So it's been a while

Hey there, readers! Or whoever looks at this blog anymore. I don't know. I still get hits for this thing.

As you might've noticed, I haven't been posting a lot on this blog in recent years. Prior to my obit on Peter Green, I had only posted here once about Neil Peart. There's several reasons why I'm not posting here as much as I used to but I'm still writing. So let's break this down into several parts.


1. Lack of material- in the early years of my blog, I was posting things here like crazy- keeping you all informed about what was going on in the music world. I also used this for ways to promote myself as a writer. As the years have gone by, I've gotten a little lazier or feel that I've posted about my favorite albums and musicians oh so many times. I gave up on anniversary articles because I wasn't getting the hits and because of the amount of work it required. So without those, the blog has become a place for me to review new things and post about when musicians pass away.

2. My other writing job- I've been a volunteer writer for Pop Culture Beast since 2017 after discovering the Rock Solid podcast (hosted by Pat Francis) after Survivor contestant David Wright appeared on an episode. With PCB, I'm able to get thing from the record label to review. Ideally, I'd like to have my reviews posted here too but I'm always afraid to post one article in two places- as WordPress might pick up on it being plagiarism. I figured maybe I could review new things on PCB and come back here to share my thoughts on what's going on in the music world. However, I just never get around to it or feel that once someone posts it somewhere- it isn't worth it.

3. My podcast- since September of last year, I been hard at work with Albums Uncovered, a revamp of my pre-recorded college radio show in which I discussed classic albums celebrating anniversaries. I've really been enjoying it but it's a lot of work.

So that's the easiest way I can explain why I don't post here as much. Though let me get this straight: I'll keep posting stuff here. Perhaps every few months, I can share the links to my posts on PCB or episodes of AU.  I  also want to keep doing the Year in Review write ups as well.

While most of this post has been me rambling about stuff, I just want anyone who happens to stop by here and wonder why the decrease in activity- this is why.

For now, I'll lend you all a few links to things I've written so far this year related to music- along with the URL to AU.

Articles
Melody Makers Movie/App Review
Harry Nilsson's The Point Blu Ray Review
Peter Green- The End of the Game Reissue Review
Sir Lord Baltimore- The Complete Studio Recordings Review
X- First Four Albums on Vinyl Review
Bob Dylan- Rough and Rowdy Ways Album Review
The Residents- Metal, Meat and Bone Album Review

Albums Uncovered Libsyn Website

Peter Green dead at 73

Peter Allen Greenbaum

October 29, 1946 - July 25, 2020

Peter Green, guitarist and co-founding member of Fleetwood Mac, died yesterday at the age of 73. A statement released yesterday says that Green passed away peacefully in his sleep. 

Born in a Jewish family in Peckham, London, England, Green started playing guitar professional by the age of 15. After playing in and out of bands throughout the 1960s, he landed a spot in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers- replacing Eric Clapton in October 1965. By 1967, Green left to form his own blues band- with Bluesbreaker bandmate drummer Mick Fleetwood joining him. Along with guitarist Jeremy Spencer and bassist John McVie, Fleetwood Mac were formed- with Green taking the name from the band's rhythm section of Fleetwood and McVie (although at the time of their formation, McVie wasn't ready to join just yet- technically making bassist Bob Brunning the original bassist). 

Shortly after the release of their debut album, the band brought in a third guitarist Danny Kirwan. As a five piece band with three guitarists, Fleetwood Mac stood out amongst their peers. As a musician, Green would write several of the band's early hits such as "Oh Well," "Albatross", "The Green Manalishi" and "Black Magic Woman"- with those last two later being covered by Judas Priest and Santana respectively. However, Green would leave the band in May 1970. In March of that year, the band were on tour in Europe. While in Munich, it's been said that Green attended a party at a commune- where he took LSD. Many see this point as Green's decline in mental health. Soon after leaving the band, Green would released an instrumental debut album The End of the Game in 1970.  In the years after leaving Fleetwood Mac, Green found himself in psychiatric hospitals. There was also an incident where Green held his accountant David Simmons at gunpoint.  In the late 1970s, Green was diagnosed with schizophrenia and underwent electroconvulsive therapy. 

In 1979, Green went back recording- starting with In The Skies. In the late 1990s, Green would form the Peter Green Splinter Group- with some help from musicians Nigel Watson and Cozy Powell. The band would perform and record from 1997 to 2004. For the rest of his life, Green kept a low profile while also agreeing to the occasional interview. 

In his life, Green was married once to Jane Samuels from 1978 to 1979. They would have one daughter, Rosebud- who was born in 1978.