Steel guitar in movie tracks?

David Griffin · Post by **David Griffin** » 24 Sep 2010 2:24 pm

Am I the only one who's ever noticed

that in "Pure Country" there's a scene in Cowtown Coliseum where the song kicks off w/ steel (I think it's "U.S. Male")& when the camera pans across the stage there's nobody sitting at the steel!!

Mark Eaton · Post by **Mark Eaton** » 24 Sep 2010 2:38 pm

I haven't seen Pure Country, will have to check it out.

Not pedal steel, but the movie that came out a couple months ago with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, "Get Low," has a lot of Jerry Douglas on dobro. His playing over the scenes is absolutely perfect.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 24 Sep 2010 3:54 pm

EASY RIDER!

"Don't Bogart That Joint My Friend" [Fraternity Of Man], and I think (I said I think), "Wasn't Born To Follow" (Byrds). I know Clarence White is the main lead, with Mcguinn doing the fingerpicking on the Rick-12, but I think there is steel some steel in that song.

BING0!

Skip Edwards · Post by **Skip Edwards** » 24 Sep 2010 4:10 pm

I forget the name of the tune, but isn't there some cool steel on the tune that plays during the first few scenes of "Full Metal Jacket"?
"Hello Vietnam", or something like that...

Steel being heard on canned tunes used in movies is cool, but it's a completely different thing than steel being featured in the original soundtrack music.

My hat's off to Gustavo Santaolalla and my old pal Boo.

Bill Ladd · Post by **Bill Ladd** » 25 Sep 2010 5:18 am

Get yourself a copy of Wim Wender's "End of Violence" starring Bill Pullman and Andie McDowell.

There's a Whiskeytown song on there called "Theme for a Trucker."

Yep, that's me playing steel.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 25 Sep 2010 12:24 pm

What surprises me is that no producers have used it for creepier and/or more atmospheric parts - you think they'd at least be aware of "Belladonna" by Daniel Lanois and Bruce Kaphan's two CDs. I can certainly scare myself when I first sit down.....

That creepy whole-tone piano tinkling they always do when the heroine is walking through the dark parking garage, knowing that the serial killer is still free but she left her gun at home because it didn't match her shoes... well, even I can do better than that.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 26 Sep 2010 1:17 am

I'm quite sure that there is steel in Alice's Restaurant.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 26 Sep 2010 2:10 am

Joachim,

I'm not too sure there is steel in Alice's Restaurant. Arlo, back then, was primarily a solo performer.

Here's a link to the soundtracks:

http://www.answers.com/topic/alice-s-re ... lo-guthrie

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 26 Sep 2010 2:33 am

Chip, I didn' mean that Arlo sang on it, but some other performer or an instrumental from the film.
Maybe somebody here knows?

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 26 Sep 2010 2:37 am

Joachim,

The link lists all performers and songs who played in the movie. Mostly, it's all Arlo, with a couple others singing harmony. Check it out.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 26 Sep 2010 2:55 am

Chip these excerpts from the review state something else :

The record is filled out by a few short, folk-rock instrumentals composed by Guthrie or the album's producer, Garry Sherman;

a throwaway honky tonk vocal (sung by Al Shackman) that is either a send-up of or tribute to classic country, or both;

Joachim

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 26 Sep 2010 3:03 am

Joachim,

Well, I stand corrected. Maybe there is some steel, after all.

I was never good at reading the fine print. $:\$

Probabaly to get to the bottom of this, one might have to re-watch the entire movie.

It does mention "record was filled out"...

Maybe these songs were added to fill out the LP, because the actual songs in the movie weren't enough to fill up the album.
ie. Maybe these 'country-rock' songs were only on the record, and not the movie.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 26 Sep 2010 5:45 pm

What surprises me is that no producers have used it for creepier and/or more atmospheric parts

Well, for creepy, I played on SAW 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. For atmospheric, I'm on somewhere between 60 and 70 films, starting around 1984.

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 27 Sep 2010 2:21 pm

Well, that's a start... I guess I need to start collecting teeny slasher flicks? Hmmm. There is a huge amount of slide guitar as fills in cop shows and dramas like "Breaking Bad", "Memphis Beat" and all, but it's rarely even as long as a 2-bar melody. I used to watch CSI back in the 3rd & 4th seasons just for the music, when they had a hit's budget but hadn't yet run out of plots. It's a cartoon now.

There is some interesting music on TV, but I guess most TV shows are now scored by a single guy in a room full of computers. Just crank up the "ACID LOOPS: Slide Guitar" and plink away on the Korg Triton? Slide guitars also sell lots of the Great American Trinity: beer, burgers & trucks.

Larry Tracy · Post by **Larry Tracy** » 27 Sep 2010 2:46 pm

Saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and in one scene they are playing Ramona by the Flying Burrito Bros. with Sneaky Pete. The movie the Longriders had a lot of great slide by Ry Cooder and David Lindley, also Paris TX.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 27 Sep 2010 7:01 pm

Years back, I played on a couple CSI NY shows, for Bill Brown.

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 27 Sep 2010 11:12 pm

Alice's Restaurant Soundtrack: The song with steel is track number eight. Also track 17, but this was added for the re- release.
http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=1586

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 28 Sep 2010 2:09 am

La Bamba (the Richie Valens bio) from the late 80s opens with Santo & Johnny's Sleepwalk.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 28 Sep 2010 8:28 am

Yup.

Amazon has "You're A Fink" in it's MP3 Downloads.

I listened to the sampler, and definitely steel is in it. Good song, too.

Amazon had no listing for "Big City Garbage".

Thanks for that, Joachim. My mistake. $:\$

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 2 Oct 2010 2:40 pm

I believe Denzel Washington's flick "Man on Fire" had Dan Dugmore's steel break from Rondstadts "Blue Bayou" track.

Any one of these ID's could be wrong but you get the idea...

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 13 Nov 2010 1:30 am

I'm not sure if this song was included in the soundtrack of the western "Open Range".
The singer is Lee Clayton with a song called "Border Affair" with some very nice steel.
Is it Buddy Emmons?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSexuGHC ... re=related

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 16 Nov 2010 11:38 am

Does anybody have the soundtrack to "Wolfen?" There was some great steel in the Bronx barroom scene but I can't remember the song.

Stephen Gregory · Post by **Stephen Gregory** » 20 Nov 2010 9:16 pm

Anymore, keep 'em coming.

Johnny Thomasson · Post by **Johnny Thomasson** » 21 Nov 2010 10:23 am

I can't believe no one has mentioned Coal Miner's Daughter. I watched that (again) last night. There was some pretty good steel on that one.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 21 Nov 2010 6:42 pm

David Lynch's, The Straight Story, has a couple cuts that I played on.

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Steel guitar in movie tracks?

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