The release in 1985 of Soul To Soul showed growth in the band with the addition Of Reese Wynans on keyboards. Stevie had played Carnegie Hall in October of 1984 with keyboards and horns in addition to the trio setting with Tommy and Chris. He liked the expanded sound, which eventually led to Reese being asked to join the band. Because of heavy drug and alcohol abuse, the album took longer to record. The results, however, were better than one might think. The addition of Reese seemed to allow Stevie to relax and just play, as Double Trouble filled in the sound underneath. I love this album more and more as the years go by, and it is very close to becoming my favorite SRV album. I know that some people would differ with me on this. There is a lot of emotion here, especially in the classic "Ain't Gone 'N' Give Up On Love" and "Life Without You", a tribute to Stevie's recently deceased friend Charley Wirz, who worked on Stevie's guitars. The song later became Stevie's anthem to talk about love and addiction. The song is even more poignant since his death, as it expresses how we as fans feel about the loss of Stevie.
Live Alive was released in 1986 as a response to pressures on the band to release another album. They had been touring forever, and were too tired to go into the studio and try to record new material. Stevie had come close to death at the end of 1985, due to substance abuse. At the beginning of 1986, Stevie and Tommy both entered recovery programs for abuse. I did not realize at the time just how bad things had gotten, but I could tell that something was wrong.
That year, everything changed. When Stevie got back on stage his focus was renewed. I had the opportunity to see him on the Live Alive tour, and was not disappointed. The show was opened by Stevie's idol, Lonnie Mack. Lonnie proved exactly why his Wham was the first record that Stevie bought. Stevie had produced his comeback album, Strike Like Lightning, so the pairing was natural. When Stevie took the stage, the feeling was electric. His performance that night did not consist of the trademark playing behind his back or with his teeth, but just solid passionate singing and incredible fretwork.I look upon that night as magic, and think of the many fans worldwide who never got a chance to see him perform. I still have my tee shirt and pin from the show, and they are among my most prized possessions. I really can not express in words what it was like to see him live.
The next album would not come out until 1989, but Stevie was making use of his time to tour and to continue in rediscovering himself. He spread his message of love worldwide, and was making an impact on many people. His message of love, both of others and oneself, is timeless.
In Step was a total triumph artistically and personally for Stevie and the band. The clarity of focus is apparent from the first second of the album. Stevie told a tale of walking the tightrope to recovery, tearing down the walls of denial that we build around ourselves rather than facing the truth, and of standing in the crossfire of life. He also showed that being clean and sober did not mean dull or lacking fun. The finale was the cut, "Riviera Paradise", an intrumental that he referred to as "praying" through his guitar. He offered this prayer for all of the people in the world who needed help and love, and as a thank you for his own life. The performance of this song from his last show will give you chills, it is so powerful.
Stevie's next album was with his big brother, Jimmie. Family Style is nothing but fun from beginning to end. Stevie stated that he really needed the time with his brother. Listening to the album, you can feel how theraputic it was for both of them. They were planning a tour to support the album with a band put together just for the tour. Unfortunately, Stevie never even saw the album's release... |
