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Topic: Bread's "Guitar Man" |
Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 13 Aug 2001 5:28 pm |
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Does anyone know who played pedal steel on Bread's song, "Guitar Man." (I don't really remember a pedal steel on the track, but someone I work with asked me this question.) I would greatly appreciate the answer. Thanks in advance. Boo |
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erik
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Posted 13 Aug 2001 6:01 pm
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I went over to cdnow and they are selling the original album. It doesn't list any other musicians then the band members. And i see no listing for steel. Although they seem to have played many other instruments.
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 14 Aug 2001 7:44 am
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| I can recall some single note bends on the straight guitar (replete with a wah-wah), but no PSG in that song. |
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B Bailey Brown
From:
San Antonio, TX (USA)
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Posted 14 Aug 2001 5:26 pm
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I have to agree. Bread was one of my favorite groups, and I have their greatest hits CD. I didn’t remember any steel on that cut, so I went back and listened to the cut again…I still don’t hear any steel. Donny is right, in that there is a lot of single note guitar work, with string bends and a wah-wah pedal. I would imagine it was done by David Gates who was the lead singer and a session guitar player in LA.
B. Bailey Brown
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Jim Palenscar
From:
Oceanside, Calif, USA
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Posted 15 Aug 2001 6:06 am
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| It's my belief that what is heard in "the hook" and intro is slide guitar~ |
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Kenny Dail
From:
Kinston, N.C. R.I.P.
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Posted 15 Aug 2001 8:18 am
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Well, they certainly had me fooled. I thought it was a PSG since I first heard it. Not trying to start any arguments but, I am not yet convinced it was a "slide" The note grouping on the slides appear to change during the slides and I believe that it would be almost impopssible to duplicate the voicings on anything but a PSG. Just my thoughts...
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kd...and the beat goes on...
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erik
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Posted 15 Aug 2001 2:23 pm
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Kenny, go to cdnow.com and click their "guitar man" album. It lists all the instruments played. There is no steel mentioned. Perhaps it was two single note guitars overdubbed.
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B Bailey Brown
From:
San Antonio, TX (USA)
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Posted 15 Aug 2001 3:40 pm
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Gee, now you guys have me curious! I went back and listened carefully to the tune again. There are parts on the intro and through the first part of the song that do sound a little like a steel, but really more like a slide guitar. Kenny has a good point, in that during the latter part of the cut there are several “slide” effects, and the voicing of the notes and the feel sound very much like a steel. They really don’t sound like what you would expect from a standard guitar tuning. I guess the guitar could be re-tuned to get that, but what do I know…I’m no slide player! 
I do know that it obviously is not easily recognizable as a steel, because it has none of the standard things we tend to do in country music, but then that song is NOT country. I also know that back in those days record companies were very bad about giving credit to session players. It could well have been some guitar player that played a “little” steel (just enough to get the effect they wanted), or some steel player that was brought in to do a few simple things on the cut, got his check, went home, and never got any credit.
I still tend to go with the “slide guitar” theory, but I honestly can’t tell. Either way, I am glad Boo asked the question. The tough ones are always a lot more interesting than the “easy” ones!
B. Bailey Brown
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Boomer
From:
Brentwood, TN USA
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Posted 18 Aug 2001 5:02 am
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| Jimmy Griffin was the main lead player for Bread. Best, Boomer |
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John Brabant
From:
Calais, VT, USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2023 5:13 pm
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There is actually a pedal steel clearly being played on another track on the Guitar Man album, "Make it By Yourself". Anyone have any clue as to who is playing steel on this song? It was released in 1972, fyi.
_________________
John Brabant
1978 Emmons D-10 P-P |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 14 Dec 2023 5:50 pm
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| John Brabant wrote: |
| There is actually a pedal steel clearly being played on another track on the Guitar Man album, "Make it By Yourself". Anyone have any clue as to who is playing steel on this song? It was released in 1972, fyi. |
I agree that there's no pedal steel on Guitar Man.
Although there is pedal steel on Make It By Yourself, it's not a lot, and I'd guess it's probably Red Rhodes. Red was doing a lot of sessions in the '70s. And although Sneaky Pete was equally up to the task, it's really rare that he plays with no EFX, which is why I went with Red.
(edited to add the following link to the track):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miN_aDEDVT0
Last edited by Donny Hinson on 16 Dec 2023 6:39 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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John Brabant
From:
Calais, VT, USA
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Posted 14 Dec 2023 6:51 pm
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You may very well be right Donny. Yeah, doesn't sound like Sneaky.
_________________
John Brabant
1978 Emmons D-10 P-P |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 15 Dec 2023 9:59 am
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Agree with the double-tracked slide thought. A good impersonation of PSG though.  |
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Pete Finney
From:
Nashville Tn.
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Posted 15 Dec 2023 11:01 am
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There was another old thread about this years ago and I believe LA guitar-playing studio-ace (and forum member) Dean Parks might have given the definitive answer back in 2011.
| Dean Parks wrote: |
David Gates told me the slide part was done on Moog synthesizer by Paul Beaver in Los Angeles. Synths were mono then, so I assume this is 3 separate tracks, using a keyboard and a portamento setting.
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Here's the track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOjQvADLG4 |
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Steve Hinson
From:
Hendersonville Tn USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2023 7:26 am
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| Pete Finney wrote: |
There was another old thread about this years ago and I believe LA guitar-playing studio-ace (and forum member) Dean Parks might have given the definitive answer back in 2011.
| Dean Parks wrote: |
David Gates told me the slide part was done on Moog synthesizer by Paul Beaver in Los Angeles. Synths were mono then, so I assume this is 3 separate tracks, using a keyboard and a portamento setting.
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Here's the track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpOjQvADLG4 |
Correct.
SH |
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ajm
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 19 Dec 2023 10:04 am
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B.B. Brown wrote: "........but then that song is NOT country."
It was on top 40 pop radio when it was released.
But now? Compared to what is considered "country" now?
It's as country as anything else out there on "country" radio.
And recognizable.
How many of you have considered suggesting this as a song for your band to do?
It's simple.
It's a golden oldie.
Put some flanger on your steel and you get to stand out in a song.
Plus your guitar player will be happy because he gets to use his wah pedal......in a country band. |
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