Peter Green
The End Of The Game

THE REVIEW

Let's start with the assumption that Peter Green is (or at least, was for much of his artistic life) a genius. Continuing, he was Eric Clapton's replacement (not just anyone), initially temporary and then permanent, in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and ultimately the founder of one of the cult bands of blues from the '60s/'70s: Fleetwood Mac.

A versatile and unconventional guitarist, so much so that he became an ascetic after the release of his solo album in 1970, "The End Of The Games", recorded with a superband consisting of Zoot Money on piano, Nick Buck on keyboards, Alex Dmochowski on bass, and Godfrey Maclean on drums. The first thing that stands out when listening to the album is the ability to create a surreal, hallucinatory, and dreamy atmosphere that transports the listener to the trips Green was known for 'thanks' to the heavy use of LSD in those years (which also led to his hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic in '77).

The LP opens with "Bottoms Up", a ride that starts quietly with the guitar weaving notes over the bass riff, gradually increasing in intensity with a crescendo of drums, bass (more prominent than ever) and the same guitar, full of distortion and wah: it’s the first masterpiece of the album. The second is found in the third track, after a short, very psychedelic piece like "Timeless Time": "Descending Scale" starts right off with the piano and keyboard leading an aggressive beginning that culminates with the entrance of Peter Green with his Les Paul in a hallucinatory noise vortex. As always, and constant throughout the album, bass and drums manage the flow of the piece with the alternation of piano and forte. In the remaining pieces, MacLean stands out in 'Burnt Foot', where he delivers a noteworthy drum solo featuring the bass drum, and the psychedelia of the last tracks. The last piece, the track that gives the LP its name, is another masterpiece, fantastically concluding the work: five minutes of dialogues between guitar, bass, and drums, the latter lingering on the cymbals, with the guitar enriched with delay and reverb ready to respond to the bass's calls.

In conclusion, definitely one of the most successful episodes of psychedelic music in the '70s, deserving to be known by lovers of the genre, ideal to listen to with closed eyes in the dark to evoke distant landscapes.