Pedal Steel + Rock Music = Blissed Out

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

I like nothing better than a good indie(ish) rock song featuring a prominent pedal steel guitar. I am thinking of songs like:

Pavement - "Father to a Sister of a Thought" (!), (and also the same vibe on "Range Life", although they manage it somehow sans-steel)
American Music Club - "Firefly"
Beck - "Guess I'm Doin' Fine"
Calexico - "Lost in Space"
Zappa - "It Might Just Be a One-Shot Deal"
Richard Buckner - "A Chance Counsel"

Stuff like old and new country, MMJ, Will Oldham, Ryan Adams, Uncle Tupelo, etc etc don't do it for me in the same way. It's something about the apposition of aesthetics, the confounding of the traditional roles of genre instrumentation, blah blah.

Where else can I get some of this sweet, sweet pedal steel action?

ALSO: the thing that made this pop into my head, a song-ID. In the coffeehouse where I am currently shirking the work I should be doing, they played a song that sounded very much like the Flaming Lips, or maybe a bit like Of Montreal; however, I don't *think* it was one of those bands, but I could be wrong. It had a lot of Drozd-esque bass and drums, and a steel guitar prominent in the mix. Sound familiar....?

― Chris Wright (DrFunktronic), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:30 (twenty years ago)

tupelo had some sweet stuff, as long as you avoid their first and last albums

― corey c (shock of daylight), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:34 (twenty years ago)

japancakes

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

Go straight to the source: Flying Burrito Brothers--Gilded Palace Of Sin. Or better yet, Further Along--The Best of Flying Burrito Brothers.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:39 (twenty years ago)

"Fade Into You" to thread

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:41 (twenty years ago)

I knew I was forgetting something...

The Sadies: Transluscent Sparrow off the album Favourite Colours. This should do the trick for you.

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:43 (twenty years ago)

Zappa's "It Just Might Be a One Shot Deal" has some sick playing by Sneaky Pete Kleinow.

― Keith C (kcraw916), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:49 (twenty years ago)

ohhhhh goodnes, do you ever need this record!!! soo raw and good and -- just get it!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000000J8A.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

also, on the drone-country-sublime tip, there's this:

http://www.buyrunt.com/images/labels/AMPERE/AMPERE8.JPG

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:52 (twenty years ago)

hell yeah.

several mojave 3 and clientele songs too.

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:52 (twenty years ago)

"Fade Into You" to thread

Where's the pedal steel in that? It's all bottleneck slide isn't it?

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Monday, 2 May 2005 01:54 (twenty years ago)

Jerry Garcia's beautiful and eerie solo in the Dead's "Candyman" to thread -- steel guitar never sounded so psychedelic.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:03 (twenty years ago)

Check out some old Kitty Wells stuff. Not rock music, but some of the most beautiful steel playing ever.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:29 (twenty years ago)

It's entirely possible "Fade Into You" is slide guitar instead of pedal steel, I wasn't thinking.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:33 (twenty years ago)

You need The Last Town Chorus. She plays very nice, echoey lapsteel. Sorta slowcore type stuff -- pretty, sad, etc.

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:34 (twenty years ago)

Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing has some great pedal steel.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:37 (twenty years ago)

"Jerry Garcia's beautiful and eerie solo in the Dead's "Candyman" to thread -- steel guitar never sounded so psychedelic."

GET ONE MISUNDERSTOOD RECORD!!

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:37 (twenty years ago)

hahahaha! sorry, stormy, i couldn't resist.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

There was just a great article on Ken Champion, who provided pedal steel for, amongst others, Jim O'Rourke and Smog, in the Chicago Reader.

― john'n'chicago, Monday, 2 May 2005 02:42 (twenty years ago)

doood, I have TWO Misunderstood records. And the first two Juicy Lucy records to boot! that Misunderstood record where they're just doing Yardbirds covers or whatever kinda blows. But yeah, I totally forgot about them. They were some serious tripsters. And i'm not a GD triumphalist or anything, it's just that that "Candyman" solo is seriously among my favorite minutes or so of music.

― Stormy Davis (diamond), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:45 (twenty years ago)

sorry, but glen campbell totally pwns jerry on the steel.

free downloads for steelguitar-psych fanz:

http://www.themisunderstood.com/band.html

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:53 (twenty years ago)

i love candyman too. especially the dead set version when all the bloodthirsty hippies scream orgasmically when jerry sings that shotgun line.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 2 May 2005 02:56 (twenty years ago)

I've been waiting for a thread like this for, like, forever.

― giboyeux (skowly), Monday, 2 May 2005 03:05 (twenty years ago)

Super Furry Animals - Sex, War and Robots

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Monday, 2 May 2005 03:06 (twenty years ago)

The Monkees, "Sunny Girlfriend" and some other stuff off Headquarters

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Monday, 2 May 2005 04:47 (twenty years ago)

ben keith on Young's "Tonight's the Night" album. SUBLIME.

― God., Monday, 2 May 2005 04:55 (twenty years ago)

YES. Clearly, you ARE God. How could I have forgotten some of the best rock pedal steel ever laid down (i.e., Tonight's the Night)? HOW?

― Chris Wright (DrFunktronic), Monday, 2 May 2005 04:59 (twenty years ago)

Candyman seconded.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 2 May 2005 05:54 (twenty years ago)

shins! "gone 4 good"

― ozewayo (ozewayo), Monday, 2 May 2005 12:35 (twenty years ago)

knife in the water!!!

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Monday, 2 May 2005 12:43 (twenty years ago)

Zappa's "It Just Might Be a One Shot Deal" has some sick playing by Sneaky Pete Kleinow.

Wow, soooo guilty of not reading the original post. Hateful!

Ok, I have another one: Fountains of Wayne's "Hung Up On You," featuring Robert Randolph (although this is almost a straight country song, it just happens to be by a 'rock' band.)

― Keith C (kcraw916), Monday, 2 May 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)

Garcia's pedal steel on CSN&Y's "Teach the Children" is pretty terrific, too. (Is this uncredited?)

― Keith C (kcraw916), Monday, 2 May 2005 13:30 (twenty years ago)

It's Sneaky Pete, I think, who tears it up on "Camarillo Brillo" too.

― brianiac (briania), Monday, 2 May 2005 13:40 (twenty years ago)

Pedal Steel all over Garcia, Jerry's '72 solo album.
The second side is great.

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:16 (twenty years ago)

red house painters - song for a blue guitar
josh rouse - a number of tracks from his "nashville" album

― Captain Entropy (Captain Entropy), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

also, neil young's harvest moon, but thats getting pretty close to the line. that's pretty much a country album he's got there.

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:56 (twenty years ago)

Stereolab, "Captain Easychord"

― jaymc (jaymc), Monday, 2 May 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

John Cale once said he wanted to created an orchestra of pedal steel guitars, I think.

Velvet Crush — "Why Not Your Baby", which improves Gene Clark's original b/c of Greg Leisz's killer pedal steel solo.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 2 May 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Cat Power "Taking People"

― sulky (sulky), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:09 (twenty years ago)

yeah, john cale's paris 1919 has some nice (and unusual) pedal steel stuff on it--it's almost used as a drone kind of thing on a couple tunes. too bad he didn't really pursue that any further.

― tylerw, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:11 (twenty years ago)

Seek one Daniel Lanois. And for more (relatively) recent examples of steel in a rock setting, see Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend, which also features Greg Leisz.

Funny thing: Yo La Tengo used Parsons/Burritos/Exile pedal steel dude Al Perkins on I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One. If you check the discog on his Web site, he lists a session with "Yellow Tango."

Another way to go about it is to seek stuff by the steel players you know you like (rather than the bands themselves). The Buckner steel work is by Eric Heywood, who has played with the Jayhawks, Son Volt, Tim Easton, Patrick Park and more. The Calexico steel is by Paul Niehaus, who also plays with Lambchop.

― asl, Monday, 2 May 2005 19:20 (twenty years ago)

much love to Mike for shouting out Knife in the Water. and Sacred Steel. and Henry Flynt.
Gene Clark No Other to thread, where it mingles with choirs, organs, phased violins, Clydie King.
and there's this incredible pedal steel that opens the Everly Brothers' "Green River" from their SoCal classic, Stories We Could Tell.

― Beta (abeta), Monday, 2 May 2005 19:34 (twenty years ago)

awww, thanks to the love. that record is actually recordings that predate the modern "sacred steel" phenom by about 40 years, fyi.

brother willie eason is an amazing cat in a similar vein, bluesy weird levitational gospel with pedal steel.

i just rememberd that i've always loved the slide that plays throughout on the carpenters' "top of the world"...

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Monday, 2 May 2005 20:59 (twenty years ago)

xxxxxxx-post Carty: YES! Gone for Good!

― giboyeux (skowly), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:09 (twenty years ago)

Since it appears that I am not the only one who digs this, I will note a few further glaring omissions to the original post:

The Shins - "Turn a Square"
Okkervil River - "Kansas City"
The Court & Spark - although I may have excluded them via my country prohibition; I say they're in the grey area.
Also, there is (was?) another Austin band called the Western Keys who make some pretty awesome, sometimes unconventional use of the pedal steel.

― Chris Wright (DrFunktronic), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:20 (twenty years ago)

I gotta say: I've always wanted to be in a band that somehow cobbled together blissed out pedal steel with saxamaphone, guitar, keys and skittery new-wave steez percussion.

Anyone want in?

― giboyeux (skowly), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:24 (twenty years ago)

(that last post was sorta embarassing for some reason)

― giboyeux (skowly), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:29 (twenty years ago)

xpost -- here's a weird and amazing Willie Eason song that's still live on my mp3 blog a month later (might be enjoyed by those who like pedal/ slide guitar when it's part of music aside from indie rock made in the last ten years):

http://buked.blogspot.com/2005/04/therell-be-no-more-grumbling.html

― Michael J McGonigal (mike mcgonigal), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

Greg Leisz's contribution to Matthew Sweet's rendition of "This Moment" sounds like a songbird on meth. I think it's great, tho I know fuck all about pedal steel.

― Hunter (Hunter), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:46 (twenty years ago)

Yes. I'm pretty sure pedal steel is, in and of itself, enough reason for me personally to like a song.

Make War, Bright Eyes (but even better the songs led by Neva Dinova on the EP last year)
Don't Be Afraid of Yr Anger, Clem Snide
all over Red Apple Falls, Smog (Ah, just saw the Reader article mention. That's a good one!)

― fancybill (ozewayo), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:49 (twenty years ago)

all over Red Apple Falls, Smog

"I Was a Stranger!"

Best ever.

― giboyeux (skowly), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

Hi Bill!

― giboyeux (skowly), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:57 (twenty years ago)

Search: The Weakerthans - "Benediction"

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Monday, 2 May 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

Frank Black and the Catholics "Whiskey in Your Shoes"
Silver Jews "Transylvania Blues"

― ath, Monday, 2 May 2005 22:23 (twenty years ago)

Bollocks. As a Steeler myself I was about to start a "100 Pedal Steel Moments" when I chanced upon this. Can we start it here?

The two that got me into the Steel many moons ago (tho' there are many better):

REM: World Leader Pretend
Lemonheads: Hannah & Gabi

― Huey (Huey), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:30 (twenty years ago)

Kraftwerk, Ananas Symphonie

... lap steel as opposed to pedal steel

― Dadaismus (Dada), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 12:34 (twenty years ago)

Green Arrow - Yo La Tengo

― maracas (maracas), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

Not really indie, but Harrison (the indie Beatle?!) all over All Things Must Pass.

Thinking about it, "I Live for You" is evidence of my shameless susceptibility to the steel... cheesy lyrics, not even a particularly interesting steel part, but still... insidiously addictive.

― fancybill (ozewayo), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 17:53 (twenty years ago)

Also, though I can see choruses rising in disagreement, I found the pedal steel on the reworkings ("massacres", Skow, go ahead, say it) on BPB Greatest Palace Music to be the key to my enjoyment of the album.

― fancybill (ozewayo), Tuesday, 3 May 2005 17:58 (twenty years ago)

("massacres", Skow, go ahead, say it)

"Massacres."
There!!! ARE YOU HAPPY?!??!?!

...I hate you. And I hate(d) BPB.

― giboyeux (skowly), Saturday, 14 May 2005 03:24 (twenty years ago)

Just that once, though.

― giboyeux (skowly), Saturday, 14 May 2005 03:24 (twenty years ago)

yo la tengo 'pablo and andrea'

i could swear i posted that on this thread a few weeks ago, but whatevs.

― Ian John50n (orion), Saturday, 14 May 2005 03:28 (twenty years ago)

I was thinking the other day, we forgot about Jeff Baxter's pedal steel playing on the early Steely Dan records...check out "Pearl of the Quarter" on Countdown to Ecstasy.

― Keith C (kcraw916), Saturday, 14 May 2005 13:17 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

Funkadelic's "Biological Speculation"! Holy shit!

― Keith C (lync0), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 23:10 (nineteen years ago)

Magnolia Electric Co to thread!

― captain badass, Wednesday, 24 August 2005 23:44 (nineteen years ago)

Paul Niehaus opened Lambchop's sets* (when they supported YLT in 2000) with the most gorgeousest pedal steel you ever heard. 4-5 minutes solo before the rest of the band came out.

Also, Kleinow on "It Just Might Be a One-Shot Deal" thirded, fourthed, etc.

*At least the two I saw

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 25 August 2005 00:08 (nineteen years ago)

dunno that it really counts as rock, but r.e.m.'s 'country feedback' is made by pedal steel

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Thursday, 25 August 2005 00:10 (nineteen years ago)

one year passes...

omg i luv the pedal steel

― gbx (skowly), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 04:58 (eighteen years ago)

Jerry Garcia's pedal steel on David Crosby's "Laughing" is the first thing that came to mind.

― Jonathan Forgang (forgang), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 16:30 (eighteen years ago)

six years pass...

Shining Pedal Steel Moments:

"Torn and Frayed" (Rolling Stones ~ Exile On Main St.)

"You Are Not Needed Now"/"If I Needed You" (Townes Van Zandt ~ High, Low, and In Between
The Late Great Townes Van Zandt)

Gene Clark's Cosmic Americana masterpiece No Other (especially the songs "Silver Raven", "Strength of Strings", "Some Misunderstanding", and "Lady of the North")

"Grow A New Heart" (Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter ~ Oh, My Girl)

― Graveyard Poet, Monday, 25 February 2013 10:15 (twelve years ago)

Cool thread--my GF and I talk about this all the time, looking for more stuff in this vein. Don't sleep on Sandy by Sandy Denny for some absolutely gorgeous playing.

― Clarke B., Tuesday, 26 February 2013 00:37 (twelve years ago)

Pedal steel solo on Poco's "Crazy Eyes", with the strings swooping behind it, is awesome, that guy's a great pedal steel player

― .... the rest look like Dudley Sutton (Tom D.), Tuesday, 26 February 2013 12:51 (twelve years ago)

See the Sky About to Rain - N. Young

― Johnny Hotcox, Tuesday, 26 February 2013 16:28 (twelve years ago)

Ken Stringfellow "Down Like Me" on Touched. Ron Preston's steel playing on that song compelled me to learn to play pedal steel. Anyone know anything else he's done?

― ernienovember, Wednesday, 6 March 2013 02:07 (twelve years ago)

one month passes...

OK - here's my several cents worth of songs where you might be surprised to hear Pedal Steel from these bands...

Avenged Sevenfold - great parts by Greg Leisz on Dear God
Gin Blossoms - Memphis Time
Country Comfort - Elton John
Mark Knopfler - Are we in Trouble Now (from Golden Heart, fantastic work by Paul Franklin)
John Hiatt (OK , maybe you would expect to hear PSG on his tunes) Adios to California
and of course: Steely Dan - Razor Boy and Pearl of the Quarter

― jws, Thursday, 18 April 2013 00:23 (twelve years ago)

Not really indie rock, but it is a cool tune that people might not remember has a really cool pedal steel solo (and heck he was a member of the band).

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

― earlnash, Thursday, 18 April 2013 04:12 (twelve years ago)

eight years pass...

I've been making my way through the Aquarium Drunkard best of 2021 spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kvMDh7ulxcvkwICvhDw8T for about a week or so and seems like maybe a quarter of the songs feature pedal steel, like fully integrated, unique pedal steel parts, not just Sneaky Pete retreads. Is this phenomenon just my imagination, or unique to AD tastes, or is pedal steel having a moment right now?

― BrianB, Monday, 20 December 2021 14:19 (three years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gat6-vhmq-w

― xzanfar, Monday, 20 December 2021 20:47 (three years ago)

eight months pass...

it's certainly having a moment at AD

https://aquariumdrunkard.com/2015/06/23/all-roads-lead-to-red-a-pedal-steel-mixtape-tribute

― mookieproof, Monday, 22 August 2022 23:14 (two years ago)

I made two playlists that would fit nicely in this thread. The first is more upbeat and the second is like its quiet nighttime flip side.

― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 24 August 2022 01:04 (two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.