King of the Delta Blues Singers

by Robert Johnson

Overview

Reading about the power inherent in Robert Johnson's music is one thing, but actually experiencing it is another matter entirely. The official 1998 edition of the original 1961 album was certainly worth the wait, remastered off the best quality original 78s available, of far superior quality to any of the source materials used on even the 1991 box set. Johnson's guitar takes on a fullness never heard on previous reissues, and except for a nagging hiss in spots on "Terraplane Blues" (the equalization on this disc is extreme, to even sport some minute turntable rumble in the low end), this really brings his music alive. If there is such a thing as a greatest-hits package available on Johnson, this landmark album, which jump-started the whole '60s blues revival, would certainly be the one. The majority of Johnson's best-known tunes, the ones that made the legend, are all aboard: "Crossroads," "Walkin' Blues," "Me & the Devil Blues," "Come On In My Kitchen," and the apocalyptic visions contained in "Hellhound On My Trail" are the blues at its finest, the lyrics sheer poetry. And making its first appearance anywhere is a newly discovered (in 1998) alternate take of "Traveling Riverside Blues" that's appended to the original 16-track lineup. If you are starting your blues collection from the ground up, be sure to make this your very first purchase. ~ Cub Koda

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/1998
Label:	Columbia / Columbia/Legacy
UPC:	0074646574621
Rank:	32071

Tracks

1. Cross Road Blues
2. Terraplane Blues
3. Come on in My Kitchen
4. Walking Blues
5. Last Fair Deal Gone Down
6. 32-20 Blues
7. Kindhearted Woman Blues
8. If I Had Possession over Judgement Day
9. Preaching Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)
10. When You Got a Good Friend
11. Rambling on My Mind
12. Stones in My Passway
13. Traveling Riverside Blues
14. Milkcow's Calf Blues
15. Me and the Devil Blues
16. Hellhound on My Trail
17. Traveling Riverside Blues

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Robert Johnson   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals

Technical Credits

Vincent Liebler   Engineer
Frank Driggs   Reissue Producer,Editing,Producer
Lawrence Cohn   Artwork
Don Law   Producer
John Jackson   Project Director
Robert Vosgien   Digital Mastering
Peter Guralnick   Liner Notes
Son House   Composer
Robert Johnson   Composer
Art Satherley   Recording Supervision
Adam Block   Project Director
Steve LaVere   Digital Transfer Producer
Traditional   Composer
Steve Lasker   Restoration
Payne   Composer
Carol Grobe   Art Direction
Burt Goldblatt   Artwork
Stanley Weiss   Remastering