Quote:
Originally Posted by slipkid
Green was writing great songs with John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac before Kirwan joined. I don't think it's the same as Lennon/McCartney or Allman/Betts. Green was more like a big brother to Kirwan who took tutelage. As a songwriter, Kirwan was a quick study, and became an incredible songwriter. His contributions to "Then Play On" are essential. But it was more like "Peter, I've written a song, do you like it?" Green would respond: "As long as you think it's good, go for it." (paraphrasing) Kirwan would seek Green's approval, and Green would try to build Kirwan's confidence.
|
Ok so far, so good. Though I do think the Lennon/McCartney and Allman/Betts analogies have merit, with a touch of bending to fit the circumstances.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slipkid
As a guitarist, he was by no means close to Peter Green.
We are talking about arguably the greatest british guitarist ever. Kirwan's vibrato technique is almost unrivaled, but in an improvisational role he wasn't in Green's league.
|
Cannot agree with you here. DK was scaling new heights towards the end, into uncharted territory in many ways, and some have even claimed was beginning to surpass Peter (though I fully admit that is open to argument). The fact remains that by the end, the two became twin faces of the same FM coin. It was damn near impossible to consider one's weight without the other. That is my main point.
Pete the greatest British guitar player ever? No. That's an overreach IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slipkid
I only mentioned Kirwan's alcohol problem to point out that he had difficulty taking a leadership role after Green left the band.
|
Fair enough. But couldn't it be argued that Green was succumbing (and later succumbed) to the same phantoms and pressure, the weight of being front and center with all eyes upon him? Wasn't that one of the key reasons he brought Danny aboard, only to be soon blown away by the protégé's innate - and quickly blossoming - talent? Of course Pete couldn't have been happier with Kirwan's progress, as he helped make it happen (no doubt about that).
Someday you will fully appreciate just how much Peter and Danny had in common. It's almost eerie the more you size it up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slipkid
Green left a void that FM didn't recover from until Buckingham/Nicks, by then a much different band.
|
WRONG! Ever hear of Bob Welch? (and perhaps to a lesser extent, Bob Weston, but that's another - and secondary - story). Plus the emergence of Christine as a large force in the band.
Also FMac was never huge in the USA during the Green era, as opposed to Europe where they ruled. The Kirwan-Welch period actually increased their fame in the States. And without Welch, Buckingham-Nicks would never have been discovered by Mick, as it was Welch who talked the band to relocating to SoCal, the place he called home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slipkid
I'm not trying to put Kirwan down, just look at my avatar. I love his work through Bare Trees. It's just that we're talking about Peter Green.
|
Well then we'll have to agree to disagree. While Peter was slowly imploding, Danny was surging ahead. There's no way around that fact. Green may have been the main engine in the Mac machine, but he was beginning to run out of gas as Danny was ramping it up on full burn. Care to argue there?
I think there is one thing you and I will fully agree on: that it was a great shame that those two couldn't have played on. Now not to leave you on a bad note, but who's fault was that?
