Stop Messin' Round

Last updated

"Stop Messin' Round"
Single by Fleetwood Mac
A-side "Need Your Love So Bad"
ReleasedMid-1968 (1968)
Recorded28 April 1968
Studio CBS, London
Genre Blues rock
Length2:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Mike Vernon
Fleetwood Mac singles chronology
"Black Magic Woman"
(1968)
"Stop Messin' Round"
(1968)
"Albatross"
(1968)

"Stop Messin' Round" is a song first recorded by English blues rock group Fleetwood Mac in 1968. It was written by the group's principal guitarist and singer Peter Green, with an additional credit for manager C.G. Adams. The song is an upbeat 12-bar blues shuffle and is representative of the group's early repertoire of conventional electric blues. The lyrics deal with the common blues theme of the unfaithful lover and share elements with earlier songs.

Contents

"Stop Messin' Round" was first released in mid-1968 as the B-side of "Need Your Love So Bad", which appeared on the UK singles chart. A different take of the song was later used as the opening track on Fleetwood Mac's second UK and US albums. Music writers have viewed the song favourably, with Green's guitar work singled out as a highlight. Other artists, such as Gary Moore and Aerosmith, have recorded renditions for their blues-inspired albums.

Lyrics

"Stop Messin' Round" is credited to Peter Green and C.G. Adams, Fleetwood Mac's manager, who also used the name Clifford Davis. [1] Only two of the song's 12-bar verses include vocals: the first uses the common call and response or AAB pattern, while the second includes four bars of stop-time, before concluding with the same refrain as the first: [2]

Please stop messin' round
Messin' round all the time
Now if you don't stop messin' round
Be somebody's baby instead of mine

In 1948, Detroit blues harp player and singer Walter Mitchell recorded the similarly titled "Stop Messin' Around" for J.V.B. Records. [3] [4] Mitchell uses an AAB pattern, but includes a reference to a .44 caliber pistol. [lower-alpha 1] Both songs use similar phrasing to the first eight bars of Sonny Boy Williamson I's 1945 adaptation of Robert Johnson's 1938 song "Stop Breakin' Down Blues". [lower-alpha 2] Johnson's song uses the refrain "Stop breakin' down, please stop breakin' down". [5]

Recording and musical style

Fleetwood Mac recorded "Stop Messin' Round" at the CBS studio in London on 28 April 1968. [1] The core group—guitarist Green, bassist John McVie, and drummer Mick Fleetwood—were augmented by pianist (also future McVie wife and full-time group member) Christine Perfect, and saxophone players Steve Gregory and Johnny Almond. [1] [lower-alpha 3] Five takes were attempted: the first three were incomplete and the fourth yielded the master later included on the group's Mr. Wonderful album in 1968. [6] The fifth take was used for the single release. [6] [lower-alpha 4]

In order to capture a sound more typical of live performances, a public address system (PA system) was used in the recording studio. [7] Producer Mike Vernon describes it as providing a "dirtier, gutsier sound closer to that generated at a club performance" [7] than a typical recording studio. Multitracking, a common studio technique, was not used: "[T]here is a full density of sound that ... is a result of having recorded the full band and guest musicians as one unit. No overdubs", he adds. [7] In a 1999 interview, Vernon singled out "Stop Messin' Round":

The records we made [for Blue Horizon] were a fairly good representation of that kind of excitement [but] probably we never actually really captured the live performance in a studio – with the exception of "Stop Messin' Around" from the Mr. Wonderful album. [8] [lower-alpha 5]

[Early Fleetwood Mac] zeroed in on two things—B.B. King and Elmore James—and they played the shit out of that music. They had the sound of B.B.'s [1965] Live at the Regal album down almost as good as B.B. did!

Carlos Santana, Universal Tone (2014) [9]

Fleetwood Mac biographer Donald Brackett describes the approach on Mr. Wonderful as "the straight goods in terms of gritty white blues within a traditional format" [10] and the material as "pure scintillating blues, rough in form and raw in content". [11] Critic Richie Unterberger sees it as an attempt to emulate the sound of the Sun Studio in Memphis and Chess Studios in Chicago, where many of the classic electric blues songs were recorded. [12] However, he describes the overall album sound as "rushed, raw, and thin". [12]

Chicken Shack co-founder and bassist Andy Silvester recalled Green as a perfectionist, who advised Fleetwood on his drum parts. [13] At Green's request, Silvester played Fleetwood a Jimmy Reed song: "[I played Reed's] 'My Bitter Seed', which just had this amazing groove to it: the tempo was really slow and yet it shuffled along with a lot of swing  ... it just flowed [but Fleetwood's drumming] already had that". [13] (Fleetwood later remarked: "Shuffles ... I'm sick to death of fuckin' shuffles!") [14]

The most prominent feature of "Stop Messin' Round" is Green's guitar work: [15] only two 12-bar verses have vocals, the remaining four (album version) are devoted to Green's guitar soloing. [16] Author Douglas J. Noble points out that Green's early blues guitar style reflects "a fluid approach to phrasing", where his notes are slightly behind or ahead of the beat. [17] He adds "Green made great use of quarter tone bent notes", [17] which is a feature of blues guitarists, such as B.B. King, to whom he was often compared. [18] Noble's transcription shows a tempo of 132 beats per minute (or allegro ) in the key of C, which he describes as "a straight-forward medium tempo shuffle blues". [19] Green also uses both a C blues scale and C pentatonic major scale. [19]

Releases

In mid-1968 in the UK, Blue Horizon released the 2:38 fifth take of "Stop Messin' Around" as the B-side to "Need Your Love So Bad", which was recorded during the same sessions. The single reached number 31 on the UK Singles Chart on 23 July 1968. [20] Epic Records issued the single in the US, but it did not reach the record charts. Subsequently, the shorter 2:18 fourth take of the song was added to Fleetwood Mac's second British album, Mr. Wonderful (1968) [21] and their second American album, English Rose (1969). [22]

The album version of the song usually appears on early compilations of Fleetwood Mac songs, such as The Pious Bird of Good Omen (1969), Black Magic Woman (1971), Greatest Hits (1971), and Vintage Years (1975). [15] The anniversary band retrospective boxed set 25 Years – The Chain (1992) includes it, along with eight other Green compositions. [23] The Mike Vernon produced The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions 1967–1969 (1999) has all five takes of the song. [24] A live recording by the BBC from 1 September 1968, shortly after Danny Kirwan joined the group, appears on Live at the BBC (1995). [25]

Critical reception

"Stop Messin' Round" has received positive comments from music writers, with Green's guitar playing being singled out. In a song review for AllMusic, critic Matthew Greenwald noted:

The opening track from Fleetwood Mac's second album finds the band at once staying true to their authentic blues roots while expanding arrangements. Essentially a Jimmy Reed-styled blues-rocker, "Stop Messin' Around" is buttressed by an excellent, funky horn section. Some excellent solo sections from Peter Green highlight the song and show the band digging in to a more hard rock groove than the songs from their debut. [15]

In a review of English Rose, critic Bruce Eder describes it as one of the songs "representing the stronger tracks" from Mr. Wonderful. [22] Richie Unterberger calls it "Mr. Wonderful's one gem" among the album's more derivative tunes. [26] In Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists, "Stop Messin' Round" is identified as one of six "guitar high points" in Peter Green's career. [27]

Renditions

Green playing a Les Paul with a reversed neck pickup, c.1970 Fleetwood Mac peter green.jpg
Green playing a Les Paul with a reversed neck pickup, c.1970

Irish guitarist Gary Moore recorded the song for his first blues album, Still Got the Blues (1990). [29] For a while, Moore owned Green's 1959 Gibson Les Paul, which Green frequently played with Fleetwood Mac [30] and used to record many of the group's most well-known songs. [31] Moore used the guitar to record his tribute album to Green, Blues for Greeny (1995), which features Fleetwood Mac-era compositions by Green. [32] [lower-alpha 7]

Welsh guitarist and Savoy Brown co-founder Kim Simmonds recorded an acoustic ensemble version of the song, which appears on the tribute albums, Rattlesnake Guitar: The Music of Peter Green (1995) and Peter Green Songbook (2000). In a 1996 review for Cadence magazine, Bob Rusch describes it as "a surprisingly jazzy rendition". [33]

American rock group Aerosmith recorded the song as "Stop Messin' Around" for their blues tribute album, Honkin' on Bobo (2004). [34] Group guitarist Joe Perry provides the lead vocals, with Steven Tyler contributing the blues harp. [35] Perry later explained: "[Steven]'s not a technical player ... He just lets it rip and he's great. Ripping is what we do best." [35] The two played the song during the "Tribute to the Blues" concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City in February 2003. [36] [37] Their performance is included as a bonus track on the DVD of Lightning in a Bottle, the 2004 concert documentary film by director Antoine Fuqua. [38]

Footnotes

  1. The .44 caliber pistol is referenced in early blues songs, such as "44 Blues" which was popularized by pianist Roosevelt Sykes in 1929.
  2. In 1997, the Peter Green Splinter Group recorded "Stop Breakin' Down Blues" for their tribute album The Robert Johnson Songbook .
  3. As with most early Fleetwood Mac songs, Jeremy Spencer does not contribute guitar to recordings on which he does not sing.
  4. At 2:38, the single version is 20 seconds longer than the album version and includes an extra 12 bars of guitar solo as well as the lyrics "Now baby please stop messin' round, You're messin' round with my heart".
  5. Also participating in the interview, Green's response to Vernon's assertion was "Maybe". [8]
  6. When asked about the extra tone control on his Les Paul, Jimmy Page replied: "I wanted to be able to reverse the phase of the pickups to get a close approximation of the sound Peter Green got." [28]
  7. Guitarist Kirk Hammett of Metallica bought Green's original 1959 Les Paul guitar for a reported US$2 million in 2016 (about GB£1.6 million). [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwood Mac</span> British-American rock band

Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac was founded by guitarists and vocalists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer and drummer Mick Fleetwood. Bob Brunning was hired as a temporary bass guitarist before John McVie joined the line-up in time for their eponymous debut album. Danny Kirwan joined as a third guitarist and vocalist in 1968. Keyboardist and vocalist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician starting with the band's second album, married McVie and joined Fleetwood Mac as a full member in 1970, becoming known as Christine McVie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine McVie</span> British musician (1943–2022)

Christine Anne McVie was an English musician, singer and songwriter. She was best known as keyboardist and one of the vocalists of Fleetwood Mac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Green (musician)</span> English singer-songwriter and guitarist (1946–2020)

Peter Allen Greenbaum, known professionally as Peter Green, was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. As the founder of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Green founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 after a stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and quickly established the new band as a popular live act in addition to a successful recording act, before departing in 1970. Green's songs, such as "Albatross", "Black Magic Woman", "Oh Well", "The Green Manalishi " and "Man of the World", appeared on singles charts, and several have been adapted by a variety of musicians.

<i>Fleetwood Mac</i> (1968 album) 1968 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac, also known as Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, is the debut studio album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 24 February 1968. The album is a mixture of blues covers and originals penned by guitarists Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer, who also share the vocal duties. It is the only album by the band without any involvement of keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie.

<i>Mr. Wonderful</i> (Fleetwood Mac album) 1968 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Mr. Wonderful is the second studio album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 23 August 1968. This all-blues album was broadly similar to their debut album, albeit with some changes to personnel and recording method. The album was recorded live in the studio with miked amplifiers and PA system, rather than plugged into the board. A horn section was introduced and Christine Perfect of Chicken Shack was featured on keyboards. In the US, the album was not issued under the name Mr. Wonderful, though around half of the tracks appeared on English Rose.

<i>Then Play On</i> 1969 studio album by Fleetwood Mac

Then Play On is the third studio album by the British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 19 September 1969. It was the first of their original albums to feature Danny Kirwan and the last with Peter Green. Jeremy Spencer did not feature on the album apart from "a couple of piano things". The album offered a broader stylistic range than the straightforward electric blues of the group's first two albums, displaying elements of folk rock, hard rock, art rock and psychedelia. The album reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the band's fourth Top 20 LP in a row, as well as their third album to reach the Top 10. The album's title, Then Play On, is taken from the opening line of William Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night—"If music be the food of love, play on".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albatross (instrumental)</span> 1968 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Albatross" is a guitar-based instrumental by Fleetwood Mac, released as a single in November 1968, later featuring on the compilation albums The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK) and English Rose (US). The piece was composed by Peter Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Me Two Times</span> 1967 single by the Doors

"Love Me Two Times" is a song by the American rock band the Doors. First appearing on their second studio album Strange Days, it was later edited to a 2:37 length and released as the second single from that album. The single reached number 25 on the charts in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Kirwan</span> British rock musician (1950–2018)

Daniel David Kirwan was a British musician whose greatest success came with his role as guitarist, singer and songwriter with the blues rock band Fleetwood Mac between 1968 and 1972. He released three albums as a solo artist from 1975 to 1979, recorded albums with Otis Spann, Chris Youlden, and Tramp, and worked with his former Fleetwood Mac colleagues Jeremy Spencer and Christine McVie on some of their solo projects. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Magic Woman</span> Fleetwood Mac song

"Black Magic Woman" is a song written by British musician Peter Green, which first appeared as a single for his band Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Subsequently, the song appeared on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums English Rose (US) and The Pious Bird of Good Omen (UK), as well as the later Greatest Hits and Vintage Years compilations.

<i>The Biggest Thing Since Colossus</i> 1969 studio album by Otis Spann

The Biggest Thing Since Colossus is an album by American blues musician Otis Spann, released in 1969. The album is also notable for the fact that Spann's backing band on this occasion were members of Fleetwood Mac, who were touring in America at the time. Spann had been involved in the recording of the Blues Jam at Chess album, and a rapport had been struck between Spann and the British band, which led to their participation on Spann's new album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Vernon (record producer)</span> Musical artist

Michael William Hugh Vernon is an English music executive studio owner, and record producer from Harrow, Middlesex. He produced albums for British blues artists and groups in the 1960s, working with the Bluesbreakers, David Bowie, Duster Bennett, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Climax Blues Band, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Green, Danny Kirwan, John Mayall, Christine McVie and Ten Years After amongst others.

<i>Black Magic Woman</i> (album) 1971 compilation album by Fleetwood Mac

Black Magic Woman is a compilation album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 1971. It is a double album, composed of songs from two Peter Green-era albums, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac and English Rose, as well as several non-album tracks. The U.S. Epic double album contains a different cover photo of a gypsy woman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man of the World (song)</span> 1969 single by Fleetwood Mac

"Man of the World" is a song recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1969, and composed by vocalist and lead guitarist Peter Green. After the group signed to Immediate Records that year, the label collapsed shortly after the single's release. As such, "Man of the World" is the only Fleetwood Mac single under the Immediate Records label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Need Your Love So Bad</span>

"Need Your Love So Bad", sometimes known as "I Need Your Love So Bad", is a song first recorded by Little Willie John in 1955. Called a "unique amalgam of gospel, blues and rhythm & blues", it was John's second single as well as his second record to reach the US charts.

<i>Blue Again!</i> 2008 live album by The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band feat. Rick Vito

Blue Again is a live album by the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, featuring Rick Vito, released in 2008. It was recorded at The Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri on 8 February 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Spencer</span> British musician (born 1948)

Jeremy Cedric Spencer is a British musician, best known for playing slide guitar and piano in the original line-up of the rock band Fleetwood Mac. A member since Fleetwood Mac's inception in July 1967, he remained with the band until his abrupt departure in February 1971, when he joined the "Children of God", a new religious movement now known as "The Family International", with which he is still affiliated. After a pair of solo albums in the 1970s, he continued to tour as a musician, but did not release another album until 2006. He released further solo albums from 2012 onwards and has also recorded as part of the folk trio Steetley. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

<i>Madison Blues</i> (album) 2003 compilation album by Fleetwood Mac

Madison Blues – Live & Studio Recordings is a compilation album by British blues rock band Fleetwood Mac, released in 2003. It is a compilation of BBC session tracks and live concert material from the band's first post-Peter Green line up, none of which had previously been officially released. It is unusual within Fleetwood Mac's catalogue as it focuses on the period between the successful Peter Green period and the start of the Bob Welch period which eventually led to another successful period for the band in the mid to late 1970s. Packaged as a double CD with a DVD interview with guitarist Jeremy Spencer, it came in a cardboard box with a foldout inner sheet.

"Rattlesnake Shake" is a song by British rock group Fleetwood Mac, written by guitarist Peter Green, which first appeared on the band's 1969 album Then Play On. The track was considered the high point of its parent album, and was one of the band's crowd-favorites in the late 1960s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Vernon 1999, p. 7.
  2. Fleetwood Mac (1968). Mr. Wonderful (LP record). England: Blue Horizon. Event occurs at 1:17 until 2:22. 7-63205.
  3. "Walter Mitchell Biography". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  4. Leggett, Steve. "Various Artists: Harmonica Blues, Vol. 2: 1946–1952 Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  5. LaVere 1990, p. 42.
  6. 1 2 Vernon 1999, p. 5.
  7. 1 2 3 Vernon 1999, p. 6.
  8. 1 2 Vernon 1999, p. 2.
  9. Unterberger 2016, p. 40.
  10. Brackett 2007, p. 40.
  11. Brackett 2007, p. 39.
  12. 1 2 Unterberger 2016, p. 38.
  13. 1 2 Celmins 1998, p. 70.
  14. Celmins 1998, p. 71.
  15. 1 2 3 Greenwald, Matthew. "Fleetwood Mac: "Stop Messin' Round" Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  16. Noble 1990, pp. 27–33.
  17. 1 2 Noble 1990, p. 2.
  18. Allan, Mark. "Peter Green Biography". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  19. 1 2 Noble 1990, p. 27.
  20. "Need Your Love So Bad: Fleetwood Mac – Singles". Official Charts . Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  21. Unterberger, Richie. "Fleetwood Mac: Mr. Wonderful Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  22. 1 2 Eder, Bruce. "Fleetwood Mac: English Rose Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  23. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Fleetwood Mac: 25 Years: The Chain Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  24. Unterberger, Richie. "Fleetwood Mac: The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions: 1967–1969 Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  25. Unterberger, Richie. "Fleetwood Mac / Peter Green: Live at the BBC Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  26. Unterberger 2016, p. 39.
  27. Prown & Newquist 1997, p. 35.
  28. Bacon 2008, p. 101
  29. Jehnzen, Daevid. "Gary Moore: Still Got the Blues Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  30. Celmins 1998, p. 203.
  31. 1 2 Scapelliti, Christopher. "Kirk Hammett Talks About His Prize: Peter Green and Gary Moore's Les Paul". Guitar World . Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  32. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Gary Moore: Blues for Greeny Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  33. Rusch 1996, p. 27.
  34. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Aerosmith: Honkin' on Bobo Review". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  35. 1 2 Bienstock 2011, p. 187.
  36. Perry 2014, p. 331.
  37. Cockrell, Eddie (16 February 2004). "Lightning in a Bottle". Variety . Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  38. Fuchs, Cynthia (6 March 2005). "Lightning in a Bottle (2004)". PopMatters . Retrieved 7 December 2019.

Bibliography