Prog songs that feature pedal steel guitar

[StevegSr]

Aside from Yes and Floyd songs, what other prog band's songs feature pedal steel guitar?

[GuitarGeek]

Just for the record, Pink Floyd doesn't have any pedal steel on their records, just lap steel.

I dunno if it qualifies as "prog" but Uriah Heep used pedal steel on a song called Tales, from The Magician's Birthday album. It was played by session player BJ Cole. That's the only thing I can think of that loosely falls into the "prog" category, if we discount the Steve Howe related examples.

Edit: Barry Cleveland had a pedal steel player when he played at ProgDay in 2010.

And I don't know if they count as "prog", but the Canadian band Red Rider had a pedal steel player too. I certainly think a song like Lunatic Fringe kinda sorta could be called "prog".

[Adinfinitum]

Ad Infinitum!

I used a Fender Table Steel guitar (the same one that SH used on Close to the Edge before he got the dual manual one) on several tracks.

My band mates said my playing was like Steve Howe after 5 pints! Let's just say it took a few takes to play in key - unless you have great ears or have been playin a table steel for a while, playing with good intonation is really hard (at least for me).

[regenerativemusic]

I had to post this song because you asked for pedal steel....this is Jerry Garcia playing on a Graham Nash song. Now, I know a lot of people like both Prog and the Grateful Dead, but I haven't been much of a Grateful Dead fan. However, this song is one of those major chill songs for me.

[GuitarGeek]

Ad Infinitum!

I used a Fender Table Steel guitar (the same one that SH used on Close to the Edge before he got the dual manual one) on several tracks.

Actually, on Close To The Edge, he used a single neck Gibson lap steel. He started using the Fender doubleneck steel on Tales From Topographic Oceans, and he didn't start with the pedal steel until Relayer.

[GuitarGeek]

I had to post this song because you asked for pedal steel....this is Jerry Garcia playing on a Graham Nash song. Now, I know a lot of people like both Prog and the Grateful Dead, but I haven't been much of a Grateful Dead fan. However, this song is one of those major chill songs for me.

Yeah, Jerry went through a heavy pedal steel period in the early 70's. Story goes that on the band's first trip to England in 1970, he found one in a music store, and bought it under the condition the store shipped it back to San Francisco for him. He played pedal steel quite a bit on both Workingman's Dead, American Beauty, and his first solo album plus quite a few guest appearances on other people's records. He said he would have continued using the instrument more if "I had another lifetime to learn how to play it properly".

But you remind me that Jerry played pedal steel on Your Mind Has Left Your Body from the Baron Von Tollbooth And The Chrome Nun album by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, and David Freiberg. That's at least a psychedelic song, if not full on "prog".

[StevegSr]

Just for the record, Pink Floyd doesn't have any pedal steel on their records, just lap steel.

I dunno if it qualifies as "prog" but Uriah Heep used pedal steel on a song called Tales, from The Magician's Birthday album. It was played by session player BJ Cole. That's the only thing I can think of that loosely falls into the "prog" category, if we discount the Steve Howe related examples.

Edit: Barry Cleveland had a pedal steel player when he played at ProgDay in 2010.

Thanks for the tip on UH, but David Gilmour used a Fender 1000 double neck PEDAL steel guitar on Dark Side of the Moon, not a lap steel. He used some sort of open g tuning and didn't use the pedals for some reason. Not that I know much about pedal steel, but I'm just saying. I'm not sure what type of Pedal steel he used on the Division Bell song High Hopes, but it's a pedal steel.

[StevegSr]

I had to post this song because you asked for pedal steel....this is Jerry Garcia playing on a Graham Nash song. Now, I know a lot of people like both Prog and the Grateful Dead, but I haven't been much of a Grateful Dead fan. However, this song is one of those major chill songs for me.

Mmm. Mmm. Good!

[Dave (in MA)]

Waka Jawaka

[StevegSr]

Waka Jawaka

Duh! I forgot about Waka Jawaka! That was the late great "Sneaky" Pete Klienow on pedal steel on the third track. He passed away back in 2007.

[frippster]

Zappa's It Just Might Be A One Shot Deal has a nice pedal steel solo by the great Sneaky Pete Kleinow. That's about the closest to an actual prog song/artist example I can think of besides Howe. Early 70s band Cochise had BJ Cole on steel. Not really prog, but at least rock. Cole sort of became the go to steel guy for rock playing in the 70s and again in the late 90s with The Verve, Spiritualized. He's probably best known for playing steel on Elton John's Tiny Dancer, but most of his work nowadays is in more ambient/experimental areas.

I'm a big fan of the steel and also dabble in playing (very badly), but haven't run across too much in the rock realm aside from the country-rock of the early 70s.

Edit: Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking Zappa

[StevegSr]

Zappa's It Just Might Be A One Shot Deal has a nice pedal steel solo by the great Sneaky Pete Kleinow. That's about the closest to an actual prog song/artist example I can think of besides Howe. Early 70s band Cochise had BJ Cole on steel. Not really prog, but at least rock. Cole sort of became the go to steel guy for rock playing in the 70s and again in the late 90s with The Verve, Spiritualized. He's probably best known for playing steel on Elton John's Tiny Dancer, but most of his work nowadays is in more ambient/experimental areas.

I'm a big fan of the steel and also dabble in playing (very badly), but haven't run across too much in the rock realm aside from the country-rock of the early 70s.

My sentiments exactly. I'm glad I didn't actually post it! Too much repetition. LOL

[Zeuhlmate]

Bob Drake?

[StevegSr]

Bob Drake?

Bob Drake? No, but the late Pete Drake is A-OK, as is BJ Cole and Red Rhodes. All excellent pedal steel players.

[StevegSr]

Ad Infinitum!



My band mates said my playing was like Steve Howe after 5 pints! Let's just say it took a few takes to play in key - unless you have great ears or have been playin a table steel for a while, playing with good intonation is really hard (at least for me).

I shall give you a listen tonight with a shot of Bailey's in my coffee! Good show, I say.

[Dave (in MA)]

Edit: Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking Zappa

Well, you zeroed in on the actual song; I just lazily threw out the album name.

[StevegSr]

Well, you zeroed in on the actual song; I just lazily threw out the album name.

And I said the third track! Now that's lazy. LOL

[Dave (in MA)]

Truck Driver Divorce ought to have it, but it doesn't.

[StevegSr]

Truck Driver Divorce ought to have it, but it doesn't.

Agreed! LOL

[Mister Triscuits]

Early 70s band Cochise had BJ Cole on steel.

He is on Procol Harum's "As Strong As Samson" (alongside his former bandmate Mick Grabham).

Daniel Lanois on Brian Eno's Apollo.

[yoyiceu]

Glenn Ross Campbell, playing in the second version of The Misunderstood, before going on to Juicy Lucy.

[syncopatico]

since lap steel has been mentioned, Roy Wood and The Move had a few proggy bits on their last album 'Looking On' (or maybe more like *proto-prog* moments),
this is live in the studio in 1970 from the 'Beat Club' German TV:

[syncopatico]

make that their second to last album!

[Progbear]

Irmin Schmidt of Can was very into the steel guitar circa Ege Bamyasi. So much so that their manager was forced to take it away from him, for she feared he might give up playing the keyboards!

since lap steel has been mentioned, Roy Wood and The Move had a few proggy bits on their last album 'Looking On' (or maybe more like *proto-prog* moments)

There’s tons of pedal-steel on the Super Active Wizzo album, which is one of the most bizarre records ever made: sort of jazz fusion meets Western swing with a very typically Roy Wood-ish patina over it all. Kind of an acquired taste, for sure, but I love it!

[Brainforest]

Aside from Yes and Floyd songs, what other prog band's songs feature pedal steel guitar?

IMG_0604.jpg

Alan Morse from Spock's Beard usually plays lap steel, but played pedal steel on the opening sections of "A Treasure Abandoned" from Brief Nocturnes a few years back.