markv@dartvax.UUCP (Mark Vita) (09/21/84)
<...>
With all the talk of various songs entitled "Fire", I was surprised not
to see the cut by this name that seemed most obvious to me--that by Jimi
Hendrix. Perhaps it's better (but erroneously) known as "Let Me Stand Next
To Your Fire".
In response to someone's query about Stevie Ray Vaughan's "The Things
(That) I Used To Do", it is the old Guitar Slim standard. Done very well,
I might add.
Speaking of Hendrix and Vaughan--if you're Hendrix fan, or just
appreciate good blues guitar, you simply must go out and get either (or both)
of Stevie Ray's albums, "Texas Flood" and "Couldn't Stand The Weather".
Both contain incredible searing blues guitar in the Hendrix tradition.
Vaughan has his own distinctive style, but there are times when his leads
sound like something Hendrix would have played were he still alive. It's
a difficult phenomenon to describe--I suggest that you listen to Vaughan
for yourself.
Better yet, catch him in concert if you can. I saw him live this summer,
and it was probably the best live performance I have seen by any musician.
Nothing fancy, just explosive blues guitar that will leave you in awe.
(Well, it left me in awe.) Stevie's still not well-known enough to fill
the big stadiums, so look for him coming to smaller places. I saw him at a
small outdoor concert, which I actually preferred over a big hall; I was
within five rows of the stage throughout the show.
The following is a short review of his second album, "Couldn't Stand The
Weather", which appeared in "Stereo Review" and which I think sums up the
album pretty well. (Reprinted without permission, but what the hell. They
can sue me if they want.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's something reassuring about the success of Stevie Ray
Vaughan. At a time when popular taste runs to music that's
synthesized, androgynous, stylized, and theatrical, Vaughan's
electric blues is gritty, unpretentious, and hot-blooded.
"Couldn't Stand The Weather" is the second album by Vaughan
and Double Trouble (bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris
Layton). Vaughan has tightened his playing, added heft to his
singing, and improved on a debut album, "Texas Flood," that
didn't seem to leave room for improvement. The biggest
difference is evident from the opening cut, "Scuttle Buttin'",
an instrumental built around an astonishingly packed yet fluid
riff.
Vaughan uses his virtuosity as a starting point, but he
makes better use of it through the songs, not just in the solos.
The melody writing is a little more ambitious, and the rhythms
more adventurous. Though solidly anchored in the blues, this
music transcends blues. As a result, Vaughan seems to get that
much closer to the heart of what the blues are supposed to be--
raw, alive, flesh and bone.
In addition to the new originals, Vaughan covers a couple
of blues standards--Guitar Slim's "The Things I Used To Do" and
Jimmy Reed's "Tin Pan Alley". Both showcase his developing vocal
ability more than anything else. But the show stopper is his
cover of Jimi Hendrix's classic "Voodoo Chile", which reveals a
deep, almost organic link between Hendrix and the blues that I
don't think I ever appreciated before.
"Weather" also benefits from excellent production. The sound
is heavier and deeper and gives moe weight to Shannon and Layton.
It also gives Vaughan's own playing a round, clean, classic
Fender blues tone, with plenty of foot petal, and a volcanic
quality that seems ready to erupt at a moment's notice into a
rain of sparks and molten rhythm riffs.
In the astringent pop music environment of MTV, Stevie Ray
Vaughan's Texas electric blues is a welcome breath of hot,
sweaty barroom air.
-- Mark Peel
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Mark Vita
Dartmouth College
{decvax,cornell,linus}!dartvax!markv