The Complete Recordings

The Place where The soul Of Man Never Dies   February 26, 2010
Robert Johnson remains a mystery to this day. The legend wants us to believe that as a young bluesman of limited talent, he went down to the crossroads at midnight in the Mississippi Delta and sold his soul to the devil to become the greatest bluesman that ever lived. Musicologists believe instead that, sick of being made fun of by his peers (including the great Son House), he disappeared for 6 months, took guitar lessons, practiced his guitar like a mad man and composed a wealth of songs that remain the blues standards to this day ("Sweet Home Chicago" "Dust My Broom"). Many of these songs cultivated the myth of a Faustian bargain with the devil ("Crossroads Blues", "Me and the Devil", "Hellhounds on my Trail"). Whether you believe the legend or the musicologists, what remains is a staggering collection of songs that define the blues and have been recorded by countless bluesmen and rock and roll singers. Listen to "(They're) Red Hot" and you are listening not to blues but to rock and roll twenty years before Elvis.

Besides his songwriting genius, there are two other reasons why Johnson belongs to "The Place Where the Soul of Man Never Dies":

First and foremost his incredible guitar technique. Blues musicians before him used their thumb to play a bass line and their other fingers to play a rhythm or picking or licks. Johnson upped the ante by playing the bass line with his thumb, rhythm with his middle fingers and solos with his pinky, melting all three into one big overall full sound. In other words, he was a one man band. No one has ever been able to replicate his guitar sound. The only one who comes close, in my opinion is the great John Hammond Jr. Eric Clapton has said he is both haunted and driven by the possibility of achieving that sound but has never been able to.

The second reason is Johnson's fragile high pitched voice. Most blues singers have a gruff raspy and worn out voice. Johnson's voice was incredibly fragile, much like Sinatra's or the young Presley's. Listen to his classic ballad "Love in vain" made famous by the Rolling Stones and you will truly feel why his love was in vain...

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Get King of the Delta Blues Instead - Much better sound quality   February 16, 2010
This collection is disappointing becuase they'e worked so hard to clean up the his and scratches of recordings made in a hotel room over 70 years ago, that they've so muffled the voice and music that it just doesn't come through realistically. sony's King of the Delta Blues (Vol.s 1 and 2) offers a virtually complete collection and the diff in sound quality is startling. While you hear more hiss and scratches, the sound of Johnson's voice has a prescence that that the "Comlete Collection" lacks. I already owned the latter and upon hearing the former, went out and bought it. Skip the Complete Collection and get the recording that sounds more real, more alive. If you already own the "Complete Collection" and yo like the music, bag it and get King of the Delta Blues edition, Johnson desrves to be heard without a towel wrapped over his mouth.

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The standard by which all other blues is measured   July 24, 2009
This is an amazing peak into 1930's blues. RJ is so clean, so fluid, so soulful. He's head and shoulders above pretty much all other recordings from this era. As a blues musician myself it's really inspired me to keep pressin' forward and strivin' to perfect my craft. I can lay on the couch on any given rainy day and listen to this on my ipod all day long!

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A Must-Have for Blues Fans   June 25, 2009
How can one describe the guitar playing and singing of Robert Johnson? Simply amazing. He can play with such complicated style, it's no wonder he was accused of selling his soul to the Devil. And his throaty voice matches the style so brilliantly. His songwriting is also excellent, especially on "They're Red Hot" and "Come ON In My Kitchen." Blues fans, get this set. You won't regret it.

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King of Rock & Roll   June 13, 2009
Robert Johnson inspired most of the Rock Stars Today. His song Cross Roads Blues was covered by Eric Clapton's Cream as Crossroads. Listening to this collection explains why he is considered one of the best Delta blues players.

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