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It was 25 years ago that Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble premiered at the Montreux Jazz Festival and caught the attention of David Bowie and Jackson Browne. Four months later, Vaughan and Double Trouble entered Browne’s studio in downtown Los Angles to record the critically acclaimed album “Texas Flood.” Tragically, it was only eight years later that SRV would be killed in a helicopter crash and his guitar silenced.
On August 26, 1990, SRV had finished a show at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre near East Troy, Wisconsin. The concert had also featured Robert Cray and Eric Clapton. Clapton and Vaughan talked about a future date for a tribute to Jimi Hendrix in London. Vaughan was informed that there were three seats available on a helicopter that was taking Clapton’s crew back to Chicago. He decided to take the seats with his brother Jimmie and Jimmie’s wife Connie.
When they got to the helicopter they found that there was only one seat left, and Stevie asked his brother if he could have it. The elder Vaughan obliged. Moments after takeoff, the copter crashed into a ski slope, and all five on board were killed. Although the crash happened only about a half mile from the concert, no one at the concert site noticed it. Vaughan’s body was the only one found outside the wreckage, which made some suggest that perhaps he had attempted to jump to safety.
At the time of SRV’s career in the 1980s, creating videos was almost as important as creating the music. It was, after all, the MTV generation. Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble: Pride And Joy is a compilation of SRV videos. An earlier version of it, released in 1990 in the VHS format, contained six promotional clips and two live numbers, ranging from 1983 through 1989.
Now, seventeen years later, after much anticipation, the collection is available on DVD. Along with the original eight clips, the new release includes one more bonus promotional clip, three acoustic segments from the MTV Unplugged series, two television commercials, and performances with Stevie’s older brother Jimmie as “The Vaughan Brothers.”
Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble: Pride And Joy really holds up after all of these years. Sure, viewed in today’s light some of the videos seem sort of corny, but after all, that was how it was done in those days.
As shown in the track listing below, the sequence of the tracks follows the time line from 1983 to 1991. While I love every tune, my favorites are “Little Wing,” “The House is Rockin,” “Crossfire,” and the acoustic version of “Pride and Joy.” The DVD has no real extras, I guess because all of the materials presented here would be considered extras if this were a concert video.
The MTV Unplugged tracks alone are worth the price of the DVD. They are of SRV alone with one guitar, and it is totally mesmerizing to watch him play. The interview with his brother Jimmie in the “The Vaughan Brothers” electronic press kit (EPK) is timeless to watch and shows the affection each had for the other. It is also sad to know that in less than a year…six months? Stevie would be gone forever.
Neither a helicopter crash nor time could silence the legend; SRV had made an indelible mark on the musical landscape. Just as he transcended musical styles, Stevie Ray Vaughan transcends time, and his music sounds just as fresh and alive today as it was 25 years ago. Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble: Pride And Joy is a must-own for anyone who loves music, especially the Texas blues.
Track Listing for Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble: Pride And Joy
Love Struck Baby (Texas Flood Promo Clip) 1983
Cold Shot (Couldn’t Stand the Weather Promo Clip) 1984
Couldn’t Stand the Weather (Couldn’t Stand the Weather Promo Clip) 1984
Change It (Soul to Soul Promo Clip) 1985
Superstition 1986
I’m Leaving You (Commit a Crime) (Live) 1987
House Is Rockin’ (in Step Promo Clip) 1989
Crossfire (in Step Promo Clip) 1989
Little Wing (the Sky Is Crying Promo Clip) 1992
Rude Mood (Acoustic) 1990
Pride and Joy (Acoustic) 1990
Testify (Acoustic) 1990
Couldn’t Stand the Weather (TV commercial)
Soul to Soul (TV commercial)
Tick Tock (Family Style Promo Clip) 1991
Good Texan (Family Style Promo Clip) 1991
Vaughan Brothers EPK (aka “Video Buyways”) 1991
