Customer Reviews

Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

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.

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

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 several reviews for other SRV best hits disc compilations on Amazon (e.g., The Real Deal I and II compilations which are two separate discs) having reviews that suggest buying The Essential SRV & DT compilation instead because it is less expensive (that's true) and apparently at one time had more tracks than The Real Deal I and II (that's no longer true, both sets have 33 tracks total). So I followed the advice of the reviews and purchased The Essential SRV & DT two disc set instead. After listening to this set, I noticed on Shake for Me (track 1) there is a dropout in the audio from time 2:03-2:06 minutes during the track. And on Pride & Joy (track 4), one of his most popular hits, there is a fluttering sound audible at many times during the track, reminding me of the sound of a grasshopper rubbing its wings during summer mating season. And on the live take of Superstition (track 8 on the second disc) the snare drum is pushed way past headroom and consequently has a distorted sound throughout the entire track which was obviously not intended by the musicians. I would say that the poor recordings of Pride & Joy, and Superstition, are enough to make me want to return this set and purchase The Real Deal I and II discs instead, even though it would cost about $10 more for those two seperate discs versus this dual disc set. The Essential SRV & DT compilation is produced under the EPIC/Legacy label, while The Real Deal I & II appear to be under the Sony label. Hopefully the Sony productions are better quality recordings. Both sets have the same number of tracks but differ in that two songs are completely different, and also The Essential SRV & DT has several more live versions of the songs in common between the two compilations. Regarding the two tracks that differ, The Essential SRV & DT compilation has the instrumental "Little Wing" and the song "Long Way from Home" which are not on the Sony compilations. The Sony compilations The Real Deal I and II have the songs "Aint gonna give up on your Love" and "Pipeline" which are not present in the Epic compilation. Hope this helpful.

I own every SRV CD I did not buy this one but a friend lended it to me. This CD sounds better than the orginal the sound quality is out of this world. This is a must have for an SRV fan who does not own that much of him. If your looking to buy a SRV Cd this one if for you. This includes all his hits like Texas Flood, Pride And Joy, The Things We Used To Do, Change It, Voodoo Chile, and some rare recordings of some live stuff. This is a must have buy this on amazon and you will love it!!!!!

Except I'll probably need to hear all of the 'In the Beginning' set now that I've heard the opener of this collection. 'Essential' seems to be the two Greatest Hits collections minus the inessential Beatle cover that opened Greatest Hits #1. As a blues populizer Vaughan was perhaps an even bigger deal than Eric Clapton was when Clapton came up. Vaughan had great taste in songs and worked very hard to sing them as well as he could. He was the ultimate riff machine with a bag full of embellishments that could be tossed in endless combinations at startling speed. He was a faithful student of Albert King and also Jimi Hendrix. For me Vaughan's abundance of technique often got in the way of the music. Vaughan was almost feathery when playing slower solos and harmonically not very interesting. But that's quibbling. The music was consistently very good and the Double Trouble rhythm section versatile and reliable. And many of Vaughan's rhythm parts were jawdroppers. And the best of it's here for dirt cheap.

I remember how startled I was to hear Vaughan on the radio playing behind David Bowie. What a sound!

This release is incredible! There is no other word for it. You get 33 digitally remastered Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble tracks for your music listening pleasure. If you're looking for more SRV than Greatest Hits has to offer or just want to have some nicely remastered tracks from many of your favorite albums at your finger-tips, then this is the double disc set for you. It makes a great set for the car too.

You find all the songs from Greatest Hits here minus "Taxman". For that song you would need to pick up Greatest Hits as it's not available elsewhere on cd, and I only recommend that if you're really into The Beatles.(As I am) Otherwise, not one of the songs Stevie was known for.

You'll also find all the songs from The Real Deal: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 on this compilation with the exception of "Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love" and "Pipe Line". And instead of those 3 songs (1 + 2) you get: Rude Mood/Hide Away (Live), Mary Had A Little Lamb, The Things (That) I Used To Do, Gimme Back My Wig, The Sky Is Crying (Live), Say What!, Come On Pt. 3, and The Long Way From Home, all of which are top notch songs.

This double disc set is perhaps for those who want more than one disc (Greatest Hits) but less than three disc set (SRV Box Set). I don't know about you but when I go to grab albums by an artist for a car-trip or travel I end up taking too many and don't get a chance to listen to the majority. But I like variety. And this is a large enough amount in one place for that road trip or for playing for that friend who wants to get into SRV and is looking for a good album to start with. As good as this compilation is, most of it is originally from the albums that made Stevie so great in Austin, TX all those years. But if this is all you need, it's a good amount.

There's always the perfect amount of an artist for every situation. People always act as if you would never own the same music twice. Not true. Greatest Hits albums aren't just for the new fan. While a studio album is a beautiful thing and meant to be listened to in it's entirity (I highly recommend seeking out the albums your favorite songs come from originally) the 1 or 2 disc hits albums are sometimes the best album of all! Everything is neatly there together in one place. And each disc has it's own flow so to speak, it's own little journey. I just happen to own just about everything that is available on CD for SRV. But as far as one album (by that I mean one case) that I can take with me on the fly and have plenty of Stevie, this is it!

The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble captures everything about their studio albums and live performances that made them great. You get the best of both worlds here. You get 33 tracks instead of 28 as you would on Greatest Hits and The Real Deal: Greatest Hits, Vol. 2. Both sets are amazing but If I had to pick one, this is the one!

hey srv fans if your only looking to buy one cd and this is the one. it does a pretty good job of summing up the 4 studio albums and live album he released during his life it even includes tracks from his posthumous album that was released after his death and some tracks he recorded with his brother.i know all fans have personal fav. they would have liked to see make it but thats just how these things go. so whether your looking for a good retrospective or are just a casual fan looking to dig a little deeper this is the set for you. also of intrests for fans looking for extra live or unreales tracks is the 3cd srv box set

This 2 CD set has a pleasing combination of SRV's early, simpler sounding work on through his later inward looking songs.
For anyone who's had trouble with defective or missing disks; hang in there- this is a collection that's worth the wait. The good thing about any "greatest" or "essential" disc set is that there are NO dud tracks anywhere, and this compilation sure follows suit. If you don't know much about Stevie Ray or are a hardcore fan you'll be pleased with the broad coverage of Stevie's changing style in this presentation. I highly recommend it.

Some of the tracks on this splendid, reasonably priced 2 CD-set could peel paint off road signs. Self-taught, unable to read a note of music, Stevie Ray Vaughan displays technical virtuosity that at times seems almost Faustian, it's hard to believe that what you're hearing is even possible. Most of all, SRV is a complete Texas blues package, his singing is excellent, his command of the blues idiom so total one imagines he must have dreamt blues as well as lived them - everything works, right down to the outfits and soul patch.

In a sense, SRV was the brightest hope of a next generation of blues masters. He picked his idols wisely, patterning himself after Albert King, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, among others. However, there are also strong rock overtones here, most notably the influence of Hendrix who he clearly worshipped. The several Hendrix covers attest to this - they are actually not the best parts of this effort although Little Wing is marvelous. The others prove that SRV could recreate the Hendrix sound - which in itself is an amazing achievement - but add nothing new.

SRV was discovered by legendary virtuoso Johnny Winter, who retains the title of Texas blues heavyweight, and also frequently crossed over to rock. There will be those who will claim SRV outstrips Winter, I can't agree, but I would say they belong in the same sentence. In life, Vaughan was unable to outlive irony. Decades of chronic drug and alcohol abuse took him to death's door where he made the decision to get clean. He did, and was enjoying success as a sober man, only to die in a helicopter crash. It's a tragic story, but he certainly left us with some incendiary, thoroughly satisfying music. I guess that really is why they call it the blues. Highly recommended.