Couldn't Stand the Weather

by Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan

Overview

Stevie Ray Vaughan's second album, Couldn't Stand the Weather, pretty much did everything a second album should do: it confirmed that the acclaimed debut was no fluke, while matching, if not bettering, the sales of its predecessor, thereby cementing Vaughan's status as a giant of modern blues. So why does it feel like a letdown? Perhaps because it simply offers more of the same, all the while relying heavily on covers. Of the eight songs, half are covers, while two of his four originals are instrumentals -- not necessarily a bad thing, but it gives the impression that Vaughan threw the album together in a rush, even if he didn't. Nevertheless, Couldn't Stand the Weather feels a bit like a holding pattern, since there's no elaboration on Double Trouble's core sound and no great strides forward, whether it's in Vaughan's songwriting or musicianship. Still, as holding patterns go, it's a pretty enjoyable one, since Vaughan and Double Trouble play spiritedly throughout the record. With its swaggering, stuttering riff, the title track ranks as one of Vaughan's classics, and thanks to a nuanced vocal, he makes W.C. Clark's "Cold Shot" his own. The instrumentals -- the breakneck Lonnie Mack-styled "Scuttle Buttin'" and "Stang's Swang," another effective demonstration of Vaughan's jazz inclinations -- work well, even if the original shuffle "Honey Bee" fails to make much of an impression and the cover of "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" is too reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix's original. So, there aren't many weaknesses on the record, aside from the suspicion that Vaughan didn't really push himself as hard as he could have, and the feeling that if he had, he would have come up with something a bit stronger. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/23/1999
Label:	Epic / Legacy
UPC:	0888837150927

Tracks

1. Scuttle Buttin'
2. Couldn't Stand the Weather
3. The Things (That) I Used To Do
4. Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
5. Cold Shot
6. Tin Pan Alley (Aka Roughest Place In Town)
7. Honey Bee
8. Stang's Swang
9. Srv Speaks
10. Hide Away
11. Look At Little Sister
12. Give Me Back My Wig
13. Come On (Pt. Iii)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble   Primary Artist
Stevie Ray Vaughan   Primary Artist,Lead,Guitar,Vocals
Double Trouble   Primary Artist
Jimmie Vaughan   Guest Artist,Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Tim White   Vocals
Stan Harrison   Saxophone,Sax (Tenor)
Chris Layton   Drums
Fran Christina   Drums
Tommy Shannon   Bass,Guitar (Bass)

Technical Credits

Stevie Ray Vaughan   Performer,Interviewee,Group Member,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Tony Martell   Reissue Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Benno Friedman   Photography
Stephanie Chernikowski   Photography
Robert Matheu   Photography
John Hammond, Jr.   Executive Producer
Norm Pattiz   Executive Producer
Tim White   Producer,Interviewer
Kevin Boutate   Engineer
Jim Capfer   Producer
E. Jones   Composer,Composer
Josh Cheuse   Artwork,Art Direction
Holland MacDonald   Design,Cover Design
John Naatjes   Research Assistant
John F. Hammond   Executive Producer
Eddie Jones   Composer
George Deahl   Research Assistant
Joseph Wade Scott   Composer
Andy Schwartz   Editorial Director
Bob Irwin   Engineer,Reissue Producer
Hank Ballard   Composer
Amy Herot   Producer
Sonny Thompson   Composer
Timothy White   Producer
Chris Layton   Producer,Group Member
Larry Davis   Composer
Vic Anesini   Producer,Mastering,Reissue Mastering
Michael Kindred   Composer
Bill Milkowski   Liner Notes
John Hammond, Sr.   Producer,Executive Producer
Earl King   Composer
Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones   Composer
M. Kindred   Composer
Elmore James   Composer
Freddie King   Composer
Gavin Lurssen   Mastering
Darcy Proper   Editing,Reissue Editor,Dialogue Editor
W.C. Clark   Composer
Hound Dog Taylor   Composer
Rob Eaton   Assistant Engineer
Robert Geddins   Composer
Lonnie Mack   Composer
S. Thompson   Composer
Richard Mullen   Engineer,Producer
Jimi Hendrix   Composer
R. Geddins   Composer
Matthew Kelly   Research Assistant
Mike Kindred   Composer
Andy Denemark   Producer
Danny Kadar   Mixing
Al Quaglieri   Research Assistant
Tommy Shannon   Producer,Group Member
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble   Performer