Stevie Ray Vaughan: The Essential 2LP Vinyl

Why you'll love it

This Epic/Legacy 2LP set, produced by Bob Irwin, runs across all four studio albums with Double Trouble plus a Vaughan Brothers track. Vaughan is counted among the greatest guitarists of all time, and "Crossfire" gave him a No. 1 hit.

This edition

2LP set
Produced by Bob Irwin for Legacy

About the album

Stevie Ray Vaughan picked up the guitar at seven in Dallas, chasing his big brother Jimmie, and never really put it down. He moved to Austin at 17, formed Double Trouble with Tommy Shannon on bass and Chris Layton on drums, and by 1982 they were one of the most popular acts in Texas, good enough to land a slot at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

From there it moved fast. John Hammond heard a demo and brought them to Epic, and the debut Texas Flood made his name within months. This set picks the high points: "Pride and Joy" and "Love Struck Baby" from that first album, the title track of Couldn't Stand the Weather, "Cold Shot," the jazzy "Lenny," his storming take on "Little Wing," and "Crossfire" and "Tightrope" from In Step, plus "Long Way from Home" with Jimmie.

He led the blues revival of the 1980s and headlined Madison Square Garden in 1989, all in a mainstream career of seven years. David Bowie saw him play once at Montreux and called him in for Let's Dance. Most of us need a second listen just to decide on lunch.

Also at Kops: more Stevie Ray Vaughan on vinyl · browse Blues