Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Live at the El Mocambo 1983 (1991)

In 1990, Texas bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughan was just emerging from a long period in which drugs had taken their toll: the previous year's In Step album was the first he had made drug free, and the results were a marvel. But then, after sharing a stage with Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, and Eric Clapton, he boarded a helicopter to Chicago. It crashed, and the career of one of the great blues guitarists was ended.

Rewind to 1983 and here is Stevie Ray at the beginning of his fame, his first album with his backing band Double Trouble, Texas Flood, having just been released to critical and popular acclaim. The venue is the El Mocambo club in Toronto, a dark, smoky joint with a laid-back but appreciative clientele. Vaughan, drummer Chris Layton, and bassist Tommy Shannon share the tiny stage. The guitarist, bedecked in trademark hat and alligator-skin boots, is pale of complexion, sweating from the heat and physical exertion, and physically much smaller than Shannon, who towers over him. But Vaughan dominates, as much by the magnetism of his flamboyant personality as his guitar playing. And what playing: by turns fiery, funky, then limpid and surprisingly graceful. Here is an authentic blues artist captured in the throes of living through his music. At this early stage in his career he was still very much in thrall to Jimi Hendrix (the flower-power shirt gives it away), as covers of "Voodoo Chile" and "Third Stone from the Sun" (the latter a Hendrix-inspired guitar-abuse session) indicate. The highlight of the show, however, is his rendition of "Texas Flood," which turns out to be an amazing essay on the art of blues guitar. This is a raw, intimate, and spontaneous record of a one-time event. All fans of the blues will be grateful to those who had the foresight to capture it on film. --Mark Walker Amazon.com

superb music from a great talent

I saw him live at the Garden States Arts Center in NJ years ago --this DVD brought back memories. This recording captures his great talent as a singer and musician well. April 26, 2008

Another GREAT DVD on SRV.

Got this DVD in addition to the Montreux DVD set. This one shows SRV and Double Trouble as they were on their way to super stardom. Just one year after the Montreux show where he was getting BOO'S from the crowd the entire show, SRV and his band picked up and were well on the way to becoming a houehold name when this was filmed. Far from the BOO'S at the 1982 show at Montreux, the crowd here eats him up, every lick and gesture. Price and content of this DVD are both AWESOME. If you like SRV, its another MUST have. April 5, 2008

He could do it in his sleep...

This is 100% pure music right here. I cannot add much but some interesting tidbits. As a bassist, I have read interviews with Tommy Shannon. In one he was asked if her remembers any particular gigs. He mentions one that nobody could possible remember (1987 in Boston or something random like that) as feeling, "as though we had all day between the beats to play." The interviewer asked him if he remembers anything special about the EL Mocambo show...."Nah...that was pretty much just another show in 1983...they were all pretty much like that back then."

That says it all right there. Those guys breathed together musically. Few musicians are fortunate enough to reach such a point with their own music, much less achieve it in a band setting. February 14, 2008

Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble Live at the El Mogambo (1983) DVD

Dvd arrived in "record" time (bad pun) and was in A-1 condition. Very high quality audio and video. Fantastic guitar virtuoso. Jack Duegaw January 12, 2008

Awesome!!!

"Texas Flood" is worth the price of this DVD by itself. If you like SRV you have to get this one. January 7, 2008

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