Throwback Thursday – Retro Track of the Week

peter green

Song: Man of The World
Artist: Fleetwood Mac
Year: 1969

Certainly from personal experience, discussions regarding Fleetwood Mac will almost inevitably lead to talk of the band’s latter incarnation as transatlantic purveyors of harmony-laden pop best evinced in the hugely successful 1977 album “Rumours.” Oft overlooked are the band’s short-lived origins as a purely British blues outfit led by Peter Green, a guitarist of such repute that he seamlessly replaced Eric Clapton in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and was once described by BB King as the only guitarist who could give him “the cold sweats.”

A perfect marriage of haunting melancholy and melodic beauty, ‘Man of the World’ is Green’s finest hour as a songwriter and surpasses anything released by Stevie Nicks and company. The tasteful warmth of Green’s economic guitar style has never sounded better and the lyrics, profoundly sad for a 23 year old year old, perhaps hint at his struggles with success and subsequent descent into LSD induced madness.

By Scott Hammond