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Oh Well (song)
"Oh Well" is a song by British rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1969 and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green. It first appeared as a single in various countries in 1969 and subsequently appeared on US versions of that year's Then Play On album and the band's Greatest Hits album in 1971. The song was later featured on the 1992 boxed set 25 Years – The Chain, on the 2002 compilation album The Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and on the 2018 compilation 50 Years – Don't Stop.
"Oh Well" was composed in two parts, with "Part 1" as a fast electric blues song with vocals (lasting 2:19), and "Part 2" as an entirely different instrumental piece with a classical influence (lasting 5:39). The original 1969 single features the first minute of part 2 as a fade-out coda to the A-side and then part 2 begins again on the B-side. Later releases varied in length.
During concerts, only the first part was played, and live versions of the song have been released on a handful of Fleetwood Mac live albums throughout their career such as Live and Live at the BBC, as well as the B-sides of singles. After Green's departure from Fleetwood Mac, the song was sung by various other members, including Bob Welch, Dave Walker, Lindsey Buckingham, Billy Burnette, and Mike Campbell. During live performances with the original lineup, Spencer frequently played supplemental percussion during the song, often maracas.
Peter Green wrote what would become part 2 of "Oh Well" on a Ramirez Spanish guitar, which he purchased after hearing the instrument on the radio. Part 1, which Green dismissed as a "throwaway riff", was intended to appear on the B-side of part 2, but part 1 was ultimately selected as the A-side instead. He characterised the full composition as a representation of his "two extremes" and said that it was his "first sort of semiclassical attempt". In a 1983 interview, Green cited Muddy Waters as the inspiration for the song title.
Recording sessions took place on 3 August 1969 at De Lane Lea Studios in London. All members of Fleetwood Mac were in attendance for the session, including Jeremy Spencer, who last joined the band in the recording studio in January 1969 for what was later released as Blues Jam in Chicago in December of that year. The band recorded Part 1 in four takes, with Spencer on maracas. According to the rock historian Christopher Hjort, "Oh Well Part 2" was either recorded on the same day or on an undated session.
The first part of the song consists of an eight bar blues riff played by Green on a Michigan dobro-style resonator guitar, then joined by an electric guitar, bass guitar and various percussion instruments played by Mick Fleetwood, including maracas and a cowbell. Green sings a brief verse with no musical accompaniment, before the riff begins again and breaks into a rock shuffle with a guitar solo that lasts 16 measures. The cowbell solo was an unplanned addition that Fleetwood played by accident, but Green liked the part and insisted on keeping it in the mix. In his 2014 memoir, Fleetwood recalled that he encountered difficulties nailing the cowbell part for live performances and worried that he would "never get it".
Where the second part follows, there is a brief pause before Green's sombre, Spanish-style acoustic guitar and low electric guitar, leading into further instrumental passages of cello, recorder, and piano. Green's then-girlfriend, Sandra Elsdon, played some of the recorder parts and Jeremy Spencer overdubbed the piano parts. Melody Maker reported in its 30 August 1969 publication that "Oh Well" was the first Fleetwood Mac song to feature cello playing from Green. According to Elsdon, who maintained that she lacked "any musical skills", the last few recorder notes on the song were played by her, whereas the remainder of the recorder playing was covered by Green.
Peter bought me a flute, and he bought recorders, and we used to mess around. He could pick up anything and play anything. I don't remember how it came about that I would play the last little piece on that, but I screwed up, so I'm only really playing a few notes at the end. Peter's playing some of that, and then the last few notes are mine.
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Oh Well (song)
"Oh Well" is a song by British rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1969 and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green. It first appeared as a single in various countries in 1969 and subsequently appeared on US versions of that year's Then Play On album and the band's Greatest Hits album in 1971. The song was later featured on the 1992 boxed set 25 Years – The Chain, on the 2002 compilation album The Best of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and on the 2018 compilation 50 Years – Don't Stop.
"Oh Well" was composed in two parts, with "Part 1" as a fast electric blues song with vocals (lasting 2:19), and "Part 2" as an entirely different instrumental piece with a classical influence (lasting 5:39). The original 1969 single features the first minute of part 2 as a fade-out coda to the A-side and then part 2 begins again on the B-side. Later releases varied in length.
During concerts, only the first part was played, and live versions of the song have been released on a handful of Fleetwood Mac live albums throughout their career such as Live and Live at the BBC, as well as the B-sides of singles. After Green's departure from Fleetwood Mac, the song was sung by various other members, including Bob Welch, Dave Walker, Lindsey Buckingham, Billy Burnette, and Mike Campbell. During live performances with the original lineup, Spencer frequently played supplemental percussion during the song, often maracas.
Peter Green wrote what would become part 2 of "Oh Well" on a Ramirez Spanish guitar, which he purchased after hearing the instrument on the radio. Part 1, which Green dismissed as a "throwaway riff", was intended to appear on the B-side of part 2, but part 1 was ultimately selected as the A-side instead. He characterised the full composition as a representation of his "two extremes" and said that it was his "first sort of semiclassical attempt". In a 1983 interview, Green cited Muddy Waters as the inspiration for the song title.
Recording sessions took place on 3 August 1969 at De Lane Lea Studios in London. All members of Fleetwood Mac were in attendance for the session, including Jeremy Spencer, who last joined the band in the recording studio in January 1969 for what was later released as Blues Jam in Chicago in December of that year. The band recorded Part 1 in four takes, with Spencer on maracas. According to the rock historian Christopher Hjort, "Oh Well Part 2" was either recorded on the same day or on an undated session.
The first part of the song consists of an eight bar blues riff played by Green on a Michigan dobro-style resonator guitar, then joined by an electric guitar, bass guitar and various percussion instruments played by Mick Fleetwood, including maracas and a cowbell. Green sings a brief verse with no musical accompaniment, before the riff begins again and breaks into a rock shuffle with a guitar solo that lasts 16 measures. The cowbell solo was an unplanned addition that Fleetwood played by accident, but Green liked the part and insisted on keeping it in the mix. In his 2014 memoir, Fleetwood recalled that he encountered difficulties nailing the cowbell part for live performances and worried that he would "never get it".
Where the second part follows, there is a brief pause before Green's sombre, Spanish-style acoustic guitar and low electric guitar, leading into further instrumental passages of cello, recorder, and piano. Green's then-girlfriend, Sandra Elsdon, played some of the recorder parts and Jeremy Spencer overdubbed the piano parts. Melody Maker reported in its 30 August 1969 publication that "Oh Well" was the first Fleetwood Mac song to feature cello playing from Green. According to Elsdon, who maintained that she lacked "any musical skills", the last few recorder notes on the song were played by her, whereas the remainder of the recorder playing was covered by Green.
Peter bought me a flute, and he bought recorders, and we used to mess around. He could pick up anything and play anything. I don't remember how it came about that I would play the last little piece on that, but I screwed up, so I'm only really playing a few notes at the end. Peter's playing some of that, and then the last few notes are mine.