Stevie Ray Vaughan, "Couldn't Stand the Weather"

Ken doubles our trouble with a bluesman's group

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Mar 31, 2021

Ken’s Pitch:

Fun fact: every single Boomer born between 1947 and 1952 claims they were at Woodstock. So, while the history books say there were only about 400,000 people in attendance, based on the “first hand” accounts of those protest-loving, chanting-away-the-rain freaks, the number must have been more like 10 million. Why do all these people who clearly weren’t there make the claim? It probably has something to do with wanting to be a part of history. While everyone was aware of the festival through the newspapers and TV, the desire to hang on to the importance of it grew over time and tall tales of mud and free love began to be told.

I hadn’t heard of anything like that happening again, that is until Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash in 1990. I had seen the great Texas bluesman twice (once in MA in the summer of 1989 and then later that year in AZ after I started college) and while the crowds were thrilled to be witnessing guitar greatness, there was no “buzz” during the days leading up to the concerts, and no pre-show hoopla from the news or the people around my college campus. For both of those shows, Stevie seemed to be coming into town under a cloak of invisibility. But when that helicopter tragically went down in Wisconsin, Stevie Ray Vaughan fans came out of the woodwork.

People I’d known for years who barely knew what a guitar looked like suddenly had pseudo-intellectual things to say about the greatness of In Step. Others were giving complete keg-party dissertations about the nuanced differences between Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell vs. Double Trouble. Stevie Ray Vaughan was an important piece of musical and American history and no one wanted to feel like they had missed it.

Coming on the scene in 1983 with a strong debut album, Texas Flood was pretty much a straight blues album - a really good blues album. But we’d been through an entire era of blues and a lot of the original guitar giants (B.B. King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker) were still very much alive and still performing well. I don’t know if this had anything to do with SRV’s thinking about how to follow up with his second album, but I like to believe he wanted to make a departure from the genre.

Enter Couldn’t Stand the Weather in May of 1984. Blues had met rock ‘n roll before; in fact, the two had a bit of a marriage. Muddy Waters (who had just died months before CSTW was released) had a song called “The Blues Had a Baby and They Named It Rock and Roll”, and it was true to its name. Most early rock was built on simple blues scales. But the blues had never seen an album like Couldn’t Stand the Weather. An in-your-face, blues-hard rock fusion led by a guitar virtuoso with lightning-quick fingers and the precision of the greatest classical guitarists of all time.

In the afterglow of August 1969, people all over the world knew something special had happened that their generation had created. It was an indelible event that they knew would be remembered for decades. And to many of those that were there (even though they weren’t actually there), they wanted to remind us of how important it was, so they spun their brown-acid laden yarns about Max Yasgur, Canned Heat and the drum solo on Santana’s “Soul Sacrifice”. In the aftermath of August 1990, another artist that people wish they hadn’t missed had come and gone. And he was so important, my generation just HAD to have been there to witness him and pass on stories of his importance, even if most of us weren’t really there.

Don’s Response:

Jeff George was an All-American quarterback selected as the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He had everything going for him to be a star at the turn of the 90’s: a penchant for acid washed jeans, a mullet for the ages, and - man oh man - could he sling it. But he turned out to be fool’s gold, suffered a short-lived, star-crossed career, and never lived up to the hype.

Enter a proverbial gunslinger from another line of work, Stevie Ray Vaughan. On paper, there’s a lot to love and nothing wrong with SRV. But a big right arm isn’t everything you need to win in rock & roll, and it turns out he, too, was just a tease.

Couldn’t Stand The Weather has some redeeming qualities, especially the cover of Jimi Hendrix’ “Voodoo Child.” But even that was too easy for Vaughan. Kinda like how George looked in practice inside a dome, effortlessly moving down the field in perfect conditions, spinning spirals against no defense.

But if you listen past the eye-popping guitar bombs, all you hear is a one-dimensional offense stuck in place. Backing band Double Trouble could hold down the fort when Vaughan faded back to pass. Yet he rarely handed it off.

The best football offenses are balanced, have rhythm, and spread the field. Unfortunately for Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, the whole is lesser than the sum of its parts.

Pitch Failed

CJ’s Response:

In the halcyon days of advertising, when budgets were large and expense accounts were rubber-stamped, I used to crisscross the country shooting TV spots and meeting with clients. During those freewheeling times, I often found myself in Chicago for one reason or another. And when I did, I never failed to eat an enormous steak and spend an evening at one of Chi-town’s many legendary blues clubs. If there is a better night out than a meal at Gene and Georgetti followed by three or four hours sucking down Old Styles and listening to a local blues outfit, I have yet to find it.

My favorite haunt was a place called Blue Chicago. It was dark and smoky and full of degenerate blues fans like myself. More importantly, the music was always transcendent. In addition to some original tunes, we were always treated to the standards—“Red House”, “Mannish Boy”, “Stormy Monday” and, invariably, “Cold Shot” by Mr. Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Being a hard rock fan, blues was a natural draw for me since it’s clearly the basis for all my favorite music. Stevie Ray flew onto my radar during my early high school years and really never left until his untimely death in 1990. I loved the effortless way he played, his laid-back style and his wry sense of humor, especially in the videos he made. He took the blues seriously, but not himself.

It’s hard to bring blues to the masses. Probably the only act more successful at doing it than Stevie was another little ol’ band from Texas, ZZ Top. Couldn’t Stand the Weather was so good that even the most hardened Spandau Ballet fan couldn’t ignore it. And while most chart-topping music from that era sounds like the ‘80s, Stevie’s music is timeless.

Hey Ken, I’ve got a six-pack of Old Styles in the fridge and Stevie on the house speakers. Come on over anytime you want.

Pitch Successful

Mitch’s Response:

At a certain point in life you realize that some unpopular opinions are best kept to yourself. Not because you’re ashamed of those opinions, or because the opinion is performative, but simply because it’s exhausting arguing with people about them.

Things I wish I didn’t hate

Everyone loves Monty Python. My whole life people have been quoting Python and cracking each other up. To this very day, people I greatly respect still love Monty Python. I wish I liked Monty Python. Hell, I wish any British people were intentionally funny, but all I can do is say “I got better!” with a fake laugh and a frozen smile and hope we go back to quoting The Simpsons.

Things I pretend to hate

I love to pretend to hate The Beatles. I’ve done it my whole life, even though I obviously adore them, because it’s a fun position to take. It’s like my primal era of trolling. Sure, Paul’s granny tunes and the Ringo novelty songs suck, but George is the greatest of all time and Lennon’s murder was horrific. That said, I’d still rather listen to the Stones, so maybe it’s not a bit after all.

Things I pretend not to hate

I sincerely hate overly busy blues-based guitar players like Stevie Ray Vaughan (mediocre singer-songwriter, annoying guitarist) and Jimi Hendrix (great singer-songwriter, annoying guitarist) but you can’t say that without everyone thinking you’re a moron with terrible taste in music. All that fast playing from SRV gives me a headache. I’m convinced that scuttle buttin’ is Texas-speak for migraine. I know, I’m a moron with terrible taste in music. Just please make it stop.

Pitch Failed

Ken’s pitch got rained out and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather has been exiled from the Newbury St. Collection.

Step into the crossfire of the comments section and let us know whether Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather gives you pride and joy or just some empty arms.

Exile on Newbury St.

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