To clear up a misunderstanding: Greeny is not a green guitar. The golden yellow Gibson Les Paul came to prominence in the hands of Peter Green, founder of Fleetwood Mac. This day in 1970, his departure from the British-American band marked a vital change in direction: Fleetwood Mac went from a blues band to a pop group and scored iconic hits in the following years, with the album Rumors as a highlight. Seven songs from the record are in the NPO Radio 2 Top 2000 in 2022, a record.
“Just save”
But we know that history. Greeny had long been no longer owned by Peter Green at the time of the Rumors. He sold the guitar to Gary Moore in 1970 following his departure from Fleetwood Mac. At the time, Skid Row (a blues band, not a metal band) was Fleetwood Mac’s backing band and Moore was allowed to own a Les Paul for $100. “Save it, I don’t want it back,” was Peter Green’s message.
Gary Moore kept that promise for 36 years. He used Greeny on Skid Row, Thin Lizzy and during his solo career. The magical guitar sound on Parisienne Walkways is partly due to Greeny and also to the magnum opus Still Got The Blues Gary Moore on guitar. In 1995 he even made an album for Peter Green: Blue To Green. With a cover of Need Your Love So Bad, recorded in 1968 by Fleetwood Mac, he even scored a minor hit in the United Kingdom.
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