|
| |
Johnny Winter
Second Winter: Legacy Edition
(Columbia/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, December 2004, Volume 11, #12
Written by John Metzger
Just as Jimi Hendrix transformed Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower
into a veritable tour de force, Johnny Winter put his own unique Texas-born
stamp upon Highway 61 Revisited. Fitted with a rampaging rhythmic groove
— one which Dylan himself later would adapt for his own concert renditions of
the tune — as well as a string of searing slide guitar licks, the song served as
the centerpiece of Second Winter, an 11-song, three-sided album released
in late 1969 that many still consider to be the finest studio effort of Winter’s
career. Indeed, save for a trio of adrenaline-soaked, but otherwise unremarkable
interpretations of tunes by Little Richard (Slippin’ and Slidin’ and Miss Ann) and Chuck Berry (Johnny B. Goode), there was nary a misstep
on the collection, which largely featured a thunderous display of blues, rock,
and psychedelia that sounds as fresh and inspired today as it did when it was
originally released. In particular, a cover of Percy Mayfield’s Memory Pain
was rendered as a raw, blistering meltdown of blazing guitar, while the frenzied
assault of keyboards and electric mandolin that graced Winter’s I’m Not Sure
as well as the heavy turbulence that propelled Dennis Collins’ The Good Life
offered further proof that Second Winter was anything but a sophomore
slump. Even the famed guitarist’s own compositions — the rousing swing of I
Hate Everybody, the rapid-fire charge of Hustled Down in Texas, the
burning bite of I Love Everybody, and the improvisational freak-out of Fast Life Rider — were marked improvements over those on his self-titled
debut.
In addition to the pair of studio outtakes — a sturdy romp through Louis
Jordan’s Early in the Morning and a Booker T and the MG’s-meets-Ray
Charles instrumental cruise through Lowman Pauling’s Tell the Truth —
that have been appended to the recent reissue of Second Winter, the
album’s reincarnation also includes a second disc of mind-blowing material,
which was taken from a concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in April 1970. Full
of raging energy, the 72-minute event highlighted Winter’s ability to
reinterpret his material with extraordinary skill and endless imagination. The
scorched earth, screaming guitar solos that fueled Sonny Boy Williamson’s Help Me; the stampeding, almost out of control fury that provided the thrust
for Johnny B. Goode; and the onslaught of pyrotechnics that colored J. B.
Lenoir’s Mama, Talk to Your Daughter merely set the stage for what was to
come. The slow, churning cover of B.B. King’s It’s My Own Fault erupted
with an anguished cry as Winter sprayed notes that fell like tears upon the
rumbling groove provided by his backing band, while Mean Town Blues
became a showpiece for the guitarist, who not only unleashed a blast of
incendiary riffs over the song’s chugging cadence but also seamlessly
interjected into the proceedings a portion of Robert Johnson’s Walkin’ Blues.
Elsewhere, Edgar Winter’s Frankenstein was given a thorough thrashing, J.
D. Loudermilk’s Tobacco Road began with a flurry of scat singing before
settling into a steamy swirl of saxophone and guitar, and Tell the Truth
exploded in an exhausting exhibition of funk-blues mayhem. Like many
astoundingly proficient instrumentalists, Winter has struggled, at times, in his
career to find the balance between the emotional and technical aspects of his
performance. The concert at the Royal Albert Hall is the epitome of perfection
in this regard. That it took this long to unearth is a shame, but at least, now,
it’s available for all to hear.
Second Winter [Original Album] — 
Bonus Materials —
Second Winter: Legacy Edition —
Second Winter [Legacy Edition] is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Second Winter [Original Album] is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box
|
