1st February 2004
Peter
Green Quits
.....
.....
Alvin
Lee Steps In
The forthcoming April
tour which was to bring together legends Peter Green and Edgar Winter
from the USA, has been hit by Green pulling out. Organisers Flying Music
have not commented on why he has withdrawn, but have concentrated on a
credible replacement. They have come up trumps with another guitar
legend - Ten Years After’s Alvin Lee has agreed to do the tour
alongside Edgar Winter with the added bonus of Tony McPhee as the
support act.
The reasons for
Green’s shock decision have not been made public, but it is alleged
that he may have quit his band Splinter Group at Christmas. Sources
close to the band believe that the ex Fleetwood Mac guitarist may be
feeling the effects of a very busy 2003 schedule. It is also reported
that Green’s whereabouts are unknown.
Peter Green was the
founder, hit songwriter and guitarist of the original Fleetwood Mac. At
their peak in 1969, his songs sold more records than the Beatles and the
Stones put together, with hits like “Albatross” and “Green
Manilishi.” Carlos
Santana regarded him as the greatest of them all and BB King is said to
have commented, “He plays with a tone which is the only thing I ever
heard that made me sweat.”
It was in 1970 that
Peter Green sensationally walked out on Fleetwood Mac. At the time,
close friends said that his behavior had dramatically changed from
characteristically “brash and arrogant,” and he suddenly became
“passive and withdrawn.” He began to hate the fame and started to
give away his fortune while trying to convince the other group members
to do the same.
Green then
“disappeared” for the next 26 years, a casualty of the ‘60’s
drug culture and specifically, the experimental psychiatric drug, LSD.
Within four years, he was receiving legally enforced treatment
and during the next ten years, was subjected to both heavy psychiatric
drug treatments and electroshock as he cycled in and out of hospitals.
Green later recalled,
“I didn’t want it (the treatment), I was scared of it. They take
your mind away from you.... They gave me tranquillisers and I didn’t
really know much about it. It was a struggle just to stay awake. You
don’t know what you are doing. You don’t feel alive.”
Peter Green amazingly
returned to the stage in 1996 with a show at the Buxton Opera House
followed by his first club dates when he did three nights at the Cellar
Club in South Shields. The past eight years have seen a steady return to touring
with 2003 the busiest of them all. The concert in Newcastle was
scheduled for the Opera House on the 22nd April.
Venue spokesman Ian
Thompson confirmed, “We are very disappointed that Peter is unable to
do the tour as we have worked with him many times and the shows are very
successful. However Alvin Lee is huge star and is proving to be a very
exciting replacement, with a big response from fans for tickets.”
Alvin Lee has a huge
reputation at a brilliant guitarist, but seeing him play live in this
country is rare (he lives in Spain). Over the past decade, many
promoters have tried in vain to coax Lee back on the road, so the tour
organisers have done well to get him into action and he is known to be
very keen to do the gigs.
Alvin Lee shot to world
recognition for his prowess on guitar with Ten Years After, who released
their first album in 1967. The following year they were in America and
audiences were immediately taken with the band's innovative mix of
blues, swing jazz and rock and Lee's distinctive, rapid-fire guitar
playing. Super-stardom followed with the film release in 1970 of
the Woodstock Festival with Lee's riffing, howling, amazing and now
legendary performance stealing the show.
Although TYA recorded
together through 1974 and toured in 1975, Lee began pursuing solo
projects as early as 1973 and is no longer connected with today’s
band. This has to be one of the gigs of the year. The date is the 22nd
April and tickets are £19.50 from 0191 232 0899
