This has got guts man. Stevie gives one of his greatest blues performances on Dirty Pool which is done with horns and I thought I wouldn't like it but the horns on this album DO NOT override his guitar at all. So don't worry about that. This is far better than Live Alive which is still a good album. And better than In the Beginning too, though quite different. At the end Lenny and Rude mood are done just by Stevie Ray. His guitar may have been a little out of tune or the acoustics may have changed the sound but they were still great. The Things that I used to do is easily 1 of Stevie's highlights on record because it's with his brother Jimmie and it's just a great display of restraint on stevie's part I bet. Scuttlebuttin' starts it off and you can tell what kind of a show it's gonna be. The most of the show is like a big ol' party. Pride and Joy was excellent. If you don't own any SRV albums or any SRV live albums then this a great choice. The hardcore blues like cold shot dirty pool and things that I used to do are like I said really great but the rest of the album is just an up tempo blues and rock celebration. Angela Strehli only sings on one song. That's good. She added to the album but she didn't take away anything from stevie's vocals. Iced Over Testifyin' Rude Mood Honey Bee they all show Stevie's happy guitar playing side. The '' Stomping Roadhouse'' side as was mentioned in the New York Times when referring to SRV and friends changing of Carnegie Hall. If you are an Srv Fan you will definetly love this. It's a smack in many crtitics face. He doesn't do any of the high staple acts Voodoo chile- Texas Flood- Wham- Thirdstone from the Sun or Tin Pan Alley- and he still manages to prove himself a guitar hero and blues and rock legend.

Everyone knows SRV was great so of course this CD will be excellent, but it's not the same old SRV. It shows SRV in a setting that is not captured in any other SRV recordings.

The first half of the set is Stevie and Double Trouble playing the regular song set that they played at the time: Scuttlebuttin', Love Struck, etc... It's excellent of course but nothing you haven't already heard before on other SRV CDs.

The second half they are joined by a complete horn section, keyboardist, second drummer, and a female singer Angela Strehli sits in for one song. Here they play tributes to other blues artists like Guitar Slim, Albert King and Albert Collins, songs that are not found on other SRV CDs.

The sound is also unique to SRV. He's not using his usual chocolate brown aged Stratocaster but a newer model with a distinctive sound.

This is NOT an old tape that Jimmie found laying around and released to put some coin in his pocket. This is excellent stuff that any true SRV fan must have in his collection.

This album has really grown on me with repeated listenings. One of the reasons why I have come to appreciate this album so much is that it really catches the band at their peak. The album is broken up into two format: the first half finds just the core three piece band, the second half includes an extended band with firends and Room Full of Blues horn section. For me, SRV didn't get any better then the original tight trio They are still the tight trio that put out 'Texas Flood' and it's the only place in the catalog to find SRV in this format and man is it gooood. The second half is a great addition for any SRV fan and this half has really grown on me. The horns and guest stars (including his brother)has a really different sound\groove then any other SRV album. Dirty Pool is fanastic with the horns. My only wish is the both sides were longer. I

If you enjoy Stevie's early work you will enjoy this album. If you enjoy Stevie live, you will enjoy this album. If you have been a long time SRV fan and don't have this album in your collection you need to buy it now. This is a great and surprisely different album from the greatest guitarist to have ever lived.

Once in a while a live album really adds to an artist's legacy, producing something different and exciting, rather than just reproducing his studio sound with added crowd noise.

"Live At Carnegie Hall" is such an album. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, recorded the day after Vaughan's 30th birthday with the on-stage assistance of Stevie's brother Jimmie Lee Vaughan on second guitar, Dr John on his customary piano, and the Roomful of Blues horn section popping up on several tracks.

The sound is perhaps not quite as crystal clear as on the magnificent recording of Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1982 Montreux appearence, but it is more than good enough. And the band tear through some of their best songs, including the irresistable "Pride And Joy", a horn-augumented version of the slow blues "Dirty Pool", a superb, tough rendition of "Honey Bee" with some truly muscular guitar playing from the Vaughan brothers, and an equally great "Cold Shot".

Vaughan relies quite a lot on instrumentals (they make up five of the thirteen numbers), and it would perhaps have been nice to have a couple more vocal performances...Stevie Ray was a really fine rock n' roll singer, and he sounded great on this particular night.

But that's a matter of taste, of course, and these instrumentals shouldn't be disregarded by any means. The opener, "Scuttle Buttin'", is particularly fiery, and there are fine renditions of "Testifyin'" and a horn-augumented "Iced Over" here as well.

"Live At Carnegie Hall" also includes a few rare performances, particularly Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones' "Letter To My Girlfriend", the instrumental "Iced Over" and Leo Gooden's "C.O.D." (originally recorded by Albert King) which Vaughan never recorded anywhere else. On "C.O.D." he is joined by Texas blues singer Angela Strehli (check out her album "Soul Shake").

All in all, "Live At Carnegie Hall" is a very welcome addition to Stevie Ray Vaughan's too-brief catalogue. And to those who are wary of Vaughan working with a horn section - don't worry, he remains front and center, and his playing and singing is nowhere near overwhelmed by the presence of additional musicians.

Five stars easy. Truly excellent!

being a fan of blues and rock, i found this cd a year or so back and bought it,and it hardly ever quits playing in my cd player, the show from the topto the bottom was electric, the music has hot, and srv was at his best on this night. He has horns in some of the songs, but most are just srv and double trouble. the fans were LOUD in this cd, makes you feel like you were there. i recommend this highly