Texas Flood

Well, it isn't. The late Stevie Ray Vaughan was actually every bit as great as he was made out to be, and his debut album is by far the best collection of blues-rock and contemporary blues of the first half of the 80s, holding up wonderfully more than twenty years later.

This record brought the blues back into the limelight. It spent some seven months on the American charts (an extremely rare feat for what is essentially a blues record), and it includes several of Stevie Ray Vaughan's very best songs:
The blistering rockers "Love Struck Baby" and "I'm Cryin'" are here, as well as the magnificent slow blues "Texas Flood" and "Dirty Pool", an excellent rendition of Buddy Guy's blues-slash-nursery rhyme "Mary Had A Little Lamb", and of course Stevie Ray's most famous song, the sublime "Pride And Joy".

And the guitar playing is masterful. Vaughan had an incredibly ability to keep his solos sounding fresh and innovative, even when they went on for several minutes at a time, and he was a more than adequate singer as well, switching effortlessly between rock n' roll and slow, soulful blues tunes.

This CD reissue adds five bonus tracks, one of which is a short interview snippet. The other four include a very good live take on "Mary Had A Little Lamb", and the otherwise unreleased instrumental "Wham" (unreleased except on compilations, that is).
And everything here, rockers, blues, instrumentals and bonus cuts, is worth a listen. Many listens. "Texas Flood" is a magnificent blues record, probably Vaughan's finest original album, and it should appeal to fans of both blues and rock.


Bow down to the master   June 9, 2004
Paul J. Escamilla (NYC)
It's very simple: SRV was the greatest electric blues guitarist ever, and one hell of a singer too. This was one of his masterpieces. Buy it, or I'll be forced to hunt you down.....


Want To Here Some Talent?   May 7, 2004
Luke Hamrocknroll (Hermitage,Pa)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Texas Flood is Stevie Ray Vaughan's first debut album including the opening track Love Struck Baby with a beautiful texas tone. Then their is the songs that most guitarist never forget including Stevie Ray Vaughan's greatest hit Pride And Joy, and Texas Flood. Lenny is the softer track on the album dedicated to his wife Lenny. I think one of the coolest Blues Shuffles is on Rude Mood. I think Stevie Ray Vaughan had a wonderful talent doing what he did he was one of the greatest guitarist the ever lived. Their are some old great blues songs on here like the Lonnie Mack orginal Wham. The greatest guitar song on the album is Texas Flood. This album has got plenty of radio play that it deserved. Any guitarist should buy this you will not be disapointed. Highly Recomened! Only The Best


The glorious SRV enters the scene   April 11, 2004
Alejandro Caputi (dysneyland)
SRV is the greatest blues guitar ever, he is the legacy of Hendrix (he would be the best blues guitar player ever, but he was so other things...), if you have any doubt you can hear Buddy Guy still saying that is this his favotite record.
With no effects and a stunning tecnique with his pick (that muting and scraping), in the 80's when the world was surrounded with those fast and full with effects guitar-virtuosos with solos without ending, SRV blow us away, he went back to the roots, he picked up his old Strat and plugged into a Marshall and that was it: you were hearing blues like old times, SRV studied all kind of blues and he sure knowed how it was supposed to sound.
One great piece is "Lenny", with the guitar that his wife gave him and he called it "Lenny", this appears to be a very a very sentimental tune with only a very clean guitar filled with harmonics, a little bass and a few drums and that's it, an awesome wat to close the album.
But this isn't all, in this edition you have SRV talking about how he plays, and some rare live versions.
This is a stripped-blues albums that opaqued everything that was done before, some young artists followed his steps (the case of Kenny Wayne Shepherd).
A ground-breaker for blues fanatics.


Texas Blues, and Double Trouble   March 24, 2004
Luke H. (Hermitage, Pa United States)
In 1983 Stevie Ray Vaughan came upon the blues scene with his debut album Texas Flood. If you can remember the 1980's was filled with hair bands. Then their was Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. The first time I heard Texas Flood I thought to myself this is the next Jimi Hendrix. Stevie Ray Vaughan was a powerful blues guiarist, as well as a powerful voice. My favorite song on this album was always Texas Flood this was one of the greatest blues songs ever written. Before Texas Flood the band played the Montreux Jazz Festival one of their biggest downfalls. In the roaring crowd was David Bowie who discovered the young texan guitarist. Latter the great John Hammond would sign the band to Epic. Texas Flood was basically recorded live no special arangments just straight ahead blues played live just like the band did in the early Austin Clubs. The band Double Trouble were already Legends in a sense with a sucessful album in hand. Stevie Ray Vaughan was to me the guitar hurricane expesically on Texas Flood.

Pride And Joy, Texas Flood, Rude Mood, Mary Had Alittle Lamb, Dirty Pool, and Lenny were songs that Stevie reguarly played on stage during 1983 to 1990. I think for most guitarist Texas Flood is the best blues album that was ever created. Steive Ray Vaughan was a huge influence to many guitarist also. On this album their are also 5 bonus tracks. Starting out with SRV Speaks when Stevie talks about his guitar playing then, Tin Pan ALley, Testify(Live), Mary Had Alittle Lamb(Live), and Wham!(Live). Stevie remains as one of the greatest guitarist of all time he is truely the guitar hurricane. Highly Recomended!!