One of the lesser known( unfortunately )Fleetwood Mac guitarists has passed.
It’s a shame - I always really liked his music, especially on the album Kiln House. For whatever reason the instrumental Earl Gray has always been a favorite of miner ever since I first heard it as a teen. I guess to me there is just something hypnotically soothing about it, like a good cup of tea.
For some reason I thought he had replaced either Green or Spencer in the original lineup, but according to the band’s Wikipedia page he joined as a third guitarist first, then Green and Spencer left later. Oh well.
Sorry to hear about his passing.
Indeed. Note Kirwan’s playing the lead. He was brought in because Spencer stubbornly insisted on playing only the stuff he liked, like old Elmore James tunes. Kirwan was more Green’s foil and partner. By the end of that lineup it was apparently rare for all three to be playing guitar on stage together( as with the above clip ) - Spencer and Kirwan tended to trade off during a show to some extent.
RIP Danny. It’s a shame that the blues-based pre-Buckingham/Nicks FM has sort of faded into obscurity. Danny and Peter Green were one of the great blues guitar duos ever(Jeremy Spencer was no slouch either). Take a listen to their interplay on Live In Boston and you’ll know what I mean. With the possible exception of The Yardbirds, few bands have had such a stellar roster of guitarists.
Danny Kirwan was the best writer the mac ever had. Woman of 1000 years, sands of time, Dust are great overlooked songs.
Danny’s first session was Albatross which became a UK #1. Peter Green said that Danny’s guitar style was the whole reason for the sound of it.
I wore out that Future Games record when I was in college. Although I think I still prefer Kiln House. Just a fun, informal, laid-back record, nothing like the over-produced hits of the Stevie Nicks era.
“Sunny Side of Heaven” from the Bare Trees album lives up to its name, a pure slice of uplift in musical form, one of the tiniest handful of songs that can play on an endless loop without blowing up your head.
He walked away from the group and joined a cult. That’s never a sentence with a good aftermath. He seems to have made a solo album of some sort, but nothing I’ve ever heard. Lots of talent and I wish we had more of it.
I think you may have him confused with Jeremy Spencer.
I did. But their stories are depressingly similar. Kirwan’s after Mac life included solo albums that went nowhere, homelessness, and mental problems.
Seriously, when your life is solider and more stable in a rock band than outside of it, you have issues.
The mac had 3 acid casualties, a whopping record.
Not to mention the Green/Kirwan incendiary “Searching/Fighting for Madge”!
Plus, Bob Welch, who committed suicide, apparently due to despair over his health situation.
At 67, and 40 years out of the band, this is stretching it a bit.
Well, Kirwan, the topic of the thread, was 68, and out of the band for 46 years. The point was that a number of former Mac members have died under unfortunate circumstances.
The point was that they had three members drop out of the band as acid casualties, a really high number.