簡介:

專輯介紹:
◆Stevie的最後禮讚：專輯「In Step」短評
「In Step」是Stevie Ray Vaughan生前的最後一張專輯，也是他短短三十五年生命的「尾聲」、一份給世人的厚禮。從1983年年發行首張個人專輯到1990年的猝然逝世，短短七年Stevie 隻留下五張錄音室專輯，和一張現場演唱會專輯，而這張「In Step」 則被公認爲Stevie最成熟的顛峰之作。
1989年發行的專輯「In Step」 與其上一張錄音室專輯「Soul to Soul」相隔四年，這位背負來自四方盛名之累的藍調搖滾新希望回以樂迷更蒼藍的唱腔與清澈、更攝人心弦的吉他弦音，灌注成爲「In Step」 中一氣呵成的淋漓演出。
Stevie出道以來則以其天縱無礙的演奏風格與極爲特出、在樂界有「KING TONE 」之稱的自明性吉他音色爲人稱道。這張專輯中Stevie的爐火純青的琴藝依舊令人驚豔讚嘆，而其吉他音色則一改過去的麻酥厚實，而呈現極具透明的現代感。歌曲中Stevie的吉他不再一枝獨秀的搶眼，反而在各種鍵盤樂器與bass之烘托中取得更多的和諧與聆賞空間，反而讓使得其吉他更爲凝練、沈穩。
「In Step」在Stevie編曲概念的鋪陳下，整張專輯充滿深邃的厚度與張力。專輯的開場曲「The House Is Rocking」的吉他破音組構的豐厚音牆狂飆，從前奏的第一小節開始，Stevie的吉他像迫不及待急於衝破藩籬的迷魅巨靈，搭上鼓、BASS與鋼琴，鎮重宣告Stevie式的藍調就是這個調調。Stevie以其獨特的blues 唱腔搭配天衣無縫的吉他獨奏，創作出慵懶俏皮的「Cross-fire」，Stevie向所有的藍調吉他手展示：可以不用速彈、更不需矯飾的音色，照樣可以彈出攝人心弦酥麻人身的樂曲。這首歌也爲Stevie獲得1989年最佳現代藍調音樂錄音獎（(Best Contemporary Blues Recording）。慢闆藍調「Leave My Girl Alone」在Hammond B-3風琴的幽鳴聲中開展，Stevie 唱出一個Bluesman 的愛恨情仇，情郎的嫉妒猜疑之情被一顆顆的吉他音符彈入聽者的心坎裏。一氣呵成的藍調演奏小品「Travis Walk」則展現出Stevie 與他的樂團Double Trouble 的非凡默契，全曲已臻多一個音符嫌多，缺一個音符有憾的精鍊。「Love Me Darling 」在充滿戲謔挑逗的吉他前奏展開，全曲呈現出頗具時代感的藍調搖滾新貌。習慣性的，Stevie會在每張專輯都會露一手爵士風格的演奏曲，在「In Step」也不例外，「Riviera Paradise 」正是整張專輯集大成的天成之作，個人認爲此曲應當可被視爲Stevie 生前的最佳代表作，也是Stevie 式的Jass-Blues的宣示與集大成作品。整曲Stevie 留了許多的空白與靜默，就像中國山水畫的留白技法，予人更多的聆想空間，而本曲圓滑、透明、甜潤又帶點蒼涼的吉他音色（clean tone）絕對稱得上是史無前例的無缺。抑揚頓挫峰迴路轉的吉他鳴奏加上間奏的一段鋼琴solo，使
聆聽者彷彿在人間即能體驗到Paradise的美醇。
隨著Stevie的不幸過世，「king tone 」不再次悠揚，而Stevie那幾把外表已斑駁但卻極具個人曆史性的Fender Stratocaster 電吉他亦找不到伯樂撫弄調撥。
1990年 8月27日，Stevie與哥哥Jimmie、吉他之神EricClaption、Robert Cray、藍調老將Buddy Guy同台演出，Stevie那天的超凡演出搶奪了所有演出者的風采，震驚了所有在場的聽眾，無疑的～現場的聽眾那時大該都會認爲Stevie絕對是當時地球上最了不起的吉他手。然而就在當天演唱會結束後，Stevie搭乘的直昇機在前往芝加哥的途中墜毀，一世英才空留未完的大業，也讓他的樂迷失落悲喪不已，Stevie還來不及以吉他開創新的世紀，就英年早逝。直到現在，人們對Stevie的討論與崇敬依舊，人們好奇的討論：「假如Stevie至今還活著，他會彈些什麽呢？」。崇敬的是：「Stevie延續著諸多藍調吉他先行者的腳步而來，賦予自己的天縱的音樂才能與努力，爲傳統的藍調開展了一個新的視界。
Audio CD (March 23, 1999)
Original Release Date: 1989
Number of Discs: 1
Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
Label: Sony
ASIN: B00000ICN9
Stevie Ray Vaughan - In Step , Mobile Fidelity SACD (1989) Remaster
I am caught in the Crossfire !
In Step was Vaughan's 4th and final album with the Double Trouble lineup and is a wonderful album that all fans of blues MUST hear. And what way to hear better than on Mofi's SACD! This has to be one of my personal favorite Blues rock albums of all time.....clearly I am caught in the Crossfire ! Vaughan lets it all go on this album with some of his best R&B moments and a guarantee that your toes will never stop tappin '
As usual the folks at MoFi have done a great version in presenting this well balanced album in glorious SACD ! Like most of the MoFi releases this album at higher volumes just leaps out at you unlike most standard CD, Vinyl or 8-Track will ! (kidding about the 8-Track). I believe originally this was a pure digital recording and yet it carries many of the characteristics of the great analog era. Without a question Stevie Ray's vocals just leap out at you on this remaster and sound just so clean and distinctive. This master has a nice full dynamic sound that albeit less dynamic as other SACD releases still sounds nice and warm and very well produced (thus the analog reference earlier).
This SACD release is simply amazing and THIS is the reason why I love the pursuit of the audiophile
New Numbered Limited Edition Mini-LP-Style Packaging!
Vaughan's 1989 Grammy-Winning Album Viewed as His Masterpiece!
If for some strange reason someone had not heard or heard of Stevie Ray Vaughan by the late 1980s, In Step changed that in a hurry. Fueled by a desire to make up for lost time and delight in his reawakened commitment to life, the Texas guitarist turned in what many consider his greatest artistic statement, an album ensconced in sweat, soul, determination, and not an ounce of filler. In Step remains one of the five-greatest blues records of the past quarter century.
As part of the our Stevie Ray Vaughan catalog restoration project, Mobile Fidelity has remastered this 1989 classic from the original master tapes for an unprecedented sonic experience. Surpassing the myriad inferior remastered and reconfigured editions, this numbered limited-edition hybrid SACD allows you to savor Vaughan's shuffles, wah-wah pedal effects, and string-squeezing fervor like never before. They almost didn't happen.
The years leading up to In Step weren't kind to Vaughan. In terms of deserved critical praise, yes. And in terms of continually hitting giant artistic strides, certainly. But Vaughan became mired in a haze of whiskey and cocaine, getting sucked into a downward spiral that culminated with him collapsing on a London stage in 1986 and coming close to death. After checking himself in for treatment, embracing the 12-step program, and finally kicking his vices, Vaughan returned with a vengeance on In Step, the first record he made sober.
The results teem with intensity, passion, and edge. Vaughan aggressively tears into uptempo hellraisers such as "The House Is Rockin'" and "Scratch-N-Sniff," grabbing each song by the scruff, shaking them, and refusing to let go. He courageously delves into his personal scars on the semi-autobiographical "Tightrope" and "Wall of Denial," confessionals that leave nothing to the imagination. A pair of instrumentals and several powerhouse covers round out an effort defined by Herculean consistency, songwriting, and poignant honesty. That Vaughan was killed in a helicopter accident one year after its release only adds to the sense of urgency-and bittersweet feeling, particularly since everything here serves to uplift.
Mobile Fidelity's numbered limited-edition hybrid SACD brings Vaughan's soul blues and lyrical playing to the fore. The naked tones wrought from his guitar, triumphantinflection of his voice, and every riveting string bend are captured with extreme delicacy, so you don't miss a note. What's more, the spacious arrangements and intricate acoustics get plenty of sonic legroom to stretch out on a vast soundstage. Hear the record that forever solidified Vaughan as a legend the way the man himself intended.
A Slice of Heaven September 19, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD
I had heard the name Stevie Ray Vaughan a lot, and I believe I had heard one or two songs on the radio, but for some odd reason, I never really heard his music until a little while after his passing. Then, in 1991, I got a job with a blues band in Dallas playing piano and organ. Stevie's from Oak Cliff - a section of Dallas. I love playing blues, because when the band members listen to each other, things fall together. It has a lot of similarities to jazz that way. So, it tuned out that many of the songs started by the guitarist (who had known Stevie and was excellent in his own right), were SRV songs. A joy to play. During breaks, customers would play the jukebox, and that was the time I wanted to unwind in. It seems like every break, someone's quarter went to selecting this long, absolutely beautiful, slow 6/8 instrumental. I could literally feel stress evaporating from my body. I found myself going into a meditative state, just smiling and feeling total relaxation. It wasn't like any new age massage music, though... it had grit. I later found out that it was Riviera Paradise by Stevie Ray. Wow! A twelve minute cure for what ails you... with all the grit & beauty; the bittersweet quality of life itself.
I love all of Stevie's upbeat rockers with his satisfyingly fluid guitar work that flows like a river with a mission. This particular album, which expresses many things he had learned while struggling with the addictions of show biz fast lane life, is perfection. There's an understanding of life well lived that oozes through the most down to earth blues feelings you can find. And when Riviera Paradise comes on, it literally transports you to a place of receptiveness... where you can accept yourself, both strengths and weaknesses, and allow the better life that's available for anyone that will let it in.
It's so unfortunate for us that Stevie Ray was taken so suddenly; so soon. But it's clear from this album that he was intact and ready for anything. And when you take in his entire catalog of recorded music, you experience a man on a journey, who, no matter what he was going through, was always able to speak volumes through his guitar, and who's wonderfully unique voice (which I think sometimes is overshadowed by the guitar virtuosity) has the perfect man-on-the-street way of letting us all relate. If you like blues at all, this is an absolute must. Also, if you're not a blues fan, try starting with Riviera Paradise. Several times I have played that cut for people who have said they wouldn't be interested in SRV. I haven't told them what or who it was... just let it play. It's ALWAYS met with ooohs and ahhhs. "Who is that?" "What CD is that on?" They then have to hear more from the creator of that slice of heaven.