Live Alive is a magnificent double-length showcase for
Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar playing, featuring a number of extended jams on a selection of most of the best material from
Vaughan's first three albums, plus covers of "Willie the Wimp," "I'm Leaving You (Commit a Crime)," and
Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." The album may not be exceptionally tight or concise, but then again, that's not the point. The renditions here sound less polished than the studio versions, with
Vaughan's guitar tone bitingly down and dirty and his playing spontaneous and passionate. ~ Steve Huey