Quote:
Originally Posted by mzero
while i do like the looser jammier 1970 fm and the subsequent solo material including end of the game and the post fm singles, i don't think this was when pete was at his very best. instead it seems like the beginning of the end of his creative period. maybe even a reflection of his illness. he abandoned the less is more approach, and the structure that made him such an expressive player and writer. wandered off pursuing creative expression that wasn't as expressive as what he had already done
ok i'll add the 'mario' disclaimer, in my humble opinion! zero
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Your opinion is respected with me zero. So I'm stating my side of opinion.
Peter Green wrote "The Green Manalishi" sometime during the late '69/'70 tour of the U.S., if not earlier. If this song doesn't signify a change in his musical direction, nothing else does.
What about those brilliant "Got a Good Mind to Give Up Living ("The Letter")" performances from San Francisco, New Orleans, and later Stockholm? To my ears, while many think New Orleans is his best performance, I think it's Stockholm 4/1/70. Peter Green took that song (from Paul Butterfield's arrangement), made it his own, and made it one of the most painfully expressive blues songs ever heard. There is a 1969 performance of this song from a London college that has FM playing the song closer to the Butterfield arrangement.
The long jams that became the norm from late '69 into early '70, were not a sign of illness, but trying to connect to the hippie ballroom circuit in the United States. Fleetwood Mac was under the influence of the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers Band. In New Orleans 1/31/70, FM blew away the Grateful Dead. It's stated in the recent GDead bio from Dennis McNally. It's also fortunate that FM didn't follow the Dead back to their hotel that night because that became the song "Truckin". Fleetwood Mac would've been deported.
The Boston Tea Party tapes from 2/70 are proof of a healthy Fleetwood Mac. While Stockholm, and Roundhouse Chalk Farm are different shows, they still hold a lead guitarist who is in command.