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Week 15:
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Artist Introduction
Although you are welcome to do so, this Club selection, Stevie Ray Vaughan, does not require a lot of examination! His song structures are all pretty much the same! His lyrics exist because, uhh, ya can’t just do instrumentals! Hell, even most of his songs are in just 3 or 4 chords- but it is what he does to the chords via technique, the speed with which he does it and how he switches from rhythms to riffs and leads that gained him the exuberant praise of peers, as well as his short-lived commercial success. I happen to love most of his vocals, although many do not! I’ve been a huge fan of his music for over 40 years.
Vaughan started noodling an acoustic at age 7. His brother Jimmie gave him a hand me down electric guitar a few years later. He joined his first band at age 11! His style was referred to at the time (mid-late 60s) as “texas blues”. Muddy Waters and Albert King, both renowned blues players of the time, were his influences- and he got to play with both of them in the 70s, before his commercial success started. It took Stevie many years of playing bars and small music clubs, with dozens of musicians, before he formed Double Trouble. His first album was in 1983. His 4th, and last, was in 1990. Pilot error is the official cause of the helicopter crash that took his life in August 1990. He was 35 years old.
Uncle Vin Cascella
Most Popular
Pride and Joy
His most popular song, it’s a fun sounding, easy going toe tapper to get us started. Some fun guitar licks, solid work by his boys Tommy Shannon on bass and Chris Layton on drums.
Crossfire
altho he didn’t write this one, its release in 1989 was a (for him) commercial success. The newish sound was primarily the addition of Reese Wynans on keyboards. His vocal sound is rougher, more aggressive.
Scuttle Buttin'
a 1984 tune, it’s basically the kind of song a guitar player will write as something to warm up to- a little 2minute ditty. I actually do something similar on acoustic! This was also kind of popular.
Personal Favorites
Superstition- Live
Great live cover of Stevie Wonder’s classic. Wonder thought highly of Vaughan’s version and actually performed it with him (and Jeff Beck) at a 1988 Awards show. Is SRV’s vocal great? Probably not. Is his guitar a little overly reverbed in spots? Possibly! Is it a fun tune? Feckin’ absolutely!
Tightrope
Another 1989 product- fuller sound. I love the pace of this one, and the fact that Vaughan plays a little more under control. Kind of a Pop/Rock feel too. The Band is really great here. Probably some of his best lyrics- maybe his co-writer?
Wall Of Denial
Fun opening riff. Some cool lyrics. The middle lead is great and the final 1:30 smokes. I love the vocal too!
Unique Songs
Mary Had a Little Lamb
funny little ditty with a cool vibe. Love the low voice vocal. Yes, same old structure and chords, but, to me, very cool!
Telephone Song
billed as the Vaughan brothers- brother Jimmie on 2nd guitar. Love the guitar riff, very contagious. Vaughan using a wah-wah. This became a bit of a hit after SRV’s passing.
Life By The Drop
It sounds like Vaughan was just having fun in a studio- “hey check this out”. Released posthumously. I thought this was a good way to say goodbye to SRV.
Conclusions
And yes- he struggled with alcohol and drugs since his teen years. He allegedly mostly straightened himself out before his death- finally grew up I guess? We’ll never know.
Cascella Family Reviews
Vin Cascella
Joe Cascella
Stevie Ray Vaughn, nice. This should be relatively new to me, but I’m expecting some cool music and some heavy guitar influences. I hope I’m right with that, but I guess we’ll see.
Pride and Joy – Nailed it! Loud guitar to start, and we’re off! Oh yeah, I love this intro. Smooth blues, nothing like it. Okay, I knew it right when the lyrics started, so this makes sense. I also nailed it with me thinking he would be cool. Considering I wasn’t confident in my pre-music take, I for sure got that spot on after 1 song. This song is great, fun guitar, solid solo towards the back half. On a coolness scale, this is right up there with George Thorgood and Lenny Kravitz, the coolest sounding guys in rock n roll!
Crossfire – This is a haunted classic rock intro, and settles into more conventional classic rock as it goes. He’s clearly a fantastic guitarist, wildly skilled in that area. I can envision the little guitar riffs in between lines of the verse getting old quickly, but while we’re still fresh, I’m really enjoying it.
Scuttle Buttin – Fast paced and impressive string work off the rip, and it’s maintained for the entirety of the song. Does he open with this to warm up + get the crowd hyped up? He must be incredible to see live. Some guys can do things with instruments that put you in a trance. I’ve been in a crowd twice where I was just blown away, mouth breathing like the fat retard I am. It was Gary Clark Jr and Billy Strings. Both concerts just blew me away with the amount of fantastic playing of instruments, and I can see this doing the same for me.
Superstition (Live) – I’m glad we’re getting a live rendition throughout this listen, to see if it matches what I’ve been saying. Wow yeah, the boys get right into it. SRV would be a pretty sick vinyl to have, I may have to invest in one. Obviously, this is a monster hit song and cover, and it sounds awesome! Very edgy vocals live. And yeah, the boys are popping off more n more the further they get into this.
Tightrope – Really “tight” guitar work, as per usual. I like the 3-punch riff throughout the song. The drummer is right alongside him in this one, and it’s cool to hear two guys making so much noise in this one. I also appreciate smooth transitions, which his music is full of.
Wall of Denial – Although the guitar work is distinct and different, the overall theme of the music is starting to get a little redundant for me. I can only take so much super cool guy rock n roll.
Mary Had a Little Lamb – Do we have a nursery rhyme here? Let’s see. A very funky start. Mary’s little lamb seems to be quite the troublemaker, causing havoc in the classroom. I can see this being featured in School of Rock, just Jack Black shredding this to his class.
Telephone Song – Some of these songs are for sure starting to blend in together. He does just enough to add in these little elements here and there that create the actual distinction between songs. Yeah, it’s fine.
Life by the Drop – Is this much later in his catalog? SRV reminiscing about his prime. I’m sure it does happen quickly, so this was a cool look at his career. It sounds a bit more country too. I liked it quite a bit, and appreciated the different sound.
Overall: I said it early on in the review, but he is classic smooth and cool blues rock n roll. There is no doubt he is a fantastic guitarist, and his live shows must be a spectacle. As far as 9 songs back-to-back, it gets a bit stale because a lot of his music is so similar. I for sure would have loved to have seen him live in his prime, and I think he’s the perfect vinyl artist to have in the collection. I can see myself spinning this in my downstairs area with the windows open while I’m grilling some burgers in the summer, drinking a cold pilsner, feeling like a boss. Although a bit repetitive, I really enjoyed the listen. 7.4/10
Okay I just read reviews now that I am done, and I had no idea he died at 35 in 1990, which is wild. I don’t know shit sometimes.
Mom Cascella
Ok, on to Stevie Ray Vaughn (SRV). Obviously I know the man, I know the music. Read a great book a few years back about him and his brother Jimmy. SRV was a Great guitarist playing Texas blues. But there were a few surprises for me while doing my deep dive. Here goes:
PRIDE AND JOY- probably one of SRV’s most recognizable songs. Great bluesy riff, with easy lyrics. And as we’ll see quite often, a great electric guitar lead midway thru the song. This is what I expect from listening to SRV music.
CROSSFIRE- cool bass start, then SRV guitar taking over. Again, halfway thru a great guitar lead kicking ass. Lyrics a bit more intraspective. “Stranded, Caught in the Crossfire”, referring to SRV’s ongoing (or past) battles with alcohol and drugs. Same formula a previous song, but that bass is fucking rocking following the lead guitar.
SCUTTLE BUTTIN’- short instrumental song, where 1950’s rock and roll (Chuck Berry?) meets Texas bluegrass. Cool song with really fast guitar picking, and of course, great bass work following the lead
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SUPERSTITION (LIVE)- Austin, Tx performance, opens with really cool guitar chords, with hardly any lead guitar until 3 minutes in. Keyboards help (does he really need it), but performance sounded a little thin overall. Do have to say, watching this performance, along with multiple others, I think it’s so cool that he rarely and barely looks at his guitar while playing. He is the second coolest looking guitar player ever (can we guess who’s Number 1).
TIGHTROPE- One of my favorite SRV songs. Bigger production in this one. I know I’m using this word too often, BUT, cool beat, cool rhythm, cool chords, cool lead, and cool lyrics. Another introspective song(?) regarding continuing struggle with his demons. Even though we’ve heard this song sound in other SRV selections, this song just absolutely screams COOL!!!
WALL OF DENIAL- Didn’t know this song. I really liked the chord progression throughout, and loved the offbeat feel of it (not the usual straight forwardness of SRV music). Then at 2 minute mark, we get, of course, a great guitar lead accompanied by driving bass. Lyrics again deeper, “Yeah this wall of denial must tumble down”. Real good song.
MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB- a fun song, I guess, where Suzy Q meets SRV blues. Cool combo of chords and lead guitar. Liked his play on lyrics.
TELEPHONE SONG- Playing music with his brother Jimmy, this is a little disappointing in that it’s nothing new, nothing different musically. Is that Jimmy on the Wah-Wah? Spoken word towards end of song was good, and definitely different.
LIFE BY THE DROP- Excellent choice Vin on final song. One of my favorite SRV songs. Is that electric acoustic guitar? And only chords throughout (fantastic!!). And SRV singing with echo is definitely different. This song features some of SRV’s best singing, and the lyrics are the best of this selection. It’s funny, I always wondered if this song was about SRV’s relationship with Jimmy or was the song a metaphor for SRV’s past addictions. Deep dive explained it was his relationship with friend and former bandmate Doyle Bramhall. I love this deep dive shit!! Great final selection!!!
OK, so let me rant a little bit. Stevie Ray Vaughn (RIP) was absolutely a great blues guitarist. I always knew his extraordinary guitar leads, but after deep diving, I’ve realized that he was an incredible chord player also. His music is unmistakably his, when you hear it you know it’s SRV (much like you know when hearing EVH playing guitar). As for his bandmates, Double Trouble, great stuff, especially the bass. They accompanied SRV’s guitar perfectly. It must have been fun to be his band. As for lyrics, they were mostly fine, sometimes a bit too easy, and sometimes deeper. I’m fine with that (the guitar work was most important). And as for his singing, I think it fits in perfectly with the music. Sometimes rough, sometimes soulful. Now, as for the selection overall. I’ve always said about SRV that to listen to his music was good bluesy rock, but many, many times repetitive. So many of his songs sound alike. But I’ve also said that watching live performances of SRV was a whole different experience. I’ve said before, he was the 2nd coolest guitarist for me (of course you knew Jimmy P. is my first choice). He was incredible on stage. King of guitar cool. He plays effortless. And watching live performances I’ve realized that many times the sound is so much fuller live than in studio work. This was a great listen, and even better viewing the great work of SRV. I’m only sorry one of my favorite songs, COLD SHOT, was left off the list. I’ll give Stevie Ray Vaughn a 7.4
Uncle Vin Cascella
I know Stevie Ray Vaughn’s music, but never really listened too hard. I’m looking forward.
PRIDE AND JOY- Yes, I know this one. Nice bluesy sound. Sweet lyrics about loving his lady. Really good guitar lead.
CROSSFIRE- Yup, know this one too. Nice funky sound. Good lyrics about sobriety and avoiding temptation. I like it. 2 for 2.
SCUTTLE BUTTIN- didn’t know this one. Fast paced swinging song. Where’s the words? (I like hearing him sing). Fun guitar sound.
SUPERSTITION- obviously know this one. I like this version and his gritty voice. Fun rendition. Rocks a little harder than Stevie W.
TIGHTROPE- another good bluesy song. Starting to hear similar music in all these. Talking about demons and temptation again. Good song.
WALL OF DENIAL- bluesy again, but more rockish. Fine lyrics.
MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB- Fun different twist on a nursery rhyme. Good lead guitar, again. Singing is much more serene.
TELEPHONE SONG- another cool funky song. Easy listening. Really like when guitar kicks in. I like the fun little chatter at the end.
LIFE BY THE DROP- different more intimate song. Sounds like he’s just sitting on a bar stool, strumming this one. Very nice song, nice way to end the listen.
I enjoyed this listen very much. This was different for me, not normally my kind of music. Cool guy with a nice raspy voice. Shame he died so young. Would have been nice to hear what else he had in store for us. I enjoyed Stevie, I give him a 7.5