I really liked early F.Mac, but the only Peter Green solo effort I have is “In The Skies” which I love – what should I seek out next?
Peter Green – recommendations
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The album with John Mayall, “A hard road”, is indispensible. The expanded edition has a bunch of extra tracks which are great too. Otherwise the live album which recently resurfaced with Mayall and what would become Fleetwood Mac behind him is also a must. (see my review here with significant extra commend from Johnny Conch). The second release from the live tapes is less important. Those two should see you well set up for early stuff. The albums after “In the skies” are nice too, though often the beautiful Greeny lead guitar is actually Snowy White (on “In the skies” too…).
There’s a 4 CD Anthology that came out about 6 or 7 years ago that is a good starting point. Checking on Amazon though it looks like its deleted and so commands silly prices…..
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peter-Green-Anthology/dp/B001F4YTQQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476886313&sr=8-2&keywords=peter+green+anthology
May be able to get as a download at a reasonable price though.
The other Peter Green album I like from recent years is the “Soho – Live at Ronnie Scotts”….
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soho-Ronnie-Scotts-Splinter-2008-12-12/dp/B014I6X9P4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1476886458&sr=8-4&keywords=peter+green+soho
Just found the whole album on Youtube….
The version of “The Supernatural” is sublime.
If you want more sideman stuff there’s a rare Pater Bardens album with various names but my copy (on clear vinyl, people) is caled “Vintage 69”. PG pays on most of it, sounding pretty out of it. This track, to my ears has the other guitarist, Andy Gee, playing the main solo with PG playing nice little stoned fills…
I used to have a Peter Bardens lp years ago featuring The Answer, I wonder where it went?
This track he sounds more familar and evidently turned up on a PG anthologys…by the standards of the album this is quite a togeher track
https://youtu.be/1qux9X48BW0
Anything up to and including his tenure with Fleetwood Mac is worth getting.
A truly gifted player who was so good he sent shivers up BB King’s spine.
Anything after that needs careful evaluation. Some good shit, some bad shit, some REALLY bad shit.
Just my opinion, of course.
(Man Of The World)
Don’t think he ever really bettered this, in terms of both playing/singing and composition.
Yes, I agree with that. Everything Green did with John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac is essential. Also most of the sessions and guest appearances he did up to 1970 are worthwhile.
After that it’s a very different story. I know @h-p-saucecraft and others rate Green’s 1970 first solo LP The End Of The Game but to be kind to the album it’s a collection of ambient mood pieces. To be truthful it’s a ragbag of aimless jams.
Five years later came In The Skies which was hailed as a welcome return. It sounded OK, but Green wasn’t doing much of the heavy lifting. In fact Snowy White played lead guitar on some tracks while Green simply strummed along.
There followed another lengthy hiatus before Green’s career was re-launched yet again. This is where the Emperor’s New Clothes comes into play. Fans and critics alike were falling over themselves to heap plaudits on some very weak music indeed. Very little from this period has any lasting value.
To be brutally honest, Green has been a drug casualty with mental health issues since 1970 when he was spiked with LSD. Like Syd Barrett and others before him, this stripped away his ego and took most of his guitar playing skills and song writing ability with it.
Peter Green was once the best blues guitarist in Britain, if not the world. The sad truth is virtually nothing he’s recorded since 1970 has any real value.
Thanks a lot for all the suggestions, it looks like I need dig back prior to his F. Mac days.