Unlike Chicken Shack, who ill-advisedly added all those dreadful jokes on ‘OK Ken’, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac managed to combine fun and frolics, obvious enjoyment and lunacy with a great respect for authentic Blues. I used to see them regularly at the local Blues clubs. They were brilliant to listen to, great to dance to and a wonder to watch.
I’d first seen Pete Green with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers so I knew the standard of his guitar playing. In my estimation he was better in the Bluesbreakers than Clapton. He had a real finesse about the way he conjured pure notes out of the guitar. He got even better than that with Fleetwood Mac.
What also greatly attracted me to Fleetwood Mac was that superb Elmore James mimicry of Jeremy Spencer. I just loved Elmore James and delighted in someone being able to recreate it so well. It was the nearest I ever got to Elmore James.
The band was founded when Mick Fleetwood, Peter Green and John Mcvie broke away from John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Mick and John provided the perfect rhythm section for Mick and the additional guitarist Jeremy Spencer to play from. The result was Blues perfection. They were effectively two different bands. When Pete played there was the beautifully crafted Blues with crystal clear notes bent and curled into immaculate shapes that slavered into your ears. When Jeremy let fly with his rollicking Elmore impressions they rocked. You can get a glimpse of that on their first album but live it was all so much greater.
Jeremy also brought in some Rock ‘n’ Roll and then they started getting Progressive along with the times and the effects of lysergic acid. Apart from the mediocre Albatross the Pete Green forays into the Progressive style were also spectacular and varied. ‘Green Manalishi’ live was a wonder to behold. It was all going great. It all added another dimension.
This was further enhanced by the addition of Christine Perfect (who married John to become McVie) and then a third and highly original guitarist and songwriter with the young Danny Kirwin.
What brought things down was the drugs and religion. Pete was given a big dose of acid in Germany and never really touched down. He ended up a messed up recluse with severe problems. Jeremy jumped ship to join an American cult.
What followed as Fleetwood Mac was another group altogether; a group that was neither a Blues group, a Progressive Rock Band nor a Rock Group. They were a Pop group and highly successful at it too.
I miss that old Blues group I used to bop about with and listen to with awe. I miss Pete’s beautiful guitar and John’s raucous slide. I’m getting all nostalgic!
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
Goodbye Pete and thanks!