Gale-Force Intensity, Cathartic Soul, Beautiful Calm: Couldn't Stand the Weather Includes "Cold Shot", Swaggers with Smoldering Blues, Sultry Shuffles, and Jukejoint Boogies

Mastered with Mobile Fidelity's One-Step Process and Strictly Limited to 7,000 Numbered Copies: Mobile Fidelity's 180g UD1S 45RPM Box Set Is Definitive Version of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Debut

1/2" / 30 IPS analog master to DSD 64 to analog console to lathe

Like the destructive tornado on the album's cover, Stevie Ray Vaughan's Couldn't Stand The Weather blows with gale-force intensity, moves everything in its path, and contains beautiful moments of calm at its center. Caught up in the momentum gained from his brilliant debut, the guitar slinger and his Double Trouble band play with a startling degree of authority, confidence, and swagger that hadn't been witnessed in the blues realm in decades.

Strictly limited to 7,000 numbered copies and pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's ultra-hi-fi UltraDisc One-Step collector's edition makes Couldn't Stand The Weather come alive with unprecedented realism, power, and authenticity. Vaughan's street-wise stare, lived-in cowboy boots, lightning-fueled fingers, and Paladin hat come into pristine focus. More importantly, the searing tones from his '59 Stratocaster guitar, drawl of his raspy voice, and strategic bend of the strings are captured with extreme delicacy. You won't miss a note. The soundstage is deep and wide, the microdynamics pop.

The gorgeous presentation of this Couldn't Stand The Weather pressing also befit its extremely select status. Housed in a deluxe box, Mobile Fidelity's UD1S version contains special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the recording. Aurally and visually, this reissue is for discerning listeners who want to fully immerse themselves in everything involved with the album.

By the time Vaughan and Double Trouble entered the studio in January 1984, the band's reputation as the world's hottest blues-rock act had been cemented. Vaughan even declined a juicy offer to tour as part of David Bowie's band in order to live out his own dreams. And this proud Texan doesn't mess around. Pulling no punches and embracing his role as blues' modern ambassador, Vaughan's scorching 1984 record epitomizes his hallmark styles and moods: brazen, ferocious, mesmerizing, cathartic, defiant, and soulful, all at once.

Here, in the form of the jaw-dropping version of "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)", is Vaughan's touching acknowledgement of Jimi Hendrix's looming influence. And in the hopping instrumental "Scuttle Buttin'," there's a lingering taste of the guitarist's playful personality and pyrotechnic skill. "Cold Shot" bleeds with a lover's scorn, but like a determined fighter, Vaughan picks himself up off the canvas and rears, ready to make another go. Brother Jimmie Vaughan assists on the title track, redolent with the slinky rhythms gleaned from rural Texas bluesman and down-home attitudes.

As he did on Texas Flood, Vaughan closes out the record in high style, bringing the concoction of smoldering blues, sultry shuffles, and jukejoint boogies to a simmer with the instrumental "Stang's Swang" - dedicated to jazz great Grant Green and punctuated with Stan Harrison's fiery tenor saxophone lines. Gutsy, gritty, and ceaselessly original, Couldn't Stand The Weather served further notice that Vaughan was here to stay and demanded to be heard. The double platinum sales figures and Grammy nominations were additional confirmation of that fact. Today, it is recognized the world over as a classic. 

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab’s UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called “converts”) are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.