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Peter Green (and soon Danny Kirwan)
- guitar & vocals, Jeremy Spencer - guitar & piano &
vocals, John McVie - bass, Mick Fleetwood - drums. All of
them at some time from John Mayall's pool
of musicians.
When listening to their early singles and albums, I still find them almost scaringly good. I'm not objective - who is after all - but something about their sound hits me deeply. Largely because of the guitar and vocal prowess of Peter Green. If he had had only one of these two talents he could still have been undisputed leader of (almost) any U.K. blues outfit at the time. I'm just as fond of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck as brilliant "blues-rock" guitar heroes - but as a stone blues guitarist...
This band was the true entrance door for us in 1968. We looked them
up again. This time at the
London Polytechnic on June 14 1969. Obviously very, very good - but I was
not quite so impressed this time. To be fair, that would have been impossible.
The problem was definitely not Peter Green (my sister talks dreamily about
that night's "Love That Burns" to this very day) but the jester Jeremy
Spencer: By now he had really thrown himself into the role of rock'n'roll
hero and a white sequined jacket and demanded a lot of space for his show.
I'm really fond of parts of Jeremy's first album (his "Mean Blues" should
be a wake up call for some people) but this was too much.
But my sister and I still made a daring train expedition to New Malden to walk In The Footsteps of The Master. Peter Green was said to live there, in a house with an albatross hanging above the front porch. That's what the Fleetwood Mac Appreciation Society said anyway (didn't want to be called Fan Club, thank you very much). We didn't see any albatross, nor any dead parrot for that matter.
I also followed in Peter Green's footsteps to the Orange Music ("Voice Of The World") shop in London (3/4 New Compton Street, W.C.2), displaying loads of beautiful guitar amplifiers. Got a badge which I proudly wore. Always liked those amps - and now (1998) they are being manufactured once again - in glorious orange.
Records
listed below include only those issued when Peter Green was a member. After
his departure I for one lost interest.
"I Believe My Time Ain't Long" (James)/"Rambling Pony" (Green) BLUE
HORIZON 3051 (1967).
A-Side: Jeremy vocals.
Jeremy's Elmore James routine - but with a lot of enthusiasm and freshness.
Solid as a rock. This one I like! But he kept on churning out these
things. And to be fair: I'm not too fond of the real Elmore James
either. I always preferred Little Milton or B.B. King...
B-Side: Peter vocals.
In the "Rollin' and Tumblin'" vein. More of a vocal number than a vehicle
for Mr. Green's guitar. A bit of a disappointment for a guitar freak. The
other guys sing along in the background with a churchy "mass" feeling.
Hmmm.
"Black Magic Woman" (Green)/"The Sun Is Shining" (James) BLUE HORIZON
3138 (1968)
A-Side: Peter vocals.
Redemption! A whopper of a single - from the first reverby shivering
guitar tone. If he never had made another record, this one would have put
Mr. Green at the top of my guitarist list. Simply great vocals, great guitar,
nifty tempo change... I understand that Carlos Santana agrees wholeheartedly.
B-Side: Jeremy vocals.
Slower and more passionate than "I Believe...". Also coloured by energetic
piano. Yes, quite good this one too!
"Need Your Love So Bad" (John)/"Stop Messin' Round" (Green/Adams)
BLUE HORIZON 3139 (1968)
A-Side: Peter vocals.
Another top notch single complete with string arrangements by Mickey
Baker, U.S. studio guitar pro. Gorgeous slow blues with soulful vocals
and impeccable guitar. These singles still astound me with their
quality. Gotta' play it again...
B-Side: Peter vocals.
Dirty uptempo blues with the band charging along like a runaway train.
Peter's guitar going full blazes egged on by saxes. Perfect company to
the dreamy A-side!
This is the Mac sound you imagine when you come upon their old promo
shots with motorcycle jackets and bad shades...
"Albatross" (Green)/"Jigsaw Puzzle Blues" (Kirwan) BLUE HORIZON 3145
(1968)
A-Side: Instrumental.
A truly beautiful mood piece that makes me think of the perennial "Sleepwalk".
A crafty blues guitarist of many faces, this one.
B-Side: Instrumental.
Young Mr. Kirwan has arrived, armed with a Les Paul goldtop. Twisted,
jazzy and unpredictable, this is a good cut. You could have done
more of this, Danny!!!
singles...further into rock
"Man Of The World" (Green)/Earl Vince & The Valiants: "Somebody's
Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight" (Spencer) IMMEDIATE IM.080 (1969).
Their only IMMEDIATE single.
A-Side: Peter vocals.
Very much a solo gig by Peter. Sad vocals, delicate reverby guitar,
harmony vocals - and a tempo change and the guitar snarls and bites. And
then down Buster, down. Great stuff. How did he come up with all this?
B-Side: Jeremy vocals.
Recorded by the drunken brutes, The Valiants - or tongue-in-cheek by
the Macs? On this one the reverb is all over the place, particularly on
the vocals. Makes me thirsty for a pint. Hey, bartender!
"Need Your Love So Bad" (John)/"No Place To Go" (Burnett) BLUE HORIZON
3157 (1969)
The Mac are between labels. This was a BLUE HORIZON reissue. B-Side
from 1st album.
A-Side: Peter vocals
Haven't changed my mind. What did you think?
B-Side: Peter vocals.
On the monotonous side. Lots of harp and a repetitive guitar figure.
Can't say it shows the Mac's personality. Bread and butter blues.
"Oh Well Part 1" (Green)/"Oh Well Part 2" (Green) REPRISE RS.27000
(1969)
A-Side: Peter vocals.
Starts out with a manylayered guitar workout. Then a vocal break -
and suddenly the guitars kick out the jams again. Passages of "Italian
Western Movie" guitar...
B-Side: Instrumental.
...which spills over on this side, together with a flute. And a piano,
and... Definitely a movie drama.
"The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)" (Green)/"World
In Harmony" (Kirwan/Green) REPRISE RS.27007 (1970)
A-Side: Peter vocals.
Great. I love it, and John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger
Service and Terry & The Pirates would have loved to put his name on
this single (only my theory, of course)!
Powerful guitar rock with banshee vocals, shivering tremolo and heavy
drumming. Don't stop us now! Why couldn´t the Mac have evolved (with
Peter) in this direction - if they were tired of straight blues? Oh, well...
B-Side: Instrumental.
Beautiful but slightly sleepinducing twin guitar workout. Too few reverby
Les Pauls. I'll put on the A-side again!
(Nine old cuts plus three new Kirwan originals. Two of them reappeared on "Then Play On" album.)
"The Pious Bird Of Good Fortune" BLUE HORIZON 63215 (1969) Not issued
in U.S.
Compilation album. Mac between labels.
"Then
Play On" REPRISE K.44103 (1969)
"Blues Jam At Chess" BLUE HORIZON 7-66227(1969)
22 tracks (traditionals + originals) recorded in Chess Studios in Chicago
with Willie Dixon (bass), Walter "Shakey" Horton (harmonica), Honey Boy
Edwards (guitar), Guitar Buddy (guitar), J.T. Brown (tenor sax), Otis Spann
(piano) and S.P. Leary (drums).
"The Original Fleetwood Mac" CBS 63875 (1971)
(Early studio outtakes, not necessarily featuring the complete lineup).
Books:
Roy Carr & Steve Clarke: "Fleetwood Mac: Rumours n' Fax"
(Harmony Books, New York 1978)
Bob Brunning: "Blues - The British Connection" (Blandford Press, UK
1986)
Describes the scene in general - but lots of info on the Mac.