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By the time that blues-rock guitarist Johnny Winter walked on the stage at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969, he was already a rising phenomenon. Discovered by audiences outside of Texas after a late-1968 Rolling Stone magazine article sang his praises, Winter and his band relocated to NYC and, represented by high-powered management, signed a Columbia Records deal.

The Woodstock Experience is part of a series of albums released by Legacy Recordings that pairs the artist's latest work - in Winter's case, his self-titled debut album - with a second disc comprised of their Woodstock Festival performance.

Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, the Jefferson Airplane, and Santana are the other artists represented in the series. Fans of an artist would already have whatever album was released in 1969, so the attraction here is the Woodstock stuff which, in Winter's case, includes seven previously unreleased songs.

Johnny Winter's Debut

For those that aren't familiar with Winter's debut disc, released in early 1969, it's a rock-solid collection of blues standards mixed with a handful of Winter's blues-rock originals. Working with his long-time band, bassist Tommy Shannon (who would later play with fellow Texan Stevie Ray Vaughan) and drummer Uncle John Turner, with a guest appearance by brother Edgar Winter, the guitarist cut loose with a fiery explosion of slithering, greasy slide-guitar runs and heavy-duty riffs. The rhythm section makes a heck of a lot of noise for two guys, creating a virtual concrete wall against which Winter slams rapidfire guitar notes.

A number of songs from Johnny Winter would become long-time favorites of the artist's live show, and they sound just as good after 40 years as they did in 1969.

The discordant riffs and razor sharp notes of Winter's original "I'm Yours And I'm Hers" are blasted against a chaotic rhythm soundtrack, while his cover of B.B. King's "Be Careful With A Fool" is met with a flurry of jazzy guitar licks and lightning-fast fretboard runs. Chicago blues legends Willie Dixon and Big Walter Horton drop by for the raucous "Mean Mistreater," Horton's wildly-flailing harp in particular amping up the song's soul quotient. Winter's "Leland Mississippi Blues" is a stomp-and-stammer, Delta-by-way-of-Dallas blues romp with red-hot guitarplay, while the John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson hit "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" is afforded a blaring horn section featuring Edgar's blastin' sax.

The Woodstock Experience

Because of bad weather and scheduling snafus, Winter only had the opportunity to perform eight songs at the Woodstock Festival, his set comprised of a couple of original songs and the rest inspired covers, with only "Leland Mississippi Blues" included from the debut album. The band kicks off the festivities with a smokin' version of J.B. Lenoir's "Mama, Talk To Your Daughter," Winter's raw vocals matched by his slash-and-burn guitar. Winter's original "Mean Town Blues" showcases his Texas-bred bottleneck blues guitar style, the sound jumping off the stage and grabbing listeners by the ears.

Brother Edgar joined the band on the Woodstock stage for a rollicking cover of Bo Diddley's "I Can't Stand It," the song's early-rock roots augmented by a sultry R&B groove. The rough-edged, white-trash anthem "Tobacco Road" would become best known as performed by Edgar Winter, and the two brothers crank out a soulful, dirty take of it here, with great staccato vocals, fluid keyboard-bashing, and subtle but powerful slashes of guitar. Winter's cover of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" would become one of his audiences favorites in the years to follow, here it's a runaway freight-train of flying notes, crashing drumbeats, and jackhammer bass lines.

The Reverend's Bottom Line

Although the Johnny Winter album half of The Woodstock Experience is less satisfying than the 2004 Legacy reissue of Winter's debut, which includes three bonus tracks absent here, the set is worth the investment nonetheless, if only for the festival performance that helped launch Winter towards stardom. Winter's Woodstock performance, followed shortly thereafter by his incredible sophomore album Second Winter, would open many doors for the young guitarslinger, making him a hot property on the late-1960s and early-1970s rock festival circuit and setting the stage for his success in the years to follow. (Legacy Recordings, released June 30, 2009)