Quad LP/Tape Poll Winter, Johnny: Saints & Sinners [SQ/Q8]

[steelydave]

Released in February, 1974, Saints & Sinners was the second album of Johnny Winter's post-heroin exile comeback, and one of a handful of CBS quad releases that were day-and-date with their stereo counterpart. Also notable for containing original songs from Jagger and Richards (Stray Cat Blues) and Van Morrison (Feedback on Highway 101).



Columbia CQ 32715 [SQ LP] CAQ 32715 [Dolby Q8]
Discogs links: LP / Q8
Wiki for the album: Saints & Sinners

Quadraphonic sound and remix supervision: Harold J. Kleiner / Quadraphonic remix engineer: Don Young

Side 1:

1. Stone Country
2. Blinded by Love
3. Thirty Days
4. Stray Cat Blues
5. Bad Luck Situation

Side 2:

1. Rollin' 'Cross the Country
2. Riot in Cell Block #9
3. Hurtin' So Bad
4. Boney Moroney
5. Feedback on Highway 101

 

[sjcorne]

Going with a "9". Of Johnny's three quad releases, this is the one I find myself returning to the most. Still Alive & Well is really good musically, but the quad mix suffers from the relatively sparse production. John Dawson Winter III has an excellent quad mix, but I can’t quite get into the content. Saints & Sinners, on the other hand, is a great listen all the way through with an equally great quad mix.

Some of these songs are just outrageously catchy - my favorites would have to be “Stone County” and “Blinded By Love” (that riff!), but every track has something interesting to offer. "Riot In Cell Block #9" is good old-fashioned blues, "Hurtin' So Bad" has great horn parts, and "Stray Cat Blues" sounds like it could've been on a Jimi Hendrix album.

The quad mix is pretty typical for a CBS rock album circa ‘74 - drums across the front, vocals and solos in the center, rhythm guitars, keys, and percussion in the back. I've got a few nit-picks here and there--it would've made more sense to have both guitar parts in the rears in "Blinded By Love" instead of one in right rear and the other in front center--but overall it's really well done. Kleiner & Young strike again!

The SQ LP decodes quite well--you can clearly tell that the main guitar part in “Blinded By Love” is in the right rear speaker, for instance--but my copy suffers from wear and a somewhat ‘grungy’ sound. I managed to acquire a new/sealed Q8 last year that sounds really good, so that’ll be my go-to version until--or if---this is reissued on a modern format.

 

[quicksrt]

"Boney Moroney" would become a perm fixture in Winter setlists for many decades. I also agree in some ways his best album and not surprised it has a strong quad mix. I music check this out. When I had the Q8 in the late 70s I had no quad deck to play it. So I played the front chans and then listened to the rears separately after. Horrible way to hear quad for certain albums - I had on Q8. I've also heard the SQ LP played back in stereo and even that sounds rather fine!

Thanks, I didn't realize this classic had no poll entry.

 

[par4ken]

My favourite of all the "Winters". I have to give it a ten.