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The Complete Recordings (The Centennial Collection)

Robert JohnsonAudio CD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)

Price: $13.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Frequently Bought Together

The Complete Recordings (The Centennial Collection) + Original Delta Blues + I Am the Blues
Price for all three: $22.97

Some of these items ship sooner than the others.

Buy the selected items together
  • Original Delta Blues $4.99
  • I Am the Blues $3.99


Product Details

  • Audio CD (April 26, 2011)
  • Original Release Date: 2011
  • Number of Discs: 2
  • Label: Sony Legacy
  • ASIN: B004OFWLO0
  • In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,043 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Disc: 1
1. Kindhearted Woman Blues
2. Kindhearted Woman Blues (alternate take)
3. I Believe I ll Dust My Broom
4. Sweet Home Chicago
5. Ramblin On My Mind
6. Ramblin On My Mind (alternate take)
7. When You Got A Good Friend
8. When You Got A Good Friend (alternate take)
9. Come On In My Kitchen
10. Come On In My Kitchen (alternate take)
See all 22 tracks on this disc
Disc: 2
1. Stones In My Passway
2. I m A Steady Rollin Man
3. From Four Till Late
4. Hellhound On My Trail
5. Little Queen Of Spades
6. Little Queen Of Spades (alternate take)
7. Malted Milk
8. Drunken Hearted Man
9. Drunken Hearted Man (alternate take)
10. Me And The Devil Blues
See all 20 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

May 8, 2011, marks the 100th birthday of Mississippi Delta bluesman Robert Johnson, who, according to legend, sold his soul down at the crossroads of Highway 61 and Highway 49 in a midnight bargain that has haunted the music world for three-quarters of a century. The deal brought forth Johnson s incandescent guitar technique and a run of 10-inch 78 rpm singles for the Vocalion, Oriole, Conqueror and Perfect labels recorded in San Antonio in 1936 and Dallas in 1937. Those songs have become a cornerstone of Columbia Records identity, and will be celebrated on two CENTENNIAL releases from Columbia/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT.

THE CENTENNIAL COLLECTION double-disc set shares the same genealogy as 1990 s Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings, but that package has now been updated for a new generation. The set includes a new essay by Ted Gioia alongside a new biography of Robert Johnson written by Stephen C. LaVere (completely different from his essay in the 1990 version). Also included are new illustrations, photo images, and a family tree of music originating from Robert Johnson.

Customer Reviews

I thought that the sound was good, so I don't know what some others are complaining about. Fred Camfield  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Gotta love the delta blues. Derek Hval  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
112 of 117 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Critical recordings reissued with revalatory sound. April 27, 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Robert Johnson, blues pioneer and legend, would turn 100 next month if he were still alive. In celebration of his centennial, his all-too-brief catalog-- 29 master takes and 13 alternates-- has been reissued.

As I'm sure a lot of you reading this already have these recordings in some form or another, I'm going to start by talking about the presentation of this material. Put simply-- this set is a revelation of sound-- it's remarkable, both the 1990 collection (Complete Recordings) and the later reissues of King of Delta Blues Singers all have that "pre-World War II reissue sound". Many of you know what I mean, scratches, pops, microphone hiss, etc. It lends a certain charm to the music, but it can certainly change the listening experience. This recording is remarkably free of that-- crip, clean, clear, no artifacts of age or old media. It's really amazing, I've never heard anything from this era that sounds like this, it has my salivating at the potential for remastering other pre-WWII music and it really brings Johnson to life-- with such clarity, both his singing and guitar playing leap off the recordings.

And really, that brings me back to the recordings, a true treasure of their era, Robert Johnson was a powerfully talented man. Generally recognized for his guitar playing (rumor has it he sold his soul to the Devil to attain such mastery), Johnson was also a singer of fierce power, channeling deep and powerful emotions and demonstrating excellent flexibility in his voice. Accompanying himself on guitar, Johnson demonstrates remarkable technique, instantly recognizable as his own and never really replicated by anyone else. I think it was best summed up by Keith Richards, who famously asked when hearing Johsnon, "who is the other guy playing with him?"

The songs themselves have been covered and re-covered so many times, in many ways they're instantly familiar to us. To hear Johnson perform though is often a revelation-- he can bring forth such emotions seemingly at will, haunted fear ("Hellhound on My Trail"), anxiety ("Ramblin' On My Mind") and ecstacy ("They're Red Hot"). But for me, when he's at his best is when there's almost an acceptance of a dark resolution-- "Me and the Devil Blues" and "Cross Road Blues" come immediately to mind. It's something I've never quite heard in anyone else's music, and certainly the many, many covers of the latter are simply lacking in comparison.

The bottom line is, these recordings are essential parts of music history, it's hard to overstate this, and should be investigated by virtually any serious music fan. For those who have previous issues of these recordings, the sonic upgrade here is to my ears worth the investment. Highly recommended.
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55 of 59 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing ! April 26, 2011
By Don
Format:Audio CD
I already had the 1990 release "The Complete Recordings" so you would probably say , why buy this one , right ? Well I firgured it would be re-remastered using todays technology and I saw it had unreleased 2 snippets on disc 2 . I was gonna purchase it thru Amazon like I do most of the time but I wanted to see the packaging first to see if it was remastered . Well I purchased it today at a local independent record store (there are so few left these days)and I gotta say ,the sound is much improved over the 1990 boxset . The booklet is very nice and informative and the 2 new snippets (even though they are only seconds in length)are historical seconds in the story of the Blues . Maybe you have to be a Delta Blues fanatic like me to appreciate these few seconds . All in all this is a great 2cd set with great sound . The only thing missing from this as compared to the 1990 boxset is the lyrics . BUY IT ! ! !
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46 of 51 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Holy Crap!!!!!!! April 29, 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ok, I've bought all the reissues and the records so I know a little of the history of the SOUND of Robert J.
This reissue got all the hooks right. The remastering, compared even to the 90 re-re cd issue literally BLOWS
it away for listenability. This, finally is the holy grail of RJ. It is finally, a collection you can listen to without being
totally stoned and enjoy!! Kudo's to the Columbia label for FINALLY gettin it right!!
Gerard Masters
Comment | 
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Did the devil teach Robert Johnson guitar for his soul?
So the legend says.
He was the first to do so much, and now a lot is part of the standard repertoire.
Every blues and rock musician owes him so much. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Mary L. Kenosian
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Even though i'm a guy, I think I'm in love - I can't stop listening to this CD.I listen to it all the time. Love love love it.
Published 1 month ago by Nice
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!!!!
I DO see what the great Eric Clapton is talking about, Robert Johnson was a TRUE MUSICIAN. It's too bad he wasn't appreciated in his time but we get to enjoy his talents now, Thank... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Sean Embury
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Blues
Robert Johnson a legend of the blues. A man whom, some say, sold his soul for the ability to play the guitar and sing the blues. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Amazon Man
5.0 out of 5 stars Great complete set of recordings
Great double CD with the 2 main recording sessions and other versions. Great to compare the 2 recordings. The grandfather of modern guitar blues!!!
Published 3 months ago by Craig Williamson
5.0 out of 5 stars Gift
Given as a gift. They like it a lot and especially enjoy having all of Robert Johnson's hits on two convenient discs.
Published 3 months ago by santa clause
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Collection
The sound quality on this collection is much better than anticipated. For those of you out there who already know who Robert Johnson is, you won't be disappointed. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dan
5.0 out of 5 stars As Good As It Gets
I have always been a fan of the old school Delta Blues with Robert Johnson being on the top of my list. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Brian K. Reid
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Blues!
Robert Johnson is the best. Gotta love the delta blues. Very happy with the quality of the sound and clarity.
Published 5 months ago by Derek Hval
1.0 out of 5 stars poor quality
Bought a copy of this from Amazon a few weeks ago. Finally got around to playing. CD was junk. Never bought a CD that jumped and skipped around like this one. Read more
Published 6 months ago by exmptle
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