JOHNNY WINTER/JOHNNY WINTER AND S 64117 (-70) UK

 

  I immediately fell in love with his "Progressive Blues Experiment" debute    https://monolover.blogspot.com/2024/02/johnny-winterthe-progressive-blues.html   and the eponymous second album where he was backed by a couple of old time black blues heroes and performed some of his best guitar play ever  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2017/03/johnny-winter-m-63619-69-uk-mono.html .  On this his fourth he's backed by three former McCoys members - guitarist Rick Derringer, bassist Randy Jo Hobbs and Randy Zehringer on drums. But what I hear here is far from "Hang On Sloopy" and also a small step away from Winter's earlier blues oriented stuff. Instead it's more rock based and as such, at least to my taste, a little less special. It is a very well performed blend of hard rockers and slow movers offering a couple of really good moments - like the fierce "Guess I'll Go Away", or the heavy "On A Limb" and "Nothing Left" - but as a whole I'm not as taken with it as I was with his second album. Though well played it hasn't got the same directness and intimacy. It has feeling, but a different more distant one. In any case it will probably fit in any true rock collection and for me a keeper for sure.  Issued and reissued all over the world on vinyl and/or CD through the years. Premiere US on Columbia (C 30221). Japan 2011 CD on Sony (SICP 3100) in paper sleeve came with two bonus tracks. First UK had label as shown here in a thin matt stickered sleeve with "Rock Buster" ad inner.