Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble Couldn't Stand The Weather (2 LP)

TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
Pressed at Pallas in Germany!
No artist did more to energize the 1980s blues revival than Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was a guitar player whose style echoed the dazzling technique of Jimi Hendrix as much as the virtuosity of blues greats from the Texas and Chicago schools. Vaughan ignited new interest in the blues at a time when longtime fans of the music were relying on old blues legends for their fix, and rock audiences had all but annulled the blues-rock marriage of the late 1960s.
Vaughan cultivated a new passion for the blues mostly through his riveting live performances, which bristled with guitar power and blues excitement. By playing loud and paying his respects to Hendrix, Vaughan attracted rock listeners to his concerts. But his essential repertoire was the blues. His highly charged, emotionally expressive guitar solos gave the blues a brand-new vitality and reinvented the music in thoroughly modern terms.
Stevie Ray Vaughan, with his astonishingly accomplished guitar style, ignited the blues revival of the 80s. He was equally influenced by blues musicians such as Albert King, Otis Rush and Muddy Waters, rock'n'rollers such as Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack and the 'jazz vagabond' Kenny Burrell, developing a uniquely eclectic and glowing style, incomparable to any other guitarist, regardless of genre.
Vaughan bridged the gap between blues and rock like no other artist since the late 60s. For the next seven years he became the shining light of American blues, his concerts were consistently sold out and his records were regularly gilded. His tragic death in 1990 only strengthened his influence in blues and American rock 'n' roll.
Beginning in 1978 and over the next few years, Stevie Ray Vaughan and his band "Double Trouble" played in the Austin area and became one of the most famous bands in Texas. Through a performance at the Montreux Festival in 1982, David Bowie and Jackson Browne became aware of the band. Bowie asked Vaughan if he wanted to play on his next album and Browne offered free recording time at his studio "Downtown" in Los Angeles - both offers were accepted. Vaughan recorded the lead guitar tracks on Bowie's "Let's Dance" album in late 1982 and shortly thereafter, the band, now signed to Epic through the mediation of John Hammond, Sr., recorded their debut album "Texas Flood" in less than a week at Browne's studio "Downtown".
In 1983, Bowie offered Vaughan the opportunity to join Vaughan as lead guitarist on his stadium tour, but Vaughan preferred to tour with his band "Double Trouble", which became a great success. Shortly after its end, the band recorded their second album "Couldn't Stand The Weather", which was released in May 1984. The LP became a greater success than the first and reached number 31 on the charts, at the end of 1985 the album was gold-plated. From the scorching hot licks of "Scuttle Buttin'" to the 'sloppy' blues of "Tin Pan Alley" to the cover classic "Voodoo Chile", there's a whole lot on offer on this 1984 recording.
This Stevie Ray Vaughan classic, now lovingly remastered from the analogue tapes by Maestro cutting engineer Ray Staff in his studio at Alchemy Mastering, features five more tracks that were not included on the original LP release.

Features:

• 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl
• Pressed at Pallas in Germany

Musicians:

• Stevie Ray Vaughan (voc, g)
• Jimmie Vaughan (g)
• Stan Harrison (ts)
• Tommy Shannon (b)
• Chris "Whipper" Layton, Fran Christina (dr)

Selections:

Side A
1. Scuttle Buttin'
2. Couldn't Stand The Weather
3. The Things (That) I Used To Do
Side B
1. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
2. Cold Shot
Side C
1. Tin Pan Alley
2. Honey Bee
3. Stang's Swang
Side D
1. SRV Speaks
2. Hide Away
3. Look At Little Sister
4. Give Me Back My Wig
5. Come ON (Pt. 3)