Oh Well - Fleetwod Mac

Oh Well! is a number by the earliest Fleetwood Mac incarnation, one that easily transcends the limits of the pop genre and heralds the sort of thing that became typical of the progressive rock of the seventies. It is really two songs incongruously but successfully welded together. The first is two minutes 15 seconds of blues that, while starting in acoustic vein with guitar and maracas, soon breaks into electric rock. Partly a vocal number, it really rocks and though a fine and interesting song in and of itself, its role here is basically to lay down the group's credentials so that the pop listener is made willing to hear the next song, which is quite different indeed. This time Peter Green apparently plays without the group and, although some electric guitar is involved, this is basically in the style of the guitar concerto and strongly features cello, recorder, classical piano and Green's acoustic guitar. The whole piece lasts just over nine minutes. When it appeared as a single, rather than splitting it at the obvious place, side A takes in a little of the second piece, a sort of taster, that is repeated at the start of the second side, wholly in the guitar concerto style. The song confirms the genius status of the boy from Bethnal Green and only adds to the sadness of the story of a man who subsequently knew a troubled life of mental anguish. The lines Now, when I talked to God I knew he'd understand. He said, "Stick by me and I'll be your guiding hand But don't ask me what I think of you I might not give the answer that you want me to" show some insight into the human condition and total depravity in particular.