ah-ha! Now we know what topic it takes to get BK to actually post something serious.. I couldnt agree more... while it was his guitar playing and writing that I truely found inspiring....he in fact did become a much better voclaist towards the end. just the thought of what would have been next for SRV is enough to send chills down my spine... he is...and always has been in the upper tier of guitarists for me. as I mentioned earlier....Randy is another example of a phenomenonally talented guitarist that was doing nothing but getting better towards the end of his life......and was tirelessly seeking to better himself in the months before his death.....listening to his work with Ozzy recently....I got the same chills to realize just how much better he could have been if not for a f*cked up pilot...
When I was a cop I lived in an apartment complex rent free in exchange for my security services. There was the one guy Ron who would get up to SRV music every Saturday morning....early. I would get complaints and go down there and tell him to turn it down, he would, but not before saying, "It's Seeevey Ray Vaughn, Baby!" Everytime I hear "Cold Shot" I think of old drunk ass Ron...and smile. Dumb story but I'm feeling a little tipsy tonight. Goodnight Gentlemen
Interesting question: I think of it like this. . . . .If Micheal Jackson had Died in 1990 He would be larger than Elvis. . . . . in the minds of many people. . .Mike Jackson just lived too long so . . .Elvis's . . uhm . .. . downfalls were more forgivable than the ones Mike Jackson has done over the last decade or so in some folx's eyes. Given a few more years. . who knows what Elvis may or may not have done to 'tarnish' his legacy [hell he could have been on celebrity boxing] Rocket River
I agree with that to a certain extent..... Micheal Jackson would have been a legend if he had died after Thriller. as it is, at the worst, he will be forever remembered as a suspected child molester even if cleared of the current charges. Whereas if Elvis had lived...his legacy would have probably been more tarnished by his increasingly apparent drug and weight problems. He was already being considered a joke becasue of his weight and the costumes he took to wearing when he spent most of his year in Vegas.. If Elvis had lived...does anyone else think he would have taken up permanent residence in Vegas like Tom Jones, Wayne Newton, and guys like that who appear 50 weeks out of the year at casinos?
One of the most thought provoking threads in some time. Thanks AB. With a nod of affirmation for those who noted that the stature and "mythos" of these men/women is elevated as a result of their early deaths and undoubtedly cloud our evaluation of them... You could probably write a thesis on what the impact of the JFK, MLK and RFK assassinations had on American history. They left so much unfinished, despite their accomplishments. Stop and think about the tremendous change in our history that could have ensued had these men survived. Mind boggling. JFK re-elected in '64 to serve his second term, RFK inheriting the mantle in '68 and '72? Nixon? Talk about a whole other direction for our history. I believe the loss of MLK set back the movement tremendously, and had he survived we would have seen even more progress. Especially hand in hand with the Kennedy legacy/dynasty. So much left undone of what could have been...
I doubt it. I swear, I had never even HEARD of this woman before she was killed. Then, freaking yellow ribbons everywhere.
This brings up an interesting idea that I have had about Selena and Jennifer Lopez. When Selena died, I think she was starting to have some success in the US (because of that song "I could fall in love"). Later Jennifer Lopez does a biopic about Selena and, not long after that, J-Lo releases an album. That successful album led to more movie roles, which led to another album, which led to a breakthrough movie role, which led to superstardom. In some ways, whenever I think about J-Lo, I somehow imagine her success as if she is inhabiting the place that Selena might have had. I mean if Selena had lived, maybe she would have become a pop superstar by now and J-lo might never have gotten the break that she needed to get her career snowballing. I'm not saying that Lopez doesn't deserve the success that she's getting. And for all we know J-Lo might have succeeded after all regardless of anyone else, But I can't help but think that in a grand metaphysical way, Jennifer Lopez is taking over the success that Selena would have had. As if Selena started the journey to fame, but J-Lo finished it. I think the same thoughts about Alliyah and Ashanti. Two young attractive, young, black singers. And Ashanti only became a hit after Alliyah left us. And to a lesser extent, I see Tupac and DMX in somewhat the same light. So what am I saying? I just see poetic connections in this world sometimes. Some things just have a funny way of working out. And while there is chaos and lunacy in the world. Sometimes that chaos comes together to make something appropriate and fascinating. Sorry to go all weird on you guys. My brain just works differently sometimes.
Depends on what you already have, but I would say the five studio albums, three of his live releases, and the boxed set. I would not necessarily recommend Live Alive (recorded before he sobered up, it's predictably sloppy and even if it weren't, much of it was overdubbed in the studio-- it's not even a true "live" album), Blues at Sunrise (just a rehash of some of the standard blues numbers from SRV's repetoire, plus a couple unreleased covers), any of the three Greatest Hits packages, or the Tribute album. Aside from Live Alive, there's nothing wrong with the others; they're just redundant or not of interest to me personally. Studio Albums Texas Flood Couldn't Stand the Weather Soul to Soul In Step The Sky Is Crying (posthumous) Live Recordings (Official Releases) Live At Carnegie Hall In The Beginning Live at Montreux Live Recordings and Curiosities (Bootlegs) * 1978 Nashville Sessions (various titles; this is a 10-track album recorded by the immediate post-Triple Threat Revue version of Double Trouble, with Lou Ann Barton handling vocals on several tracks. It was never released, reportedly because Stevie hated the way the drums were recorded-- the snare was muffled down to where it sounded like hitting a phone book... think of "I Can't Tell You Why" by the Eagles for comparison. It's interesting, I'll say that much) * Live at Fitzgerald's in Houston, 10/14/1981 * Reseda's Blues (various, 1983-1987) And finally... SRV: The Boxed Set The boxed set is fantastic. Lots of great unreleased material-- three songs from MTV Unplugged, for instance. This is, I think, the best site on the Net for information about non-studio releases. Hope that helps!
razzle the drummer from hanoi rocks... If vince neil didn't kill him, Hanoi Rocks would have become a really really big band, instead, they are one of the most underated over-looked bands of all-time.
Exploding Hearts - 3/4 of the band died when their van crashed. Why do great bands like this die off (literally), and bands like Bon Jovi are still around? hmmm... http://www.explodinghearts.com/
