On December 6, 1983, legendary blues guitarist Albert King joined his disciple Stevie Ray Vaughan on a Canadian sound stage for the live music television series In Session. Magic happened. The highly sought after video footage from that one-time renowned summit becomes available for the first time ever with the release of Stax Records' DVD In Session.
The DVD contains three classic performances unavailable on the previously issued audio disc: "Born Under a Bad Sign," the landmark title track from Albert King's biggest Stax release written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones; Stevie Ray's "Texas Flood," the Larry Davis-penned title track of Vaughan's immortal debut album; and "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town," made famous by Louis Jordan and later, Ray Charles.
"It was evident from the first choruses," writes liner notes author/musicologist Samuel Charters, "that they were playing for each other. And that was the best audience either of them could ever have. The music never lost its intensity, its quality of something very important being handed back and forth and there was time for Stevie and Albert to see where their ideas took them."
Accolades have showered upon this momentous encounter. "As a document of what was probably one of the greatest nights in the musical life of SRV, this belongs in the collection of every true fan," said the Austin American-Statesman. Sonic Boomers added, "Both men are gone now, but rare recordings like In Session remind us of a time when blues giants still walked the earth side by side." Elmore magazine called it "an indispensible part of any blues fan's collection." And BluesWax noted, "thank goodness, this disc lives on and on."
Now this previously unavilable visual document featuring two giants of American blues can be enjoyed by audiences the world over. Sadly, King and Vaughan would not share a stage together ever again. Vaughan, 31 years King's junior, died in a helicopter crash in the fog on the way back from a concert in 1990. King outlived him by two years, dying of a heart attack in 1992. They didn't meet often, and their careers took different paths. But we can all be grateful for that one long day in a television studio when sparks flew and this timeless performance was forever captured.
Tracks: 01. Introduction 02. Texas Flood 03. Call It Stormy Monday Act II 04. Matchbox Blues 05. Pep Talk 06. Don't Lie To Me 07. Who Is Stevie? 08. Pride and Joy The Finale 09. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts of Town 10. Outro
Performer Notes
Personnel: Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan (vocals, guitar); Tony Llorens (piano, organ); Gus Thornton (bass); Michael Llorens (drums).
Recorded at CHCH studios, Hamilton, Ontario on December 6, 1983.
Recorded in December 1983, IN SESSION captures an in-concert jam between Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the latter of whom had become the hot blues guitarist of the year thanks to his debut Texas Flood, as well as his work on David Bowie's hit Let's Dance. Vaughan may have been the new news at the time, but King was not suffering either--he had a world-class supporting band and was playing as well as he ever had. In other words, the stage was set for a fiery, exciting concert and that's exactly what they delivered. Vaughan was clearly influenced by King--there are King licks all over his first two recorded efforts, and it was an influence that stayed with him to the end--and he was unafraid to go toe-to-toe with his idol. King must have been impressed, since IN SESSION never devolves into a mere cutting contest. Instead, each musician spurs the other to greater heights.
Professional Reviews
CMJ (12/20/99, p.23) - "...a timeless piece of blues history."
Down Beat (p.65) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "White-hot flames rage, subside and rage again as they lob grenade after grenade into impromptu arrangements....Their respect for each other is palpable..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.116) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Vaughan adopted much of King's style, both play in fat, lucid, stinging tones. Splitting the set, each flawlessly performs his classics..."
Format:
DVD
Country:
USA
Other Information:
7231838
UPC:
0888072318380
Studio/Live:
Studio
Release Date:
6 December, 2010
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Reviews
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This Albert King-Stevie Ray Vaughan combo CD/DVD package is worth the price a thousand times over for anyone with even a remote interest, let alone a love of electric blues. I have been an electric blues fanatic for over a quarter of a century and probably twenty-five-per-cent of my free time is spent listening to electric blues... researching electric blues... and spreading the gospel to age groups and races of all kinds. My all-time favorite electric blues CD is Albert and Stevie on the "original" **IN SESSION** which was created from a TV program in Canada on **DECEMBER 6, 1983** a date that will definitely live on for eternity as a sacred day in the history of **ELECTRIC BLUES**. The original *IN SESSION** CD was released in 1999. It is no exaggeration to say that I have played this CD close to a thousand times. Being that two types of people will probably be reading this review: 1) Someone who already has the original CD and is wondering if it's worth it to lay out what I believe is a steal of a price for the DVD... and 2) Someone who doesn't own the original CD and wonders if they should make the purchase at all... even with the priceless inclusion of this newly released DVD.
I obviously, as stated above have the original CD, but I've been searching and hoping and praying for eleven years for a DVD version, because, besides the unmatchable, otherworldly, electrical blues magic these two titanic icons of *STRING-BENDING* *ELECTRIC-BLUES* invented together on that day when all the blues planets aligned just perfectly... is much more than the music itself. Albert King was Stevie's idol... and the vocal interactions between... and during the songs... were so touching and awe inspiring... that the thousand times I listened to the original CD I used to try to imagine what the expressions were on their faces. There were also times when I didn't know for sure who was bending the lead and who was following. You will know it all on this super-stupendous DVD.
One fact a potential buyer should be aware of is that the classic "BLUES AT SUNRISE" though on the CD is not on the DVD. Now that of course is a shame. BUT... BUT... BUT...
On the DVD are a couple of songs that I personally have never heard Albert and Stevie do together... especially in such length... and of course not visually. On the DVD they perform **TEXAS FLOOD** together and I mean it when I say that in my blues dominated adult life... I have never seen nor heard such an ethereal heavenly electric blues performance. The entire DVD is *ONE-HOUR-…UTES-LONG* and not one minute of it is below sensational. *TEXAS FLOOD* is approximately fifteen-minutes long and the string bending from each of these virtuosos has not and CANNOT be duplicated by anyone else on this planet. Another mind-blowing addition to the DVD is Albert's anthem *BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN*... if you're a blues fan who has seen Albert play this... hold on to your seat... as Stevie helps bring it to another level. Another showstopper on the DVD but not previously on the CD is *I'M GONNA MOVE TO THE OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN*. If you've been away from true-true electric blues for too long, and aren't sure what the true definition really is... watch and listen to this... there WILL BE NO DOUBT! This is what it can be... but unfortunately may never be again.
Another question a potential buyer might have is... this was filmed twenty-seven-years-ago... is it clean and clear? Hell yes! It is crystal clear in color and sound. What else might be important along with the previous items? Emotion... soul... affection for each other... respect... for each other and the blues. You can't miss it. They chit-chat... they exchange glances... they wink at each other... (All the things I could only dream about the last eleven years that I listened to the original CD.)... they sit while they play... they jump up and bend their bodies when they become one with the music... one with their guitar... one with each other. I got goose bumps and actually had tears in my eyes a couple of times. At times they were so fired up that they leaned toward each other and gave each other a soul handshake. There are also a couple of shots of the few technicians off to the side of the stage... and I guarantee you that the expressions on their faces were self-evident... that they knew they were in the presence of electric-blues-genius... and a day like this may never be seen again.
Albert King who stood 6-foot-five-inches-tall and weighed at least two-hundred-fifty-pounds cast a mighty big shadow as compared to the diminutive by comparison Stevie Ray... but all size was equalized by the purity of the string-bending-blues that reigned supreme that glorious day. A true electric blues aficionado should also note that the left-handed King "played with his guitar held upside-down, treble strings up, causing him to bend his strings down, among other idiosyncratic techniques." Albert's massive hands look like twin XMAS hams adorned with pinkie rings that glittered like Super Bowl rings... but like Stevie he could move them with lightning speed.
As of this writing I have published four-hundr…en-reviews on Amazon and this is the one I am recommending with the most heartfelt passion. With Albert and Stevie in heaven, I can only hope that when my day comes, if I qualify for heaven... that I'm greeted with their string bending guitars instead of an angel's harp!
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