"Still Alive And Well".

Johnny Winter wanted to tell the musical world that he was back, still alive, and doing well.

In fact, he had just finished his tour with the And, of which he left an excellent testimony with the album "Johnny Winter And" (already excellently reviewed on Debaser); and the tour had left him exhausted, not only because of the travel involved with a tour but also due to the growing abuse of hard drugs, specifically heroin. In mid-'71, he stopped live performances and retreated to the countryside near Woodstock, but he realized he was risking even his life and admitted himself to the River Oaks hospital near New Orleans to detox. He felt so bad that for several months, music was abhorrent to him, and he couldn't even pick up a guitar. But fortunately, he managed to pull through unharmed and in '73 he came back strong with one of his best studio albums ever, namely this "Still Alive and Well". He returned to collaborate with Rick Derringer, who wrote the title track and "Cheap Tequila" and produced the album.

But let's talk about the record. As is now tradition, the repertoire consists of a large number of re-interpreted covers and some new tracks performed by Winter with his usual six-string mastery and "slide" technique, in which he truly proves to be a virtuoso. The style ranges from wild rock n roll to the purest blues and even ventures into country. All of it is supported by a solid rhythm section consisting of Randy Hobbs on bass and Richard Hughes on drums, giving an almost hard rock touch to everything. The covers range from the classic "Rock Me", to "Can't You Feel It Baby" by Dan Hartman reinterpreted in a very rock key, to the Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed".

As mentioned, Winter is a great guitarist, but perhaps less virtuosic as a singer. However, it should be noted that although he may not be technically excellent, he is to be appreciated for the grit and heart he puts into his very personal way of singing. The best tracks on the album, however, are new ones written by Winter or others but explicitly crafted for him. I'm talking about his "Rock And Roll", which despite its name is a rock-blues supported by a superb slide and a compelling rhythm. Then there is an excellent song written by none other than the Jagger-Richards duo, and I am talking about the compelling rock-song "Silver Train" which is truly captivating. But in my opinion, the real gem of the album is the very song that gives the album its title: "Still Alive And Well", written by Rick Derringer. The song is indeed a concentration of hard rock energy where great riffs follow a highly fitting chorus. Worth mentioning is the incursion into country with "Ain't Nothing To Me" and the new acoustic blues composed by Winter "Too Much Seconal", which, in addition to great guitars, features a flute solo by Jeremy Steig. Another unreleased piece written by Derringer is "Cheap Tequila", a ballad featuring none other than Todd Rundgren on the mellotron. In the remastered version of the album, there are excellent versions of Little Richard's "Lucille", played in a raw no-frills manner, and Bob Dylan's "From A Buick 6".

Certainly an unmissable album from our artist, and perhaps one of the last noteworthy ones, before a dark period that saw him rise again in '77 with "Nothing But The Blues".

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   Rock Me Baby (03:48)

02   Can't You Feel It (03:00)

03   Cheap Tequila (04:04)

Cheap perfume, sweet perfume
Lonely smell that fills the room
Roses in your low-rent tomb
A picture made of cheap perfume
Sad old rag, sad young hag
Clothes that hide the early sag
Sequins on a lame bag
The sparkles of a sad old rag.

Chorus:
Drink up and be happy


Live just for today
Drown in cheap tequila
And flush yourself away.

Worn out dream, washed up scheme
Blueprint for a death machine
Scarred wrists on a movie queen
A picture of a worn out dream.

Chorus 2 times

04   All Tore Down (04:30)

05   Rock & Roll (04:44)

06   Silver Train (03:33)

07   Ain't Nothing to Me (03:04)

08   Still Alive & Well (03:42)

Did you ever look to see who is left around?
When I think about the past it only brings me down
Everyone I thought was cool is six feet under ground
Make love in the grass while the sun is shining down
They tried to get me lots of times and now they're
It feels so good your long blond hair baby
Coming after you I got out and I'm here to say
When you're down low make me shake make the whole earth quake
Baby you can get out to I'm Still alive and well
So everyone will know
I'm still alive and well
I'm still alive and well every now and then its kind of hard
To tell I'm still alive and well

09   Too Much Seconal (04:21)

Woke up this morning
I couldn't hardly keep from cryin'
Well I've got this smile on
I couldn't hardly keep from cryin'
Cause you know I was thinkin'
About an old friend of mine
Ah now ya used to be so beautiful
But I don't believe you gonna last
Used to be beautiful
Well I don't see how you gonna last
Babe if you don't stop the way ya doin'
Oh woman you know you live your life too fast
Yeah baby I don't believe you no good at all
Oh baby I don't believe you no good at all
Well woman cause you've been drinkin' too much whisky
I believe you're takin' too much Seconal

10   Let It Bleed (04:09)

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