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Topic: E9 overload! |
Curt Trisko
From: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 17 Feb 2015 6:13 pm
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http://youtu.be/obL0h9Mrklw
This is one of the songs that made me want to learn pedal steel. It's been on my list of songs to learn for a long time. I didn't have to go into work yesterday, so I finally sat down behind my steel with it.
Holy crap, the steel in this song is the epitome of I consider to be the traditional E9 country sound. Tons of A+B mashing, pentatonic scales contrasted against fuller scales, swells, and on and on. The only thing that's missing is harmonics. I wish I would've learned how to play it at an earlier stage in my learning. I've only learned part of it so far, and playing it feels very uninhibited.
Now the story behind the song: The band, Live, is an alternative rock band from the 90s. This track was a hidden track on a very popular record. No steel player is credited. When I google-searched to see who the steel player is, all I could find was an interview with a band member who said that they used a Nashville session player, but didn't remember his name. He also said in the interview that the steel player explicitly asked not to be credited and that he also played slide guitar on the same track.
If I had to guess how the conversation between the producer and the steel player went, I imagine it was something like this:
Producer: We're looking for a campy country sound in this track. We're going to bury it at the end of the record and not list it as a track.
Steel player: I can do that. Just how country do you want the steel to sound?
Producer: Really country.
Steel player: Are you sure you know what you're asking for?
Producer: No, but I don't care. Just go nuts.
Steel player: Gotcha. Let's do two steel guitars. |
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Charlie McDonald
From: out of the blue
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Posted 18 Feb 2015 3:07 am
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The song is too cool to be buried; it's like an anthem to the times. 'I don't care!'
Mystery steel player does some cool things and has a sound. |
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Justin Emmert
From: Greensboro, NC
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Posted 18 Feb 2015 9:39 am
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Wow. I had the albumand even played a few of the songs from the album over the years in different bands, but didn't remember this song. I guess a couple of decades makes you forget some things right? It would be interesting to find who did the Session work on this. |
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Fraser Moffatt
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Posted 20 Feb 2015 4:14 pm
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Oh, man...blast from the past! I loved that album and I used to play this song (think it was called "Horse") on solo acoustic at coffee houses at school. I've still got the CD around here somewhere.
Totally forgot that there was pedal steel on that! In fact, I'm pretty sure I had no idea what pedal steel was way back then....but listening to that track today reminds me why I loved that song so much - it was the pedal steel!!!
That tune also has a Stones-y Exile on Main St vibe that I dig! _________________ Rookie-ish steel player - currently tinkering around on a BMI S10 and a Guyatone S8. Bassist and vocalist for The Derringers. |
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Curt Trisko
From: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 20 Feb 2015 7:53 pm
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Once I finish learning it, would anyone be interested in me making a YouTube video showing how I play it?
This song is giving me more of a palm-blocking challenge than I've had in a while. |
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Charlie McDonald
From: out of the blue
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Posted 21 Feb 2015 2:56 am
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A song by a mystery steeler on the forum? (Who was that masked steeler? Not Jerry Garcia....)
It is hypnotic, almost a jam, and I'm not wild about jam bands, but if you can capture
'And now they're running wild on the beach...' on steel, then you'll be the man.
Twin steels are the deal. This song does, as you say, have all the elements of classic country,
the figures we all got a pedal steel to play, and now they're stuck in my head.
I'd love to hear it. I'd love to be there to add the vocal; but it would take someone immersed in the sound
to produce 'I don't care!' authentically.
Kurt Trisko wrote: |
Once I finish learning it, would anyone be interested in me making a YouTube video showing how I play it? |
Yes. |
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chris ivey
From: california (deceased)
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Posted 21 Feb 2015 12:53 pm
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sounds ok but not that outside or ultra country or anything else. nice tone and fairly simple backup.
the bass lines at the beginning sound alot like phil lesh. |
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Curt Trisko
From: St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2015 3:40 pm
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chris ivey wrote: |
sounds ok but not that outside or ultra country or anything else. nice tone and fairly simple backup.
the bass lines at the beginning sound alot like phil lesh. |
Chris, please post a link to a song that you think is the epitome of that style. I like this one, so I'll probably like that as well.
I don't know who Phil Lesh is, but I bet the bass in this song is what lets the pedal steel do what it does without dragging the song out its groove. |
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