It’s always awkward for an artist to perform in front of their heroes. Many guitarists claim to worship at Jimi Hendrix’s altar. But if the man himself greeted them in person, they would most likely dissolve into a pile of goo on the floor. The power of icon intimidation can be overwhelming. And even a guitar god like David Gilmour admitted to pausing before paying tribute to Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac.
Despite their current status as rock legends, the Green-led Fleetwood Mac feels like a completely different band than the one that released Rumours. Sure, they still had John McVie and Mick Fleetwood in the rhythm section. But the music was much more in tune with what was happening in the blues scene then.
Green’s departure, however, opened the door for new sounds. It was with Bob Welch and Christine McVie joining before Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. For years, Green appeared to be a footnote, but he was still one of the greatest guitarists ever seen.
Given his blues background, Green was able to extract as much emotion as possible from the guitar, making it sound like it was crying. The band was considered on the verge of success. But you don’t get high praise from a band like The Beatles by chance. It was with George Harrison claimed that they began writing the song ‘Sun King‘ based on their track ‘Albatross‘.
Although Green died in 2020, many British fans were eager to praise his talent. Even though Gilmour claimed to be a huge fan, Fleetwood recalls that he was afraid to touch anything Green had done.
When speaking with Rolling Stone, Fleetwood described Gilmour as mortified. He said, “He had so much respect for Peter Green’s playing, who Peter was, and the songs. He initially got cold feet, He said, ‘I don’t know if I can interpret Peter’s work. It’s amazing. “Maybe I can’t do that.”
While David Gilmour eventually gave in and performed the song ‘Albatross‘, there could have been more than nerves at work. Because Green suffered from a variety of mental health issues after leaving the band. There were some disturbing parallels between him and founding Pink Floyd member Syd Barrett in the 1960s.
Gilmour may have had another reason to pay respects, as half of his sound seems influenced by Green. There’s no replacing Gilmour’s guitar work. But when you listen to his sustain and the way he phrases his licks. It often sounds like he took the elements of Green’s playing, deconstructed them, and repurposed them for albums like Dark Side of the Moon.
Even though Green is no longer here to share his magic with the world, his legacy lives on in every blues guitarist who has come after him. Gilmour may have learned a lot from him. But it’s only a matter of time before your eclectic blend of influences begins to sound unique.
