In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Esoteric Recordings have reissued Peter Green’s debut album The End of the Game. Released in 1970, this was Green’s first release after leaving Fleetwood Mac. Even though he left Mac, the record label still wanted Green to release one more album to fulfill his contract. That album would end up becoming The End of the Game, an entirely instrumental album that was unlike anything Green had made during his time in Fleetwood Mac. Until 1979, it would be Green’s only solo album as the for most of the 1970s- Green dealt with his mental health and schizophrenia. While by no means a classic album, The End of the Game is a unique album in Green’s career.
Around this time, Green is said to have become fond of jam sessions. Serving as Green’s backing band for this album are members from the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation- which included bassist Alex Dmochowski, drummer Godfrey Maclean and keyboardists Zoot Money and Nick Buck. With these musicians, the album is said to have been recorded within a five hour recording session. While Green’s psychedelic guitar work are certainly present on the album, at its core- the album sees Green experimenting with jazz fusion. If the album could be compared to anything Green made with Fleetwood Mac, it sounds like the band’s instrumental hit “Albatross” and/or any of the instrumentals from Then Play On– the band’s last album with Green. Structurally, the music is meandering and very atmospheric. With this, some songs tend to drag out. Knowing that this was recorded within a few hours, it certainly sounds like it was- which is especially the case for songs such as “Timeless Time” and “Descending Scale.” Then again, Green and his band sound really tight here. Although slow in parts, the album still showcases Green working the fret board. Examples include “Bottoms Up” and the title track.
As for the album’s remaster, it sounds good. Given I don’t own any other copy of the album, I can’t say if it’s better than any previous remaster. From what I see on the Dynamic Range Database, the album was last reissued in 1996. After running a Dynamic Range sound test on the MP3 files for this new remaster and comparing the two, they aren’t too different from each other. However, this new reissue features four bonus tracks in the form of singles- “Heavy Heart” b/w “No Way Out” from 1971 and “Beasts of Burden” b/w “Uganda Woman” from 1972.
As a whole, this new reissue of The End of the Game is worth checking out. Along with the bonus tracks, you’ll also get a booklet with liner notes written by Malcolm Dome. If you’re a stranger to the solo work of Peter Green, I’d recommend listening to this. At some $17 to $20, I’d say this is worth it.
I'm a writer/journalist with a passion for music and pop culture. Having graduated from King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 2014, I've been looking for a platform in which I can share my passions. Since 2009, I've been posting to my own blog- The Walrus' Music Blog- via Blogger. I'm also the author of two self-published books, "The Camp: Stories from the Summer" and "The College: Stories from King's." Together, the two books cover the story of my life from 2004 to 2014. I've been lucky enough to interview several of my favorite musicians over the years and go to concerts from time to time. I'm also very devoted to the CBS reality TV show Survivor, which I started watching in 2002 when its fourth season started. I currently live in New Jersey.