Joe Goldmark: All Hat - No Cattle

San Francisco instrumentalist Joe Goldmark is a rare remaining champion of pedal-steel-guitar music, a flourishing subgenre of country music in the 1960s and '70s when virtuosos such as Buddy Emmons and Pete Drake carved out a niche by steel-coating the hits of the day. Goldmark keeps the tradition alive via his own recordings and by publishing a remarkably thorough steel-guitar discography. This new CD is a treat for anyone who likes to hear those strings stretched out over tasty tunes. Here Goldmark and three different sets of sidemen (including the superb all-instrumental ensemble Jim Campilongo & the 10 Gallon Cats) tackle everything from Don Gibson's country weeper "Sweet Dreams" to Fastball's 1998 alternative hit "The Way" to Bob Seger's "Her Strut," tossing in some nifty originals to fill the gaps. It's enough to steel your heart anyway.
--Steven Stolder, amazon.com

Includes a cover of The Band's "Whispering Pines."

Tracks

1. Highlife (Goldmark)
2. Because They're Young (Costa/Goldmark/Schroeder)
3. Rico's Lament (Rhoades)
4. Hey Girl (Goffin/King)
5. Wacky Walk (Goldmark)
6. Her Strut (Seger)
7. Whispering Pines (Manuel/Robertson)
8. Skokiaan (Msarargwa)
9. China Cat Sunflower (Garcia/Hunter/Lesh)
10. Sweet Dreams (Gibson)
11. The Way (Scalzo)
12. Sabor a Mi (Carrillo)
13. Eight Miles High (Clark/Crosby/McGuinn)

Joe Goldmark - All Hat No Cattle - 1999 - HMG 3009