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Pittsburgh Examiner

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Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
August 12, 10:19 AM, Pittsburgh Classic Rock Examiner Tedd Koziar

Fleetwood Mac, with the addition of Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, became one of the most popular groups of the last 30 years. The albums-Fleetwood Mac in 1975 and Rumours in 1977 were huge successes, spawning many hits. One cannot deny the hit making machine F.M. had become, but, in this article we're going to discuss the early days, when it was Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, a pure blues band that rocked out with ferocity as well as creating beautiful, intricate and powerful tunes.

Peter Green(baum) once replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, until Clapton returned. This was a groundbreaking band that played real blues and showcased great guitarists at work. Mick Taylor, later of the Rolling Stones also played in this band, among others, notably Walter Trout and Coco Montoya.

The 1st F.M. album was released on Blue Horizon Records in 1968. Largely Peter Green originals with some fine covers by Jeremy Spencer on slide guitar and vocals. The rythym section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie also were a part of Mayall's band until forming Fleetwood Mac with Green and Spencer in '67. Their solid playing anchored the sound, be it on blues numbers or when branching out to hard rocking songs.

Green wrote Black Magic Woman which became a hit in 1968 and later was covered by Santana and was a huge hit worldwide. It was shortly after that Danny Kirwan entered the picture, adding a fresh dimension to Fleetwood Mac, providing original songs as well as playing with a style that was all his own. The song Jigsaw Puzzle Blues, which Kirwan wrote displays his unique tone. On Albatross, a single released in '69 Green, Kirwan and Spencer layered three guitars to create a beautiful instrumental.

Then Play On was released in 1970. Oh Well, a Peter Green original was a hit off this album. Their live shows during this time were a mix of Green, Kirwan, and Spencer songs. Many years ago I picked up a bootleg cassette of Fleetwood Mac at the Boston Tea Party and it became a favorite in my cassette player. Songs such as Jumping at Shadows and Kirwan's Only You highlight the incredible guitar work of this band. World in Harmony stands out as an instrumental. After Green left F.M. carried on with the addition of Christine Perfect, later becoming the wife of bassist John McVie, on Kiln House, an excellent release. They then added Bob Welch for the albums Future Games and Bare Trees, in 1971-72.

This band was amazing how it carried on, showcasing incredible guitar players throughout it's history, never slowing down input, finding a way to keep creating incredible music.