Uncategorized

Mick Fleetwood’s All-Star Tribute to Peter Green

May 25, 2021

Mick Fleetwood’s All-Star Tribute to Peter Green

Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ album from 1977 is one of the biggest selling albums of all time. Since Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the group in 1975, the group had a slew of hit singles and albums. The soap opera that is Fleetwood Mac continues and on top of all that, Stevie Nicks has carved out a major career as a solo artist and her personal ups and downs have also contributed to the dramatic narrative.


Since it formed in 1967 the group has gone through constant, massive personnel upheaval, other than the rhythm section of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie. For some fans of the group, it is the earliest lineup – Fleetwood, McVie, Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer – that they love the most. The primary reason for their affection for that time is their admiration for the special musical skills of one of the group’s co-founders, Peter Green.

London-born Green knocked around the British music scene in the mid-60’s with such bands as Shotgun Express and Peter B’s Looners, where he first crossed paths with Mick Fleetwood. His big break came in the fall of 1965, when he filled in for Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. He eventually replaced him again in July of 1966 when Clapton departed to form Cream. Green didn’t last for long in the group and appeared on ‘A Hard Road’ in 1967. Fleetwood, who had also played with Mayall, formed what would become Fleetwood Mac with Green, along with Jeremy Spencer and briefly Bob Brunning. Brunning was eventually replaced by John McVie, who also played with Mayall when Green was in the group.

Green was on the first four albums the group recorded. Its self-titled debut ‘Fleetwood Mac’ and ‘Mr. Wonderful’ were released in 1968 and ‘English Rose’ (only released in the USA) and ‘Then Play On’ were released in 1969. Songs that Green wrote in that period, like ‘Black Magic Woman’ (a huge hit for Santana), the instrumental ‘Albatross’,’Oh Well’ and ‘The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)’, coupled with his bluesy vocals and tasty guitar-god playing, quickly established him as a legendary figure on the scene.

Striking out on his own didn’t fare so well for Green. Prior to leaving Fleetwood Mac, Green was taking copious amounts of LSD, and an acid trip in Munich in 1970, from which he never appeared to recover seemed to push him over the edge.

Green would go on to have a long solo career, and in 1988 he began rehabbing from years of drug abuse and formed The Splinter Group in 1997. Green died on July 25th, 2020 at age 73.

Mick Fleetwood had been organizing a concert in tribute to Green and the early days of Fleetwood Mac for three years. After rehearsals at Fleetwood’s home in Hawaii, the concert finally occurred on February 25th, 2020, just before the world went into quarantine. This extraordinary, one-of-a-kind show has resulted in ‘Mick Fleetwood & Friends Celebrate The Music Of Peter Green And The Early Years Of Fleetwood Mac’, released by BMG in various formats (2CD, 2CD/Blu-Ray, 4-LP and Super Deluxe Edition 4LP/2CD/Blu-Ray/book box set). It’s a fitting testament to Green’s legendary talents and Fleetwood’s well-respected organizational skills.

The concert film was directed by Martyn Atkins and the album was produced by legendary British producer Glyn Johns at the London Palladium. It features a core band that includes keyboardist Ricky Peterson (who also was the musical director), bassist David Bronze, guitarist Andy Fairweather Low, Rick Vito and Jonny Lang on guitars and vocals, and Zak Starkey and Mick Fleetwood on drums and percussion.

Along with Fleetwood and Vito, three other members who were in one or more of the various permeations of Fleetwood Mac appeared including Christine McVie, Neil Finn and surprisingly Jeremy Spencer. From John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, the godfather of the British Blues himself, John Mayall made an appearance. Conspicuous by his absence was John McVie.

Three American musical artists take guest turns on the album: Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Gibbons makes an early entry in the concert on ‘Doctor Brown’, from Fleetwood Mac’s second album ‘Mr. Wonderful’. After John Mayall guests on ‘All Your Love’, an Otis Rush cover that Green has said was an influence on ‘Black Magic Woman’, Gibbons returns with Steven Tyler on ‘Rattlesnake Shake’ from Fleetwood Mac’s third album ‘Then Play On’, a song Peter Green wrote about Mick Fleetwood. It’s great hearing Christine McVie on a slowed-downed version of ‘Stop Messin’ Round’ from Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled debut and ‘Looking For Somebody’, from the group’s second album. Oddly enough, McVie did not appear on either album, with her first appearance on record with the group uncredited on its third album. A real surprise is Noel Gallagher on ‘The World Keep On Turning’, from Fleetwood Mac’s debut and on ‘Sandy Mary’. Gallagher’s Mod, Beatlesque pop wouldn’t seem influenced by British guitar blues, but he has said Green was a major influence. His vocals here are some of the best work he has ever done, particularly as he was often in the shadow of brother Liam in Oasis. British rock royalty Pete Townshend of The Who guests on ‘Station Man’, from ‘Kiln House’, a song and album Green was not a part of, but which Townshend has always had a particular fondness for and which partially influenced his writing of ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’. The performance ends what is billed as Act 1.

 

Act II begins with Neil Finn’s take on ‘Man of the World’, a single from Fleetwood Mac from 1969. ‘Oh Well, Pt. 1’ is played back-to-back with ‘Oh Well, Pt. 2’. Billy Gibbons and Steven Tyler get things started and then David Gilmour of Pink Floyd turns in an incandescent performance of a song Fleetwood Mac never performed live that is one of the highlights of the concert. ‘Black Magic Woman’ is done by the core band. Next up is one of the real treats of this concert: Jeremy Spencer, with support from Bill Wyman, formerly of the Rolling Stones, tackling two covers of songs written by Elmore James: ‘The Sky Is Crying’ and ‘I Can’t Hold Out’. Billy Gibbons and Kirk Hammett who plays Peter Green’s original 1959 Les Paul guitar, which he owns, perform a rather heavy version of ‘The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)’. David Gilmour does a lovely, subtle take on ‘Albatross’ before the all-star final ‘Shake Your Moneymaker’.

The best way to listen to this concert is on vinyl. The U.K.-made, 4-LP audiophile vinyl set, with no more than four tracks on a side, comes in a beautiful gatefold package and includes detailed credits, lots of great photos and Mick Fleetwood’s heartfelt liner notes. The Blu-ray that comes in the 2CD/Blu-ray set and deluxe box, is available in three formats: LCCM 16-Bit Stereo, 5/1 DTS-HD and Dolby Atmos. There are not many music Blu-ray discs in Dolby Atmos, making this a real treat. It is also a beautiful package, housed in a hardcover book-like album and it includes photos and liner notes. When watching the concert, one is struck by how Fleetwood was able to assemble such an all-star cast and it’s particularly heartening to see British rock veterans like Townshend, Gilmour and Christine McVie still so at the top of their game. It’s interesting seeing two of the most important musicians of the original and Mod revival – Townshend and Gallagher- at the same show, not to mention the man that played in both The Who and Oasis, Zak Starkey, Ringo’s son, also contributing as a key part of the festivities.

It’s hard to know if this many music luminaries with such divergent and convergent paths will ever grace the same stage again, given the state of live music and whether another musician or cause could motivate so many to commit to showing up on one given night again.

Steve Matteo


The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band ‎– Celebrate The Music Of Peter Green & The Early Years Of Fleetwood Mac (BMG 2021)

One Comment
  1. Sharon says:

    Why wasn’t John Mc Vie playing bass?

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *