Rock & roll people (Johnny Winter) (LP 4950 - 4952)

Johnny Winter  Saints & Sinners (Vinyl, CBS Records, 1974) ***  

Johnny Winter  John Dawson Winter III (Vinyl, Epic Records, 1974) ****  

Johnny Winter  Captured Live (Vinyl, Avan Guard Records, 1976) ***  

Genre: Blues rock 

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, George Courts music bar, Amoeba Music (Hollywood)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Rock & Roll People (John Dawson Winter III)

Gear costume: Riot in Cell Block #9 (Saints & Sinners), Raised On Rock (JDW III) 

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8

Active compensatory factors: I bought John Dawson Winter III for John Lennon's song Rock & Roll People (John's original turned up on bootlegs and the Menlove Avenue compilation but Johnny Winter's version was the first one released). Anyway, I bought the album and then LOVED it. All those terrific guitars. Lordy Lord!

I backtracked a bit and got a copy of Saints & Sinners as a result and that's also good for its mix of a few original songs with covers of Chuck Berry, The Stones, Leiber & Stoller, Van Morrison, and others. Riot in Cell Block #9 is a hoot, as is the frenetic version of Boney Moroney.

John Dawson Winter III was his seventh studio album and his second of 1974. It seemed to have the theme running through it - self-consciously celebrating rock music. Raised On Rock sums him (and me) up. His guitar playing seems looser to me and the production cleaner. He also sounds like he's having a lot of fun! 

I bought Captured Live for the live version of Rock & People, but then LOVED it! Especially side one's shorter punchier songs (side 2 has two lengthy guitar wig outs), so all up - Johnny delivers live at three Californian venues with his band of brothers.

Where do they all belong? Wishbone Ash is up next.