The Sky is Crying

Description

Mastered from the original tapes by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound

180-gram pressing by Quality Record Pressings

With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the 80s. Vaughan drew equally from bluesmen like Albert King, Otis Rush and Hubert Sumlin and rock n roll players like Jimi Hendrix and Lonnie Mack, as well as the stray jazz guitarist like Kenny Burrell, developing a uniquely eclectic and fiery style that sounded like no other guitarist, regardless of genre.

The Sky Is Crying was released after SRVs 1990 helicopter crash that took his life. The posthumously assembled 10-track outtakes collection actually proves to be one of Vaughans most consistent albums, rivaling In Step as the best outside of the Greatest Hits collection. These songs were recorded in sessions spanning from 1984s Couldnt Stand the Weather to 1989s In Step and were left off of the LPs for whatever reason (or, in the case of Soul to Souls Empty Arms, a different version was used).

What makes the record work is its eclectic diversity Vaughan plays slide guitar on Boot Hill and acoustic on Life by the Drop; he smokes on the slow blues of May I Have a Talk With You and the title track just as much as on the up-tempo Lonnie Mack cover, Wham; and he shows the jazzy side of his playing on Hendrixs Little Wing and Kenny Burrells Chitlins Con Carne.

Check out Vaughans jazz chops on Kenny Burrells Chitlins Con Carne, and Hendrixs Little Wing, arguably this collections most staggering achievement, alternately whisper-sweet and screamingly fierce, says The Absolute Sound. Other tips of the hat are to Muddy Waters, Lonnie Mack (Wham), Elmore James, and Albert King (the title track), yet each song is pure, unleashed SRV. The sound is big, bold, up front, and clean as a whistle. Vaughans different tonal shadings from warmly purring, to raggedly distorted, to wasp-tailed sting, plus a rare acoustic turn on the gorgeous closer, Life By The Drop are all superbly captured, and the drums and bass have plenty of clarity and wallop. As TAS says, A brilliant musical documentif a sad reminder.

As we did with our vaunted box set reissues, Texas Hurricane, again Analogue Productions is bringing you the finest-sounding Stevie Ray Vaughan collections ever preserved on 200-gram vinyl. Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound cut the lacquers for the LPs using the ultimate VMS 80 cutting lathe. Gary Salstrom handled the plating and the vinyl was pressed of course at Quality Record Pressings.

Theres not a link in this chain that wasnt absolute first-rate. The absolute best that money can buy. Were passionate about the blues AND Stevie Ray and the passion shows up here in spades.