Winter Journeyм

Still Alive and Well proved to the record-buying public that Johnny Winter was both. This is a truly enjoyable album, chock-full of great tunes played well. Johnny's version of the Rolling Stones' "Silver Train" revealed the potential of this song and what the Stones failed to capture. Everything here is good, so get it and dig in.

The textbook charge usually levelled against Alligator sessions are that they're sanitized. You couldn't lodge that one against this set with a straight face; if anything, somebody turned Sonny Terry loose. It didn't hurt that Johnny Winter was around on guitar and piano, playing gritty blues with a passion. It didn't help that Terry didn't put any amplified muscle behind his harmonica, however. Otherwise, this is a strong session.

This album was recorded in Dallas, in the fall of '69 that also featured B.B. King, Sly & the Family Stone and Ten Years After.. By this time Johnny's popularity was such that he was no longer merely an opening act but a headliner and just a everyone expected, he stole the show. Not only that, we're lucky enough to have a really good quality recording surviving from that unforgettable show.