Johnny Winter, a skinny, tattoo-laden, cross-eyed albino musician born in 1944 in Beaumont, TX, has never quite assumed the mantle of greatness bestowed upon other blues-rock guitarists from the Lone Star State, despite a career—now well into its fifth decade—which has had its share of high points, including his partnership with Muddy Waters in the late '70s, a collaboration that helped bring the legendary bluesman back into the spotlight. Winter's shortcomings are readily apparent throughout this compilation drawn from one promo video and six concert performances (at Toronto's Massey Hall; a Swedish television studio; the Pistoia Blues Festival in Italy; the Roskilde Festival in Denmark; the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ; and the Casbah in Nashua, NH) recorded between 1983–88. The problem is not that Winters can't play—far from it—but he plays too much, treating every solo as an opportunity to unleash the kind of ultra-loud, high-speed riffing that quickly becomes wearisome to all but the most devoted guitar freaks. Among the selections included are “Unseen Eye,” “Sweet Papa John,” and one of Winter's signature pieces, “Mojo Boogie.” The material occasionally strays into rock-and-roll—his set at Roskilde includes “Jumpin' Jack Flash,” “Highway 61,” and “Johnny B. Goode.” But Winter's singing is perfunctory, his backing band is unexceptional, and the technical quality of the recordings is average at best. Optional. (S. Graham)
Johnny Winter: Live Through the ‘80s
(2010) 114 min. DVD: $19.95. Music Video Distributors (avail. from most distributors). Volume 26, Issue 2
Johnny Winter: Live Through the ‘80s
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