In Step

In Step is the fourth studio album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble released in 1989. The title In Step can be seen as referring to Vaughan's new-found sobriety, following the years of drug and alcohol use that eventually led Vaughan into rehabilitation. It was also Vaughan's final album with Double Trouble and the last album to be released during his lifetime. In 1990, he recorded an album with his brother, Jimmie Vaughan, called Family Style; later that same year, Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a helicopter crash.

In Step
Studio album by
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
ReleasedJune 6, 1989
RecordedJanuary 25 – March 13, 1989
StudioKiva Studios, Memphis, Tennessee; Sound Castle and Summa Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Genre
Length40:53
LabelEpic
ProducerDouble Trouble, Jim Gaines
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble chronology
Live Alive
(1986)		 In Step
(1989)		 The Sky Is Crying
(1991)

In 1999, a reissue of the album was released which contains an audio interview segment and four live bonus tracks.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert ChristgauA−[3]
The Great Rock Discography6/10[4]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[5]

Reviews for In Step have generally been positive. Robert Christgau rated the album an A−, signifying "a very good record." Although he stated that "Wall of Denial" and "Tightrope" fall into ex-addict jargon like it was natural speech and that "if the music was preachy or wimpy this would be a disaster," he concluded that "House Is Rockin'" keeps on boogieing on and that on the mood-jazz closer he escapes the blues undamaged for the first time in his career.[3]

Lou Reed selected In Step as one of his 'picks of 1989'.[6]

In a retrospective review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated In Step five out of five stars. He noted that before the album was released, "his songwriting was hit or miss. Even when he wrote a classic modern blues song, it was firmly within the genre's conventions." He further stated that it helped "Vaughan found his own songwriting voice, blending blues, soul, and rock in unique ways, and writing with startling emotional honesty." Although he stated that "tunes like the terse "Tightrope" and the dense "Wall of Denial" feel so intensely personal, it's hard to believe that they weren't the product of just one man", he also stated that "the lighter numbers [...] are just as effective as songs." He concluded that "it's fully realized, presenting every facet of Vaughan's musical personality, yet it still soars with a sense of discovery. It's a bittersweet triumph, given Vaughan's tragic death, [...] yet it's a triumph all the same."[2]

Track listing

Original Release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The House Is Rockin'"Doyle Bramhall, Stevie Ray Vaughan2:24
2."Crossfire"Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton, Reese Wynans, Bill Carter, Ruth Ellsworth4:10
3."Tightrope"Bramhall, Vaughan4:40
4."Let Me Love You Baby"Willie Dixon2:43
5."Leave My Girl Alone"Buddy Guy4:15
6."Travis Walk"Vaughan2:19
7."Wall of Denial"Bramhall, Vaughan5:36
8."Scratch-N-Sniff"Bramhall, Vaughan2:43
9."Love Me Darlin'"Howlin' Wolf3:21
10."Riviera Paradise"Vaughan8:49

1999 Reissue Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."SRV Speaks" 1:33
12."The House is Rockin'" (Live)Doyle Bramhall, Vaughan2:48
13."Let Me Love You Baby" (Live)Willie Dixon3:46
14."Texas Flood" (Live)Larry Davis, Joseph Wade Scott7:28
15."Life Without You" (Live)Vaughan13:17

The bonus tracks are all taken from recordings for Westwood One Radio. "SRV Speaks" is from a studio interview with Timothy White. The rest are all from recordings for the Superstar Concert Series broadcast. The next three tracks are from Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque on November 28, 1989. The last is from McNichols Arena, Denver on November 29, 1989.

Personnel
Double Trouble
Additional personnel
  • Texacali Horns – on "Crossfire" and "Love Me Darlin'"

Charts
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[7] 36
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 20
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 44
Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[10] 8
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[11] 16
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 41
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 24
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 63
US Billboard 200[15] 33

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Awards

Grammy Awards

Year Winner Category
1989 Stevie Ray Vaughan Best Contemporary Blues Album

References
  1. Larkin, Colin (1999). All-Time Top 1000 Albums. Virgin Books. p. 149. ISBN 0-7535-0354-9. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. In Step at AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  3. Christgau, Robert. "CG:Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble". Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  4. Strong, Martin (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. p. 1611. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
  5. Russell, Tony; Smith, Chris (2006). The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. p. 668. ISBN 978-0-140-51384-4.
  6. Rolling Stone, March 8, 1990
  7. "Australiancharts.com – Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Step". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6432". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Step" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  10. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  11. "Charts.nz – Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Step". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  12. "Swedishcharts.com – Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Step". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  13. "Swisscharts.com – Stevie Ray Vaughan – In Step". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  15. "Stevie Ray Vaughan Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  16. "Canadian album certifications – Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble – In Step". Music Canada.
  17. "American album certifications – S.R. Vaughan & Double Trouble – In Step". Recording Industry Association of America.
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