Customer Reviews

The Anthology

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I suppose that every fan of Peter Green is going to have his/her own list of what should have been included and what should have been excluded on The Anthology. Some favor Green's work with Fleetwood Mac, some his work with John Mayall and still others prefer his late seventies/early eighties solo work or even his work with the Splinter Group. But if you are considering a purchase, look at it this way: unless you are an absolute fanatic about Peter Green, there is bound to be something here in his work you haven't yet heard.
That's how it is for me. I own, or thought I owned, a recording of almost everything he did with Mayall, Fleetwood Mac, the Splinter Group and solo yet there are at least a dozen tunes here I had never heard (and may never have otherwise heard) until I bought this. There is more than four and a half hours of excellent or at least interesting music that you get for a paltry sum. The box set comes with a well-designed (but not well-bound) booklet filled with pictures, commentary, and album info. If you like Peter Green, what more could you ask for?
I like the variety here as the listener has the opportunity to live through Green's many moods in one sitting. For my money, I'd say that some of Green's later work with Fleetwood Mac is what makes him stand out as a blues artist. Some of the songs are so downright depressing that you may be forgiven thinking that Green was preparing to take the pipe as soon as he finished playing. Listen to Love That Burns. Now THAT'S the blues. But Green is competent as well in other genres as he shows on the cuts like Don't Goof With the Spook that to me is evocative of the goth-prog of Nick Cave. Overall, you should be delighted with what is included here even if you don't get everything you want.
There has been a lot of griping about the packaging, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the music. One of the discs in my set came loose during shipping and there were a couple of scratches on it, but it plays just fine. My chief complaint is the handsome booklet that came apart page by page as I turned them. Unless you buy it directly from amazon, returns can be a hassle with no way to easily recover return postage.
With The Anthology, the fan gets value for money. At the price I paid, my cost was less than seven dollars per disc. Now how reasonable is that? I've noticed that the price fluctuates quite a bit, so wait until it becomes available in the price range you are comfortable with, then buy one! The Anthology is one set you will enjoy for years to come.

This is an excellent set. The early work, to my mind, confirms that Peter Green was equal to Clapton's best early work. They both burned with intensity and surprise, and they both had tone dripping from every note. The total picture, though, shows that Peter Green never lost that intensity, whereas Clapton, in his post Delaney & Bonnie work, did. There are moments when it's still there with Clapton (Derek), but Peter Green has the Robert Johnson hauntedness that fuels some of the best blues. Sure, the fire of the 20 year old burns differently than the fire of the older, life-worn wanderer, but it's fire just the same. And a revelation since I hadn't heard any of the later work. I'd read about it and assumed it was lackluster. It's not. Green's touch, phrasing, tone, still have it. And this set is your chance to have it too. If you're onto Greeny and want a very fine compilation, consider The Anthology, you can't go wrong.

One of the greatest blues guitarists ever. Tragic that his flame didn't burn long enough and was dulled by depression and drugs. Such classics came from his hand as Albatross, Black Magic Woman, Oh Well, and Man of The World. And there's so many more. With John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, the pedigree of early Fleetwod Mac shines through. John McVie regards Green as the best guitarist ever. This anthology then tracks Green through his long and varied career. If you like English blues with its roots in the swinging 60s and 70s and have one old Peter Green song or album in your collection then this Anthology is a must. If you like treacly Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks west coast 'sound then maybe this collection isn't for you.

What can be said about Peter Green, other than he was the Green God! The first cd on this collection easily surpasses the first cd in my Crossroads box...by the time the 2nd cd in this set finished, it surpassed all 4 cds in my Crossroads box. All jokes aside, this 4 disc collection is the finest collection of music ever assembled...even though disc 4 is not in the same league as the first 3, there is some interest that merits its inclusion. Pick this up, sit back, and get a lesson on how a guitar should sound, and be played.

As mentioned in a previous review the packaging for this box set is horrible, let there be no mistake of that.
Luckily my set arrived in tact and has been no problem. As for the set itself, 64 tracks by one of the UK's best guitarists following him from John Mayall to Fleetwood Mac and then to solo and collaborative work with greats such as Buddy Guy. All the essentials are here, and the 72 page booklet has a good bio of PG and the tracks are well annotated. There are no great surprises or unreleased tracks but Salvo has done a wonderful job of gathering Green at his best. The set can be obtained relatively inexpensively and belongs in the collection of all Green fans. While most fans will already have the Mayall and Fleetwood Mac tracks, it is great to have them all in one place, and the cuts from Peter with the Splinter Group are more obscure and will make this set a must have for those of us who have admired Peter and his ever present Les Paul. Highly recommended for fans of Green and those of us who want to encourage box sets devoted to artists of European fame who are lesser known in the US.
So, do your best to ignore the horrible packaging, be careful with the discs, and treat yourself to the best works of this virtuouso blues/rock guitarist.

This is a fantastic collection of Peter Green's music. I certainly was not disappointed with this purchase. Being a Gary Moore guitar style music fan, through his album "Blues for Greeny" I came to realise how much the haunting blues licks and sustained notes I love so from Gary's music, were actually passed down to him from his friend and mentor Peter Green. I think any lover of guitar blues music would appreciate this collection and be able to hear the wonderful playing from Peter throughout his career. The 4 disks was nicely boxed and also came with a terrific 70+ page booklet with excellent photos and articles about various music and events through out his career. Very pleased with this purchase which I was not able to buy via retail outlets in Australia. Don't be put off your purchase if you already own versions of the songs listed on this set as the various live or studio version Peter recorded are unique and worth owning and listening to again.

As a longtime Peter Green fan this set has been a very long time coming. The only material here I had never heard before were the three Peter Bardens cuts Green played on & while they aren't my cup of tea, Green's guitar playing was excellent as usual. The only things missing really & they have been missing from every Peter Green compilation including this one are the two singles he released in the early '70s before he disappeared to deal with his inner demons. The two single releases, "Heavy Heart"/"No Way Out" & "Beasts Of Burden"/"Uganda Woman" have never made it to cd to my knowledge & can only be heard in their original 45 RPM versions on youtube. Other than this the set is excellent & I can't put it down. If there was ever an artist more neglected than Peter Green & the original Fleetwood Mac lineup I'd like to know. So much good music here which only the diehard fans will know. The inclusion of the excellent & obscure Fleetwood Mac cut "Before The Beginning" from "Then Play On" plus "Drifting" from "The Original Fleetwood Mac" album make this a near perfect Peter Green anthology. Those who do not know this man or his music & believe Eric Clapton to be the king of British blues guitarists NEED to buy this compilation & hear what they have been missing. Mr. Clapton, much as I like him can't hold a candle to Peter Green as a blues rock guitarist. I only wish I had been alive to see & hear him in his prime before he took one two many bad acid trips. I love the man & his music which leads me to close this review with these words, what a waste of talent, ruined by drug abuse & mental disorder resulting from said drug abuse. The story of the rise & fall of Peter Green has to be one of the most disappointing & sad tales in music history. The music on this set is timeless & excellent. Buy this & see for yourself. I can't recommend this set too much. It's that good!

I saw Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac in 1969, my first blues guitar hero. This set of songs is a great representation of thier talent at that time. Just awesome duos between he and Danny Kirwin, Peter was able to bring the best out in Kirwin. Jeremy Spencer's vocals were really cool, his slide was one of the best in the late '60's.
The best thing about this Anthology is the book that comes with it. Great history of the band. I think that like a lot of powerful groups they were begining to have thier problems. Mostly between Spencer and Green. But enjoy these set of songs that follow Green after they split up. His distinctive style can also be heard in The Splinter Group, mabye a little more mellow but you know which solos are his.

Peter Green was Great. I use the term "was" he is still alive. After his decent into madness after the solo "The End of the Game" he is boring. His great guitar work and vocals with the Bluesbreakers and F. Mac are legendary. He later lost his influencial guitar style and lost his voice. His later work is unrecognizable. He still receives great reviews for his later work because of pity.

A great compilation of all of Peter green's best work...a must have for Mayall,Fleetwood Mac lovers