Susan Alcorn - BJ Cole - Recording?

[The Invisible Man]

"seems to have quite a following"

So did Adolf.

[ZBSD-10]

leave my dad out of it !!
Joking ! I hve'nt heard Susan Play so I can't make any comments, I'll have a dekko at the clip and offer my
humble opinion for what that's worth !
All the best from a shitty, sweltering Corfu
Frank. Corfu

[steve honest]

CHaps
I have to protest, sure this is not country music, sure its not buddy emmons, or speedy west, but i have to defend her right to play music the way she wants to play it.
You dont like it, thats fair enough, but why attack her because she is doing this on a Pedal Steel? The steel is an amazing wide ranging instrument,Like this music or not , i certainly defend her right to perform music.
So can we be a bit more generous to another working musician
steve

[The Invisible Man]

This is a Forum and it's not up to anyone on here to tell us we can't have an opinion.

[SteelieAJK]

I quite like this composition by Susan.
Good to hear original material on steel.

[Ken Byng]

The major problem that holds back pedal steel guitar is that most people associate it only with country music. It is capable of so much more, but must be the most stereotyped instrument ever. OK - so some people don't get off on Susan's music. That's fine, but don't knock someone for being different. Some of her music is too avant garde for my ears, but there will be some who would prefer it to the hackneyed stuff that most of us play.

How many of us have a completely original style? Very few, and most have based their syle on Lloyd Green, Buddy Emmons, John Hughey etc. They are great players, but E9 pedal steel players are really just recycling stuff that has been done previously. Paul Franklin is one of the most successful players in the world, and he challenged the then standard of E9th chicken picking playing style of Lloyd, Hal and Weldon and did his own thing. Result - Hal Rugg and Weldon Myrick's session work diminished and Paul became the no.1 session steel player in Nashville. It didn't hurt him to be different.

Buddy Emmons took pedal steel guitar into a completely different direction with his development of the chromatic E9 and out and out jazz playing on C6. Very different to the mainstream players of the 1950's & 60's.

I watch Susan Alcorn and think that she could play country stuff if she wanted - she certainly has good right hand technique - and could improvise at jam sessions. Music is very diverse and the one thing that holds back pedal steel is its association with country music. Robert Randolph is probably the most popular steel player world wide, and he is at 180° with the majority of steel players. Very different, but it hasn't held him back. Just the opposite.

[steve honest]

Dear Invisible man
Im not saying dont have an Opinion, but some of the comments about Susan have been very unkind, so she travels differnet path, and perhaps her compositions are difficult to understand for the Regular ear, but are we to not evolve? is the steel just to forever bee seen and heard as Country music?
Lets be a little kinder.
steve

[steve honest]

HI Ken
thank you for your balanced view.
steve

[The Invisible Man]

Im not saying dont have an Opinion, but [abusive language removed].
steve

This is a bigoted view as it tries to stifle any opposition to a certain viewpoint, (established or otherwise) or you are an anus. (we don’t swear on here mate)

If I remember rightly, when the subject was discussed on the last Forum it was about the first clip being described as music, sound effects or noise. It was done to death so any further comment would only be digging up past controversy.

Not one single person on here has ever doubted Susan’s musical ability, just the definition of some of her offerings. Everybody has the right to their view without being intimidated by name-calling. You may agree or not, but that’s what the Forum is about.

Ken,
How can you say Paul challenged the standard playing styles of Hal, Lloyd, Weldon, Buddy, and John H. etc. They all had their own individual, recognisable style, as does Paul. If anything, Paul is an amalgamation of the best in all of them. His E9 stuff is PURE down home, inspired country playing. It’s nothing to be ashamed of playing Country you know. You seem to be showing the same intolerance to country playing as criticising others for their intolerance to Susan’s playing.

I’m sure you don’t really mean it Ken, or you wouldn’t be playing in a Country band yourself.

Country players have played on loads of pop stuff and it still hasn’t broken the back of acceptance any more than Robert Randolph. I suspect if you asked the average person what instrument he is playing (without looking) they would probably say a standard guitar. I’ve always thought it needed one person to make the breakthrough, but if Paul couldn’t do it with Dire Straits it makes you wonder.

[Basil Henriques]

Not long ago there was a question asked on a BBC radio phone-in as to who was Robert Randolph, can you guess how many correct replies there were.

This subject regarding the "Popularity" "Commerciality" and "individuality" of Robert Randolph (As a Steel Player), Susan Alcorn et al, is really limited to a VERY small group of Anoraks, (Yes that's what we are, like it or not) (Before I'm taken to task about "Et Al", I think I mean nonconformists to melodic "Major Pentatonic" music)

It's about time we accepted that the steel guitar's popularity or not, is the concern of us wee few, and other than passing on what we know to younger student, there's precious little we can do to change that. We can hope to take the instrument to more listeners and get it more readily recognised, but when all is said and done, TV programmes with steel guitar content are about as abundant as TV show featuring a zither player or musical saw or any other "Novelty" instrument.

That's the general perception of the "fixers" in the music business.. "Novelty instrument, to be utilised when special effects, "Whip Cracks, Wolf Whistles or Hawaiian sounds, Intimations of Country/western, and other such like "Specialist" areas have to be catered for. Like the Ukulele, the steel guitar at this point in time is PROBABLY heard more in a background mode to TV commercials. (Usually played just adequately).
I personally don't care whether Susan Alcorn CAN play well or not, I don't particularly like her representation and presentation of the instrument in a mode we're getting more and more designated to.

I say thanks God for the OTHER players of the Steel Guitar who are entertaining a much broader spectrum of listeners.
So, take me to task over my opinions, surely.. BUT, bear in mind that we COULD be spending more effort trying to promote this instrument we all love. I notice the trend here to use phraseology that intimates that the steel guitar would benefit from being take away from its Country Music affiliations.. That's quite narrow minded, because although there are quite a few on this forum that are "Country" players, throughout the UK and Europe there are equally as many Hawaiian orientated players, using resonator guitars in retro combos, and Electric console and pedal steels in music other than Rock, Pop or Country. There is quite a resurgence in "Americana" as well as the retro Hawaiian field.
And let's not forget the "Folk Orientated" acoustic Weissenborn players, some of whom here in Europe are of "World Standard": Fred Kinborn, Michael Messer from here and Scandinavian players like Steinar Gregertsen, French players like Pascal Mesnier, and SO MANY MORE throughout the UK and Europe all playing the steel guitar in one or more of its forms.

I may be wrong, but I THINK The BSS and its forum is for more than just E9 pedal steel players..and the criticism of those that fall outside that "Pigeon Hole" may need to be redirected into a more positive endeavour..After all, there is more to Pedal Steel than just the E9 mindset. I know this is the British Steelies Society (UK Pedal Steel Guitar Forum).. BUT how many of the pedal steel players here diverge from just E9 and include C6, Universal, Dobro (Should be reso) or Lap steel, or like myself and that strange fellow from Cheshire, play Great American Songbook standards and other music ?

I'm not so sure that BJ Cole and his music should be classified in the same genre' or be in the same post as Susan Alcorn, whilst BJ is non conformist in some respects, his capabilities are obvious even to the casual listener, whereas with Susan you would have to listen long and deeply to recognise her undisputed ability, I think it's a pity she exhibits such weird presentational taste.