This is one of the last articles published while Peter Green was still a member of the band. I wonder if he, at the time of this interview, already knew that he was going to quit?
Read on!
Underground groups should try to improve charts
Fleetwood`s Peter Green talking to Martin K. Webb
When Fleetwood Mac, currently touring America and Canada, played a date in British Columbia NME’s MARTIN K. WEBB had a lengthy discussion with PETER GREEN about the pop scene as he sees it producing some new and controversial views. This is the transcript of their taped conversation sent back to us by Webb.
ARE YOU HAVING TROUBLE BREAKING THROUGH IN THE STATES?
No, we’re not in trouble. This trip it’s been great, really great. This is the third time we’ve been over. The first tour was so short, it was just more or less like a visit. The second tour was very long, and this one’s pretty long. I know a lot of groups didn’t do anything the first and second time… it’s usually the third time that things go well.
YOU’RE GETTING NO 1 SINGLES AT HOME, BUT YOUR RECORDS AREN’T PLAYED AT ALL OVER HERE ON THE TOP 40 RADIO STATIONS. ARE YOU FINDING THIS TO BE A PROBLEM?
No, as far as we know all our singles are released out here. They`re not played but we have the same trouble in England. We’ve got such a big following there at home that they’re hits and then they have to play them on the radio.
ARE THE SINGLES THAT YOU RELEASE PURPOSELY AIMED AT THE COMMERCIAL MARKET?
Yes, obviously. When we put a single out we put our most commercial thing. Mind you, we wouldn’t release a single unless we thought it had a good chance, we’d put it on an LP.
DO YOU ACTUALLY SIT DOWN AND SAY, “I’M GOING TO WRITE A SINGLE?”
Oh no, when I write the thing it’s just a song, but when I release it it’s because I think it will make a good single.
ARE THERE FINANCIAL HASSLES IF YOU DON’T PUT OUT SINGLES?
I wouldn’t have any money hassles, I’m not interested in money and I wouldn’t have any money hassles. I put out singles because I like the single and because the band usually agrees with it.
Everyone wants to get a hit record, obviously, and anyone who doesn’t want to get a hit record must be hung up or something.
If you get a hit record it means you’re very popular with the public, and what group doesn’t want to be popular? That’s what we’re here for, to turn people on.
If you’re popular with the public… so your group is a hit, they get a hit record. I don’t like all this bull about going commercial and all that – that’s just a joke.
We play what we want, and if we can get what we want to No 1 in the charts that’s fantastic, that’s great, and we’ve done it almost three times.
AREN’T THERE SOME SO-CALLED UNDERGROUND GROUPS THOUGH THAT WOULD ACTUALLY DETEST GETTING A RECORD INTO THE TOP 10?
Well, there are people who are strictly “underground” and they detest the stuff that gets into the charts, but in that case they should do something about it and try to raise the standard of things and get some good stuff into the charts.
Put in some good stuff which is what we did. I mean, there are things that I think are a load of rubbish in the charts… I mean in my opinion.
I`m not saying that they are a load of rubbish, because people like them and obviously people get turned on by that stuff, but to me it’s nothing, so if I think I can do better then I should release singles, which is what we do.
Happy singles
We put out what we think is our best single. It may not be our best song, but it will be our best single.
I don’t write for anyone, I write for me and for Fleetwood Mac. We just release the first thing that sounds like a single.
The Tremeloes enjoy putting out happy singles that everybody will like. They might even enjoy them themselves. I don’t see anything wrong with it. I mean, I’m not going to slash them or anything, because if someone wants to play a certain kind of music they’ll play that kind of music.
If someone’s in the music business and they want to play knowingly happy tunes, they’ll want to do it. I wouldn’t expect the Tremeloes to sort of come out with stuff like the Cream. I did like their last single very much. I thought it was good.
What’s the matter with it if someone likes it, so it can’t be bad, and if they like it it goes up the charts.
YOU WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT PUTTING GOOD SONGS INTO THE CHARTS. DO YOU THINK THAT IT’S POSSIBLE TO TRY TO SNEAKILY EDUCATE PEOPLE THIS WAY?
Well, they’re quite happy listening to something like “Sugar, Sugar,” and they get a buzz out of that. You can’t deny them that.
You can’t say “Don’t listen to that, that’s rubbish,” because if they like it, they like it, they’re not forcing themselves to like it, and no one’s forcing them to buy it either.
Instant appeal, that’s what turns them on, they don’t have to try to get into it. I like music that you don’t have to try to get into, I like that sort of thing. I don’t know if that can go too far though.
WHAT SIZE PLACES DO YOU PLAY MOSTLY WHEN YOU’RE EVER HERE?
Small places nearly all the time. We’ll play a couple of smaller places and a couple of bigger ones.
WITH THE KIND OF STAGE PRESENCE THAT YOU HAVE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE DO YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD PLAY A LARGE PLACE?
I dig playing anywhere as long as I’m in a good mood. When a place gets too big it tends to get difficult to get close to the audience. This is about the biggest place that I’d like to play in, to be comfortable with, anyway.
Still in blues
I WAS WONDERING BECAUSE JETHRO TULL HAVE SAID THAT THEY ARE ONLY GOING TO PLAY LARGE CONCERTS FROM NOW ON.
Well, I don’t know what they’re going to do. I don’t know that, although they’re my friends.
ARE YOU GETTING OUT OF BLUES A BIT? No, we’re not getting out of anything it’s just that we’re getting into more things. You saw we did some blues tonight.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHERE YOU’LL BE HEADING IN THE NEAR FUTURE? We don’t know, we just do whatever we write, and whichever way we think we’re going to be going, but we’re not really going any particular way.
Like we still play old blues, and we play things like “Albatross” and “Man Of The World” which are all just for corners.
One’s over here, and one’s over there, and things like that, and then there’s things off the new LP and things we’re going to write.
DO YOU LISTEN TO A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS?
I don’t really listen that much, to tell you the truth, but I really enjoy listening when I do. I listen to a lot of classical music, Vaughan Williams, Gustav Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Parudin, and I like Stravinsky very much.
Classical
HAVE YOU NOTICED THIS COMING OUT IN YOUR MUSIC?
It showed up in the second part of “Oh Well”… parts of that I suppose are classical.
YOU’VE BROUGHT YOUR OWN SOUND SYSTEM OVER. DOES THE BETTER SOUND QUALITY PAY OFF IN THE LONG RUN?
It’s so that we don’t have any trouble with the volume. One time we were made to use the Fillmore East’s PA and that was terrible. The Who use their own PA in the Fillmore East.
If you’re a loud band you’ve got to have a loud PA, and we’re a loud band. You’ve got to lug it about and everything, and the air-freight cost is amazing; but I suppose it pays off in the end.
My Things - Music history for those who are able to read. 