Need a new thread! How about early '70s Peter Green

[dansven]

Yes, this a very special way of approaching/playing the guitar. I can't think of anybody else who did this. By 1969-70 Peter had developed a monstrous technique with both speed, taste and wah-wah - and of course feel. This can be heard on the last Fleetwood Mac jams (i.e. "Rattlesnake Shake/Underway"), and his work with Peter Bardens, Memphis Slim Toe Fat and The End Of The Game.

The style that you're referring to is really quite the opposite... Sparse and often muted, and with much reverb. He blends those two styles on The End Of The Game and the Memphis Slim LP. On other recordings such as the Country Joe McDonald LP he sticks more to this sparse style.

I highly enjoy both styles. Can't help but think that this sparse style was part of his "vision", and the playing revealing his soul.... The mental illness, guitars "speaking" to him etc...
But also his natural way of not wanting to be the front man. Others would probably turn the amp to 11 when it was their time for soloing.

A passage in Martin Celmins' biography comes to my mind. I don't have the book here now, so I'll write from memory. It was right after Peter had left Fleetwood Mac. He was staying at a friend's house (maybe in the US?). The friend woke up in the morning and found Peter sitting on the front porch with his guitar, playing small tones and phrases to the birds. The friend found this very touching. This great guitar star sitting and communicating with birds.
His playing on for example "Only Love Is Worth This Pain" in a way resembles birds.

And mentioned, there are traces of this elsewhere too. I hear some of it in the two PVK instrumentals "Just Another Guy" and "Rubbing My Eyes", but really this style is something he did most around 1970. I also came to think about one special live version of "Rattlesnake Shake/Underway". It's a long time since I heard it, and I have to go through my bootleg collection to find it. But this version differs from the rest. The band "do their tings" rocking away as planned. But Peter never really "takes off". His solos are slow and sometimes sparse all the way through.