Still Alive & Well/Captured Live!

Still Alive And Well, served notice that Johnny Winter had indeed survived from 1973. Over the course of the next several years, the powerhouse rhythm section of Randy Jo Hobbs and Richard Hughes accompanied Winter when he performed in concert. Together, this trio began developing a set that was distinctly different from the lengthy blues improvisations that initially established Winter's reputation. The songs were more compact, precise, and clean-full of blistering guitar work, but with much of the fat trimmed from the bone. By the middle of the decade, Winter added a second high-energy guitar-slinger to the band in the form of Floyd Radford, who added his own scorching counterpart leads and another rhythmic dimension to the band. This quartet lineup was the group featured on the popular 1976 live album, Captured Live, and is the same band showcased here. Although the recording only captures the last song of the set and both encores of the band's performance at Winterland, it will be a delight to fans of his Captured Live album, as none of these classic rock 'n' roll tracks were included, making this a welcome supplement to the fiery performances that were included on that release.