![]() ![]() Winter would take the lead, but then he and Derringer would battle back and forth, often together, such a joyous sound. At places such as The Electric Factory in Philadelphia and The Fillmore East, each of the groups for the evening played two sets, which means there were four sets from The Fillmore from which to select songs for both live albums.īobby Caldwell jump-starts the Sonny Boy Williamson gem “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl,” and instantly it is obvious that the entire evening will be a guitar rave-up. In addition to the re-energized Winter, this band on stage kicked major ass and had a blast doing it. Very few Winter fans or rock fans in general had heard the new studio album by the time the fall tour began (late September?). Finally, “Funky Music” is precisely that, wrapped up in blues and rock, the fourth of Derringer’s compositions. The dueling guitars give a good indication of what would happen on stage. Then they jump back into trippy rock with Leslie-ized guitars (well, some effect). Great vocals, harmonies, gospel chorus, and plenty of guitars. “Let the Music Play” is the tenderest of ballads, rendered in beautiful slow blues style (think “While My Guitar…,” “25 or 6 to 4”). Winter’s and Derringer’s voices mesh just as well as their guitars, nowhere more obvious than on Derringer’s “On the Limb.” Those guitar effects (Leslie cabinet?) and wah-wah abuse are killer, and Winter’s voice is on point. “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. The Class of 1970: Johnny Winter And - One Studio and Two Live Albums ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |