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Texas Flood

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This article is about the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble album. For the weather event in Texas and Oklahoma, see 2015 Texas–Oklahoma flood and tornado outbreak.
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Texas Flood is the first studio album by the American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, released on June 13, 1983 by Epic Records. The album was named after a cover featured on the album "Texas Flood", recorded by blues singer Larry Davis in 1958. Produced by the band and recording engineer Richard Mullen, it was recorded in only three days at Jackson Browne's personal recording studio in Los Angeles. Vaughan wrote six of the ten tracks on Texas Flood. Two singles were released from the album. A music video was made for "Love Struck Baby" and received regular rotation on MTV in 1983. In 1999, Texas Flood was reissued with five bonus tracks including an interview segment, studio outtake, and 3 live tracks recorded on September 23, 1983 at The Palace, Hollywood, California. In 2013, The album was reissued again, this time with two CDs in celebration of the album's 30th anniversary. Disc 1 is the Original album with one bonus track, Tin Pan Alley, which was first released on the 1999 reissue. Disc 2 is a previously unreleased concert recorded at Ripley's Music Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 20, 1983.

Background

Vaughan and Double Trouble had performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1982 and caught the attention of musician Jackson Browne. He offered the band three days of free use in his Los Angeles recording studio. During Thanksgiving weekend, they accepted Browne's offer and recorded a demo.[1] It was heard by record producer John H. Hammond, who had discovered artists such as Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen among many others.[2] He presented the demo to Greg Geller, head of A&R at Epic Records, and arranged a recording contract.[3][4]

Recording and production

Since the first day of production largely involved setting up equipment, Texas Flood was recorded in two days,[5] with no overdubs.[6] In early 1983, subsequent to the band's signing with Epic, they were given an advance of $65,000 to re-master the recordings.[3] The album was mixed and mastered in New York City.[3] The recordings were released as Texas Flood in June 1983.

Bassist Tommy Shannon recalls of the sessions, "It really was just a big warehouse with concrete floors and some rugs thrown down. We just found a little corner, set up in a circle looking at and listening to each other and played like a live band."[5] Vaughan used two Fender Vibroverbs and an 150-watt Dumbleland Special owned by Browne. Engineer and co-producer Richard Mullen says of his production techniques:

Just one mic on everything. I used two Shure SM57s on his guitar amps—one on a Fender Vibroverb with a 15-inch Altec Lansing speaker, and one on a Dumble 4x12" bottom (with Electro-Voice speakers) connected to a Dumble head. Stevie played through two Vibroverbs, but I only miked one of the speakers in one of them. I positioned the mics about three or four inches off the cabinet at about a 45 degree angle to the cone. The only effect he used was an Ibanez Tube Screamer.

— Richard Mullen, [7]

Touring

Further information: Texas Flood Tour

Vaughan and Double Trouble toured North America and Europe in June–December 1983 to support Texas Flood. On July 11, 1983, they performed at the El Mocambo in Toronto and a film was released in December 1999 by Sony named Live at the El Mocambo on DVD. A performance from Austin City Limits was also released on the video Live from Austin, Texas. On August 22, 1983, the band performed a sold-out concert at The Palace in Hollywood.[8] The show was broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour and three tracks were included on the reissue of Texas Flood.[9] The tour continued on through Europe and the band appeared at the Reading Festival in England.[10] They went back to the United States and opened 17 shows for The Moody Blues.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Robert Christgau(B)[13]
Entertainment Weekly(B+)[14]
Guitar World(favorable)[15]
Rolling Stone 1983[16]
2004[17]
Texas Monthly(favorable)[18]
Virgin Encyclopedia[19]
Yahoo! Music(favorable)[20]

Texas Flood was released on June 13, 1983, with two singles released from the album—"Pride and Joy" and "Love Struck Baby". "Pride and Joy" peaked at #20 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "Texas Flood" was nominated for Best Traditional Blues Performance and "Rude Mood" was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The album was mostly well received by critics. A five-star AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine described it as a "monumental impact" and said it "sparked a revitalization of the blues". Despite many positive responses, it also received some negative criticism with Rolling Stone criticizing Vaughan's originality and claiming that he didn't possess a distinctive style.

Texas Monthly gave the album a positive review, calling Vaughan "the most exciting guitarist to come out of Texas since Johnny Winter".[18] In a less enthusiastic review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau felt that the album lacks "momentum and song form", which he cited as both the essence of rock and roll and the reason his attention wanders "after the kickoff originals 'Love Struck Baby' and 'Pride and Joy.'"[13] The album peaked at #38 on the Billboard 200 chart immediately after its release. It went platinum in Canada and double-platinum in the United States, selling over 500,000 units.

Track listing

  1. "Love Struck Baby" (Stevie Ray Vaughan) – 2:24
  2. "Pride and Joy" (Vaughan) – 3:40
  3. "Texas Flood" (Larry Davis, Joseph Wade Scott) – 5:21
  4. "Tell Me" (Howlin' Wolf) – 2:49
  5. "Testify" (Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Jr., Rudolph Isley) – 3:25
  6. "Rude Mood" (Vaughan) – 4:40
  7. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (Buddy Guy) – 2:47
  8. "Dirty Pool" (Doyle Bramhall, Vaughan) – 5:02
  9. "I'm Cryin'" (Vaughan) – 3:42
  10. "Lenny" (Vaughan) – 4:58

Note: Many releases of the album erroneously attribute songwriting credits of "Testify" for Parliament members who have written an unrelated song of the same name.

1999 reissue bonus tracks

  2. "SRV Speaks" – 0:37
  3. "Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place in Town)" (Robert Geddins) – 7:42
  4. "Testify" (live) – 3:54
  5. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (live) (Guy) – 3:31
  6. "Wham!" (live) (Lonnie Mack) – 4:20

2013 reissue

Disc 1

  1. "Love Struck Baby" - 2:23
  2. "Pride And Joy" - 3:40
  3. "Texas Flood" - 5:21
  4. "Tell Me - 2:48
  5. "Testify" - 3:22
  6. "Rude Mood" - 4:40
  7. "Mary Had A Little Lamb" - 2:47
  8. "Dirty Pool" - 5:02
  9. "I'm Cryin'" - 3:47
  10. "Lenny" - 5:02
  11. "Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place in Town)" - 7:37

Disc 2

  1. "Testify (Live)" - 4:14
  2. "So Excited (Live)" - 4:17
  3. "Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Live)" - 7:44
  4. "Pride And Joy (Live)" - 4:57
  5. "Texas Flood (Live)" - 10:00
  6. "Love Struck Baby (Live)" - 3:08
  7. "Mary Had A Little Lamb (Live)" - 2:59
  8. "Tin Pan Alley (aka Roughest Place in Town) (Live)" - 8:14
  9. "Little Wing/Third Stone from the Sun (Live)" - 12:28

Personnel

Double Trouble
Production
1999 reissue
  • Executive producer – Tony Martell
  • Produced by Bob Irwin
  • Mastered by Vic Anesini
  • Track 12 mixed by Danny Kadar
  • Dialogue edited by Darcy Proper
  • Research assistance by George Deahl, Al Quaglieri, Matthew Kelly, and Jon Naatjes
  • Art direction by Josh Cheuse
  • Editorial direction by Andy Schwartz
  • Liner notes by Michael Ventura

Release history

Region Year Label Format Catalog
United States 1983 Epic Records LP 38734
1990 CD
1999 Epic/Legacy Recordings 65870
Japan 2005 Sony Music Entertainment CD 636

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[21] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[22] Gold 100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[23] Gold 7,500^
United States (RIAA)[24] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ Gregory & August 2003, p. 74
  2. ^ Kitts & September 1997, p. 7
  3. ^ a b c Gregory & August 2003, p. 78
  4. ^ Prial & June 2006, p. 295
  5. ^ a b Guitar World & October 2008
  6. ^ Nixon, Bruce (June 1983). "Playing the Blues for Bowie". Record. 2 (8): 21.
  7. ^ Guitar World February 2004
  8. ^ Los Angeles Times & August 1983
  9. ^ Texas Flood album notes & March 1999, p. 6
  10. ^ Noble & January 1996
  11. ^ Moody Blues Tourbook 2000
  12. ^ Allmusic 2009
  13. ^ a b Christgau 1983
  14. ^ Schinder & April 1999
  15. ^ di Perna & October 2008, pp. 98–106
  16. ^ Loder & August 1983
  17. ^ Hoard & November 2004, pp. 844–45
  18. ^ a b Plowman & September 1983, p. 192
  19. ^ Larkin & March 2002
  20. ^ Yahoo! Music 2011
  21. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble – Texas Flood". Music Canada.
  22. ^ "French album certifications – Stevie Ray Vaughan – Texas Flood" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  23. ^ NZ Top 40 Albums Chart. The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 1985.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – VAUGHAN, S.R. & DOUBLE TROUBLE – Texas Flood". Recording Industry Association of America.

References

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