Published on May 26, 1999
It seems like everyone remembers where they were when a major
news story breaks, such as the murder of John Kennedy or the car
accident that claimed Princess Diana’s life.
For music lovers, a similar experience is knowing where they
were when they heard that Stevie Ray Vaughan had been killed in a
helicopter crash. I had just been awakened by my alarm in college –
a day after a powerful tornado levelled an area just a few miles
from where the school was. The news station clicked on, and the
sketchy details seemed to hint that possibly Eric Clapton had been
aboard. Hearing the news that it was Vaughan who had perished
didn’t lessen the shock, though I was relieved that Clapton was
okay.
The memory of his death is still vivid, almost nine years after
the fact, and hearing his last studio effort with Double Trouble,
In Step, remains the best celebration of Vaughan’s life.
Recently given the TLC touch with rare tracks and interview
segments, though, one has to wonder if the minds behind this
otherwise great idea ruined a good thing.
The first album recorded after Vaughan cleaned up from drug and
alcohol abuse, it’s musically tight and filled with life. From the
opening guitar shuffle of “The House Is Rockin'” to the light,
jazzy riffs that envelop the listener on “Riviera Paradise,” this
could well have been the defining moment of Vaughan’s career.
In Step will probably forever be known for the track
“Crossfire,” a song which rightfully made the charts, and is still
a song that sends shivers up my spine each time I hear it. While
Vaughan’s talents on the guitar have always been evident, you can
hear him putting his Stratocaster through an intense workout that
will undoubtedly leave you, the listener, sweating. It’s an
emotionally raw, exposed nerve – and it’s incredible.
But the best track on
In Step may well be “Tightrope”, a song which alludes to the
demons that Vaughan had faced in his life. Another barn-burner, you
can hear the emotion in Vaughan’s voice as he bellows out the
chorus of this song.
From the original ten tracks on
In Step, I have yet to find one track that I don’t enjoy
listening to. Whether it’s the blues shuffle Vaughan was known for
on “Wall Of Denial”, a jump-like blues on “Let Me Love You Baby”, a
more traditional blues of “Leave My Girl Alone” or a
balls-to-the-wall instrumental like “Travis Walk,” simply put, this
album kicks ass.
And then, there are the bonus tracks. While I welcomed the
opportunity to hear an interview segment featuring Vaughan, I would
have preferred to hear something that related to the music on this
album instead of how music had been his one job for so long. The
remainder of the four new cuts are live tracks recorded in Denver
in 1989. They’re decent enough, but one wonders why these
particular tracks – including “Texas Flood” – were chosen. (After
watching the
Legends bio of Vaughan, including “Life Without You” and its
anti-drug message makes perfect sense.)
It’s almost like adding on tracks to a perfect album would be
like making an adjustment to the “Mona Lisa” – don’t screw with
what is stellar already. (The only way I could have really
justified putting bonus material on this would have been if they
had included the jam on “Sweet Home Chicago” from that show on
August 25, 1990. (I don’t claim that they have a good quality tape
of that in the vaults, but one can always dream.) Somehow, closing
this album with the final song that Vaughan played would have been
appropriate.
Still,
In Step is a great album in and of itself, and the live
tracks do add something to the experience – though one wonders if
it was absolutely necessary to do so. If you have never purchased
In Step, now you have no reason not to.