Man Of The World - The Peter Green Story

It's likely that the vast majority of Fleetwood Mac fans are only aware of the late history - the Buckingham / Nicks era. I will not disparage Fleetwood Mac Part II - they've created a generation of infectious pop music! But as a fan of "the early years" (and blues in general), I really enjoyed this documentary.People who watch it will discover that Peter Green - an extraordinarily-gifted songwriter and guitarist - brought the original members together, and named the band after the OTHER members, not wanting to be in the spotlight. They will enjoy THE BLUES, as performed by the band back in the formative years (alongside the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, etc.). The sound only got better as they added guitarists Jeremy Spencer (who played awesome slide guitar, heavily influenced by Elmore James) and later Danny Kirwan. THREE awesome guitar players - and it worked extraordinarily well. They will be told about the band's early trips to the USA, where they crossed paths with The Grateful Dead and their "sound-board man," Mr. Owsley, which had a profound impact on their future direction.They will be told about how Peter Green always saw a "greater purpose" in his tremendous talent, and felt guilty about amassing a monetary fortune, wanting instead to share it with the less fortunate. That haunting desire, combined with frequent ingestion of consciousness-altering compounds, eventually led to psychosis and "coming off the rails." He left the band, and largely checked out of society for a number of years, instead being subjected to frequent stints in mental institutions, hospitals, etc.Fortunately he survived, and is now able to share snippets of his story today. His recollections, along with those of former band-mates Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, and Jeremy Spencer, plus managers, producers, etc., are interspersed with some classic footage of performances back in the day. So many great songs! Starting with the classic Delta and Chicago blues, evolving into blues-based originals like Albatross... Black Magic Woman... Oh Well... Green Manalishi. After watching this documentary, I've been compelled to bust out all my classic Fleetwood Mac tunes.Recommended for Fleetwood Mac / Peter Green fans (obviously!), those interested in the emergence of "the blues" as an influencer of the British Invasion, blues fans in general. I thought watching it was time VERY well spent.

A wonderful look at my favourite guitarist of all time. I love the rare footage of the early Original Fleetwood Mac and the interviews with Peter. Hewas and is such a talented and fragile person, kind of sad when you look at what possibly just one night did to shatter his beautiful genius, yetsomehow he still picked himself up to carry on still display at least some of the fire that once burned so brightly. Thank God somebody took thetime to put together this woderful documentary of Peter Green. In his prime I believe that Peter was at least the best white blues guitarist in theworld...out there on his own.Like he once said and so often displayed...LESS IS MORE. You don't have to play 7000 notes a second to be considered a great guitarist. TrulyPeter has the feel of the instrument and in songs like "Man Of The World," "Albatross" and "The Supernatural" it is most apparent. AND if he hadNEVER picked up a guitar, he has enough talent and SOUL to excel in his artwork and photography. Peter has influenced more musicians thanmost ever have...Carlos Santana made a career out of just two of Peter's songs!..."The Supernatural" and "Black Magic Woman." Those longsustains of "The Supernatural" are a signature of Santana, as well as the title itself! If FLEETWOOD MAC never recorded another album afterTHEN PLAY ON they would have cemented their place in music history. The 3 albums following Peter's departure were wonderful too!...KILNHOUSE, FUTURE GAMES and BARE TREES are excellent works showcasing Jeremy Spencer, DANNY KIRWAN and Bob Welch. Even thoughthey weren't Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac or even the blues, Peter's influence, particularly on Danny Kirwan is unmistakable. The melodies andtones that Danny coaxed out of his Les Paul are beautiful.After BARE TREES, particularly with the arrival of Buckingham & Nicks, Fleetwood Mac sound was nothing like the days when Peter Green wasfronting the band. Two entirely different sounds under the same name.

...but didn't know it. Clearly Peter Green was on a search...I sometimes think I am to...musically...for something he wanted to hear...or sensed. Whether Peter knew it or not is debatable but there is no denying he was on a search...I hope he found it. His sense of a musical future is undeniable. He is probably more famous for the bands he created...or at least was responsible for much of their success is at a minimum clear.First was naming his band Fleetwood Mac. He saw the importance of the rhythm section which was paramount in two of the bands who owe much of their success to him even though he had nothing to do with it directly. Fleetwood Mac would achieve their success that most are familiar with without him but don't under estimate the influence he had on the future on music while he was there.Second was the song Black Magic Woman which is the iconic song for Santana and defined their sound. Green Manalishi was the springboard for Judas Priest and their career and the driving rhythm they embody. Peter Green was a man most never heard of but indirectly responsible for bands you have heard of. A story of an amazing era of music and the man responsible for much of it.

One of my guitar hero's since I was old enough to buy albums in 1970. This is a well told documentary about Peter Green's sad and brilliant life told by the people closest to the situation. Luckily most of them are still alive. And there's plenty of footage of the old days which isn't readily available. There's even quite a bit of interview with Peter himself, although it's kind of hard to make out what he's saying a lot of the time. It's no mystery why so many legendary guitar players of today cite him as an influence. See the original Fleetwood Mac as they were formed, before the arena concerts and singer with scarves spinning all over the stage. A must for blues lovers!

Ask a music lover about Fleetwood Mac, and the response you will probably receive will mention Stevie Nicks or Lindsay Buckingham. But before Stevie Nicks, before Lindsay Buckingham, before the other two configurations of Fleetwood Mac after the original band ended ... Fleetwood Mac was Peter Green’s band.If anyone today knows Peter Green at all, they probably remember him as a casualty of the 60s, a gifted guitarist who lost his mind on bad acid, and completely retired from the music business for over thirty years before making his furtive, meek foray in releasing new material. This is really a shame, because of all the great rock guitarists of the 60s, Peter Green was the only one who worried B.B. King, who famously said when asked the question if any of the British guitarists concerned him, that Peter Green made him “shiver.” It is indeed a tragedy that Peter Green stopped his career when he did, for whatever reason, because few guitarists before or since have had such an expressive, lyrical, or fluid approach when playing the blues.“Man of the World” tells the story of Peter Green. It consists of archival footage. It also features contemporary interviews with the band members of the original Fleetwood Mac, family members, friends, rock journalists, past roadies, producers, engineers and managers, and fellow musicians such as John Mayall, with whom Green played after Eric Clapton left the Bluesbreakers. It was there that Peter Green meet Mick Fleetwood and John McVie and formed Fleetwood Mac. Prominent among the musicians interviewed is Carlos Santana, who tuned a song originally penned by Peter Green, “Black Magic Woman,” into a monster international hit, and Noel Gallagher from Oasis.With the group ingestion of mind expanding drugs (e.g., LSD) the music of Fleetwood Mac explored to new musical vistas. From traditional Peter Green took the band to a place which was not just blues, but mixed with incredible improvisions and jamming. Those explorations can be heard in the songs from this period, such as “Albatross” and “Man of the World,” from which this documentary takes its title. This last melancholy song demonstrates the personal turmoil experienced by Green at the time. That melancholy, and an ever increasing variety of drugs, fueled this incredibly creative period, but also provided the seeds of Green’s own mental breakdown. Mixed with a feeling of heart-felt religious zeal, those seeds found full fruition when where Green and band mate Danny Kirwan came under the influence of a mysterious, cultist commune in Munich. Peter Green sank into full-blown psychosis, essentially not coming back for thirty yearsThis documentary is ultimately about survival. After receiving correct medical treatment, Peter Green re-emerged into the music scene about twenty years ago and to date has released ten records. The bonus material features uncut footage of a very lucid, engaged Peter Green going through his guitar collection. His interviews in the bonus material and documentary show him resembling more a mildly befuddled English gentleman than a wide-eyed schiz.This documentary has been available in the UK for almost ten years. Finally, this documentary is available to the United States audience. For those unfamiliar with this great guitarist this documentary is a good starting point to know the person and enjoy his music.

This tells the story of the early Fleetwood Mac in great detail, skipping hastily over Peter Green's post-Mac life. The film focuses on Peter's struggles with mental illness, and looks at some of the lurid tales that have been told of Peter's life during his retirement; but oddly makes no mention of the five solo albums he produced between 1979 and 1981. As for his late 90s comeback, there is a very brief mention of his Robert Johnson cover albums, but that's that for the Splinter Group.Like most rockumentaries, there are no complete performance clips (some of the vintage clips can be seen in their entirety on the FLEETWOOD MAC: THE EARLY YEARS disc). However, this the first time I've seen Peter Green himself interviewed, discussing some of the controversies that have surrounded him over the years. Remarkably, he looks happy, relaxed and comfortable, having come through his struggles more or less intact.It's also surprising to see Jeremy Spencer alive and well. Mick Fleetwood mentions in his memoir that Jeremy had still been with the Children of God when they were expelled from Sri Lanka back in the late 70s, but I didn't know he'd returned to England.If you've read Mick's book, or the biography by Martin Celmins, there's not a great deal of new information here, but you do get a fresh, up to date perspective, including that of Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer.My only criticism is that more attention could have been paid to the music, particularly Peter's solo career. IN THE SKIES is an underrated album, and as Peter's last work containing his songwriting, deserves at least a passing mention.

An interesting look at the career of possibly the greatest white blues guitarist this country has ever produced. A strange but fascinating tale. I think the filmmakers could have focused a little more closely on their subject and what he's doing now rather than the overlong and slightly boring chat with Mick Fleetwood and Jeremy Spencer. It's a well-assembled film but maybe I was expecting too much as sadly, there seems to be little here by way of information that true fans won't already know. (A couple of years ago, there was a brilliant documentary shown on the TV which gave a good insight into the man and his music.) Also, it would've been nice if the performances were shown in their entirety (perhaps as extras) rather than as clips. Overall 'though, it's particularly good to see Peter Green looking much healthier.

An enjoyable DVD, even though 'fans' will know of Peter's health problems already as they have been published so many times before, and can only wish him well whatever he decides to do in the future. Perhaps a DVD on his recent musical activities would be good so we can all move on. Nice to see the clips again of early songs. I wasn't so keen on the bit at the end with Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer and John McVie waffling on, wasn't really about Peter I thought. I have heard a rumour that Peter and Mick are possibly going to do some blues recording, that will be great to hear.

Peter Green, founder of British blues band Fleetwood Mac in late '60s was one of the brightest stars of the English music scene. His stellar career was tragically cut short by mental illness making this story one of the most poignant and revealing from the rock and roll era. I have always considered Green to be the best "white" blues guitarist ever and his extraordinarily simple, sensitive phrasing and intonation on his trade mark Les Paul has never been equalled. This DVD is the best source of information from those who were there (including interviews with Peter now) and although it comes across as a bit of a guilt homage at times; it is a heart-felt, warts-and-all documentary from those who knew him well(including former girlfriend who pricelessly explains the lyrics to the song Black Magic Woman). Fellow band member Mick Fleetwood is best when he says that in later years when things were down, he would bring out his old recordings with Peter Green and say "now guys this is how it's done". It's wonderful to see Peter so much happier now and in complete charge of his life and so humble and self-effacing. A genuine warm character with a remarkable talent who in his prime could play the guitar like no-one else! Thoroughly enjoyed this revealing and very honest doco - but I'm a fanatic for truly great guitar players.