Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood/In the Beginning

Sony Legacy's X2 series is one of the more curious reissue programs in the label's history. Here is a prime example: Stevie Ray Vaughan's breakthrough debut for the label, Texas Flood from 1983, is slapped in a slipcase with 1992's In the Beginning. The strange thing is that the latter album, while indeed recorded earlier, was released posthumously. It would have made far more sense to pop the debut in a sleeve with its successor -- also a hit -- Couldn't Stand the Weather from 1984. These two discs make perfect bookends and offer an exacting portrait of Vaughan's music at the time. These first two albums popped out almost immediately after he bailed from David Bowie's touring band after appearing on the Let's Dance album. This version does contain the bonus tracks. In the Beginning is a hodgepodge assemblage of cuts from a still developing period for the guitarist -- not so much as a soloist, but as a bandleader -- and he still sounds very much like a bar band musician -- albeit an extremely talented one. There are no bonus cuts here. The question is: who is going to buy these? Especially since, only six months earlier, Sony released a triple package of those first two albums with Soul to Soul in one of these slipcases? This must simply be a case of having too much stock lying around gathering dust. The high star rating is for the music, not the packaging cynicism. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Name Credits Al Quaglieri Research Assistant Allen Weinberg Art Direction Andy Denemark Producer Andy Schwartz Editorial Director Bill Narum Direction, Design Bob Irwin Reissue Producer Bob Ludwig Mastering Brad Holland Cover Art Chris Layton Drums Daniel Schaffer Photography Danny Garrett Photography Danny Kadar Mixing Darcy Proper Dialogue Editor Don Hunstein Tray Photo Don Wershba Assistant George Deahl Research Assistant Harry Spiridakis Assistant Jackie Newhouse Bass James Geddes Assistant Engineer Jody Denberg Liner Notes John Berg Art Direction John F. Hammond Executive Producer John Naatjes Research Assistant Josh Cheuse Art Direction Ken Robertson Mastering Lincoln Clapp Vocal Engineer, Mixdown Engineer Malcolm Harper Engineer Mark Proct Project Coordinator Michael Ventura Liner Notes Mikie Harris Production Assistant Norm Pattiz Executive Producer Richard Mullen Producer, Engineer Roger Eddins Editing Stevie Ray Vaughan Vocals, Producer, Guitar Tommy Shannon Bass Tony Martell Executive Producer, Project Coordinator Vic Anesini Mastering Wayne Bell Engineer, Producer