Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Label: Columbia Records
Release: 1968
Peter Green’s epic journey to blues-rock superstardom kicks off in 1968 with Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled debut. Later that same year he follows it up with Mr. Wonderful, which, right on the heels of the breakup of the eminent Cream, opens a new chapter, and in many ways the final one, in the evolution of the British blues boom of the sixties. What’s more! After the collapse of one of the most influential trios of all time, Fleetwood Mac suddenly found themselves smack in the middle of the beat scene, whose spoiled mindset found the Mac debut far too conservative and predictable, a sort of ossified musical document of yet another in a long line of unheard blues enthusiasts, one that nonetheless hides an enviable haul of priceless treasures deep inside. Mr. Green, sly old fox that he is, has an important ace up his sleeve when it comes to handling blues influences. Unlike the experimental blues-rock approaches, drenched in jazzy extras, that so successfully made his “creamy colleagues” famous in the past, Fleetwood Mac under Peter’s baton diligently stick to the fundamental principles of the blues. This more orthodox approach, let’s call it that, in the spirit of Eric Clapton and his eternal fascination with the work of Robert Johnson, more than obviously follows the footsteps of another blues legend, this time the unforgettable Elmore James.
Peter Green learned a thing or two while excitedly digging through James’s rich treasure chest. His eager sniffing around seems excessive at times, and in the often almost distracting reliving of the guitarist’s sparkling slide moves, his attempt to conjure that trademark oppressive atmosphere inadvertently slips up precisely because of a lack of originality. A nice example of this daredevil stunt is Spencer’s I’ve Lost My Baby, a simple vocal-instrumental imitation of James-style melancholy daydreaming that, despite all those “shortcomings” hard at work, still manages to thrill. Peter boldly tackles Johnson’s Dust My Broom too, which, after Elmore’s charming reincarnation, finally wins us over in its first-ever white-boy guise as well. Just as impressive is the basic blues motif of Rollin’ Man, where the next in line of the main inspirations stands out: John Mayall and his Bluesbkreakers. This time Green borrows mighty horn arrangements from his mentor, nicely enriched with a primal New Orleans sound, which, after the energetic back-and-forth between slide and sax in Evenin’ Boogie, step one level deeper into the mysticism and unpredictability of the American South. “Down below” we also find the excellent Stop Messin’ Round, Lazy Poker Blues, Coming Home and the teasing Doctor Brown, all fired up by Green’s hot-blooded slide and dominant vocal approach. Both elements proudly underline the distinctive message of Fleetwood Mac throughout, which reaches its peak in the inimitable perfection of the blues rhetoric of Love That Burns, where the impressiveness of Green’s vocals and atmospheric guitar playing grows into full-blown perfection.
Although Mr. Wonderful, on its release in September 1968, didn’t initially cause any shake-ups worth mentioning, and its almost bashful arrival, by the standards of the day, was already quietly heralding the decline of the British blues boom, Green and company with their debut still managed to breathe at least a little life back into the island’s take on blues culture, with its own dose of unpredictability and vagabond wisdom. Beyond those merits, we blues fans owe Peter Green’s greatness above all eternal recognition for boldly unearthing the traditional blues roots, which quite unexpectedly took us one step closer to understanding the essence of this unsurpassed form of musical expression.
Lineup
Peter Green: vocals, guitar
Jeremy Spencer: vocals, guitar, piano
John McVie: bass
Mick Fleetwood: drums
David Howard: saxophone
Roland Vaughan: saxophone
Christine Perfect: piano
Anthony »Duster« Bennet: harmonica
Production
Mike Vernon
Track List
1.Stop Messin’ Round
2.I’ve Lost My Baby
3.Rollin’ Man
4.Dust MY Broom
5.Love That Burns
6.Doctor Brown
7.Need Your Love Tonight
8.If You Be My Baby
9.Evenin’ Boogie
10.Lazy Poker Blues
11.Coming Home
12.Trying So Hard To Forget
Running time: 41.30
