(Credits: Far Out / Video Still)
Thu 22 January 2026 17:00, UK
As Rumours cements itself further in the legacy of music, with every passing year, it begins to feel as though the legacy of Peter Green in Fleetwood Mac gets slowly forgotten.
For oncoming generations, flicking on Rumours for the very first time and introducing themselves to the dramatic world of this transatlantic band, the very idea that a different line-up preceded this one feels inconceivable, let alone one that may have been as good.
But had fate taken another turn, then Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham may never have joined the band, and the personal stories of love, loss and heartbreak would have been contained to the lesser exposed realms of their own musical project, because before they shared the lead microphone, it belonged to a British blues rock legend in Peter Green.
In Green, the band had a charismatic and fearless leader, who was swiftly taking them to the glossy heights of London’s blues scene. On Then Play On you can hear the relentless talent of his guitar playing, and how Mick Fleetwood and John McVie rightly built their sound around it. It bleeds through tracks like ‘Fighting For Madge’, grooves on the track ‘One Sunny Day’ and delicately flies over the rhythm on ‘Without You’.
Then there was his voice, which on the latter-mentioned track is truly brimming with soul. It was youthful in sound, but wise in delivery, and so painted colour into the lines of these bulletproof blues hits being laid down by the band.
But all of those elements perhaps came together best on Green’s most famous hit for the band, ‘Oh Well’. It was one of his last contributions for the band and acts as a fitting swan song, showcasing his penchant for relentless guitar playing that still carves out a discernible melody, while singing a vocal line on top that oozes the sort of charisma he was becoming quickly revered for.
Musicians all over the world marvelled at the song, none more so than Yusuf/Cat Stevens, who labelled it one of the very best of all time when paying tribute to Green after his death in 2020.
He said, “God bless the ineffable Peter Green, one of the unsung heroes of musical integrity, innovation and spirit. When I heard he left Fleetwood Mac in 1970 to get a real life and donate his wealth to charity, he became something of a model for me. ‘Albatross’ and ‘Oh Well’ are two of the best guitar rock tracks ever made.”
Despite leaving the band shortly after, it was a track that lived on through the band. Recognising the clear brilliance of it, ‘Oh Well’ never left the band’s setlist. It started with the Bob Welch-led version of the band, which emerged immediately after Green’s exit, as did the fake version of the group put together by manager Clifford Davis when the band briefly split up in 1973. But then it stuck around until 1975, when Buckingham and Nicks continued to honour it, playing it on their debut tour with the band.
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