Fleetwood Mac, Elmore James and The “GREAT” Rip-Off (bonus material: the Jeff Beck – prison sex connection & why Elvis is suspect)
Note: When referring to Fleetwood mac in this post, I am not talking about the Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham version. I am talking about the Peter Green stuff…the “Early Mac”.
Recently I wrote a post about the not so fine line between influence and emulate. I also wrote one on Mick Fleetwood’s celebrity podcast on iTunes (that is a joy to listen to). Low and behold, a convergence of thoughts has occurred!
After the Mick Fleetwood post, I went and picked up some early Feetwood Mac. I needed to go back and hear their sound of that time. In the podcast, Fleetwood spoke about the heavy influence of Delta Blues in the original incarnation of the Mac. Infact, as history and Mick tell us, a great many British bands of the ’60′s were influenced by these Delta inhabitants, musicians and creators of the folk and the lore.
I wasn’t sure what to get and it was spontaneous thing, so I went for the full buffet of early Mac: a 2009 (re)release, “Black Magic Woman: The Best of Fleetwood Mac“. Again, this is the Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer stuff…not the flowing scarves of everyone’s favourite cocaine pixie.
I put it on and walked London for an hour or so.
These guys, to say the Very least, were completely affected by those old sounds they heard come across the Atlantic from the Mighty Mississippi. They wanted no misunderstandings about what their intensions were…to play just like their Delta heroes.
This got me to thinking about the influence and emulate discussion I posed a few days earlier. Like I said, “Influence is you with a twist. Emulate is you trying not to be you”.
Early on, to all their talent and credit, I think the Early Mac were emulators. Listen to a song like, “Shake Your Money Maker”. This is an Elmore James song. Now, I am no musician so what I say may not be technically correct. I do have a pretty good ear and feel for tunes. What my ear feels after listening to the Early Mac play this song is almost a complete duplication of Old Elmore James’ version.
Fine. No issues with that. Early Mac may have been the best British blues band of them all. My point is that they aimed to emulate Elmore and his brand of blues. It wasn’t just that song either. There are a half a dozen that have the Elmore feel. Now, as Early Mac evolved, they kept some of that blues culture in their music, but their sound developed into something more personal from the band. Yes, later on they went stone-cold different and had unprecedented success. That situation was a horse of a much different colour…and it wasn’t blue(s).
Old Elmore, he was a bit different. He was hugely influenced by his predecessors and contemporaries. Still, he ended up with a very unique sound of his own for those times. A slash and slither, electrified slide that you knew was Elmore when you heard it. One of his direct influences was Robert Johnson. Elmore took Johnson’s “Dust My Broom” and whipped it up into an all out electric, slide frenzy. This was Elmore being influenced by Johnson’s playing, but giving it his own stamp…Elmore “with a twist”.
Just for fun…let’s talk Jeff Beck. What a natural fret-freak, eh? The Jeff Beck Group was a like a dinner guest you really wanted to have over, but knew would cause a ruckus and may put others off. This Beck incarnation played a (self admitted/anointed) heavy sound. This band included Rod Stewart on vocals and Ron Wood on bass (Wow…Woody is so underrated. Listen to his bass playing…stunning).
If we lean Beck to either side of this influence/emulate discussion, it is definitely the influence side. His first two albums, Beck-OLa and Truth are fantastic…especially the former. He plays songs we know, but he plays in a style all his own. Yes, he takes on a classic by Elvis Presley, “Jail House Rock”, but he sets fire to it and burns the original to embers.
Shit, The King would never been able to shake his pelvis to this! By the way…what the hell is up with those “Jailhouse” lyrics?! Go Back and listen to them? Prison-mate love anyone? Here is a bit of the lyric:
Number forty-seven said to number three:
You’re the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
Come on and do the jailhouse rock with me.
Yikes!
For good measure, listen to Beck’s version of “I Ain’t Superstitious”. Yep, more influence.
This is all just my opinion. I truly like all this music whether it is a rip-off or new take. I’m glad bands like Early Mac, The Stones and the Animals found the blues. They just might have rescued it from an ignorant (uncaring) America.
Two more parting thoughts from good friends:
Like Ol’ Neil Young says: “It’s all one song”.
A bit of wisdom from The Good Doctor, Hunter Thompson: “I’ve been plagiarising all my life. Its called learning”.
Thanks guys. Spot on.
_____
Here are the tunes I was talking about. Put your ear to them and tell me what you think…
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Uncle Neil…
Uncle Neil…
p.s just had a listen Jailhouse Rock. Nicky Hopkins is a MONSTER on piano. RIP Nicky. You deserve to after that…!