While there are no previoulsy unreleased tracks on this compilation, this is a solid overview of the most influential guitarist since Jimi Hendrix. If you can't afford his entire catalog, this is an excellent alternative. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


4 1/2 stars. A terrific introduction to the finest blues guitarist to emerge since the 60s   July 3, 2003
Docendo Discimus (Vita scholae)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

First of all, yes, there are more Stevie Ray Vaughan compilations out there than original studio releases. But there are only a few of them which are really any good, and this is one of them.

There are 33 tracks here, excactly one more than on the obvious alternative of "The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 1" and "The Real Deal: Greatest Hits vol. 2" combined. And almost all of Stevie Ray's must-have songs are here: The swaggering "Pride And Joy", the scorching blues "Texas Flood", the melodic "Cold Shot", the rollicking boogie of "Look At Little Sister", the wonderful riff-rocker "Willie The Wimp", and several other career highlights, including the intense and touching acoustic "Life By The Drop", and a sizzling cover of Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig".

The slow blues tunes "Dirty Pool" and "Ain't Gone 'n' Give Up On Love" are missing, however, and the delightful rocker "Lookin' Out The Window" is, too, and that's a minus for this one and a plus in the "Real Deal" column. (Which one did I choose? Well, I have all of the original albums, so I don't really need a compilation on top of that, but now that "The Real Deal vol. 1" has replaced the original lousy 11-track "Greatest Hits" album from 1995, I might be tempted to lean towards the "Real Deal" vol. 1 and 2 double. But it's damn close!)

I would've given a clean five stars here if those three songs that I just mentioned had been included, and I almost did anyway, because the stuff that _is_ here is excellent, absolutely stellar. You'll rarely find a 33-track compilation which maintains such an amazing level of quality all the way through, nor such a varied and yet completely cohesive collection of songs. And if you don't want to invest in the even more fabulous "SRV"-box set, you should either go for this one or the two "Real Deal" CDs right away.


The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan REMASTERED   February 4, 2004
Luke H. (Hermitage, Pa United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I own every SRV CD I did not buy this one but a friend lended it to me. This CD sounds better than the orginal the sound quality is out of this world. This is a must have for an SRV fan who does not own that much of him. If your looking to buy a SRV Cd this one if for you. This includes all his hits like Texas Flood, Pride And Joy, The Things We Used To Do, Change It, Voodoo Chile, and some rare recordings of some live stuff. This is a must have buy this on amazon and you will love it!!!!!


almost everything I wanted   May 15, 2003
G. Wallace (Hilliard, OH USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

Except I'll probably need to hear all of the 'In the Beginning' set now that I've heard the opener of this collection. 'Essential' seems to be the two Greatest Hits collections minus the inessential Beatle cover that opened Greatest Hits #1. As a blues populizer Vaughan was perhaps an even bigger deal than Eric Clapton was when Clapton came up. Vaughan had great taste in songs and worked very hard to sing them as well as he could. He was the ultimate riff machine with a bag full of embellishments that could be tossed in endless combinations at startling speed. He was a faithful student of Albert King and also Jimi Hendrix. For me Vaughan's abundance of technique often got in the way of the music. Vaughan was almost feathery when playing slower solos and harmonically not very interesting. But that's quibbling. The music was consistently very good and the Double Trouble rhythm section versatile and reliable. And many of Vaughan's rhythm parts were jawdroppers. And the best of it's here for dirt cheap.

I remember how startled I was to hear Vaughan on the radio playing behind David Bowie. What a sound!