Founder of Fleetwood Mac, writer of their hits Black Magic Woman and Oh Well, Peter Green was the classiest of the first generation of British blues guitarists from that turbulent time. Not flashy like comrades Clapton, Beck or Page, his guitar work was about touch, tone and feeling; he could make his solos cry and sob and seem to whisper deep secrets as well make the instrument stomp, holler and exclaim in the next phrase. His playing had an intuitive lyricism that his often brilliant Brit fretsters lacked. He filled the solo space with spare, rich haikus of blues. Green was also one of the best white blues singers of all time--a low register, a crooning rasp, a sound in the middle of his range that made you feel the ache of the lyric. Something of a genius.
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Last Edited by ted burke on Jul 25, 2020 10:13 AM
A lesson in SUSTAIN for all guitarists. How did he sustain his notes in this way? He sang with his voice, he sang with his guitar.
Last Edited by wolfkristiansen on Jul 25, 2020 2:01 PM
That, Grey Owl, is one of the most fabulous blues guitar solos ever recorded. I play it every once in a while to reind myself how it can sound. Those New Orleans hippies in the audience probably didn´t know what hit them. On the complete recording you can hear Green prefacing this song by saying something along the he identifies with the lyrics. He´s got some feedback, the sound isn´t perfect and so on -- but Jesus, what intensity!
Peter Green had a huge influence on me--I bought Then Play On before they put Oh Well on it, and had the first two albums as well. But I was struck recently by how much of what I thought was Greenie was Kirwan . . . they were a good match.
