SRV - Live at Montreaux 1982 & 1985

[Steve_L]

I will be the first to admit I had not been a big fan of Stevie Ray Vaughn. I like the blues, but his particular somewhat gritty, somewhat rock, somewhat hard texas blues sound just never hit me as positively as it seemed to for so many others. I guess I just never "got" Stevie. On the other hand, I just maybe never really got to give him a good listen and maybe he just never got captured on tape as well as he might have if he was still alive today. Maybe a little bit of all of that. (I love jazz, but I still don't "get" Monk either.)

All the same, I decided that he seemed important enough to the blues that I needed some Stevie Ray Vaughn.

So, after browsing Amazon a bit, I took a chance to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Live at Montreaux 1982 and 1985.

This is essentially two concerts for the price of one. The first at Montreaux in 1982, before SRV and his two piece band (bass and drums) Double Trouble had become anything more than a fairly well known bar band. They didn't have a contract with a record label, and they had no albums out. (or CDs) They were just a pretty scruffy blues band with a young kid named Stevie Ray Vaughn who was supposed to be talented. To make matters worse, he was booked at Montreaux (a jazz festival with a blues night) between performers that were all mellow accoustic stuff, maybe a brush drum set and a accoustic base as a backup for some of them. Not hard electric rock style blues. Not at all. Especially not in France! Oh my! the French and Euro crowd booed louder after each song, and SRV just kept playing and trying harder, perhaps not getting at all that the French/Euro crowd there could be really jerks (yes, guys if your reading this, you can be when you try hard) when they want to be. So Stevie just kept playing better, and they just kept booing louder. He played virtuouso blues. The performance of his lifetime, a defining work. Young and rough around the edges, cigarette hanging precariously out of his mouth through most of the first couple songs, he played his heart out. The crowed booed and he finally said goodnoght after playing a super set.

The recording quality and the DTS 5.1 track for this are excellent, considering the recording is 1982 vintage live tracks off a live rather poor accoustical toom for such a amplified group. The video quality is pretty good but not wide screen.

Now, 3 years later, he is invited back and is coming in from a world-wide tour where he is becoming recognized as a world-class player. He and his band are much more polished. You can tell their doing better financially just looking at the way they are dressed. Stevie has multiple very expensive guitars, where as he only had the one Fender Strat that the paint was worn off of the first time. The band was welcomed back with open arms. he plays another fabulous set and just lights the place on fire. This is THE Stevie Ray Vaughn you need to own if you are to have a collection of the essential moder blues classics. He is truly fabulous and this set could be considered the bench-mark to every other practicioner of the blues in the world today. Maybe Clapton plays this well, and maybe Buddy Guy, maybe Carolos Santana can play a few licks like this too, but truthfully, this set is why they call Stevie Ray Vaughn the finest blues player that ever lived.

The sound quality is excellent for 1985, and the video is better too.

You get lots of nice extras, including interviews with the band members.

Stevie Ray, God bless you, you are missed, but you left us with a few good licks.

[oldbuckster]

I will be the first to admit I have had been a big fan of Stevie Ray Vaughn. I like the blues, but his particular somewhat gritty, somewhat rock, somewhat hard texas blues sound just never hit me as positively as it seemed to for so many others. I guess I just never "got" Stevie. On the other hand, I just maybe never really got to give him a good listen and maybe he just never got captured on tape as well as he might have if he was still alive today. Maybe a little bit of all of that. (I love jazz, but I still don't "get" Monk either.)

All the same, I decided that he seemed important enough to the blues that I needed some Stevie Ray Vaughn.

So, after browsing Amazon a bit, I took a chance to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble - Live at Montreaux 1982 and 1985.

This is essentially two concerts for the price of one. The first at Montreaux in 1982, before SRV and his two piece band (base and drums) Double Trouble had become anything more than a fairly well known bar band. They didn't have a contract with a record label, and they had no albums out. (or CDs) They were just a pretty scruffy blues band with a young kid named Stevie Ray Vaughn who was supposed to be talented. To make matters worse, he was booked at Montreaux (a jazz festival with a blues night) between performers that were all mellow accoustic stuff, maybe a brush drum set and a accoustic base as a backup for some of them. Not hard electric rock style blues. Not at all. Especially not in France! Oh my! the French and Euro crowd booed louder after each song, and SRV just kept playing and trying harder, perhaps not getting at all that the French/Euro crowd there could be really jerks (yes, guys if your reading this, you can be when you try hard) when they want to be. So Stevie just kept playing better, and they just kept booing louder. He played virtuouso blues. The performance of his lifetime, a defining work. Young and rough around the edges, cigarette hanging precariously out of his mouth through most of the first couple songs, he played his heart out. The crowed booed and he finally said goodnoght after playing a super set.

The recording quality and the DTS 5.1 track for this are excellent, considering the recording is 1982 vintage live tracks off a live rather poor accoustical toom for such a amplified group. The video quality is pretty good but not wide screen.

Now, 3 years later, he is invited back and is coming in from a world-wode tour where he is becoming recognized as a world-class player. He and his band are much more polished. You can tell their doing better financially just looking at the way they are dressed. Stevie has multiple very expensive guitars, where as he only had the one Fender Strat that the paint was worn off of the first time. The band was welcomed back with open arms. he plays another fabulous set and just lights the place on fire. This is THE Stevie Ray Vaughn you need to own if you are to have a collection of the essential moder blues classics. He is truly fabulous and this set could be considered the bench-mark to every other practicioner of the blues in the world today. Maybe Clapton plays this well, and maybe Buddy Guy, maybe Carolos Santana can play a few licks like this too, but truthfully, this set is why they call Stevie Ray Vaughn the finest blues player that ever lived.

The sound quality is excellent for 1985, and the video is better too.

You get lots of nice extras, including interviews with the band members.

Stevie Ray, God bless you, you are missed, but you left us with a few good licks.

First things first; I had the honor of seeing Stevie Ray and Jeff Beck together right before SRV's accident. SRV opened for Beck on that night, and they played together for the encore, WOW!

This DVD is a great set: 1982 a good set, but the crowd BOOING turned me off. How can you boo a guitarist like that? How rude is that?

1985 set, super set, much better crowd. I really like this disc, but if you like SRV, get SRV on Austin City Limits, classic performance, again the first set early SRV, almost aliitle afraid of the crowd, then a set a few years latter, and lo and behold, Stevie is in control, hotter than a bowl of Texas Chili.Great show by a GREAT SHOWMAN. Long live the Blues guitar, the Electric Blues Guitar.

[Steve_L]

You must be telepathic.. I just came from Amazon where I ordered the SRV at Austin City Limits. it's an '83 concert and an '89 concert.

I love all of the Austin City Limits DVDs. They just do such a great job.

What a loss to lose SRV. So sad.

A fabulous guitarist that was true to the art of the blues.

[Seadog]

Nice review of the DVD, Steve_L.

Live at the el Mocambo is also a decent SRV DVD from about the time he became famous (1983). The audio is better than the video on this DVD.

I saw SRV four times live (the first time in '81 or '82) and I was always in awe of his talent. In 1985 I had a front row seat at the Will Rodgers auditorium (Fort Worth) to see Stevie. Brother Jimmie stepped in for a couple of songs and on one tune, they played the same double-neck guitar, simultaneously. He was playing to a hometown crowd and he let it all hang out for that gig. I have never seen anyone put as much intensity in a performance as he did that night.

[wheelman]

The Austin City Limits dvd is pretty much my favorite. Texas flood is amazing. I have yet to buy Live at Montreaux.

[Seadog]

For a glimpse of early SRV's raw talent, look for the CD "Sugar Coated Love" by Lou Ann Barton with Rockola and Stevie Ray Vaughan. This CD includes 10 tracks recorded in 1977 featuring SRV on guitar. Stevie would have been about 23 then. The sound quality is not too fantastic, but it captures the greatness of SRV in the early days, long before fame and fortune.

[Tom Adams]

I have all of SRV's DVD's. And you guys pretty much summed up my feelings both about the DVD's production and SRV's performances. My ged - that man's playing makes the hair stand up on my arms.

Oh, and BTW Seadog.....as for you seeing SRV four times - I HATE YOU!!! YOU SUCK!!! [] [] [] [] []

Tom

[j-malotky]

I was at his Aug 26th 1990 show. I'll never forget being at work the next day talking to my friends about how great the show was, then hearing the news on the radio! I left work early that day.

JM

[Steve_L]

Wheelman, I've watched them both now. (I own them both now.) and I like Montreaux better than Live In Austin. Mainly because of the drama and tension that is set up between the two dates.. him getting booed so much in 82 and then coming back a hero in 85. But also because when he did that last set in 85, he had such a wonderful time on stage playing with John Copeland.

Stevie was just in his glory.

God bless Stevie Ray, he was truly a musical giant. The John Coltrane of his generation.

Fabulous, jaw dropping awesome. No one may ever play like that again. Ever.

[wheelman]

Wheelman, I've watched them both now. (I own them both now.) and I like Montreaux better than Live In Austin. Mainly because of the drama and tension that is set up between the two dates.. him getting booed so much in 82 and then coming back a hero in 85. But also because when he did that last set in 85, he had such a wonderful time on stage playing with John Copeland.

Stevie was just in his glory.

God bless Stevie Ray, he was truly a musical giant. The John Coltrane of his generation.

Fabulous, jaw dropping awesome. No one may ever play like that again. Ever.

I will most definetely buy it ( Thanks ). I love the sound quality and TONE on the Austin show it gives me goose bumps. Can't wait to check it out!