SLIDE GUITAR >LANDMARK CONTRIBUTIONS

[Michael Messer]

I am still involved with some research related to the Slide Guitar & I would very much appreciate you contributing to this thread.

I am looking for landmark contributions to popular music made by the Slide Guitar from 1950 onwards.

An example might be...1985 Ry Cooder releases Paris Texas soundtrack. In 1985 it was hard to hear an acoustic guitarist that didn't do a version of Paris Texas. The piece is a re-working of an old baptist hymn recorded in 1927 by slide guitarist and street preacher, Blind Willie Johnson.

1962 Howlin Wolf records 'Little Red Rooster'

...that is the kind of thing I am looking for. If you want to explain your choices, then that's great too. But they must be landmark contributions to the genre, rather than personal favourites.

I look forward to reading your choices

Shine On,
Michael.

[blueshome]

The most obvious one - 1951 - Elmore James - Dust my Broom then about a million people since.

[rickS]

Hi Michael - the Stones ('Elmo' Jones) used slide on 'I Wanna Be Your Man', tho it was hardly a defining moment of the genre - I recall the Stones version of 'Rooster' as being the one that put it on the map in a major way; not a lot of help, I guess..

[rickS]

Hmm, another one comes to mind is the Allman Bros live cover of Taj Mahal's version of 'Statesboro Blues', c1970 - that seemed to be played to death back then ('course, Duane was only re-working Cooder's (?) original slide part - Taj's version was way better, IMO)

regards,

Rick

[Alan]

End of Layla by Derek and the Dominos - Interesting as it goes from a straight rock into something instrumental with an ambientish vibe, used on Goodfellows soundtrack - strange that both Clapton and Dire Straights had that instrumental thing going on

Stay With Me by the Faces, not the sleakist of playing but sounds very British, fits totally in with the song, its a bit like your stereotypical pub band on steroids. (not heard the song in ages, sounds like everyones doing their own thing and by shear luck it fits together)

Pink Floyd Stuff - Ambient Heads around the would must have gone out searching for a lap steal (and a variety of other things) after hearing their stuff

[snakehips]

Hi there !

I think Chris Rea probably has brought slide guitar to the forefront of "pop music" in some of his "hits" ("On the road to hell" or something, it was called)
Then of course, there was Texas' "I don't want a lover", back in the 1980's
I think quite a few of their early hits had rudementary slide guitar.

I do wonder if blues slide guitar was ever as wild as Elmore James' - before he recorded "Hand in Hand" 1953 (with Ike Turner on piano). Who else was playing like that at that time or before it ? (excluding any Hawaiian stuff).
Perhaps not a well known recording - BUT Elmore's "Dust My Blues" was well known to the British contingent in the 60's when it and other tracks were put on the "Sue" label (from dubs of original Modern/Flair 78's).

Then of course, I believe Muddy Waters tune "You Shook Me" was taken up and made famous by Led Zepplin. You will find that the slide guitar on the Muddy original track was not in fact by Muddy, but actually dubbed on later by Earl Hooker !

[Ian McWee]

Maybe not a 'landmark' as such - but a song which contains some rudimentary slide, and has been mentioned many times to me in conversation over the years by 'rock' sliders who didn't go down the 'obvious' blues route was "No matter where you go" ( i think that's the name of the song ) by Badfinger around the early '70's......quite a few guitarists picked up on that 'strange' solo, not realising until researching the actual song that it was made with a slide

Slide On!

Ian.

P.S. - message for Richard (Snakehips)....did you get my e-mail about the slides mate

[steadyrollinman]

Lets not forget the stones released Let It Bleed on December 1969. This had a great cover of Robert Johnson's Love in Vain. Slide played by Mick Taylor. The live version, available on several bootlegs is awesome.

Regards,


Chris.

[steadyrollinman]

Sorry folks, slide on studio version of Love In Vain was played by his royal highness Keith Richard. The live version sliding was played by Mick Taylor.



Chris.

[Sonya]

I know Ry Cooder has already been mentioned - but he deserves lots of mentions here!

Specifically (for me) Jesus on the Mainline, with David Lindley. The recording I have is, I think, a bootleg made sometime in the late 70s in Osaka. It is a wonderful, intricate bit of musical weaving, with a few bars of 'I'll Fly Away' and 'Amazing Grace' thrown in....... slide guitar taken to another level.

Sonya

[steadyrollinman]

And,............

The stones also released Exile On Main St in 1972 ish. It had a great cover of Robert Johnson's Stop Breaking Down. Slide credit again goes to Mick Taylor.

In the early 60's John Mayall & Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton did a cover of RJ's Ramblin on My Mind.


Regards,



Chris.

[martin w]

Hi all,

I've got 2 for consideration:

1. Ry Cooder's Vigilante Man - was anyone in the rock fraternity thinking about acoustic slide before this was shown on OGWT?

2. Whoever it was who played the theme tune on John Peel's show (anyone know who that was?) - not exactly a groundbreaking piece of playing , I'll grant you, but certainly influential because of the show it was attached to and the sheer number of times it got heard.

Cheers,

M.

[Bill Stig]

I agree with the Vigilante man suggestion - it certainly turned me on to slide. The Stones are also a great influence, in fact Ry Cooder's slide on sister morphine is a great one. But don't forget Bob Brozman; whatever you think of him it can't be denied that he's been a great influence in recent times. There are also players who wouldn't immediately spring to mind such as Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd, that's the sort of player that people are likely to hear playing slide first. There's Sleepwalk by Santo and Johnny. I could go on , but I'm getting called for tea.
Bill

[Michael Messer]

Thanks everyone. This is great stuff!

I am trying to just stick to slide guitar, rather than steel (lap-style) guitar. Santo & Johnny, David Lindley & Dave Gilmour are all very important players, but not in the history of slide guitar as a separate entity to steel guitar. My apologies, I should have been clearer about that in my first post.

Elmore James - Dust My Broom is definitely a landmark.

I Wanna Be Your Man - is definitely a great one and very early, but as a landmark piece of slide playing I have to pick 'Little Red Rooster' from the early Stones recordings. There are one or two thers in the Stones catalogue - No Expectations was an eye-opener.

There is definitely a Duane Allman/Allman brothers track for this list, but I am not sure which it will be. It may end up being Duane's contribution to 'Layla' with Eric Clapton. Possibly his most famous and influential moment?

Rod Stewart & The Faces - well I am not sure if they are landmarks of the slide guitar, but one thing is for sure, they were one of the greatest bands ever. Possibly the landmark slide guitar moments are the ones on Rod's solo albums; Amazing Grace, Losing You...etc. (that takes us back to an earlier thread about Sam Mitchell).

Chris Rea's Road To Hell is definitely an important record.

Muddy Waters landmark moment in the history of slide guitar has to be I Can't Be Satisfied, which rather annoyingly falls before 1950. However I will pick something from Muddy's 50s period, because he made so many landmark recordings.

Earl Hooker's contribution to You Shook me is wonderful, but not as important as the fact that he was probably the first person to record slide guitar with a wah-wah pedal. Which at the time was pretty cool. Mac Graydon's slide guitar with a wah-wah on JJ Cale's first album was a big one too.

Badfinger - they made some great records. I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised if George Harrison plays slide on their records.

Which brings us to My Sweet Lord - is that George's most important slide guitar track?

Ry Cooder - I think it has to be his first album in 1970 that blew everyones socks off and has to be included. The live bootleg is one of my all time favourite records, but it is not an official release.

I think an early John Mayal & Eric Clapton track has to go in.

Ry Cooder's Vigilante Man on The Old Grey Whistle Test is a very big one. I think that along with his first album, Paris Texas, and his OGWT appearance, he inspired a lot of people to play slide, and got it noticed in the mainstream.

No one has mentioned Lowell George...

No one has mentioned Johnny Winter...especially the acoustic songs on his early solo albums. Johnny Winter turned a lot of people on to slide guitar....and National guitars.

Joe Walsh - Rocky Mountain Way ?

There is no question of Bob Brozman's influence on slide players over the past 20 years, but I don't think he has contributed anything to mainstream popular music or created a landmark recording. Outside the slide guitar fraternity he is unknown. There is no question of his skill and I am in no way criticizing him, but his playing style is not original, it is a copy of other players (Johnny Winter, Charlie Patton, Sol Hoopii, Roy Smeck....etc). So although brilliant and important, he does not fit in the list. (I hope he never writes a list, I am definitely not in it now!).

How about some of these names - can you help me with their greatest slide guitar landmark contributions to popular music?
Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac), George Harrison, Bonnie Raitt, Ronnie Wood, Al Blind Owl Wilson(Canned Heat), Mac Graydon (JJ Cale), Rory Gallagher, Jimmie Page, John Mayall, etc....

These are not necessarily the greatest players of all time, but they have broken new ground and made landmark recordings.

Keep 'em coming! Thanks very much for contributing. It really is very helpful.

My friend & research partner, BJ Cole, is doing similar research with steel guitar. Flying Burrito Brothers, Matthews Southern Comfort, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Sting....etc.

Shine On and thank you,
Michael.

[rickS]

Random thoughts - Canned Heat/ Al Wilson would have to be 'Let's Work Together', I think? I'd suggest that Lowell George was more influential on other players (eg Bonnie Raitt), than on mainstream music; Bob Dylan's 'If Not For You' was pretty mainstream; pick ANY Jeremy Spencer track - I always thought he only ever recorded the one generic Elmore tune & just sang different words for the different songs! Should be a way to work Zoot Horn Rollo ('Big Eyed Beans From Venus') in here somewhere!