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This two-CD box contains all 41 recordings Johnson made, including 12 alternate takes, and each cut remains a classic. This set's release in 1990 caused quite a stir, selling more than 500,000 copies and, on the basis of endorsements from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, introduced a great number of rock fans to Delta blues. Amazingly, Johnson built his enormous legacy on the strength of just two recording sessions: the first session, in November of 1936, produced among others "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom", "Sweet Home Chicago", "Cross Road Blues" and "Walkin' Blues", making it perhaps the most influential single session in blues' history. --Marc Greilsamer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 46 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Muddy Waters is probably the most famous of all bluesmen, but not many people know that, in the early years of his carear, he was a Robert Johnson tribute act.
Standing on the shoulders of the great delta blues giants like Son House and Lonnie Johnson, Robert Johnson took accoustic blues to reach it's pre-war peak, before amplifiers and the electric guitar came in.
As a singer he is passionate rather than technically brilliant, but it is as an accoustic blues guiitarist that he is unsurpassed - not just my view but Eric Clapton's as well. No-one else could play such a variety of styles with such power, feeling and emotion. In fact so skillful was his playing that when Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones first heard it, he was conviced that there were two people on the record - one doing the lead work and one doing the bass runs, rather than Johnson managing both simultaneously.
The best thing about this CD is that it has every single take that he ever recorded - from the intense, crazed "Preaching Blues (Up jumped the Devil)" to the slow, moving "Come on in my Kitchen" which, according to Johnny Shines, reduced men to tears when Johnson played it live.
If you only have one accoustic blues CD in your collection - this is the one it should be.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This bargain CD contains the roots of most great guitar music. Almost everyone has heard one of his songs, covered by every band in the western world during the 1960s. Once one gets into the sound of the man alone with his primitive guitar then the sound just gets better and better.
Essential for any music fan, especially those into the psychedelic and blues rock of the 1960s
Essential for any music fan, especially those into the psychedelic and blues rock of the 1960s
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
One of the things that I love most about the great pillar of popular music that is The Blues is the fact that it provides such a stable and accessible platform for so many different musicians to explore and express their deepest, most heartfelt feelings from, each of them able to carve their own unique signature.
One of the most finely-carved of these signatures belongs to Robert Johnson, one of the great early contributors to the blues, and one whose legacy and influence on so many of those who came later cannot be overstated.
Despite his significance to the blues, Johnson's name never seems to have attained the same level of general familiarity as those of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker etc. Indeed, I only discovered him after watching the film The Ghosts of Mississippi with Alec Baldwin, James Woods and Whoopi Goldberg. At one point, Baldwin visits the brother of a murdered civil rights activist who is the DJ of a small southern radio station; at the end of their chat, the DJ puts on a new record which he introduces with words to the effect of "now for something from the grandfather of the blues, Robert Johnson". You only hear the first few notes of the record, but it was enough to intrigue me and to make me look into the man. WELL! What a revelation!
There is very little I can add to what has already been said about Johnson except to say his records really sound as if there are three of them playing! I don't possess enough of a technical knowledge of music to specifically describe what the guy is up to, but can only try to explain that his guitar-playing is unlike anything I've heard before and that his rythmic structures are Just Brilliant. Truly a guitar virtuoso! The combination of his guitar, rythm, voice and lyrics is absolutely haunting, beautiful, melancholy, sweet, mysterious, trippy etc. If you'd like to hear one of the greatest exponents of Mississippi Delta blues, here's your man!
Incidentally, Rolling Stone Magazine's 'Top 100 Guitarists Of All Time' has Robert Johnson at number 5, one place behind Eric Clapton at number 4! I can't think that Clapton would be at all happy to be rated higher than his hero!
(Also, if you're frustrated by the shortage of Johnson's recorded material, then I highly recommend the work of another early blues giant, the equally great Leadbelly - the master of the 12 string guitar, a lot of whose music is reminiscent of Johnson's - Oh, and of course, the incomparable Son House, who had a direct and unmistakeable influence on Johnson's music).
One of the most finely-carved of these signatures belongs to Robert Johnson, one of the great early contributors to the blues, and one whose legacy and influence on so many of those who came later cannot be overstated.
Despite his significance to the blues, Johnson's name never seems to have attained the same level of general familiarity as those of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker etc. Indeed, I only discovered him after watching the film The Ghosts of Mississippi with Alec Baldwin, James Woods and Whoopi Goldberg. At one point, Baldwin visits the brother of a murdered civil rights activist who is the DJ of a small southern radio station; at the end of their chat, the DJ puts on a new record which he introduces with words to the effect of "now for something from the grandfather of the blues, Robert Johnson". You only hear the first few notes of the record, but it was enough to intrigue me and to make me look into the man. WELL! What a revelation!
There is very little I can add to what has already been said about Johnson except to say his records really sound as if there are three of them playing! I don't possess enough of a technical knowledge of music to specifically describe what the guy is up to, but can only try to explain that his guitar-playing is unlike anything I've heard before and that his rythmic structures are Just Brilliant. Truly a guitar virtuoso! The combination of his guitar, rythm, voice and lyrics is absolutely haunting, beautiful, melancholy, sweet, mysterious, trippy etc. If you'd like to hear one of the greatest exponents of Mississippi Delta blues, here's your man!
Incidentally, Rolling Stone Magazine's 'Top 100 Guitarists Of All Time' has Robert Johnson at number 5, one place behind Eric Clapton at number 4! I can't think that Clapton would be at all happy to be rated higher than his hero!
(Also, if you're frustrated by the shortage of Johnson's recorded material, then I highly recommend the work of another early blues giant, the equally great Leadbelly - the master of the 12 string guitar, a lot of whose music is reminiscent of Johnson's - Oh, and of course, the incomparable Son House, who had a direct and unmistakeable influence on Johnson's music).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Track Listing
Thought a track listing of the 41 recordings would be useful to anyone who is interested.
1. Kindhearted Woman Blues
2. Kindhearted Woman Blues
3. Read more
1. Kindhearted Woman Blues
2. Kindhearted Woman Blues
3. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Glenn Cook
A must have for any serious music lover.
This is my first cd i have owned in a Mono format, for me it suits the artist and the time period that these recordings were produced. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. K. P. Skinner
As good as expected
A great CD for any blues fan - old or new. I particularly like the fact that where there is more than one recording of a song they are placed next to each other on the track... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Dan
eh
why write a review on this cd. youll buy it or not based on whether you know or like robert johnson or not. robert who? just buy it.
Published 5 months ago by Brian Charles Prince
Johnson Classic
These are great songs ahead of their time and you can admire as you come across some numbers made famous by the stones. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Sukuma wiki
Great Music, Not So Good Packaging
Music is great, but if you just want to see what all the fuss is about, buy a single CD of his best stuff. Read more
Published 10 months ago by P. ROBERTS
The definitive Robert Johnson
If you like Robert Johnson and early Delta blues, look no further. This is the best collection, sound quality, and it's complete.
Published 12 months ago by MJ. (scary drood)
Never realised he was such a good Lyricist
I got this a few months ago, and I really like it. As a few other reviewers have mentioned it is a bit of a pain in the way they bunch all the recordings of one song together,... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Stan
Amazing Music - Terrible Packaging
First of all this is not a review of the music contained on these CD's which are absolutely incredible. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Tochel Guitars
"Need to have"
When you love the blues you must have these recordings. It is strange that these old and scrambled recordings are so valued but they are. Read more
Published 16 months ago by jesper a
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