any chance you would share a playlist of tracks that feature that sliding bending tone i associate with steel pedal guitar? i’m just starting to look for more and trying to get past the few country songs i heard on the radio…

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aidenn0 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Not GP, but if you're looking for a list that skews towards rock, some googling found this:

https://www.musicindustryhowto.com/steel-guitar-songs/

	▲	dofm 18 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Interestingly enough the song on that list that is arguably most associated with western swing pedal steel, Santo and Johnny's "Sleep Walk", isn't actually a pedal steel song originally; it's played on a console steel.

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dofm 18 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Apologies for delayed response:

Pedal steel is quite a diverse thing because it can be used quite obviously, or it can be used for sort of subtle sliding, stringy swell accompaniments.

Dire Straits' "On Every Street" is a good example — there's a fair amount of quite subtle pedal steel accompaniment work on the title track, "Calling Elvis" (amazing music video), "Fade To Black".

It's more obviously noticeable (comes to the front a bit more) on "The Bug".

Probably the most deliberate use of it I can think of is "Emmylou" by First Aid Kit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3TzP-o4vhs

But there's some on "Wolf" — great example from Glastonbury where the lap steel is quite rock-ish:

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

Chris Funk of The Decemberists plays pedal steel, there's a bit on The King Is Dead. "Dear Avery", for example (heartbreakingly lovely song):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeHhV79BCU4

Rise To Me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOH3mIo378A

There's also some on The Hazards Of Love, e.g. on "Isn't It A Lovely Night":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Z2lZgpqKc

Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) did his solo project stuff with a great pedal steel player:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8QBpfCSlLE

Then there's Robert Randolph, who plays in a sort of extended, rock/blues "sacred steel" style that comes from the fascinating place lap steel has in Black gospel music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5Dgnf824zk

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

Funnily enough "Sleep Walk", the song people most associate with the pedal steel, which is in aidenn0's list, was originally not a pedal steel song — it's a console steel song (twin neck, on a sort of standing table, but no levers or pedals, just bar slants for bends).