Release Date: October 27, 2014
Label: Legacy
How much does the world miss Stevie Ray Vaughan? I would venture to say a whole lot considering the state of affairs the music industry is in. Stevie was a shooting star burning ever so brightly before his light was so abruptly extinguished by an ill-fated helicopter crash. Unlike some of the guitar legends that came before him he stopped living life by the drop and was in recovery before he died. This is what made it so much harder to take when the news arrived of his fatal accident. SRV certainly made an indelible impression on us all when he was recording music. Those of us that remember his meteoric rise harkens back to another time when a great guitar player named Hendrix did the same thing. Further proof of SRV and Double Trouble’s relevance is the upcoming induction into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
The Complete Epic Recordings Collection is 12 CDs housed in a clam shell box with each CD in its own single sleeve and a booklet is included.
I think it’s safe to say that Stevie and his band Double Trouble were most comfortable performing live where they could cut loose and improvise, much to the delight of their audiences. Half of the CDs in this set are live recordings so that should put those thoughts into a proper perspective going forward.
The key studio recordings released prior to his passing are present of course, Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand The Weather, Soul To Soul and In Step.Those four studio releases stand as classic renderings of blues rock to this day, in fact now more than ever. Artists like Stevie come along once in a while and he wasted no time in making sure we knew he had arrived. It is unfortunate the iconic artists such as this continue to gain momentum even though they are not here to enjoy it. The best part about music is that it lasts forever and we can listen any time we like, which on the flip side is very fortunate for those of us that remain.
Besides the obvious, the fantastic and clearly relevant studio releases, it is all the live recordings that make such a stunning impact on the set. Stevie Ray Vaughan (guitar), Chris Layton (drums), Tommy Shannon (bass) and Reese Wynans (keyboards) had their mojo workin’ in a live setting; there is no question about that on any of the recordings. The first revelation comes at you like a runaway truck on the first disc in the set In The Beginning (KLBJ-FM radio broadcast). This is when people where just starting to discover SRV and his band. It was recorded at the band’s home base in Austin Texas on April 1, 1980.
What I found amazing about this introduction was that once you listened you just knew that Stevie was destined for immortality. I was watching a video clip of him at a sound check, wiping the sleep out of his eyes and yawning yet strapping on that guitar like it was his first cup of coffee in the morning. Some people are just destined to play the guitar and they find their way to greatness in short order, well most of the legends the general public is aware of did anyway.
I appreciated this box set for many reasons and first because I have always been a SRV fan. Blues can be a predictable and sometimes repetitive genre, reworking a lot of the same licks over and over again but Stevie was innovative and fresh at all times. I do love the blues and always have but there are times it does not hold my attention long enough, with Stevie it was always different. An added bonus is the two discs titled Archives. That is one of the special extras you get with a box set.
After revisiting his studio releases and hearing all of the fantastic live material it reconfirmed my belief that he was one of the blues greats and will always be in the upper echelon of guitar players when discussing the best that ever strapped on a six string. This one came just in time to be a stocking stuffer for your favorite blues fan so doesn’t miss out!
5/5 Stars
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Write A Music Review Founder
December 17, 2014
Review Provided By Write A Music
Tracks:
Disc 1: In The Beginning (KLBJ-FM radio broadcast produced by Wayne Bell
Recorded April 1, 1980; Austin, Texas
In The Open
Slide Thing
They Call Me Guitar Hurricane
All Your Love I Miss Loving
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Love Struck Baby
Tell Me
Shake For Me
Live Another Day
Originally released as Epic 53168, 1992 / Peak chart position: #58
Disc 2: Live At Montreux 1982 (July 17, 1982; Montreux International Jazz Festival)
Hide Away
Rude Mood
Pride And Joy
Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
Dirty Pool
Give Me Back My Wig
Collins Shuffle
Originally released as Epic/Legacy 86151, 2001 / Peak chart position: #178
Disc 3: Live At Montreux 1985 (July 15, 1985; Montreux International Jazz Festival)
Scuttle Buttin'
Say What!
Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
Pride And Joy
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
Texas Flood
Life Without You
Gone Home
Couldn't Stand The Weather
Originally released as Epic/Legacy 86151, 2001 / Peak chart position: #178
Disc 4: Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
Pride And Joy
Texas Flood
Tell Me
Testify
Rude Mood
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Dirty Pool
I'm Cryin'
Lenny
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Mullen and Double Trouble / Executive Producer: John Hammond / Originally released as Epic 38734, 1983 / Peak chart position: #38
Disc 5: A Legend In The Making—Live At The El Mocambo (recorded Toronto, Canada, July 20, 1983, originally released for radio broadcast only)
Testify
So Excited
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Pride And Joy
Tell Me
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Texas Flood
Love Struck Baby
You'll Be Mine
Hug You, Squeeze You
Little Wing/Third Stone From The Sun
Lenny
Wham!
Rude Mood
Disc 6: Couldn't Stand The Weather (1984)
Scuttle Buttin'
Couldn't Stand The Weather
The Things (That) I Used To Do
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Cold Shot
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Honey Bee
Stang's Swang
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon, Richard Mullen, and Jim Capfer / Executive Producer: John Hammond / Originally released as Epic 39304, 1984 / Peak chart position: #31
Disc 7: Live At Carnegie Hall (Recorded October 4, 1984; New York City)
Intro--Ken Dashow/John Hammond
Scuttle Buttin'
Testify
Love Struck Baby
Honey Bee
Cold Shot
Letter To My Girlfriend
Dirty Pool
Pride And Joy
The Things That I Used To Do
C.O.D.
Iced Over
Lenny
Rude Mood
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan / Originally released as Epic 68163, 1997 / Peak chart position: #40
Disc 8: Soul To Soul (1985)
Say What!
Lookin' Out The Window
Look At Little Sister
Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
Gone Home
Change It
You'll Be Mine
Empty Arms
Come On (Part III)
Life Without You
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Double Trouble and Richard Mullen / Executive Producer: John Hammond / Originally released as Epic 40036, 1985 / Peak chart position: #34
Disc 9: Live Alive (Recorded July 16, 1985, Montreux International Jazz Festival; July 17-18, 1986, Austin, Texas; July 19, 1986, Dallas, Texas)
Say What!
Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love
Pride And Joy
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Superstition
I'm Leaving You (Commit A Crime)
Cold Shot
Willie The Wimp
Look At Little Sister
Texas Flood
Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
Love Struck Baby
Change It
Life Without You
Produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble / Originally released as Epic 40511, 1986 / Peak chart position: #52
Disc 10: In Step (1989)
The House Is Rockin'
Crossfire
Tightrope
Let Me Love You Baby
Leave My Girl Alone
Travis Walk
Wall Of Denial
Scratch-N-Sniff
Love Me Darlin'
Riviera Paradise
Produced by Jim Gaines & Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble / Recorded in Memphis, Tennessee and Los Angeles, California /
Originally released as Epic 45024, 1989 / Peak chart position: #33
Disc 11: Archives/Disc One
Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
Empty Arms
Come On (Part III)
Look At Little Sister
The Sky Is Crying
Hide Away
Give Me Back My Wig
Boot Hill
Wham!
Close To You
Little Wing
Stang's Swang
Disc 12: Archives/Disc Two
May I Have A Talk With You
Boilermaker
The Sky Is Crying
Shake And Bake
So Excited
Slip Slidin' Slim
Chitlins Con Carne
Little Wing/Third Stone From The Sun
Boot Hill
Life By The Drop
Archives/Disc One, Track 1 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Richard Mullen and Double Trouble; Executive Producer: John Hammond
Archives/Disc One, Tracks 2-12 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chris Layton, Tommy Shannon, Richard Mullen, and Jim Capfer; Executive Producer: John Hammond
Archives/Disc Two, Tracks 1-8 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Double Trouble and Richard Mullen; Executive Producer: John Hammond
Archives/Disc Two, Track 9 produced by Jim Gaines & Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Archives/Disc Two, Track 10 produced by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jim Gaines