The End of the Game
Peter Green
Reprise 6346
1970
I was very sorry to see that Peter Green had died. He was one of my favorite guitarists in rock. My admiration was entirely based on his work with the band he founded, Fleetwood Mac. I have a few of his solo albums (mostly on CD) which are fine but uninspired for the most part. This is my favorite of his solo records. It was his first solo album and sounds little like his recordings with Fleetwood Mac. I was extremely disappointed when I first bought it but I've since come to admire it. I was expecting more of blues/hard rock sound like his previous work, but the album consists of a series of jazzy instrumental jams with a dash of funk. It reminds me of late period Jimi Hendrix and I would not be surprised if that was an influence on Green's approach to the record. The record gets off to a strong start with "Bottoms Up" which is my favorite track. Supported by a heavy bass riff from Alex Dmochowski, Greens cuts loose with smoking hot guitar runs. The jam lacks direction but it is full of energy and I find it extremely stimulating. The track goes on for slightly over nine minutes but I still think it fades out too soon. "Timeless Time" is far more subdued. Green's solo is lovely although it sounds tentative. Side one concludes with "Descending Scale" which sounds like jazz fusion. The song opens with Dmochowski laying down staccato bass riffs while Zoot Money delivers bursts of kinetic piano riffs as Green unleashes a noisy almost discordant guitar frenzy, before the song slows down for an extended interlude of interwoven bass and guitar noodling reminiscent of the Grateful Dead that is moderately engaging to me if I am in the right mood. The song picks up steam near the end as the piano rejoins the action before the jam is clumsily cut off to end the side. Side two opens with "Burnt Foot" which starts promisingly with a compelling riff from Dmochowski which unfortunately evolves into a drum solo from Godfrey MacLean that I find as tedious as most drum solos. The song comes back to life with the rest of the band rejoining for some heavy riffing that produces some of the most satisfying music on the album for rock fans. "Hidden Depth" is a meandering return to jazz fusion with lyrical guitar runs from Green that display his characteristic grace and fluidity. Side two concludes with the title track which offers up more jazz fusion. It opens with the most frenetic and chaotic musical passages on the record with noisy, yet majestic guitar work from Green before settling into a languorous quiet jam that drifts aimlessly before being abruptly cut off to the conclude the album. If I wanted to demonstrate to someone the brilliance of Peter Green, this would certainly not be the album to start with (I would pick the live recordings of Fleetwood Mac at the Boston Tea Party from 1970.) However when I heard that Green had died, this was the album I reached for. I am generally not a big fan of recorded rock jam sessions (aside from Jimi Hendrix), I think they are more appropriate for concerts. However this one appeals to me for a variety of reasons. Mostly I am drawn to it because Green's playing is so vibrant and dynamic, it is often a very exciting record despite the unstructured format. Also as much as I love the early Fleetwood Mac, it is interesting to hear Green in a different context playing with more jazz oriented musicians. Furthermore I find the record has an immediacy and intimacy that I don't find on his more commercial records. Finally I think it represents the final flowering of Green's genius. He recorded it on the verge of his descent into debilitating mental illness. I have only heard a few of his post-illness albums but none of them even approach the inspired playing on this record. It has a poignancy and wistfulness to it because it makes me wonder what he might have achieved if he had not been damaged by drugs and mental illness. It was this poignancy that drew me to this record when I learned that he had died. Like his contemporary Jimi Hendrix, Green's recorded output of essential recordings was rather small but they burn all the more brightly because of the intensity of the relatively brief period that their creators flourished. Recommended to fans of Jeff Beck's "Blow By Blow."
On The Road
Traffic
Island ISLA 2
1973
I've mentioned in the past how I spent the 1970s wishing it was still the 1960s. Until the New Wave started, I paid little attention to the contemporary music scene and I had little interest in hearing about the musical tastes of my peers. They could have their precious Frampton and the Eagles, I had the Beatles and the Byrds. Occasionally stuff would filter through though. I was a freshman sitting in Spanish class in high school when I heard a sophomore mention that his favorite group was Traffic. My ears perked up. I had yet to hear the band but I knew from my rock encyclopedias that they were a group from the 1960s. This sophomore was smart so I respected his judgment more than most of the dunces at my school and I made a mental note of his favorite Traffic album which was a live double called "On The Road" that was recorded on the band's German tour in 1973. He rhapsodized about the extended cuts and the superlative playing on the record. I didn't rush out and buy it, I wasn't that easily swayed, but I kept my eyes open and when I came across a used copy a few years later I did buy it. I was hugely disappointed. I expected rock and roll jams, but this sounded like jazz. I came close to getting rid of it. Later I bought the earlier Traffic albums, in particular, "Mr. Fantasy" and became a modest fan of the group's early work. I warmed up a little toward this album which bears little resemblance to the more psychedelic and folk-rock sound they had in the 1960s mostly because I started to like jazz. Nonetheless it hasn't spent much time on my turntable even though I've had it for over 30 years. Instrumentally the album is very strong. Aside from the core group of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood the group is supplemented by a formidable rhythm section of Roger Hawkins on drums, Reebop Kwaku Baah on percussion and David Hood on bass as well as Barry Beckett on keyboards. These guys really cook when they get going, the problem is that don't get going that often. There are only seven songs spread over four sides of vinyl, so there are some lengthy workouts but most of the jamming doesn't go anywhere. The album opens with a nearly 16 minute long performance of Winwood's "Glad" that segues seamlessly into the Winwood/Capaldi song "Freedom Rider" both songs coming from "John Barleycorn Must Die." "Glad" is an instrumental that begins with a fast paced section that I find exciting before slowing into a more subdued, melodic passage that I think is boring. The uptempo portion of the song features some dynamic interplay between Winwood and Beckett's keyboards and demonstrates the propulsive power of the percussion section of the group, however Chris Wood's sax solos seem largely pedestrian to me. With its percussive energy it reminds me a bit of Santana in their jazz-rock phase. "Freedom Rider" is shorter and punchier and it features Winwood singing instead of just jamming which I prefer. I even dig Wood's flute solo. This is my favorite cut on the record (and not just because it is the shortest, although that helps.) Side two features a pair of songs from "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory". Chris Wood's "Tragic Magic" is a meandering and monotonous instrumental that doesn't do anything for me and a ten minute version of the Winwood/Capaldi "(Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired" just serves to remind me of how appropriate that title is for the song. The song is partially redeemed by a searing Winwood guitar solo, but for the most part it is sheer tedium. Side three is better with more rocking out. The title track from "Shoot Out at the Fantasy Factory" benefits from the percussive punch offered by the guest players. It starts out rocking and I like Winwood's soulful vocal. The inevitable ensuing jam is energetic although it goes on too long. Capaldi's "Light Up or Leave Me Alone" (off "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys") features a vocal from Capaldi who isn't much of a singer but is adequate for the task. At more than 10 minutes long, the song is twice as long as the studio version but some of that time is devoted to introducing the band. The song is the hardest rocking song on the album and there is a greater emphasis on Winwood's guitar solos than on Wood's reed work which definitely meets with my approval. Unfortunately the record takes a turn for the worse with side four and a seventeen minute long version of "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys." The original song was not all that strong to start with and it doesn't offer much depth for extended soloing but that doesn't keep the band from going off the deep end anyway. I find all the noodling around to be sleep-inducing although the song does finish with surprising force if you can stay awake that long. I like this record a lot more than I did when I was a teenager, but I still have limited use for it. If I want to hear jazz-rock I'd rather listen to Miles Davis or the Mahavishnu Orchestra and if I want to hear jams, I reach for the Grateful Dead or Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Recommended for fans of Weather Report and Return to Forever.
