Similar Albums:
- Artist: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
- Rating:
- Release Date: November 21, 2000
- Type: Compilation (best of), Box set
- Genre: Rock
Review
If you're gonna put out a box set that really offers something to the devoted fans of an artist -- who are, after all, probably bound to have much or all of the artist's other records already if they're interesting in buying a box set to begin with -- this four-CD package is the way to do it. It's not so much a best-of or career retrospective as a very generous pile of career-spanning material that will genuinely add a new dimension to the Stevie Ray Vaughan listener's library, as fully two-thirds of the 54 tracks were previously unreleased. In addition, of the songs that have been previously available, five of those are cuts on which Vaughan was a sideman or partner (for Johnny Copeland, Albert King, Lonnie Mack, A.C. Reed, and as part of the Vaughan Brothers), so the Vaughan collector might have missed those in the past. Each of the first three discs clock in at more than 75 minutes, progressing from 1977 to 1990 and emphasizing live material, from soundchecks and radio programs to arena-headlining gigs and three solo acoustic tunes (one of which was previously on The Unplugged Collection, Vol. 1) from a 1990 MTV Unplugged episode. As music, though, it's uneven. The earliest and leanest cuts are a valuable supplement to Vaughan's discography, since he didn't have much opportunity to record until the early '80s. Yet sometimes these are too-long shuffles and boogies; his songwriting and singing is not nearly as impressive as his instrumental technique; and his occasional attempts to replicate Jimi Hendrix are inessential. A few familiar popular studio cuts like "Pride and Joy" and "Wall of Denial" are here, presumably to entertain the more casual Vaughan fans who need an extra push to spring for the box. More rabid Vaughan followers will likely be so overwhelmed by the quantity of unreleased items that they're unlikely to quibble about the presence of tracks they already own. The fourth disc is a DVD with five never-aired and never-issued performances from an episode of the television program Austin City Limits, recorded on October 10, 1989; the 72-page booklet of essays, appreciative quotes from several dozen peers, and more are other bonuses. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Thunderbird [#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (2:33) | |
| I'm Cryin' [#] | (3:39) | ||
| You're Gonna Miss Me Baby [#] | (2:47) | ||
| They Call Me Guitar Hurricane [Live] | (3:08) | ||
| All Your Love (I Miss Loving) [Live] | Otis Rush | (6:16) | |
| Come on, Pt. 3 [#] | Earl King | (4:16) | |
| Letter to My Girlfriend [#] | (3:19) | ||
| Lenny [#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (4:17) | |
| Don't Lose Your Cool [Live][#] | Albert Collins | (4:46) | |
| Crosscut Saw [Live][#] | (4:35) | ||
| Manic Depression [Live][#] | Jimi Hendrix | (5:35) | |
| Texas Flood [Live] | (10:18) | ||
| Collins Shuffle [Live][#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (4:04) | |
| Pride and Joy (Lyrics) | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:39) | |
| Love Struck Baby [Live][#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:01) | |
| Hug You, Squeeze You [Live] | (3:49) | ||
| Don't Stop by the Creek, Son | Johnny Copeland | Johnny Copeland, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (4:04) |
| Ask Me No Questions (Lyrics) | B.B. King | Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (5:03) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Scuttle Buttin' | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (1:50) | |
| Couldn't Stand the Weather (Lyrics) | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (4:42) | |
| Empty Arms | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:29) | |
| Little Wing/Third Stone from the Sun [Live][#] | Jimi Hendrix | (11:16) | |
| If You Have to Know | Lonnie Mack, |
Lonnie Mack, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (4:32) |
| These Blues Is Killing Me | A.C. Reed | A.C. Reed, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:08) |
| Boilermaker [#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (5:13) | |
| Change It | Doyle Bramhall | (3:57) | |
| Shake 'N Bake [#] | Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (2:52) | |
| Mary Had a Little Lamb [Live] | Buddy Guy | (4:26) | |
| I'm Leavin' You (Commit a Crime) [Live][#] | (6:15) | ||
| Rude Mood/Pipeline [Live][#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (4:42) | |
| The Sky Is Crying [Live][#] | Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (7:19) | |
| Voodoo Child (Slight Return) [Live][#] | Jimi Hendrix | (11:52) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Lookin' Out the Window [Live][#] | Doyle Bramhall | (4:40) | |
| Look at Little Sister [Live][#] | Hank Ballard | (4:49) | |
| Willie the Wimp [Live][#] | (6:47) | ||
| The House Is Rockin' | Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (2:24) | |
| Crossfire [Live][#] | (4:27) | ||
| Wall of Denial | Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (5:37) | |
| Dirty Pool [#] | Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:48) |
| Going Down [Live][#] | Don Nix | Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (5:29) |
| Rude Mood [Live][#] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:00) |
| Pride and Joy [Live] | Stevie Ray Vaughan | Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:44) |
| Testify [Live][#] | George Clinton, |
Stevie Ray Vaughan | (3:11) |
| Long Way From Home | Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan | Vaughan Brothers | (3:16) |
| Tightrope [Live][#] | Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan | (5:18) | |
| Cold Shot [Live][#] | W.C. Clark, Michael Kindred | (6:39) | |
| The Things (That) I Used to Do [Live] | (4:20) | ||
| Let Me Love You Baby [Live] | Willie Dixon | (3:25) | |
| Leave My Girl Alone [Live] | (4:37) |
