Texas Flood [Remastered] - Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

...Joy
3) Texas Flood
4) Tell Me
5) Tesitfy
6) Rude Mood
7) Mary Had A Little Lamb
8) Dirty Pool
9) I'm Cryin'
10) Lenny

Bonus Tracks:
11) SRV Speaks
12) Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
13) Testify (Live)
14) Mary Had A Little Lamb (Live)
15) Wham! (Live)

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Stevie Ray Vaughan (or SRV as he is often known) was an Austin guitarists/singer/songwriter, releasing only five studio albums before his life was untimely ended in a helicopter crash. With his unique guitar tone and individual style, Stevie is still considered one of the greatest rock-blues guitarist of all time, inspiring young players to this day.

Eventually going on to appear on albums for the likes of Davie Bowie and Jackson Browne, 'Texas Flood' was his and his band Double Trouble, (Chris Layton on drums and Tommy Shannon on bass) debut album. Originally released in 1983, here we have a remastered version released in 1999, with some Bonus Tracks thrown in for good measure.

A mixture of originals and covers, 'Texas Flood' demonstrated SRV's technical abilities and soulful playing. With both upbeat songs, such as 'Pride And Joy', as well as more typical blues songs, such as 'Dirty Pool', the album takes the listener through an audio adventure of tone, emotion and style. Stevie's voice is as much a part of his style and sound as his guitar playing and this album show's how passionately he would sing. Combined with the superb backing of Layton and Shannon, the songs are easy to listen to, demanding as much attention as you wish to put in. Pleasant to have on as backing music, but equally enjoyable to focus on, I always find myself moved by Stevie's tone of voice and guitar. Listening to his first outing you realise just why he became such a 'legend' and it makes you think what he could have achieved had he continued to live.

The album has been well mixed, (whether this is down to the remastering process, or was down to the original recording I cannot comment as I only own this version) allowing you to hear Stevie and the band clearly. This is not an album that has been over produced though, in that there are little or no overdubs. Instead, it sounds very much like three guys playing music they enjoy and having a fun time doing so. I think the album captures as much as possible SRV and Double Trouble's Live sound, (which the bonus tracks help to demonstrate). With such raw energy it's difficult not to tap your foot and enjoy yourself - and I defy anyone not to pick up their air-guitar and play along.
At just under sixty-minutes long, the album is just about the right length, neither too short, nor too long and I never find myself tiring of the music.

The bonus tracks are all "Previous Unreleased" recordings, with three of the five tracks being Live versions of songs from the album; however, of particular interest for me is 'SRV Speaks', a short extract of Stevie talking about how he approaches his playing. Although under forty-seconds long, I think this is a nice bonus track which I found both insightful and inspiring, making me want to pick up my guitar as much as the actual music on the album does.

The sleeve that comes with this album doesn't contain any of the lyrics, but does have the usual 'Thanks to' and technical information.
Instead of lyrics, it does have an interesting account of Stevie and how he came to form Double Trouble, as well as tales of Stevie performing live. This was written by Michael Ventura, who is a columnist for The Austin Chronicle, but is clearly a man who enjoyed Stevie's music and I found it very insightful and enjoyable to read.
The lack of lyrics is perhaps my only criticism of this album, but that really is a minor gripe as far as I'm concerned - I bought the album to listen to the music, not read it.

Some might criticise the number of covers, four of the original album (i.e. not the remastered version with bonus tracks) and four of the five bonus tracks being covers. Whilst perhaps it would be interesting to hear more of Stevie's songwriting, it's understandable when you consider this is a debut album and that blues is not about the song, but the way you play it. I personally don't mind the number of covers as Stevie and the band stamp their own style onto them.

I bought 'Texas Flood' a few years ago now from MVC for £9.79, though it is now on Amazon for £6.99 (at the time of writing). I'm sure if you keep an eye out you're very likely to find this on special offer somewhere, but I think £6.99 is a reasonable price to pay and certainly value for money.

I would thoroughly recommend this album to anyone interested in either rock or blues - it may even appeal to country fans, as Stevie has somewhat of an 'Austin-twang' to his playing. Guitarists and non-guitarists alike should find 'Texas Flood' an enjoyable addition to their collection.

Track Listing:

1) Love Struck Baby
2) Pride And Joy
3) Texas Flood
4) Tell Me
5) Tesitfy
6) Rude Mood
7) Mary Had A Little Lamb
8) Dirty Pool
9) I'm Cryin'
10) Lenny

Bonus Tracks:
11) SRV Speaks
12) Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place In Town)
13) Testify (Live)
14) Mary Had A Little Lamb (Live)
15) Wham! (Live)

 

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