"Let Me In" by JOHNNY WINTER – A Review Of The 1991 Album On A PointBlank CD.

JOHNNY WINTER is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

 ”…I’m An Illustrated Man...Got Tattoos Everywhere…”

Sometimes an artist locked into a genre like say SOUL or BLUES produces so many albums across a staggeringly long career – they can get overlooked – or even ignored. Winter’s “Let Me In” is a case in point. Because the only word to describe this album of non-stop Boogie and Blues is ‘blistering’.

It starts out fast with “Illustrated Man” (lyrics above) – slows down on occasion to Blues up your living room (“Life Is Hard”) – then continues rattling your speakers with fabulous rocking stuff like the 2:43 minutes of “Hey You” until they beg for mercy come the end.

First released on Virgin’s Pointblank label imprint in August 1991 on LP, MC and CD (Voiceprint VPB 5) – it’s top heavy with covers – but versions that satisfy. There’s Robert Parker’s “Barefootin’”, Rusty Lee’s “Sugaree” [written by Marty Robbins], Jimmy Reed’s “Shame Shame Shame”, Dr. John’s “You Lie Too Much” and acoustic blues on Jesse Mae Robinson’s “Blue Mood”.

The band features the heavy Harmonica warbling of Billy Branch on three – “Hey You”, “Shame Shame Shame” and “If You Got A Good Woman” - while Dr. John tinkers the ivories on three others - “”You Lie Too Much”, “Barefootin’” and “Life Is Hard”.

The menace in “Medicine Man” is fantastic too. But if you really want to hear how good Johnny Winter can be with a sympathetic band backing him - go to YouTube and seek out a video someone has posted of “If You Got A Good Woman” - one of the two originals on here. It features both Ken Saydek (Rounder Records) and Dr. John on piano with Billy Branch on Harmonica and Winter ripping up and down the frets. Holy crap! And Wow!

Bluesman – boogie merchant – call him what you want. Muddy Waters once called him the best Blues Guitarist in the world. That’s praise I could live with.

Get this fab little CD in your life folks…

"Rad Gumbo: The Complete Warner Bros. Years 1971 to 1990" by LITTLE FEAT (February 2014 UK Rhino/Warner Brothers 13CD Clamshell Box Set with Mini LP Repro Card Sleeve Artwork and Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…All That You Dream…"

Taking its title from a New Orleans bopper on 1990's "Representing The Mambo" LP - "Rad Gumbo: The Complete Warner Bros. Years 1971 to 1990" by LITTLE FEAT is a 13CD Mini Box Set that many fans will say has been a long-time coming. As usual it's a mixture of highs and lows (with way more ups than downs thankfully). Here's the weed, whites and wine...

UK released Monday 24 February 2014 (4 March 2014 in the USA) – "Rad Gumbo: The Complete Warner Bros. Years 1971 to 1990" by LITTLE FEAT on Rhino/Warner Brothers 8122796057 (Barcode 081227960575) is a 13CD Mini Box Set and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 "Little Feat" – 1971 (33:16 minutes):

1. Snakes On Everything

2. Strawberry Flats

3. Truck Stop Girl

4. Brides Of Jesus

5. Willing

6. Hamburger Midnight

7. Forty-Four Blues/How Many More Years [Side 2]

8. Crack In Your Door

9. I’ve Been The One

10. Crazy Captain Gunboat Willie

Disc 2 "Sailin' Shoes" – 1972 (37:56 minutes):

1. Easy To Slip

2. Cold, Cold, Cold

3. Trouble

4. Tripe Face Boogie

5. Willin’

6. A Apolitcal Blues

7. Sailin' Shoes [Side 2]

8. Teenage Nervous Breakdown

9. Got No Shadow

10. Cat Fever

11. Texas Rose Café

Disc 3 "Dixie Chicken" – 1973 (36:46 minutes):

1. Dixie Chicken

2. Two Trains

3. Roll Um Easy

4. On Your Way Down

5. Kiss It Off

6. Fool Yourself [Side 2]

7. Walkin' All Night

8. Fat Man In The Bathtub

9. Juliette

10. Lafayette Railroad

Disc 4 "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" - 1974  (34:24 minutes):

1. Rock And Roll Doctor

2. Oh Atlanta

3. Skin It Back

4. Down The Road

5. Spanish Moon

6. Feats Don’t Fail Me Now [Side 2]

7. The Fan

8. Cold Cold Cold/Tripe Face Boogie (Medley)

Disc 5 "The Last Record Album" - 1975 (34:35 minutes):

1. Romance Dance

2. All That You Dream

3. Long Distance Love

4. Day Or Night

5. One Love Stand [Side 2]

6. Down Below The Borderline

7. Somebody's Leavin'

8. Mercenary Territory

Disc 6 "Time Loves A Hero" – 1977 (35:36 minutes):

1. Time Loves A Hero

2. Hi Roller

3. New Delhi Freight Train

4. Old Folks Boogie

5. Red Streamliner [Side 2]

6. Keepin' Up With The Joneses

7. Rocket In My Pocket

8. Missin' You

9. Day At The Dog Races

Discs 7 and 8 are the 1978 live double "Waiting For Columbus" (the 2CD Expanded Edition). Tracks 1 to 12 on Disc 1 and Tracks 1 to 5 on Disc 2 make up the original 2LP set – 6 to 12 are previously unreleased outtakes – 13 to 15 are outtakes first issued on the "Hoy Hoy" double album

Disc 1 (60:19 minutes):

1. Join The Band [Side 1]

2. Fat Man In The Bathtub

3. All That You Dream

4. Oh Atlanta

5. Old Folk’s Boogie

6. Dixie Chicken [Side 3]

7. Tripe Face Boogie

8. Rocket In My Pocket

9. Time Loves A Hero [Side 2]

10. Day Or Night

11. Mercenary Territory

12. Spanish Moon

Disc 2 (78:02 minutes):

THE ENCORE:

1. Willin' [Side 4]

2. Don't Bogart That Joint

3. A Apolitical Blues

4. Sailin' Shoes

5. Feats Don’t Fail Me Now

OUTTAKES

6. One Love Stand

7. Rock And Roll Doctor

8. Skin It Back

9. On Your Way Down

10. Walkin’ All Night

11. Cold, Cold, Cold

12. Day At The Dog Races

"HOY HOY" OUTTAKES

13. Skin It Back

14. Red Streamliner

15. Teenage Nervous Breakdown

Disc 9 "Down On The Farm" – 1979 (37:42 minutes):

1. Down On The Farm

2. Six Feet Of Snow

3. Perfect Imperfection

4. Kokomo

5. Be One Now

6. Straight From The Heart [Side 2]

7. Front Page News

8. Wake Up Dreaming

9. Feel The Groove

Disc 10 "Hoy-Hoy!" - 1981 2LP Outtakes Set on 1CD (69:45 minutes):

1. Rocket In My Pocket

2. Rock And Roll Doctor

3. Skin It Back

4. Easy To Slip

5. Red Streamliner

6. Lonesome Whistle [Side 2]

7. Front Page News

8. The Fan

9. Forty-Four Blues

10. Teenage Nervous Breakdown [Side 3]

11. Teenage Nervous Breakdown (Live)

12. Framed

13. Strawberry Flats

14. Gringo

15. Over The Edge [Side 4]

16. Two Trains

17. China White

18. All That You Dream

19. Feets Don’t Fail Me Now

Disc 11 "Let It Roll" – 1988 (50:16 minutes):

1. Hate To Lose Your Lovin’

2. One Clear Moment

3. Cajun Girl

4. Listen To Your Heart

5. Let It Roll [Side 2]

6. Long Time Till I Get Over You

7. Business As Usual

8. Changin' Luck

9. Voices On The Wind

Disc 12 "Representing The Mambo" – 1990 (50:59 minutes):

1. Texas Twister

2. Daily Grind

3. Representing The Mambo

4. Woman In Love

5. Rad Gumbo

6. Teenage Warrior

7. That’s Her, She’s Mine [Side 2]

8. Feelin’s All Gone

9. Those Feat’ll Steer Ya Wrong Sometimes

10. The Ingénue

11. Silver Screen

Disc 13 is a 24-Track BONUS DISC entitled "Outtakes From Hotcakes" which features all the previously unreleased versions from the much-loved and long deleted 4CD Rhino Box Set "Hotcakes & Outtakes..." issued in 2000 (78:29 minutes):

1. Jazz Thing In 10

2. Rat Faced Dog ("Little Feat" Outtake)

3. Doglines (as per 2)

4. Wait Till The S*** Hits The Fan (as per 2)

5. Easy To Fall (Easy To Slip) (Demo Made For The Doobie Brothers)

6. Texas Rose Café (as per 5)

7. Doriville ("Salin' Shoes" Outtake)

8. Boogie (became "Tripe Face Boogie") (as per 7)

9. Two Trains (Lowell George Demo)

10. Roto/Tone (as per 7)

11. Ace In The Hole (later became "Hi Roller") ("Dixie Chicken" Outtake)

12. Eldorado Slim (as per 11)

13. Feats Don't Fail Me Now ("Feat Don't Fail Me Now" Outtake)

14. Brickyard Blues (as per 13)

15. All That You Dream [Outtake featuring Linda Ronstadt]

16. Spanish Moon (7" Single Version)

17. Down Below The Borderline (Lowell George Demo)

18. Rockin' Shoes I & II (Lowell George Demo)

19. Front Page News ("The Last Record Album" Outtake)

20. High Roller (as per 19)

21. All That You Dream [with Linda Ronstadt] - 7" Single Version

22. Roll 'Em Easy ("Thanks I'll Eat It Here" Lowell George Solo LP Outtake)

23. Boogie Wigwam (Short Jazz Piece) ("PZM" Pressure Mic Demo)

24. Teenage Nervous Breakdown (Previously Unreleased Live Version)

SOUND:

Fans will know that the Expanded Edition of "Waiting For Columbus" and the "Hotcakes & Outtakes..." tracks are remasters from the 00's and the last two "Let It Roll" and "Representing The Mambo" were well recorded anyway. It's the Seventies output that has need upgrading for years and the Big News is that although there's no mention of mastering anywhere on the box or on the discs - some of these are REMASTERS and they sound glorious. Fans should also notice the subtle timing differences between these CDs and the ones in the disappointing "Original Album Classics" 5CD set from 2010 which simply repackaged crap Eighties sounding CDs. They're all different.

The first two albums are fantastic remasters - full of power and presence - every track filled with a muscle fans have waited years to hear. The remaster on "Cold, Cold, Cold" and "Trouble" from "Sailin' Shoes" for instance are absolutely incredible - wonderful clarity. If I were to be truthful - I'd say "Dixie Chicken" is a teensy weensy bit of a letdown. Don't get me wrong - it does sound clean and clear and all (the truly beautiful "Roll Um Easy" and the dainty piano lead into "Juliette" both sound lovely) - but again it just lacks that tiny bit of muscle that would have thrilled rather than pleased.

When you play the opening duo of "Rock 'n' Roll Doctor" and "Oh Atlanta" from "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" - you're back to the sonic power of the first two albums - wow! "The Last Record Album" sees the three live tracks tagged onto the Eighties CD removed at last but the same 'good' rather-than-great sound afflicts that album too. "Last..." is clean but lacks that remaster punch. Back to fabulous sonic wallop with both "Time Loves A Hero" and the posthumous Lowell George album "Down On The Farm" - sounds like Rhino have used the Edsel remaster I reviewed. And how good is it to hear "Hoy-Hoy!" rocking at last - I love that gatefold card repro (even if the booklet's not there). And for the uninitiated the mixed bag that is Disc 13 will be an eye-opener - even their outtakes had magic in them.

PACKAGING:

There's no booklet (mores the pity) and zero credits apart from the track listings on the rear of the box. The gatefold sleeves for "Sailin' Shoes", "Waiting For Columbus" and "Hoy-Hoy!" are all superbly reproduced as are the original Tan Warner Brothers labels for 1, 2 and 3 with Burbank Labels for 4 to 9, cream Warners for 10 and so on (a nice attention to detail that). It's also lovely to see Rhino use the original American Back covers (they changed across the years over here in Blighty with reissues). But a let down is that Inner Sleeves don't appear at all and "Hoy-Hoy!" hasn't got its gorgeous and info jam-packed 12-page booklet.

You could look at this box set in two ways - it's exploitive of fans who already have this stuff - and Rhino knows that once they hear that remasters are available of those beloved Seventies gems - they'll have to own it. And it's disappointing that both "Dixie Chicken" and "The Last Record Album" seem to be in some sort of permanent sonic limbo. But as a newcomer to the band - or someone who maybe only owns one or two of the older CDs - there's a truckload of goodies on here for not a lot of your greenbacks. And most of it sounds as enticing as a Dixie waitress with a great singing voice and a knack for marrying punters...

Overall I’m pleased. I say dig in people and enjoy. And God Bless you Lowell George wherever you are...

"Now Is Good" on BLU RAY - A Review Of The 2012 Film And Which Version To Buy ...

 "...There Has To Be Some Perks To Being Terminally Ill..."

Tessa Scott is a normal 17-year old girl living in the South of England in the coastal town of Brighton. Her slightly older pal - the gorgeous and effortlessly sexy Zoey has no problems with 'doing' her boyfriend Scott - she's just not so good at keeping what his young loins have deposited (nicely played by Kaya Scoldelario). Tessa hasn't been so naughty yet but she wants to be. She wants to have sex, swill beer, pop a few pills, hit a racist, ride a wave in Hawaii, ski down a mountain and on a boring weekday maybe even engage in a bit of shoplifting in the mall (breaking the law). The only problem with Tessa's 'bucket list' of moments is that she's running out of time because she has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Worse Tessa couldn't stand the chemotherapy for such an aggressive cancer and has chosen to opt out - so now she desperately wants to fulfill her list ("as much as I can...as fast as I can...").

Her father and mother (a superlative combination of Paddy Considine and Olivia Williams) are separated and poles apart. Uber-responsible loving Dad cares too much - suffocating Tessa with his need to control every part of her life in a bid to protect her from pain - while flighty Mum can't even seem to turn up on time for a crucial hospital appointment. Her 9-year old younger brother Cal worries too in his own soppy way (Edgar Canham) "are you gonna haunt me..." But then hope arrives in the shape of a handsome and genuine English lad who literally moves in next door with his Mum (Jeremy Irvine generously giving the screen and movie to Fanning). Adam's father has died the year earlier and Tessa and Adam's initial meets are awkward and even reluctant (occasionally funny) but then the two slowly move towards each other despite their pasts and her lack of a future. And on it goes. This is a girl wanting love and finding it - wanting to matter - and realizing that she actually does...

Written and Directed by Ol Parker (adapted from Jenny Downham's book "Before I Die") - "Now Is Good" is a bit of a weepy for sure - but what makes it life-affirming and special are the beautifully realized performances by all of its lead actors (especially the phenomenal Dakota Fanning who never once lets that American accent slip and maintains a perfectly judged calmness throughout) and the depth in the script. As you can imagine material like this could be mawkish if handled badly - but "Now Is Good" never feels manipulative. The sentimentality is kept in check by candid and at times brutal exchanges between Tessa and her father and the new visiting home nurse Phillippa (superb work by Rayke Ayola).

"Now Is Good" is also that rare thing - tender and observant - full of great moments - seeing a daughter and mum at the front door of their home connect ("don't be afraid..."), sitting on a bench in the sunshine overlooking the White Cliffs of Dover, holding her first proper boyfriend on the bus home, fireworks at night in the garden with family, cooking breakfast for Dad ("who are you and what have you done with my daughter..."), Adam carving a snow angel in the ground, horses running free beside a set in railings in a park as they return home from Dover once more on a motorbike, Nurse Phillippa humanely describing to Tessa how the end will come...

Special mention should also go to the exceptional music by Dustin O'Halloran that fills so many scenes with emotion - fun and flighty one minute - aching and broken the next - an amazing piece of work.

A BLU RAY of "Now Is Good" is not available in the UK or USA. My copy is a German issue that I purchased on the GERMAN AMAZON SITE (use Barcode Number 887654313492 in their Search Bar). For some reason this reasonably priced version is not for sale on Amazon UK? When you do get your copy - as the movie starts - you will need to go to the Audio button on your remote and actually seek out the English 5.1 DTS-HD Audio track - or it'll play the film overdubbed in German.

Defaulted to 2.35:1 aspect ratio (bars on top and bottom) or even stretched to full screen - the picture quality is absolutely beautiful throughout and as already mentioned - the audio is warm, full and gorgeous.

The extras feature interviews with all the lead cast filmed in Hi Def (how they approached the roles and working with the other actors) and Director Ol Parker heaping praise on his cast (especially Dakota Fanning 'going for it'). There's also Deleted Scenes and a very long behind the cameras B-Roll segment with the actors and crew (shots of Brighton Beach and Town, White Cliffs Of Dover, Epping Forest, Leyton Ice Rink).

Like many - I came to this movie not expecting much and was more than surprised - I was moved. Using the parlance - "Now Is Good" is smart enough to keep it real - and by doing so - has captured in film and sound a loveliness that is rare. Well done to all involved.