The Ultimate Visual History of Stevie Ray Vaughan

contents

blues

In 2007, on the 25th anniversary of the debut of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1982 – four short months before they began recording their first album for Epic Records – the sky is still crying over the loss of one of the world's most renowned young guitarists, just eight summers later, in August 1990. Seeing was believing – and this was one band who was fortunate to come of age at the dawn of the MTV era, when film and video production became almost as important as studio recording.

During the course of the '80s, promotional video clips, live performance films, and so-called EPKs (electronic press kits) became a cornerstone of every artist's discography. In 1990, after five RIAA platinum and multi-platinum albums, SRV&DT's whirlwind success was celebrated with Pride And Joy, a VHS collection that gathered six promo video clips and two live numbers, spanning 1983 to 1989.

Nearly two decades later, that collection has been updated, upgraded (to new Stereo and 5.1 surround-sound mixes), and expanded to more than twice its original length. The new DVD edition of PRIDE AND JOY reprises the original eight segments, and now adds a bonus promo video clip, three acoustic numbers from the original MTV "Unplugged" series, two television commercials, and performances with Stevie Ray's older brother Jimmie in the Vaughan Brothers (along with the EPK created for that band). The new 17-track DVD will arrive in stores November 6th on Epic/Legacy, a division of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

In its original form, PRIDE AND JOY served as a well-sequenced chronology of SRV&DT's Epic years. Included (in order) were all the promo video clips shot for each of their studio albums: Texas Flood ("Love Struck Baby, " 1983); Couldn't Stand The Weather (the title tune and "Cold Shot, " both 1984); Soul To Soul ("Change It, " 1985); and In Step ("The House Is Rockin'" and "Crossfire, " both 1989). The centerpieces were two live performances: Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" (from the double-LP Live Alive sessions, 1986) and Howlin' Wolf's "I'm Leaving You (Commit A Crime)" (in New Orleans, 1987).

To these, the new edition of PRIDE AND JOY adds the promo video of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" as performed by Stevie Ray, created for the song's first appearance on the posthumous collection, The Sky Is Crying (1991). The rare track was a staple for the group – an outtake from the 1985 Soul To Soul sessions can be heard on 2002's The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble; and another version can be seen on Live From Austin, Texas, the VHS chronicle of their 1983 appearance on PBS' "Austin City Limits."

Stevie Ray was one of the first artists booked on the first season of MTV "Unplugged." From the January 30, 1990, performance (seven months before his death) comes acoustic versions of three songs which were introduced on the Texas Flood debut album: "Rude Mood, " "Pride And Joy, " and "Testify." These are followed by television commercial spots that were produced by Epic Records in support of Couldn't Stand The Weather (in 1984) and Soul To Soul (1985).

write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page