Published on Mar 26, 1999
Stevie Ray Vaughan has been gone now for over eight years, yet
his legacy as one of the best blues guitarists who ever lived
remains. Interest in Vaughan’s music has hardly waned since his
tragic death, with new albums (comprising of a few outtakes and
live performances) occasionally grace the marketplace.
Obviously, one
Greatest Hits album was not enough to contain the genius
that he was… prompting the release of
The Real Deal: Greatest Hits Volume 2. Unlike many “second
best-of” albums that seem to scrape the mediocre material from the
catalog, the 16 songs on this disc are just as enjoyable and moving
as any that you would find on the first collection.
Covering almost his entire recorded legacy (only
Live At Carnegie Hall doesn’t have tracks pulled from it),
Vaughan’s growth as an artist from the John Hammond days (“Love
Struck Baby”) to the survivor of his own personal hell (“Wall Of
Denial,” “Riviera Paradise”) is chronicled here. And even if you’re
not into the blues, there will be something on this collection that
will make you like Vaughan.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself saying, “Why wasn’t this
track included on the first best-of?” I can’t explain how songs
like “Look At Little Sister,” “Empty Arms” or “Voodoo Chile (Slight
Return)” didn’t make it onto the original
Greatest Hits album. They just didn’t, okay?
The Real Deal rectifies that problem, simply, by not
featuring one weak track on it.
Two special surprises await those who own every album Vaughan
has ever put out. “Pipeline,” a track originally featured on the
soundtrack to
Back To The Beach, is dug out of the vaults for your
enjoyment – and it’s not a bad rendition of the song. The other
gift is a live version of “Leave My Girl Alone,” a track originally
on Vaughan’s
In Step album. It is so true to the form of the studio
version that were it not for the audience clapping, you’d swear you
were listening to the album version. (You can also hear Vaughan
pouring his whole being into his guitar solos – one of the rare
times I wish that a CD had come with multimedia extras.)
There are many excellent guitarists out on the market today, but
none have been able to step up to the plate and claim the throne
that Vaughan held. It didn’t matter if it was his beloved
Stratocaster in his hands or an acoustic guitar, Vaughan could
squeeze the last ounce of magic out of it – something which
The Real Deal makes known very well.
It also reminds us of the talent that we lost when his
helicopter crashed, and how rare it is that such a musician comes
onto the scene to share his or her gifts with us. Fortunately,
Vaughan did share them, someone had the smarts to sign him – and
The Real Deal is just the latest album to help keep
Vaughan’s memory and legacy alive.