Live Bootleg Series, Vol. 7 (Remastered)

In case you forgot, Johnny Winter can really play guitar. There is no better way to affirm this than to hear him in the live setting. The “Live Bootleg Series” gets this message through with a solid line of recordings that show the Texas bluesman at his most natural. The eleven-and-a-half-minute “Blues Jam” is jammed tight with Winter’s dirty-to-filthy guitar tone. But nearly all the performances could be considered blues jams since Lonnie Johnson’s “Don’t Take Advantage of Me” (never before recorded by Winter on album) is ten minutes of assertive playing. Jimmy Reed’s “Shame Shame Shame” is a terrifying performance with Winter bending the strings to his will. “Leland Mississippi Blues” is an audience tape that points out the brutality of Winter’s live show. “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” is an excellent vocal and guitar performance. The album notes do not give a definite recording date for these recordings, but they are believed to be from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.