Pink Eyed Blues

Johnny Winter - "Still Alive and Well" (1973) - Columbia Records

Hello Friends,

We were so amp'd after hearing Johnny Winter And's Live album that we dug through our archives and pulled out this record from 1973, the ironically-titled Still Alive and Well (ironic because he died last month, ya dummy!)

Hard thumpin', swampy, sleazy blues from start to finish.  The type of electric blues that really came into its own in the early 1970's.   Let's down some shots of tequila and have a listen...

The record kicks off with the oft-covered Big Bill Broonzy song, "Rock Me Baby" that Winter approaches with no subtlety.  Its loud, sleazy and in your face from the opening guitar lick to the growling vocals.

"Can't You Feel It" (written by Dan Hartman who also wrote the song, "Free Ride") sounds like a bluesy Gene Simmons singing lead for The Faces.

Rick Derringer (who produced the LP & plays some guitar) wrote the boozy ballad, "Cheap Tequila" (which also features Todd Rundgren on mellotron!)  For the life of us, we can't figure out how this song wasn't a huge hit!

"All Tore Down" & "Rock and Roll" close out the side.  Both feature some pretty hard rocking blues, the latter sounding a lot like fellow Texans, ZZ Top.

There's two Stones' covers on Side Two.  "Silver Train" fucking rocks and was released by Johnny Winter months before the Stones released it on Goats Head Soup.  Honestly, after hearing his version, they probably should have shelved it!  Winter's version cranks in comparison!

"Ain't Nothing to Me" makes us wish that Johnny Winter did more swampy, backwoods Country tunes.  Its fantastic and authentic sounding! 

Rick Derringer also wrote the title track for Winter, "Still Alive and Well".  Decent, but pretty much sounds like "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo, part 2".

Johnny wrote the slow, druggy, walking blues, "Too Much Seconal" featuring great lyrics like:

"Baby, I don't believe you no good at all.
Well woman 'cuz you've been drinking too much whiskey,
I believe you're takin' too much Seconal"

Nice!

The album closes with another take on a Rolling Stones' classic, "Let It Bleed".  Winter's version rocks a bit harder and boogies out a bit more.  Once again he's able to outsleaze the original which is no small feat!

Great album with some great underappreciated songs and some fine raunchy guitar work which teeters between vintage classic blues and a dirty, rusty chainsaw. 

Terrible, terrible album cover.  I think it gave me nightmares!

RATING: 4 Roses In Your Low Rent Tomb out of 5