The Fabulous Thunderbirds – The Jimmie Vaughan Years • Complete Studio Recordings 1978-1989 (The Last Music Co.)

Led by singer and harmonica player Kim Wilson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds have delivered good times through a combination of rock ‘n’ roll and Texas blues music for more than 50 years. Although the band has cultivated a rich catalog of music following the departure of founding guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, many listeners’ memories are rooted in the time that Stevie Ray Vaughan’s older brother was the band’s guitar slinger. The Thunderbirds’ public image was cemented with mainstream audiences in 1986 through heavy rotation of #10 US single “Tuff Enuff” and a cover of Sam & Dave’s 1968 B-side “Wrap it Up” on MTV. For listeners who may know little more of that arc beyond the inclusion of “Powerful Stuff” in the chart-topping soundtrack for Tom Cruise film Cocktail, this release tells the tale through words, pictures, and all of the band’s recorded music until Vaughan’s departure following 1989’s Powerful Stuff.

Collected onto four CDs are the band’s seven albums beginning with 1979’s self-tited debut, commonly known as Girls Go Wild. The set is further augmented with restored and previously unreleased early material under the title The Doc Pomus Recordings 1978. On Doc Pomus’ 13 songs, the Thunderbirds sound is recognizable in its raw and primal state. Songs including bluesy stroll “Dirty Work is Going On” find the 20-something T-birds plying a deep love and studious reverence for the blues with energy. A horn section simmers while Wilson’s soulful vocal soars with youthful power, and Vaughan’s guitar sings and stings.

Girls Go Wild and 1981’s Butt Rockin’ find the band on the ascent, with the sound that made the band local royalty in Austin, Texas and underground heroes to those with their ears to the ground around the world. On Girls Go Wild, Wilson originals including jump blues “Wait On Time” stand tall alongside lovingly selected covers like Slim Harpo’s “Scratch My Back,” featuring Vaughan’s tremulous guitar (and chicken scratch) and Wilson’s bristling harmonica. Butt Rockin’ leads with Al Copley’s Jerry Lee Lewis-styled piano pounding on “I Believe I’m in Love.” Vaughan’s sharp guitar and Wilson’s vocal bob and weave while bassist Keith Ferguson and drummer Fran Christina anchor the swinging “Give Me All Your Lovin’.”

After the explosive success of Tuff Enuff, Hot Number and Powerful Stuff find the band full of confidence and determined to dig harder into their roots. The modernized production of Tuff Enuff included synthesizer pads on songs including the title cut, sweetening the sound for pop radio saturation while maintaining a blues foundation with hot licks and muscular riffs.

Hot Number songs including “Stand Back” leaned back into more pure and timeless tones while Wilson’s songwriting reflected the styles of the band’s formative heroes. The Chuck Berry-styled cover of NRBQ’s “It Comes to Me Naturally” carried the sonic thumbprint of producer and Rockpile guitarist Dave Edmunds. The Memphis Horns and Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell add color throughout. Wilson’s melancholy but spirited “Sofa Circuit” is soulful R&B akin to fare from Isaac Hayes and David Porter. “Powerful Stuff” is led by Vaughan’s deep, twanging riff and Christina’s thundering beat.

The set is housed in a hardback book with 36 pages of interviews, photos, and liner notes. Band historian and Austin scenester Bill Bentley offers a revealing essay and gathers interviews with Vaughan, Wilson, producer Denny Bruce, and drummers Buck and Christina. Wilson praises the lessons learned from hard-living bassist Ferguson and his dedication to the Thunderbirds’ early music. Ferguson’s successor during the band’s most successful run was Preston Hubbard.

Fans of Rockpile and the Blasters will enjoy this deep dive into a potent period of the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ story. (lastmusic.co.uk)