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  #1  
Old 01-15-2009, 06:33 PM
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greenmanastrat greenmanastrat is offline
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Default In the skies

Just wanted to comment on the in the skies. I was pretty much under the impression that all peters post mac stuff was pretty damn dodgy till in the last few weeks i got hold of in the skies.
I love it i have been playing over and over the title track, cant stop listening to it.
His voice is so beautiful on it.
Wanted to pose the question wanted happened to voice around this period, as on in the skies it sounds just like his mac days then like a year later it sounds really subdued and like the range seems to be greatly diminished.
I guess its probably really harrowning whatever caused it. Maybe i donīt want to reply he is such a conundrum, like hendrix died which was really final. Peter survived but has been through what seems like hell, i dunno im rambling, just an incredibly talented guy. Any thoughts or musing greatly welcomed.

saludos a todo.
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  #2  
Old 01-16-2009, 12:56 AM
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Default Here's a few

The biggest hangup with this project (if you want to call it that) is the fact that Snowy White supplies a large portion of the guitar muscle, often mimicking Green's style, and separating the journeyman from the original master is downright difficult to do at times. On the positive side, and as a continuance of the longtime Green jam tradition, the majority of the compositions are instrumentals which is kinda cool considering Peter's voice was hit and miss at best (and would soon morph into the sub-par). Considering the depression and drug-addled hell he went through for most of the 70's, this project certainly came as a welcome respite if nothing else, both for him and his longtime fans.

All the tracks were purportedly written by Pete which is another highlight, with most of the lyrics being supplied by his girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Jane Samuels. By the time the album had been released well over a year after its completion, Green had unfortunately fallen back on old ways, having taken up coke in the place of acid. Some of the blame for this could fall squarely on the shoulders of his old friend Mick Fleetwood, care of the wild estate he ran in Malibu back then (even if Mick did try to land him a nice recording deal with the Mac's label, Warner Bros., which Green nixed at the last moment). He was also about to lose his wife but gain a daughter after the nuptual bliss had worn thin, along with the haze and smog of L.A. where he had recently relocated.

When you can enlist elite players like Snowy White, Pete Bardens and Reg Isadore on a single project, you certainly do the Green Machine justice. And he did for the most part on this one, even if sales weren't exactly brisk in the States. But the album did do well with the old reliable fanbase Peter has always had in England and continental Europe. To my knowledge, the majority of the album was recorded during the fall of 1977 in London, under the direction of Peter Vernon-Kell of PVK Records, with a little help from Peter's brother Michael.
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  #3  
Old 01-16-2009, 01:18 AM
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To my knowledge, the majority of the album was recorded during the fall of 1977 in London, under the direction of Peter Vernon-Kell of PVK Records, with a little help from Peter's brother Michael.
I should say, in the name of clarity, that it was later released by Peter Vernon-Kell of PVK Records who received producer credits, but there was definitely a little intervention from Peter's brother Michael - both before and after the deal was sealed with PVK. To be truthful, that whole production has always been clouded in a little mystery, as it was supposedly recorded at different times and locations in London, and just how much of a hand Vernon-Kell had in bringing the whole thing to fruition is not the easiest thing to determine.

If I've gotten certain things mixed up here, someone set me straight.
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  #4  
Old 01-16-2009, 04:52 AM
Blue Horizon Blue Horizon is offline
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Hi snoot
I think your take on the info surrounding 'In The Skies' is pretty much spot on as I remember it. As far as who played lead guitar on the various tracks it still remains a bit of a mystery to this day. I have never seen any interview articles with Peter where he has spoken about the sessions. I wonder if he or his brother Mike can still recall any details about those recordings?

Blue Horizon
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  #5  
Old 01-16-2009, 05:54 AM
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Wow thats really informative so its likely the deterioration in peters voice was due to coke abuse. I donīt think heīs done himself any favours over the years, maybe thats why he when interviewed he never tries to look for any sympathy.
Really pleased with that info though....you know i know peter is an amazing guitar player but what really for me separated him from the other great guitar players was his songwriting and singing. Such a beautiful voice, i was thinking about the clapton mayall album and hard road for example. For me the beano album is a much better album overall but the ones on hard road with peter singing or songwriting outstrip anything on both albums....what a guy.

thanks alot
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  #6  
Old 01-16-2009, 06:43 AM
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Originally Posted by greenmanastrat View Post
Just wanted to comment on the in the skies. I was pretty much under the impression that all peters post mac stuff was pretty damn dodgy till in the last few weeks i got hold of in the skies.
Are you including the Splinter Group stuff in the "pretty damn dodgy" statement?

In the Skies was the first Peter Green album I ever bought (even before I bought the FM albums from his era) so it is by far my favourite of the pre-Splinter Group era.

Having said that, if you are looking for his guitar playing then really nothing beats the mac stuff. However, if you like the voice then pretty much all of his solo stuff (with the obvious exception of End Of The Game) is enjoyable in my opinion...
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  #7  
Old 01-16-2009, 07:02 AM
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Default Lead guitar on In The Skies Session

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Horizon View Post
Hi snoot
I think your take on the info surrounding 'In The Skies' is pretty much spot on as I remember it. As far as who played lead guitar on the various tracks it still remains a bit of a mystery to this day. I have never seen any interview articles with Peter where he has spoken about the sessions. I wonder if he or his brother Mike can still recall any details about those recordings?

Blue Horizon
Martin Celmins states ( liner notes on CASTLE MUSIC edition from 2005 CMRCD 1116): "Snowy played lead on "Slabo Day" and rhythm guitar on other tracks".

I have two edition of "In The Skies":
- by Castle Communications Deutschland GmbH from 1991
- by Castle Music from 2005
There are some differences concerning composers of a few tracks.
On the edition from 1991 P.A. Green is mentioned as the only composer of all the tracks.
But on the edition from 2005 there are mentioned co-compseres on a few tracks:
"Slabo Day" ( P.A. Green, S. White, L. Langton, P. Bardens, K. Harada)
"Tribal Dance" ( P.A. Green, S. White, R. Isadore, L. Langton)
"Funky Chunk" (P.A. Green, S. White,R. Isadore, L. Langton, P. Bardens, K. Harada),
"Just For You" (P.A. Green, S. White, R. Isadore).

Regards
Krzysztof
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  #8  
Old 01-16-2009, 07:10 AM
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[QUOTE=chriskisn;793364]Are you including the Splinter Group stuff in the "pretty damn dodgy" statement?

Maybe not the best use of words no offence intended, i guess i was trying to convey not upto the mac days standards but i was very pleasently surprised by in the skies and as i mentioned in the post have been playing the title track over and over, its wicked.
I went to see him on his fist tour with the splinter group, broke my heart a little was in manchester in about 96. But there were moments, were the hairs on your neck would be raised by his playing.
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  #9  
Old 01-16-2009, 04:42 PM
snoot snoot is offline
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Blue Horizon:
As far as who played lead guitar on the various tracks it still remains a bit of a mystery to this day.

Ain't it the truth. This remains the great anomaly of much of the PG post-Mac era.

Blue Horizon:
I wonder if he or his brother Mike can still recall any details about those recordings?

Well there could be reasons why Mike prefers to keep things underplayed, at least in regard to the finer details.

greenmanastrat:
Wow thats really informative so its likely the deterioration in peters voice was due to coke abuse. I donīt think heīs done himself any favours over the years, maybe thats why he when interviewed he never tries to look for any sympathy.

I think you're onto something here. The coke may well have had something to do with this, or it could just be years of hard living catching up with him. Beyond his self-deprecating manner, I think you may be right again re his outlook on much of the sympathy that comes his way.

Your Beano vs Hard Road assessment is spot on too. The latter project shined best when Peter was more directly involved. Mayall & Clapton did do some nice things in their brief time together, that goes without saying.

kowk:
Martin Celmins states ( liner notes on CASTLE MUSIC edition from 2005 CMRCD 1116): "Snowy played lead on "Slabo Day" and rhythm guitar on other tracks".

I call bull. I know Celmins is a good writer and researcher, but that's Snowy there on a lot more of the lead lines than what's being cited or credited. Not sure why Celmins didn't dig a little deeper on this, or would leave it at that. White is a fantastic guitarist, and knew how to emulate the "Green sound" to boot. His playing style also happens to be similar to Green's to begin with, much as Doodyhead and others have noted elsewhere.

kowk:
There are some differences concerning composers of a few tracks.

I think the latter are probably more accurate, where other band members contribute to the songwriting. But like so many things in the Greenie orbit, getting the "facts" down can be a daunting task. Thanks for the input on that.

chriskisn:
Are you including the Splinter Group stuff in the "pretty damn dodgy" statement?

Curious, but what do you rate as Green's best production with Splinter Group, if you had to choose just one?

greenmanastrat:
I went to see him on his fist tour with the splinter group, broke my heart a little was in manchester in about 96. But there were moments, were the hairs on your neck would be raised by his playing.

That's the thing with PG in the post Mac era, it's largely hit and miss, both in the studio and on stage. When he shines, he shines. When he doesn't, he doesn't. In regards to the latter, at times it can be almost painful to watch. Then again, when he hits it just right, you're sailing above the clouds with him once again.
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  #10  
Old 01-16-2009, 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by snoot View Post
Curious, but what do you rate as Green's best production with Splinter Group, if you had to choose just one?
Now that is a hard one - maybe Destiny Road.

I guess because I started with the Rumours version of the Mac and worked backwards that I don't care as much about Peter the guitar player as much as some people. I just enjoy the music that he did with the Splinter Group regardless of how good/bad his guitar playing was.

Last edited by chriskisn; 01-17-2009 at 07:42 PM..
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  #11  
Old 01-17-2009, 06:23 PM
snoot snoot is offline
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Now that is a hard one - maybe Destiny Road.

I guess because I started with the Rumours version of the Mac and worked backwards that I don't care as much about Peter the guitar player as much as some people. I just enjoy the music that he did with the Splinter Group regardless of how good/bad his guitar playing was.
Would you take Destiny Road over In The Skies? Also where do you rate the Splinter Group's swan song, Reaching The Cold 100?
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  #12  
Old 01-17-2009, 07:52 PM
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Would you take Destiny Road over In The Skies? Also where do you rate the Splinter Group's swan song, Reaching The Cold 100?
Hmm...are you trying to tax my brain here?

1 - Perhaps. I do like In The Skies but I guess it would depend on my mood.

2 - Actually Reaching The Cold 100 was very good. Peter was certainly improving in my opinion. Let us just say that I rate it higher than the self titled one, higher than Blues Don't Change, and higher than Hot Foot Powder, and higher than the non-Splinter Group one (Robert Johnson Songbook).

3 - This is too hard. I guess the difference between early solo Peter and Splinter Group stuff is huge. It could almost be a different artist.

4 - I want my Splinter Group back!
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Old 01-17-2009, 08:38 PM
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Hmm...are you trying to tax my brain here?

1 - Perhaps. I do like In The Skies but I guess it would depend on my mood.

2 - Actually Reaching The Cold 100 was very good. Peter was certainly improving in my opinion. Let us just say that I rate it higher than the self titled one, higher than Blues Don't Change, and higher than Hot Foot Powder, and higher than the non-Splinter Group one (Robert Johnson Songbook).

3 - This is too hard. I guess the difference between early solo Peter and Splinter Group stuff is huge. It could almost be a different artist.

4 - I want my Splinter Group back!
Greenmanastrat take note.

You're as good an opinion on this as anyone on the board chriskisn.
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  #14  
Old 01-18-2009, 06:56 AM
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I must confess to not owning any of the splinter group stuff, i shall be honest just canīt get into it. Maybe one day i will. iīm very slow to pick up on things but i think maybe it goes back to when i went to see them ages ago. Nige is a great axe man and stuf,f but for me i wouldnt choose to listen to him and iīm afraid from what i see, he is the main guitarist. Donīt get me wrong i think nige is a dude and he really does seem to have peteīs best interest at heart but at the end of the day i wanna listen to what moves me.
There are still flashes of the green god i know this and as i say maybe one day i will take a good listen.
However i must go back to the original point about in the skies and that it certainly shows that peters career didnt completely finish in 70 or 71 .
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Old 01-18-2009, 07:18 AM
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I must confess to not owning any of the splinter group stuff, i shall be honest just canīt get into it. Maybe one day i will. iīm very slow to pick up on things but i think maybe it goes back to when i went to see them ages ago. Nige is a great axe man and stuf,f but for me i wouldnt choose to listen to him and iīm afraid from what i see, he is the main guitarist. Donīt get me wrong i think nige is a dude and he really does seem to have peteīs best interest at heart but at the end of the day i wanna listen to what moves me.
There are still flashes of the green god i know this and as i say maybe one day i will take a good listen.
However i must go back to the original point about in the skies and that it certainly shows that peters career didnt completely finish in 70 or 71 .
Hmm...not sure if Nigel had Peter's best interest at heart or whether Nigel had Nigel's best interest at heart.

All I can say is forget the guitar, listen to the music and listen to Peter sing. Sit down in an evening with a glass (or three) of wine and put on some Splinter Group. Very enjoyable...
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