

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EMMONS D10 10-10 profex 2 deltafex ne1000 pv1000, pv 31 bd eq, +

I love that Mooney album. I seem to remember hearing two different stories about how it came about...
one was that Haggard didn't show up at the studio that day, so they used the time to cut this album basically off the cuff.
I also heard that it was originally supposed to be Roy Nichols instead of James. We can only imagine how THAT would have turned out.

Sundazed has done some great reissues. I think they have put out all the early Buck Owens albums but for some reason 'Live in London' has been forgotten. Jay Dee played great on that one... just a great live album.

We should start a petition!

Basically Ken Nelson wanted to try another instumental act on Capitol, I've not heard either of those stories before.

However, there was one time that Elvis didn't show up at the studio, so they used the time to cut James Burton's 1971 album off the cuff with the TCB band.

Also, Roy would most likely not have been a candidate for a duet set, on a good deal of 1966-1967 Capitol sessions by Haggard, Burton got the lead part. Yes, on a few Haggard albums it's either Burton or Nichols on lead.
I suspect the Strangers weren't considered an instro band as much as the Buckaroos, overall I think the Strangers evoked a more serious image and sound compared to Buck's Buckaroos.
Both excellent combos in their own right.

I agree with the Live In London call, there's a couple of records from the late 1960s that have yet to make it to compact disc, not too mention the Buckaroos own albums.
I'd also like to see more Dick Curless, Kay Adams and Red Simpson reissues, ..even Buddy Alan's 1969 debut would be interesting.

And poor Bonnie Owens, only one reissue.
Her 1966 duet album with Haggard has been paired with (of all things) one of Hag's 1969 live albums.

And not forgetting:

Bobby Austin

Capitol ST 2773] - Apartment No. 9 [1967]

[Capitol ST 2915] -An Old Love Never Dies [1968]

Both produced by Fuzzy Owen with Ralph Mooney on pedal steel.

Jason:

Amen to the re-issues you refer too. Another splendid Bobby Austin LP on Capitol I think was titled "This Song Is Just For You" featuring Ralph Mooney on steel. I think Mooney played on Bobby's other Capitol LP's as well.

This is a must have. James Burton is absolutely amazing..on most of it he is playing his dobro (guitar style) His playing is so subtle and always perfectly appropriate...no flashy show off stuff-just baffling goodness. "Sneaky Strings" is my favorite..when Ralph Mooney comes in at the key change I feel like I am going to react like an overly stimulated chimpanzee...very dangerous while driving.

I got the Bear Family box set "Flamin' Guitars" last year for $78 from Amazon (I think). Definately worth the money if you can spare it.

Gary, do you have a copy of that Austin LP around, I'd be interested to know the catalog number and tracks on it, I've not heard of "This Song Is Just For You."

Great album! I love me some Moon & James Burton!

Another one that I listen to alot is "Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard", that's some classic Moon & Buck on that one!