Customer Reviews

King of Delta Blues

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

All the acclaim and legend surrounding this collection is true, and anyone who is interested in American music really should start here.

A word of caution to the uninitiated, though: Robert Johnson did not play the electric blues which are the staple of modern American blues and the roots of Rock n Roll. This is acoustic blues music, solo vocal with (incredible) acoustic guitar accompaniment. It is amazing, amazing stuff--just try to duplicate the guitar parts and you'll understand what a master Johnson was--but don't be looking for rockin' rhythm sections or the big bass sound of later bluesmen.

If I had to pick sixteen out of Robert Johnson's 29 singles, I would end up with pretty much the same ones that Sony has chosen for this collection.
But having said that, I also have to add that there are dozens of Robert Johnson-compilations like this one on the market, and no good reason to get anything other than Columbia's double-disc "The Complete Recordings". And if you really want a single-disc compilation, go for "King Of The Delta Blues Singers", which, although it misses out on a couple of Johnson's best songs, features the most amazing sound you'll ever hear, thanks to a masterful remastering job.

Mount Vernon Maven points out accurately that this recording sounds "horrific" and that it needs to be "remastered remastered remastered" to sound good on that "fabulous audio system". To be fair, it does sound bad.

What needs to be understoof is that these were recorded in the mid-1930s before audio tape was common. These recordings were most likely done on wire recorders or direct to phonograph. The fact that they've survived at all is impressive. Honestly, they sound fantastic considering the source - it's a clean signal with low noise and little distortion.

Even if these were remastered until the end of time, they will never sound like a modern recording. They were done with a single microphone picking up both voice and guitar simultaneously. There's nothing with which to work. They can be re-EQ'd (they have) and recompressed (they have), but beyond that, you can't make it sound like much more than it is without re-recording it and that will never be Robert Johnson.

Sorry to all of you that expect perfect sound from recordings nearly 70 years old - the technology was inferior. These will likely never sound better than they do here; however, the performance and inspiration remain completely intact - this is something that most modern music doesn't have and something which many people might deem more important. For those of you that are looking for substance over style, this should be the sort of music you're after.

The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson is technically NOT complete as this recording includes the alternative version of Travelling Riverside Blues which was discovered in the Library of Congress collection making a total of 41 versions of 28 songs. Incidently the "missing song" mentioned in the movie Crossroads was "Mr. Downchild" recorded first on Trumpet Records by Sonny Boy Williamson II and found on King Biscuit Time.
'fessor Mojo www.sonnyboy.com

To effectively understand the importance of Robert Johnson in American music, it is necessary to separate the man from the myth. It is true that he lived a difficult, hand to mouth existence (by all accounts) and died a pitiful death. Those are tragic facts. What is so honored, respected and admired today is the groundbreaking and historic music that he created and recorded. Considering the era in history and the technology available at the time, these recordings are fascinating and

powerful. Here we have the foundations of not only the great sound of Delta Blues, but also the foundation of many more modern sounds within our American musical heritage, such as folk music. It may seem extravagant to link his importance to such modern performers as the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton or even Led Zeppelin, yet all of these acts have "covered" the music of Robert Johnson and many other reviewers more prominent than myself have offered high praise of the creative

talents of a man who might be forgotten if not for his musical contributions. This album is a MUST-HAVE for any serious student of American musical history, serious Delta Blues fans or simply an appreciation of vintage talent.

Can all the tried and true copycats be wrong about Mr. Johnson? Just listen to the godfather of the blues and see if your not taken on that deep south ride of whiskey, song and of course...women. Yes, the sound is tinny...but the power of the music blasts through. First hearing his guitar, I thought there were two guitars playing.......and his vocals show considerable range. I must say I tuned in to hear what all the hullabaloo was about...now I'm a believer.......like Elvis, you left us too soon Mr Johnson.

Robert Johnson's stuff is terrific, no doubt about it; I've been listening to it for 25 years. But the previous reviewer's claim that it is atypical of country blues is completely off-base. Johnson may have been the greatest of the Delta bluesmen. I happen to think he was, though that's a matter of personal preference. But we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that he worked within an established tradition. And that's a matter of fact for anyone with a pair of ears who is willing to listen and learn.

I would recommend that Johnson fans check out the slightly earlier work of bluesmen like Son House, Tommy Johnson and Skip James, to name just three. Moreover, a compilation CD called "The Roots of Robert Johnson" would be a real eye-opener for people who want to understand the origins of Johnson's music.

Isn't it enough for Johnson to be appreciated on his own, real merits? Is it really necessary to make ludricrous claims that he was a total original, at the expense of other wonderful bluesmen from whom Johnson learned? If we want to understand Delta blues and the context of Johnson's work, we need a little less hyperbole and a little more understanding.

The only reason I can see that no one has reviewed this CD is the availability of the more comprehensive complete boxed set, which is a bit pricey if you're a novice, and/or if you just want a taste of what this country blues stuff is all about. Robert Johnson's work is so atypical of the rest of the genre that even the smaller track list on this CD sets him apart as a stylist and innovator. The creations he recorded may have been duplicated by some long-since-forgotten itinerant bluesman who went unrecorded, but in the annals of recorded blues history this is the benchmark for sheer artistry and musicianship. Of course, speculations about the cause of Johnson's death notwithstanding, the power of the myths behind these songs carries a strong emotional weight, and once you've heard Terraplane Blues or Cross Road Blues or, especially, Hell Hound on My Trail, you can't hear blues the same way anymore. Just as Charlie Parker transformed the jazz he learned from older masters, so Johnson's pure talent took standard forms that had existed for generations and elevated them to an elegance and complexity at the same time that changed the music forever. His legacy was so important to the famous performers of the "golden era" of Chicago blues in the 50's, that it is not an exaggeration to say that without him, rock music might still have developed, but many of its familiar trademarks would be missing. Perhaps Howlin' Wolf, who owes his inspiration more to Charlie Patton's rawer style than to Johnson's, would have been the toast of Chicago and a cultural icon, rather than Muddy Waters. Of course, this is the main problem with such a limited set of recordings. Speculation can go on forever about what could have followed this brilliance, but it can never be resolved. This is a more affordable CD than the boxed set, and surely contains material that is as representative of the Johnson legacy. A no-brainer purchase, just get it and listen to it with the lights off.

I have heard the name Robert Johnson associated with country blues as long as I have been listening to the blues, and believe me that is a long time. I would venture to guess that if an average blues (or just music) fan was asked to name one blues artist the name that would, more probably than not, come up is Robert Johnson. Partially that is because his influence on later artists has been nothing short of fantastic, particularly the English blues aficionados like Eric Clapton. That said, Brother Johnson's work leaves me cold. While I can appreciate some of his lyrics his guitar playing is ordinary, his singing can be tedious and his sense of momentum over the course of an album is very mundane.

His contemporaries, or near contemporaries like Charlie Patton, Howlin' Wolf or Son House, to name just a few, are better in one or all these categories . Needless to say there is an element of subjectivity here but when the occasion arises I am more than willing to gush over a talent that makes me jump. Brother Johnson just does not do so. The source of his fame as an innovator is centered on his role of breaking the pattern of country blues established by Son House and other and giving the first hints of a city blues idiom, particularly Chicago blues.

Okay, we will give the `devil' his do on that score. Still, on any given day wouldn't you give your right arm to see and hear Howlin' Wolf croon "The Red Rooster" or any of his other midnight creeps rather than Johnson on "Sweet Home, Chicago"? Here I will rest my case.

So what do you have to hear here? Obviously, "Sweet Home, Chicago". Beyond that "32-20 Blues" is a must listen as is his version of "Dust My Broom" (but isn't Elmore James' version much better?) and "Hellhound On My Trail".

A reviewer below has made a mistake, or his review was misfiled: This compilation is not to be confused with "King of the Delta Blues SINGERS." THAT is the compilation which contains the alternate take of "Traveling Riverside Blues." It and its companion, "King of the Delta Blues Singers, Volume 2" also have much better mastering than any other Robert Johnson collections that I am aware of. Unfortunately, between them, ten alternate takes have yet to be upgraded from either mastering of the "Complete" collection.

I have not heard "King of the Delta Blues"--I am basing this information on the song sample Amazon has provided. But given the song lineup, this is a confusingly unnecessary product.