Album Reviews

Sad but true: a generation of white Americans first came to know the blues—a black American art form—by hearing it played second-hand thanks to the dedication of die-hard British blues enthusiasts like Long John Baldry, John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and of course, Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green. The list goes on.

These guys were the purists. The second wave delivered up a highly modified version of the blues via Led Zeppelin, Humble Pie and the other British “heavy” groups that used the blues to launch a more aggressive musical attack.

This album, much of which was produced by Cream lyricist Pete Brown, pays tribute to Peter Green, arguably the finest blues guitarist of his generation. I wrote “arguably” so you won’t argue with me! You may have other #1s, but no short list of 60’s blues guitar greats would leave off Peter Green.

Green shone brightly in the late ‘60’s with Fleetwood Mac, but by 1971, plagued by mental illness, he was pretty much finished. In recent years Green has become more active, issuing a few albums, touring and playing quite effectively at a Fillmore West John Lee Hooker tribute that I was fortunate to attend.

This 14 track double LP (and SACD) set was culled from a 1995 double CD set titled Rattlesnake Guitar-The Music of Peter Green by an old friend of mine, Jim “Koz” Kozlowski, who, back in the early 1970’s used to work at New England Music City in Kenmore Square, Boston. I wrote, produced and performed the chain’s radio spots.

Paying tribute to Green are the late Rory Gallagher, Arthur Brown, (yes, the ‘crazy world of’ Arthur Brown), Harvey Mandel, Southside Johnny, former Foghat members Dave Peverett (also deceased) and Rod Price, former David Lee Roth band bassist Billy Sheehan, Savoy Brown with Kim Simmonds (Peverett was an original member), Larry McCray (at 45 the second youngest player on the set—the youngest being Vince Converse), Snowy White (played with Green, toured with Pink Floyd and Roger Waters) and finally, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson.

If you’re not a fan of British blues (or blues in general), this isn’t going to make you one, but if you’re keen on the stuff, this record is not to be missed both because of the stinging performances and the superb sound.

To be honest, I wasn’t familiar with Larry McCray before hearing him here, but he delivers an absolutely searing, all too short “Black Magic Woman,” which for me, was one of the set’s highlights.

The set kicks off in high gear with a 7:41 high octane “Oh Well” from bassist Billy Sheehan (David Lee Roth Band, Mr. Big). Highlighted by a napalm wah-wah pedal guitar backed by “Sympathy For the Devil” style bongos and a tom-tom heavy drum track, the song

mutates into a stately, dirge-like interlude driven by a mesmerizing, crystalline, nylon-stringed Spanish guitar.

Next comes Rory Gallagher’s “Showbiz Blues” anchored by the classic “Bo Diddley” beat. The side ends with Arthur Brown’s heavy, high energy take on Fleetwood Mac’s classic “Green Manalishi.” You get your money’s worth on side one alone!

Rather than continuing this play by play, let’s just say that this two disc set burns high-octane fuel from first track to last. Everyone involved gives his all, and that includes the recording engineer(s), because the sound is super-transparent, harmonically rich and superbly focused, if a bit compressed.

Blues and electric guitar fanatics will find this double disc/SACD set to be a veritable string-bending playground, with all of the oldsters proving that they can still deliver the goods.

I kept meaning to review this when it first came out in 2003, but somehow it kept slipping from my radar screen. I’m not sure if the vinyl is still available, but the SACD is. Great sound in the “crystalline, pure” tradition, and great guitars.