“Prodigal Son” is the nastiest and best song on the album.
It sounds as if extra voices are involved. The gospel chorus on this uptempo rocker is great. Delicious slide guitar dominates “Look Up,” again spotlighting the ever-so-tight rhythm section. The twin guitars here are pure fire, and the growl in Winter’s voice is his signature.Īnother fine ballad, “Am I Here?” is Randy Z’s composing contribution. Most know and love Derringer’s later version we love them both but lean toward the original. There is no grey area when it comes to which version of “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” you prefer: this original or the one Derringer featured on his first solo album, All American Boy. Winter’s voice is clear as a bell and so soulful. The ballad “No Time to Live” comes from the eponymous album by Traffic. The uncredited piano sure sounds like Brother Edgar. “Ain’t That a Kindness,” a Mark Moogy Klingman tune, is a rockin’ soul blues with more great harmonies. The rhythm section is rock solid, there are two guitars swirling in the mix, Derringer’s harmony vocals on the choruses are sweet, and those trippy guitar effects indicate a new level for Winter. The moment they quartet launch into “Guess I’ll Go Away,” you can sense the vibe. Understand also that these three albums followed Winter’s blistering blues work on The Progressive Blues Experiment (1968), Johnny Winter (1969), and Second Winter (1970), the last of which was certainly heading in a rock & roll direction. He could not have selected a better set of musicians to achieve his stated goals. Three of the members of the band were chosen to join Winter: Rick Derringer (originally Zehringer), guitar, vocals Randy Jo Hobbs, bass and Randy Z (Zehringer), drums. Winter’s manager, Steve Paul, suggested The McCoys, the band who hit the top of the charts in 1965 with “Hang On Sloopy.” This quintet were no longer a pop group, turning far more psychedelic with Infinite McCoys (1968) and Human Ball (1969). Something where there could be so much more projection of personality and talent on the stage and in our records.” I wanted a band where everybody could be contributing something as much as possible, in every way, other people who could write, who could sing. “We came to the conclusion that we couldn’t possibly do anything further there was just nowhere we could go except the same way we’d been going, and all of us were tired of that. By May of 1970, however, the trio had decided to call it quits. He took the festival scene by storm, including an electrifying set at Woodstock. Johnny Winter burst onto the scene in 1969 with a no-holds-barred blues trio featuring Tommy Shannon and Uncle John Turner on bass and drums, respectively.
Most of these tracks have appeared on different quicky collections over the years, but this set brings them all together and makes for a fascinating hidden portrait of a guitar god who was really so much more.The Class of 1970: Johnny Winter And - One Studio and Two Live Albums These early sides, all tracked between 19, show a diverse and revealing other side to him. The sheer diversity of styles is impressive, highlighted by energetic instrumentals like “Ice Cube,” the intriguing “Geisha Rock,” and the shivery “Creepy” fiery remakes of Bo Diddley's “Road Runner” (complete with trombone!), James Brown's “Out of Sight,” and Mose Allison's “Parchman Farm” and side diversions like the very Dylanesque “Avocado Green” and the sleek garage psych of “Birds Can’t Row Boats.” No, Columbia turned Winter into and marketed him as a sideshow guitar genius (which he was - it just wasn’t all he was) and Winter simply ran with the ball. First, listeners shouldn’t expect a bunch of guitar fireworks here - Winter was song-oriented, and these early sides find him trying out swamp pop, doo wop ballads, garage rock, nascent psychedelia, and Ventures-styled instrumentals (and interestingly, very little blues) with professionalism and verve. Columbia Records discovered him in 1968 and groomed him as the next big rock guitar god, but Winter's pre-fame recording story, presented here over 40 tracks on two discs, is an interesting legacy all on its own. He was just 15 when he first stepped into a Lone Star recording studio in 1960, and for the next seven years he was a complete studio rat, releasing dozens of regional singles in an impressive range of styles for local labels like Dart, Frolic, Diamond Jim, and Todd Records. Texas albino blues-rock guitarist Johnny Winter was hardly an overnight sensation, and truthfully, he didn’t start out as a blues guitarist, either.
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