CD Review: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble "Couldn't Stand the Weather: Legacy Edition"

For his fans, the reissue of "Couldn't Stand the Weather" in a deluxe two-disc edition is good news indeed. The younger Vaughan's influences were broader than average, ranging from bluesmen such as Muddy Waters, Otis Rush and Albert King to trailblazing rockers such as Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack, and his eclectic electricity was seldom showcased much better than on this 1984 sophomore album.

There are shiny remasterings of the album's original eight songs — including his incendiary cover of Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" — plus 11 studio outtakes from the original recording sessions, three of which are previously unreleased. Among these are a wrenching rendition of Elmore James' "The Sky Is Crying" and a blistering cover of Reyne Binks' "Boot Hill."

And if you've never thrilled to his fleet-fingered interpretation of Mack's rocking instrumental "Wham!" or warmed your feet next to his matchless instrumental reading of Hendrix' "Little Wing," those treats are in store, as well. Throw in a second disc containing a previously unreleased recording of a spectacular August '84 concert in Montreal and you've got a must-have package for any Stevie Ray disciple.

— Gene Triplett