Customer Reviews

Johnny Winter

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

How impressive was Johnny Winter just before he cut this album, his Columbia debut? Columbia's then-president, Clive Davis, shelled out a then-record.... bonus to sign the gangling albino with the slick fingers and the hotrod blues. Small wonder Imperial Records couldn't wait to get the set Winter and his then-rhythm section (future Double Trouble bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Uncle John Turner) had just finished laying down, the remarkable "Progressive Blues Experiment," out onto the racks at about the same time.

Winter opened up the industry's eyes in the first place when friend and fan Mike Bloomfield urged him onstage at the Fillmore East during a SuperSession show with Al Kooper; Winter played for about fifteen minutes and flattened the place cold. His Columbia debut gives you ample enough reason why, but it was way far more than just the randiest bloozeguitar jerkoff of the year - this guy was going deeper than the average string strangler.

He doesn't even have a guitar in his hands, for example, when he delivers a very soulful cover of Ray Charles's "I'll Drown In My Own Tears," and he's one Texan who had the Chicago blues esthetic down cold, the evidence here being "Mean Mistreater," which features two titans of the Chicago style, bassist Willie Dixon and harmonica virtuoso (when he kept himself straight, anyway) Big Walter Horton. And when he switches to acoustic resonator guitar for his own "Dallas," a skippy-whippy piece which pays a debt to Texas legend Blind Lemon Jefferson, Winter's just as much in his element as when he's rat-racing the electric fretboard. Likewise with his cover of Robert Johnson's "When You Got A Good Friend," his guitar playing simpler but deeper, and his vocal at once reverent and soulful.

Yet when he does rat-race it, he's not just spraying fast and loose with no direction home. Those arpeggiated runs and machine-gun licks are so tightly controlled some accused Winter of scripting himself only too cleverly by half. Not so, though you might well understand why a lot of people didn't quite know what hit them when hearing "I'm Yours and I'm Hers" and "Be Careful With A Fool," the former his own composition, the latter a once-obscured B.B. King number. Winter was no Johnny-come-lately, and not just because he'd slogged the Southwest blues bars for almost half his young life to this point, either. He proved it on his next Columbia issue, in spades...

While "Progressive Blues Experiment," "Nothin But..." and "Let me In" are all excellent blues CDs, his first for Columbia is the best. With an allstar band including Willie Dixon -b, and Walter Horton -hca, and brother Edgar -p, Johnny lays down some serious real blues on this one. "Dallas" is the very best I have heard in the Robert Johnson vein. "Be Careful With A Fool" is amazing and "I'll Drown In My Tears" gets at least five repeat plays every time I put it on. If there is a list of essential blues albums, this one most definately must be on it.

Johnny Winter is an amazing musician. This record shows that not only in Johnny an incredible guitarist, but also knows his way around the Blues. Johnny is the only white musician who is in the Blues Hall of Fame. This is a must have for any music collection. It is a seminal Blues Recording, and is right up there with other great Blues records, such as John Mayall's Bluesbreakers featuring Eric Clapton. Every cut is very good, but I'll guarantee that just one listen to Be Careful With A Fool will transform you into a Johnny Winter fan for life. Go on and buy this fantastic piece of work. You won't regret it; in fact you'll be glad you did.

I have loved this album for thirty five years. When it came out in 1969 it really made a splash - people brought it to school to be seen carrying it, it was that kind of album. I play guitar, and it was THIS album that taught me how to play/improvise electric blues solos. Previously, we high school guitarists would learn a hit song, and would be all we had - one new song under our belts. But with this album, if you learned two songs, you couldn't help but learn how to play blues in general, and if you learned three or four songs, you were dominant. People would wonder how you did it - how you could extemporize cool solos.

Johnny had a unique guitar tone, which unlike Clapton, Hendrix, and Leslie West, few were able to copy. The good news is that it sounds as good as the other (now cliched) blues tones, and if you can deliver it, it will set you apart from the Stevie/Eric/Hendrix wannabees. Here's how to do it - use a Fender Mustang, Duo-Sonic or MusicMaster guitar (they all have the same type of pickup) and play solos using the RHYTHM pickup, but EQ your amp for a trebly setting. The result will be more of a bluesy "clang" sound rather than the ubiquitous Marshall "roar" than become prevalent. On subsequent albums, Johnny switched to Gibson Firebirds, but still played through the rhythm pickup through a trebly EQ. Try the Fenders though - it's more of a classic blues sound, and great for slide.

For improving one's chops and taste, you couldn't do better than to buy this CD and learn "Be Careful with a Fool" and "Leland Mississippi Blues", and maybe use "Amazing Slow Downer", www.ronimusic.com, to get all those notes.

Buena suerte.

I've worn out 2 albums of this. So I'm gonna get the CD...see how long that last. I've seen Johnny twice, long time ago in little hole in the wall bars with tiny stages. Johnny Winters is one of the best Blues singers ever. And this album is beautiful, POWERFUL.

Johnny Winter is without doubt the finest white bluesman ever to pick up a guitar. "Be Careful With a Fool" features some of the fastest electric licks in this or any other universe, with no compromise in taste and style. At the other end of the spectrum, "Dallas" showcases Johnnys deft acoustic bottleneck playing, plus an edgy attitude. Be careful when and where you play this CD; somebody might get hurt!

On this fine 1969 set, Texas blues-rocker Johnny Winter is backed by some very authentic blues stars, legendary composer/arranger/bass player Willie Dixon among them, and hugely underrated harpist Walter "Shakey" Horton also makes an appearance.
Also, some of the bass playing is handled by none other than a young Tommy Shannon - later of Stevie Ray Vaughan's backing band Double Trouble.

What you think of this will probably depend a little bit on how you feel about Johnny Winter's "strangled" vocal style, but the music is great. "Johnny Winter" mixes soulful slow blues (a sizzling rendition of B.B. King's "Be Careful With A Fool", the horn-laden "I'll Drown In My Own Tears"), tough electric blues-rock (a take on "Good Morning Little School Girl" and a great, swaggering "Leland, Mississippi Blues"), and a couple of superb acoustic numbers which show off Winter's masterful slide guitar playing (the Son House-like "Dallas" and Robert Johnson's "When You Got A Good Friend").

Walter Horton shines on "Mean Mistreater", Winter himself plays some really excellent blues harmonica on "Back Door Friend", and younger brother Edgar Winter plays excellent piano on "I'll Drown In My Tears". Johnny Winter handles all lead and slide guitar duties, and his playing is varied and tasteful as always...fiery without resorting to meaningless shredding.

A fine, solid album, and a great purchase for fans of Mr Winter's pure blues records. It is obvious from these reviews (I shall name no names, and certainly not say anything about anybody's reviews being less than helpful, let alone inane) that some fans prefer his most generic rock n' roll records rather than these more original ones, but if you enjoy the bluesier side of Johnny Winter's talents, this is for you.
4 1/2 stars.

why everybody likes johnny lang, is beyond me. johhny winter plays authentic blues to the point you may question if he shouldn't have been born black. guitar players in search of some licks that will melt their amps can learn from this. 'be careful with a fool' is full of the kind of stuff that blazes. their is no question about it, this cd should be in your collection.

AFTER YOU HEAR "BE CAREFUL WITH A FOOL" YOU"LL BE HOOKED!!! DEFINATLY THE HOTTEST LICKS EVER PUT ON VINYL.

Johnny's self titled album is a pure blues album unlike his later albums which were more rock oriented.This album has superb contributions from his brother Edgar and the great Willie Dixon on the guitar.I bought this about a week back along with another excellent album Johnny winter and.This cd features several excellent songs like I'm yours and I'm hers,Be careful with a fool and Good morning little school girl.Get this with Second second and third albums.