Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveMacD
Sorry, I don't buy that. If that was the reason why he left, he wouldn't have released "End of the Game" on Warner Bros. I just don't think he was thinking clearly, even back then. It's clear (at least to me) that there was something going on with his mental health by this point. Really, "Man of the World" is where I see things starting to slip for him. The lyrics on "Then Play On" only show it getting worse, with it reaching critical mass on "The Green Manalishi".
Here's my take: Schizophrenia's onset is typically between the ages of 16 and 25 in men. Peter Green was 24 when he left the band. He was a fragile personality, and the pressures of the industry, drugs, and identifying with the suffering, yet being frustrated that, in spite of his fame and fortune, not being able to make a difference all came together and ultimately lead to his mental breakdown. I think what happened in Germany was the straw that broke the camel's back, but clearly something DID happen. There were too many people who've corroborated the story who otherwise had nothing to do with each other.
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I don't buy it for one reason; Why did Fleetwood Mac ask Peter Green back nine months later to replace Jeremy Spencer for a US tour 2/71? Pink Floyd wouldn't have asked Syd Barrett back to perform nine months later after he broke down from LSD.
I believe the rest of FM at the time were confused by "Munich". Peter Green was having fun playing "Krautrock" in the basement of a mansion in Munich. It was German progressive rock, much more avant-garde compared to the UK/US bands at the time. That's where "End of the Game" came from.
Peter Green was still willing to play as a guest as late as 11/70. He joined the Allman Brothers in New Orleans for a three hour version of "Mountain Jam" that began at midnight. By 3AM, the drummers gave up due to fatigue.
Even before Oswley Stanley, Peter Green always had FM do gigs for charity. By 1970, he was trying to convince the rest of the band to be more charitable events, and donate money. Mick Fleetwood had tasted fame since he was married to George Harrison's sister-in-law.
Peter Green wasn't a typical acid casualty. I believe his love for mescaline, and Acid triggered a dormant gene. Yet it wasn't in full blown schizophrenia until 1973.