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Editorial Reviews
Japanese Blu-Spec CD pressing of this classic album. The Blue Spec format takes Blu-ray disc technology to create CD's which are compatible with normal CD players but provides ultra high quality sound. Sony. 2009.
--This text refers to an alternate
Audio CD
edition.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Arguably the most influential guitarist of the last twenty years this set manages to capture what made Stevie Ray Vaughan such a great artist. The Texas native Vaughan managed to take his influences such as brother Jimmie, rocker Jimi Hendrix, bluesman Albert King and jazzman Kenny Burrell and weave them into something unique and exciting. Vaughan burst upon the scene with his combination of ferocity, feeling and touch. Whether playing a cover of "Voodoo Child" a funky take on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", or the tortured blues of Elmore Jame's "The Sky Is Crying", he was always able to make the song his own. His singing could be both tender and heartfelt as in "The Things (That) I Used To Do or raucous as in "The House Is Rockin'". Sometimes he could be funky as in "Say What" or more jazzy as in "Lenny". The influence of the jazz/blues organ trios like Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff led Vaughan to add organist/keyboardist Reese Wynans to his band Double Trouble. Almost all of his essential cuts are included and the set contains more songs than "Greatest Hits Vols 1 & 2". I am especially glad overlooked cuts like Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig", Buddy Guy's "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and "Willie The Wimp" were included. I have a couple of minor quibbles with the song selections. "Ain't Gonna Give Up On Love" is frustratingly absent as well as the slide guitar spotlight "Boot Hill", a kinetic cover of Lonnie Mack's instrumental "Wham" and an inspired cover of Howlin' Wolf's "I'm Leaving (Commit A Crime)". Everyone has their own personal favorites. It is a testiment to Vaughan's will that he was able to overcome his drug addiction and still make vital music. Like Hendrix and many of his blues and jazz idols he died before his time. However, you can still discover his legacy with this "Essential" 2 cd set.
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Arguably the greatest blues guitarist of the last quarter century, this is two-and-a-half hours of his best work. The 33 tracks are presented essentially in chronological order beginning with a 1980 live performance of Willie Dixon's "Shake for Me" and ending with the stark performance of the autobiographical "Life By the Drop" taken from 1991's posthumous release THE SKY IS CRYING. Also included are a couple of tracks ("Telephone Song" and "Long Way from Home") from FAMILY STYLE, an album he cut with his older brother Jimmie just months before his death.
While there are no previoulsy unreleased tracks on this compilation, this is a solid overview of the most influential guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. If you can't afford his entire catalog, this is an excellent alternative. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
4 1/2 stars. A terrific introduction to the finest blues guitarist to emerge since the 60s
July 3, 2003
Format:Audio CD
First of all, yes, there are more Stevie Ray Vaughan compilations out there than original studio releases. But there are only a few of them which are really any good, and this is one of them.
There are 33 tracks here, excactly one more than on the obvious alternative of "The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 1" and "The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 2" combined. And almost all of Stevie Ray's must-have songs are here: The swaggering "Pride And Joy", the scorching blues "Texas Flood", the melodic "Cold Shot", the rollicking boogie of "Look At Little Sister", the wonderful riff-rocker "Willie The Wimp", and several other career highlights, including the intense and touching acoustic "Life By The Drop", and a sizzling cover of Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig".
The slow blues tunes "Dirty Pool" and "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love" are missing, however, and the delightful rocker "Lookin' Out The Window" is, too, and that's a minus for this one and a plus in the "Real Deal" column. (Which one did I choose? Well, I have all of the original albums, so I don't really need a compilation on top of that, but now that "The Real Deal vol. 1" has replaced the original lousy 11-track "Greatest Hits" album from 1995, I might be tempted to lean towards the "Real Deal" vol. 1 and 2 double. But it's damn close!)
I would've given a clean five stars here if those three songs that I just mentioned had been included, and I almost did anyway, because the stuff that _is_ here is excellent, absolutely stellar. You'll rarely find a 33-track compilation which maintains such an amazing level of quality all the way through, nor such a varied and yet completely cohesive collection of songs. And if you don't want to invest in the even more fabulous "SRV"-box set, you should either go for this one or the two "Real Deal" CDs right away.
There are 33 tracks here, excactly one more than on the obvious alternative of "The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 1" and "The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 2" combined. And almost all of Stevie Ray's must-have songs are here: The swaggering "Pride And Joy", the scorching blues "Texas Flood", the melodic "Cold Shot", the rollicking boogie of "Look At Little Sister", the wonderful riff-rocker "Willie The Wimp", and several other career highlights, including the intense and touching acoustic "Life By The Drop", and a sizzling cover of Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig".
The slow blues tunes "Dirty Pool" and "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love" are missing, however, and the delightful rocker "Lookin' Out The Window" is, too, and that's a minus for this one and a plus in the "Real Deal" column. (Which one did I choose? Well, I have all of the original albums, so I don't really need a compilation on top of that, but now that "The Real Deal vol. 1" has replaced the original lousy 11-track "Greatest Hits" album from 1995, I might be tempted to lean towards the "Real Deal" vol. 1 and 2 double. But it's damn close!)
I would've given a clean five stars here if those three songs that I just mentioned had been included, and I almost did anyway, because the stuff that _is_ here is excellent, absolutely stellar. You'll rarely find a 33-track compilation which maintains such an amazing level of quality all the way through, nor such a varied and yet completely cohesive collection of songs. And if you don't want to invest in the even more fabulous "SRV"-box set, you should either go for this one or the two "Real Deal" CDs right away.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good variety
This was the first CD I purchased of Stevie Ray Vaughan. I was looking for a mix of different songs and the best value for my money, which I believe I found in this product
Published 2 days ago by Mary M. Grimm
Wow!!
SRV is amazing - I love this CD - can't stop listening to it!! He totally rocks!! Every song is great. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Classic Rock
Essential
Gotta have this one if you're a fan of modern blues and blues-rock. All the greatest by the man who in my estimation had the most to do with keeping the blues alive in the musical... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Paul Fisher
This is indeed essential
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble / The Essential (2 CD set): This great guitarist died too young and left us too little of his recorded brilliance. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Bynum
It's SRV!
You can never go wrong with SRV. Fantastic! This album....oops age is showing...CD, is excellent and my little daughter loves it just as much as I do. Who doesn't?
Published 4 months ago by Psychic Christine Matthews
The Texas Bloose gittar personified.
In all my long years I only knew of Stevie Ray from the few good songs they play on FM radio. I knew he was good & I knew I was missing something in my cd collection. Read more
Published 5 months ago by potenza
Brilliant music, not well recorded
I've only bought one track so far - Little Wings. If you know his work, you don't need to be told the musicianship is fantastic. Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. Mayo
Never gets old!
I had heard of Stevie Ray but this is the first time I purchased any material. Probably the result of more air time on a local Rock Radio station. Read more
Published 13 months ago by NCR
The Essentials Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Epic - The Essentials Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble has 2 cds. I bought the cd because it was recommended to me by a co-worker. It was her favorite cd. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Newie
good music
This double album is the best album I have ever purchased. I tried to pick my favorite songs for a CD for driving and they wouldn't all fit on one CD. Well worth the money.
Published 20 months ago by mississippi man
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