"So begins the task"....

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 7 Jan 2014 6:24 am

A simply beautiful song by Steve Stills and Manasses. Double album , with every song on it a masterwork.
The great Al Perkins supplies wonderfully airy, etherial, "atmospheric" steel parts that to my ears make the song.. I could be wrong, but I think Al was still using a Fender 1000 during this time, but its also possible he had started playing his ZB...
Either way, its simply classic country rock steel, the sound of which was the sound track to my life as a very young man,,, Well, as much older man as well.
This is how I hear the pedal steel in my head...

While you're at it, look up Fallen Eagle, and Don't Look at my Shadow.. great steel work, that still stands up almost 42 years later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thdSORQn0eY

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 7 Jan 2014 9:02 am

What if Steve Stills ever made a Country record? Wouldn't this be good?

John Hauck · Post by **John Hauck** » 7 Jan 2014 10:36 am

Bob, Thanks for the post. I think Manassas was one one the finest bands ever put together. Saw them in L.A. in the 70's at the Hollywood Bowl. Great night out.

Here's a link to some live performance stuff out there from the same period. Looks like Al's playing the Zum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuphMxyPWeA

Dave Campbell · Post by **Dave Campbell** » 7 Jan 2014 2:34 pm

i've been into this album for a while. i can never figure out why it isn't talked about more.

i also can never figure out why they put the acid spangler on this concert broadcast.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 8 Jan 2014 10:10 am

Dave Campbell wrote:i've been into this album for a while. i can never figure out why it isn't talked about more.

i also can never figure out why they put the acid spangler on this concert broadcast.

One of the reasons I posted it is because this masterpiece of an album has been pretty much erased from any musical discourse, except for those of us that remember it from our mis spent youth.
Simply wonderful song writing, singing, and performing.. this album to me repesents the best work Steve Stills ever did, and that says a LOT... bob

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 8 Jan 2014 10:20 am

except for those of us that remember it from our mis spent youth

I know I have seen this band live, but I can't remember anything!

Gary Roda · Post by **Gary Roda** » 12 Jan 2014 10:32 am

Bob,

I could not agree more with you! I wore this record OUT back in the seventies...my buddies and I trekked out to Colorado to be part of the scene that Stills wrote about; he created the whole movement, evoked the whole ccountry-in the- Rockies mythos with that seminal album. Al's superb playing was a key influence on my musical direction, driving me to purchase my first steel (Sho-Bud 6139, bought from Nick The Greek's Music and Antiques in Boulder). What a band, what an album. I have also enjoyed the live TV videos (thank you YouTube!), even though Steve was obviously high as a kite during the taping (check out Chris Hilman's sideways looks!), it is great to have that as a historical document of a musical milestone.

Gary Roda · Post by **Gary Roda** » 12 Jan 2014 10:33 am

Another Manassas thought:

What I really love about this band was that they honored the traditions and sounds of classic country music, though they were rock musicians for the most part. Quite a difference from the current crop of Nashville "artists".

Mike Daly · Post by **Mike Daly** » 18 Mar 2014 7:36 am

A latecomer to this thread but I have to agree with all of you as this album and Al Perkins was a huge influence for me as well . But all is not forgotten...currently there is another thread about Al on the Steel Players page. Cannot get that killer solo out of my head now.....

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 18 Mar 2014 3:20 pm

Great song, Bob.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 7 May 2023 3:38 am

Thought I would bring this thread back as I have playing this song a lot on 6 string -just because...
Around the time this was recorded, Al was switching from his cable Fender to a ZB S11.. Anyone know what he used on this record??. I saw an article about him where he stated that on the Stone's "Torn and Frayed" song he used the ZB, and was struggling with it, but got through it ok.. yes going from 8 to 11 strings would be an issue for a LOT of steel players.. Funny thing is, when I listen to his recordings from that era, both the Fender he used and the ZB sounded pretty much the same.,, at least to me..

Anyone know for certain which guitar he used on the Manasses album?

Kenny Davis · Post by **Kenny Davis** » 11 May 2023 10:42 am

Bob - I speak to Al on occasion, and the other day I mentioned some posts about him recently. Since he isn't a member of the Forum, he asked me to pass this along to you:

From his email -

Here’s a link my wife ran across…with a Risson T shirt

https://youtu.be/xL3si2spf2I

Below the link he added:

That’s Tom’s old D11-10. I began playing it soon as we began touring, but the 1st Manassas lp and the “Last of the Red Hot Burritos” live lp was the Fender 1000 with two home made knee levers on the E7th ft neck.
(Left knee rt -5th stg E to F#)
(Rt knee rt- 2nd stg E to Eb)

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 12 May 2023 10:28 am

Thanks Kenny.. I know he played the Fender on the live Burritos album, which was shortly before they broke up[the first time] if I recall correctly, but wasn't sure about The Stills Manasses album.. I thought it sounded like his Fender but wasn't 100 %.. The clip of him playing the ZB live was great.. It sounded different than the Fender in that clip for sure.. It sounded more "mainstream pedal steel" if that makes any sense to anyone.

Todays pedal steel players kind of chuckle at the old Fender cable jobs as "dinosaurs", that are semi unworkable in the high tech, high precision, high dollar modern age, but I will say this-- An awful lot of truly great music was made on those old cable Fender guitars.. Just as much as any other brand in my opinion.....