Search - An Evening With Peter Green Splinter Group in Concert on DVD

This Is An Interesting Concert!

Perry Celestino | Tahmoor, NSW Australia | 04/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I must say this is an interesting presentation. After reading the previous review and as a guitarist for 40 years, I was very curious about this DVD. I first re-bought the old "Hard Road" CD after getting Mayall's 70th Birthday Concert. I thought Green on Hard Road (an album I personally had not heard since 1970) was excellent and it contained perhaps Mayall's best straight Blues writing attempts. Anyway, I saw this DVD and got it!

Peter Green to me was always an enigma. He came out of the blue and took Clapton's place in the Bluesbreakers and then went off to form Fleewood Mac. Not being a fan of the latter band, I never really listened to their bluesy interpretations. I thought Green in 1967 was better than Clapton and he certainly could perform vocals better-his version of "You Don't Love Me" is one of Mayall's best recordings! Of course not enough can be said of Green's masterpiece instrumental "The Supernatural". The Stumble (even with a big mistake in one chrous) is the best Freddie King instrumental copy ever done!

This DVD is down memory lane. I think the band is fairly competent, but not great. They are ok musicians and show a great love for the Blues. Peter Green is still an enigma (probably why I love this DVD!) He can hardly talk, but the NUANCE of his playing is fabluous-if you are a guitaist you can see it! His slide, while not as good (now) as, say, Mick Taylor, it is tinged with Elmore James on the high strings. He plays well on the first two Electric Set numbers. I was also really impressed with his harp playing! He is much better than John Mayall and has great tone and bending (still?). But his guitar playing for a guy his age (three years older than me!) is still very good.

Nigel Watson is an ok lead guitarist. He plays fat and very overdriven thumb picked leads which are about as good as your average Pub or Club band in Europe, Australia or America. He does hold the band together. Peter contributes very interesting fills and solos with hardly any effects (a little wah-wah in places). His solo on the Little Willie John tune is really awesome, no effects, no speed, but great phrasing. The highlight of this concert, for me, is The Stumble. How great is his playing with nuance, no effects, total control and mastery of the difficult chrous break-one of the most difficult in Blues. Twice as hard as the stop break in "Hideaway".

Lastly, I find is interesting in the bonus clip On Tour, they are with John Mayall on tour. Mayall should have gotten Green on his 70th Birthday concert!!! Amazon has offered both Green's DVD and Mayall's concert toghter at a special price, what a great deal! It is too bad that in today's world players can be judged by the difficulty of their techniques rather than the feeling of their music. That is the Blues. Best tracks are "Real World" (good chord progression and melody), the Stumble (great!!!!), Green Manalisi (brings back the 1960s styles!) and Black Magic Woman (great minor key chord progression). Get this DVD it is interesting!"

Green's Still Good

Robert Conroy | Chicago, Illinois | 12/11/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"He's still good and so is Splinter Group. His band does the best interpretations of Robert Johnson tunes of anyone I've heard to date. The acoustic section is especially good and the band is tight. Definitely check out the acoustic version of Albatross, nice interplay between Green and Nigel Watson
Good show!"