Reaching the Cold 100

Peter Green | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 25, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Eagle Records
• ASIN: B000089IY1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #247,164 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Peter Green was discovered by John Mayall and was lead guitarist in the late 60's Bluesbreakers before leaving to form Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac with Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. After well documented health problems, Green reappeared in the mid 90's, much changed but with his talent and love of the blues still intact, as an integral part of Peter Green Splinter Group.

Reaching The Cold 100 is the second album that Peter Green Splinter Group has recorded for Eagle and follows on from 2001's Time Traders. The title is taken from Robert Johnson's song Terraplane Blues and refers to hitting 100 mph for the first time in a Hudson Terraplane, a V8 car favoured by the likes of John Dillinger.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Who's Really Playing Guitar?, April 22, 2003

By 

"The Woj" (Downers Grove, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reaching the Cold 100 (Audio CD)

This will most likely be a poorly written review. Several ideas thoughts, praises and criticisms in random order.
First, does Peter Green really play much guitar here? It's well documented that on albums like "In The Skies", Snowy White did most of the guitar work, mimicking Green's style. I don't know why, but hearing a solo and not knowing if it's Green or Watson really bothers me. It's like viewing a perfect copy of the Mona Lisa, once you find out it's not the original, all the beauty is gone. The guitar work here isn't bad, but it's far from spectacular. I really can't help but suspect most of the playing is Watson. I have no insight into Green's physical condition so I really do not want to comment on his playing any further...just don't expect anything even close to his work with Mayall or Mac. The album is a enjoyable listen if you start with low expectations. Very laid back, "groovin" blues played with workmanlike precision in the tradition John Mayall or Savoy Brown. The vocals can be a bit much at times; neither Watson or Green carries a tune extremely well. It's hard to take Green's vocals seriously on tracks like "Dangerous Man", especially after seeing him on the liner photos, but his vocals are very genuine and heartfelt. Again, no new music from the pen of Green himself. The fact that he is no longer writing "makes me wonder". To be fair, the newly reworked Fleetwood Mac tunes are some of the best on the album. The playing on these songs is slightly more inspired than the rest of the disc. If the old tunes were soaked in whiskey, the new versions come across as being drenched in fine wine. Much more mellow and refined than the more firey originals (but again I ask myself, who's playing the lead guitar?).
I quess with each Splinter Group release, I'm expecting just a little trace of the "Green God" to reemerge; and I'm still waiting. Time to go dig out my old lp version of "Pious Bird Of Good Omen".

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars peter's on top of his game... again, February 27, 2003

By 

bob g. (staten island, new york USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reaching the Cold 100 (Audio CD)

I could never get enough of peter green's sound and style like he had when he played with fleetwood mac.he was everything a blues guitarist should sound like, and the best of the british blues guitarists. and sadley we lost him to his demons for to many years, with only breif returns to the music scene. these returns produced some great music and some that was just o.k. then, he gave us his splinter group.they have always been good, but i have felt that people wanted to really hear what greenie could do, did he still have it? his muisic thus far was on the verge, just a taste of what we hoped he could still do. well with this effort i have to say, grenie gives it to us!!! the c.d is a strong efort with solid tracks that have solid beats and good blues foundations. his playing is fluid and his leads rich and emotional with traces of his olde style. the last five tracks are just phenomanal. i know they are mac tunes,but it's greenie! again playing HIS mac tunes the way you expect to hear him play.just check out black magic woman. thanks greenie, and welcome back! p.s. credit must be given to the band especially nigel watson who is great in his own right and does a wonderful job here.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Post-Mac Effort to Date, December 10, 2004

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reaching the Cold 100 (Audio CD)

I have been a Peter Green fan since his muse burned brightly in the glory days of the original Fleetwood Mac. He is a legendary figure to thousands of fans who wonder what might have been had he not gone off the deep end for an extended spell. We watched, we waited, and we hoped. His old band went through several profound transformations while he stayed gone, reappearing only briefly to record End of the Game, an album I consider one of the most boring and pointless I have ever heard. Then in the early eighties an album would appear on occasion that was putatively his. The first couple contained some pretty good songs mixed with a lot of garbage. Then he submerged once again next to resurface with a new band, Splinter Group.
I have followed Splinter Group since Green first joined, and I have to say that they get better with each successive recording. For that matter, Reaching the Cold 100 is Green's post-Mac effort to date!
There is a load of excellent blues here. The first five tunes are rather hard-driving and do well showcasing the talents of the Splinter Group. Must Be A Fool and Don't Walk Away are slow blues numbers with kind of a mid-70s feel about them. Then the mood changes entirely with a humorous Richard Thompsonesque song about being sucked into legal and financial problems.
The second half of the CD weakens considerably. I don't care at all for Spiritual Thief or Nice Girl Like You, and the renditions of the other originals are merely decent. Then the band gets back on track as it launches into the bonus tracks. If my praise of the first seven songs didn't have you clicking the buy button, then just maybe my praise of the last four will get you motivated.
Some reviewers consider the bonus cuts the best on the album, most likely because as old Fleetwood Mac tunes they are more familiar. Indeed, Green and company do a yeoman's job with them. But to say they are the best negates the very real progress the group has made over the years. Sure, I like Green Manalishi, Black Magic Woman, Albatross, and It Takes Time and the Splinter Group does tackle them with aplomb, but I also really enjoy Ain't Nothin' Gonna Change It, Look Out For Yourself, Needs Must The Devil Drives and Must Be A Fool. And contrary to what some have written, I think Green's husky, world-weary voice is a nice fit for the music. It is certainly superior to and more distinctive than Nigel Watson's.
Overall, Reaching the Cold 100 is highly recommended to all Peter Green fans. If you are new to Peter Green, check this out and see what you've been missing!