Worried Dream

[sharksfan2000]

One of my favorite Peter Green performances is his live version of BB King's "Worried Dream" at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco in June '68. It's on a relatively common bootleg, I think quite a few people have this one. What's interesting to me is how radically Peter & the band changed their performance of this song in less than two months.

The studio version on The Original Fleetwood Mac, recorded 11 April '68, features Christine doing a prominent piano part along with Peter's very BB-like guitar playing. Not bad, but I think a bit on the tame side. (I've never heard BB's original - is it similar to Mac's studio version?)

One version I haven't heard is the BBC recording, although since this was recorded just a couple of days apart from the studio version, I suspect they would be very similar.

On the widely available "London Live '68" performance (27 April at the Polytechnic of Central London), without piano, the band alters the arrangement somewhat, and Peter's guitar work is more imaginative than on the studio version, but still maintains much of that version's crisp, stinging style.

By the Carousel Ballroom show (22 or 23 June), the song has undergone a major change. It's considerably slower, and has become a real showcase for Peter's slow blues playing. Peter's intro and solo are longer than before, the tone of his guitar is richer, and he makes the song his own - what I think of as the "classic" Peter Green style. The slower pace allows him to do one of the things I feel he did as well or better than anyone else - his mastery of using the space between the notes as well as the notes he actually plays is superb. A performance in July '68 from the Fillmore West retains the Carousel arrangement almost exactly.

I can't help but wonder what brought about this change, in such a short time? Live performances of many other songs changed over time but I can't think of any that changed so dramatically as this one. Anyone have any insight or guesses as to what brought this about?

[BklynBlue]

I believe that Peter Green saw studio recording and live performance as two distinctly separate endeavors.
While that may seem self-evident, not all artists approach the two in that way. Some feel duty-bound to recreate as faithfully as possible the finished product as it was produced in the studio - with some bands going as far as bringing in additional musicians, (R.E.M, U2) when on tour to fill out the sound and others resorting to pre-recorded tapes to augment the live sound.
I feel that Green and to a lesser extent, Jeremy Spencer saw an opportunity during a "live" performance (I put the quotes around live because I include the BBC performances in this category)to try out new ideas and arrangements.
In this regard, I think that Mike Vernon may have failed them in the studio by not encouraging that spirit of experimentation. Granted, this was most likely due to the constraints of time and money.

I too, would love to hear the BBC version of "Worried Mind" - did Spencer play piano on the number? It is possible, though not likely.
The studio version was recorded during the first session for "Need Your Love So Bad" - I would guess that Christine Perfect was brought in to play on that song - "Worried Mind" may have been a warm up or a number that Green said he also wanted to take a shot at - and Christine was asked at that time to play on that track also -
Other songs that underwent dramatic changes were "Long Grey Mare": the studio version uses Hubert Sumlin's trademark trotting rhythm and is a harmonica number -
the BBC version has no harmonica and the arrangement now has a swing to it -
this new arrangement also seems to have inspired Green's reworking of "Watch Out" - compare the studio version to the one on "Live at the Marquee" -

We don't know if Jeremy's studio version of "Got To Move" was recorded before or after the BBC version, but to me, the BBC version is one of the finest they recorded - a beautiful take, with wonderful slide and a great bass line from McVie -
the studio version is ham-fisted in comparison, with Green's second guitar really not adding anything, just muddying the sound - it sounds like the end of a long day, the number fades in already in progress as if there was talking or laughing that had to be edited out -
We can only wonder how an opportunity, like Cream had, to work in the U.S. with state of the art equipment, with a producer like a Tom Dowd, and the promotional muscle of an "Atlantic Records" would have changed the band's musical output -

[sharksfan2000]

Thanks as always for your input, BklynBlue. I'll have to listen again to those other songs you point out.

Kind of interesting that you note Mike Vernon perhaps limiting the band too much in the studio. As you say, it would have been interesting to hear how a different studio producer might have affected their sound. Makes me think about their live versions of their self-produced "Then Play On" material. Off the top of my head, I think the live versions are pretty close to the studio ones, except for the extended "Rattlesnake Shake / Madge / Underway", but that was based on a studio jam anyway. I should listen to some of those live shows again too.

Just thinking about all of this makes me wonder again what could have developed had that version of the band stayed together a bit longer. They sure came a long way in less than 3 years.

[BklynBlue]

Sharksfan2000,
It is interesting how people "hear" things differently. The music that we hear is filtered by a lifetime of experiences effecting our reactions to it.
From the three available versions of "Worried Dream", I'd have to lean towards the studio recording.
Green seems to be modeling his vocal and his playing, particularly the fills between verses on the studio version of “A Fool No More”.
Perhaps, not wishing to go over the same ground, but still seeking to capture the "feel" that had so inspired him, he chose to cover this song.
As powerful as “A Fool No More” is, this easily surpasses it. Perfect’s keyboard work fleshes out the arrangement, allowing Green to hold back even more on the guitar and the dark, descending scales she plays vividly convey an atmosphere of uncertainty.
Listen to her fills, as when Green sings of the “tears rollin’ all down my face” she mimics their cascade with tinkling high notes and repeats the motif when he sings later of how in his dream his girl “didn’t want me around no more”.
As per Green’s instructions, Fleetwood keeps his drumming simple, tapping his cymbal and allowing the punctuation of the snare to fall like a forced march.
Green’s solo, at a full minute in length, is one of his finest from this time. Green’s guitar cries out, but now, with Perfect’s insistent piano thrumming beneath Fleetwood’s cymbal, he allows the notes to fade into silence before another heaving sob racks it once more, each cry even more piercing than the one that preceded it.
Perfect's descending chords lead into the final verse, and she supports Green beautifully, mirroring the increasing forcefulness of his guitar work, as he summons the courage to ask his girl to tell him, challenging her to speak the truth, “that his dream was not true”.

The "London Live '68" version is for me, musically the least interesting. It is the forcefully played, retaining some of the emotion the studio version builds to, especially compared with the "Carousel" recording -

At 9:42, this is three minutes longer than the "London Live '68" and almost doubles the running time of the studio version –
Green takes full advantage of the live setting, luxuriating in the opportunity to stretch out. Introducing his themes and motifs for a full two minutes before beginning to sing.
Although McVie covers admirably for Perfect's piano, Green feels compelled to add some fills here and there to flesh out the sound, but the mood of the song has been changed.
The piano on the studio version softened the words and music. The piano enveloped the song like a blanket, offering at least an illusion of protection. Here, the sheets have been roughly stripped off, leaving the singer is exposed to the cold night air.
Whereas in the studio version the singer musters the courage in the end to face his fears, Green tags another minute long coda onto this live version.
Although this nicely bookends the opening it leaves the listener with the feeling that the singer is trying to force himself back to sleep, rather than confront his fears head on.

At least that's the way I hear them

[sharksfan2000]

Thanks for your take on the different versions, and it certainly does highlight how we all react differently to the same music. I did have the same feeling as you about the studio version being similar in feel to "A Fool No More", and agree that "Worried Dream" is a more powerful and emotional song.

I suppose it's just a stylistic preference, but I do like what happened when the song was stretched out and slowed down. As you suggest, the feeling of the Carousel version is far more stark without the piano fills, and the slower pace intensifies it. It creates a mood of emptiness that goes well with the lyrics. To me this conveys the emotion of the song even more than the earlier versions. The overall sound reminds me a bit of "Out of Reach" - although there are plenty of obvious differences, both have a very stark and simple character that I like.

I like your sheet & blanket analogy!

[greenfire]

I've lost my Blue Horizon box set but I remember The Original Fleetwood Mac album was included within. I recall that on "Worried Dream", the box includes a portion of the song that was taken out. If I remember correctly, Peter started out more electric sounding, maybe a little like "A Fool No More" but for some reason the take is halted. I can't remember if Mike Vernon stopped them or if Peter himself did? but, When they roll again, Peter changes the sound, his guitar playing was softer, maybe more acoustic sounding? It also seemed to me that he started the lyrics at a different place on the retake than on the portion that wasn't completed? Does anyone recall this? I can't remember how long the first take was but it had to have been at least 1 minute? Does this kind of touch on the improvisation that you guys were talking about? I don't know the boots or the BBC version.