Reviewed! Johnny Winter - Live at Rockpalast
Johnny Winter
Live at Rockpalast
MVD Visual
Though not as fair a representation of Johnny Winter’s
musical repertoire as his Live Through
the 70’s release, Live at Rockpalast is an adequate
portrayal of Winter’s ability to play the blues, something he seemed hell bent
on proving to the German audience in attendance on this night (read the liner
notes for more info on this). Almost completely devoid of any of Winter’s most
well-known works, Live at Rockpalast
features more than a handful of blues covers (“Suzie Q,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”),
though quite often these mere cover tracks turn into extended blues-rock
improvisations, which tend to wear on as the performance progresses. Still,
Winter’s guitar prowess is near immaculate, as its clearly evident the man
knows what he is doing when there is a guitar nearby (“Walking By Myself,”
“Divin’ Duck”), and Live at Rockpalast
is at its best during “Medley,” when Winter goes from honoring Robert Johnson
to Leadbelly to Muddy Waters throughout the course of one track. Still, the
performance here though is bogged down by little things, be it the ramped up lengths
of the tracks or the bands need to switch instruments between songs (“I’m
Ready,” “Rockabilly Boogie”). And even though Live at Rockpalast is probably best suited for fans of Winter, it’s
still a quality performance from one of the best guitarists of all time, though
non-conventional fans are best to begin elsewhere when it comes to experiencing
Johnny Winter in a live arena. While Live
at Rockpalast is uneven at times and doesn’t exactly find Winter at the top
of his game from start to finish, it’s still worth a look.
Grade: C+
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