Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
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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Disc 1:

1. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (take 1)
2. Kind Hearted Woman Blues (take 2)
3. I Believe I'll Dust My Broom
4. Sweet Home Chicago
5. Ramblin' On My Mind (take 1)
6. Ramblin' On My Mind (take 2)
7. When You Got A Good Friend (take 1)
8. When You Got A Good Friend (take 2)
9. Come On In My Kitchen (take 1)
10. Come On In My Kitchen (take 2)
11. Terraplane Blues
12. Phonograph Blues (take 1)
13. Phonograph Blues (take 2)
14. 32-20 Blues
15. They're Red Hot
16. Dead Shrimp Blues
17. Cross Road Blues (take 1)
18. Cross Road Blues (take 2)
19. Walkin' Blues
20. Last Fair Deal Gone Down

Disc 2:

1. Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped The Devil)
2. If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day
3. Stones In My Passway
4. I'm A Steady Rollin' Man
5. From Four Until Late
6. Hell Hound On My Trail
7. Little Queen Of Spades (take 1)
8. Little Queen Of Spades (take 2)
9. Malted Milk
10. Drunken Hearted Man (take 1)
11. Drunken Hearted Man (take 2)
12. Me And The Devil Blues (take 1)
13. Me And The Devil Blues (take 2)
14. Stop Breakin' Down Blues (take 1)
15. Stop Breakin' Down Blues (take 2)
16. Traveling Riverside Blues
17. Honeymoon Blues
18. Love In Vain Blues (take 1)
19. Love In Vain Blues (take 2)
20. Milkcow's Calf Blues (take 1)
21. Milkcow's Calf Blues (take 2)

Rating: - It's the only Robert Johnson album you'll ever need.
The story of Robert Johnson is that he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the talent at playing blues. I personally don't believe the story because he really put his soul into the music, and it's very obvious. Maybe his deal with the devil was that the devil would take his soul when he died. Whether the story is true or not, he believed it, and he left with only 29 songs, 12 additional takes, 2 still photographs, and 1 incredible legacy.

I personally believe that every musician must own at least one actual blues album, no matter how far their music is from the blues, because the blues is probably the most soulful of all genres of music. This might explain why most classical musicians focus only on the technical part of the music, and they don't let their heart do any of the work. Most people would probably consider this the one blues album to get if you only get just one. What do I think? I think that this album is as good as any of them. If not this album, I would suggest a blues compilation.

I was fortunate to get the copy that a local radio station, that is now out of business, would use when they would play his music, as a birthday gift. My uncle told me that he found it at a yard sale.

What do I think of the album?

I personally agree with most people about how the alternate takes should have been at the end after everything else. However, the fact that just about all of his tracks are basically the same song, but he changes the words, makes it not as big deal, for me at least. Because he does a great job playing the blues, probably due to the whole deal with the devil thing, it's not as boring. There are also several different rhythm styles that he uses.

Even more, there are a couple of songs that aren't blues, but of the pop music of that time, which adds a bit more variety. If "They're Red Hot" and "From Four Till Late" would have been put out as singles, in the way that songs now are released as singles, they both could have been crossover successes in the way that some of the black artists of the time were. However, people probably also wanted full orchestras.

I personally like the bareness of the music. It's hard to believe that just a person with a guitar can really do so much. However, I've been able to go far with nothing but myself and an acoustic guitar, so it's a bit weird that I myself am impressed by this.

About the sound quality, I feel that it isn't too hard to see past it, but I also feel that it adds a bit more mystery to who Robert Johnson was. The full set, also includes transcriptions of his lyrics, a biography, an essay by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, an essay by Eric Clapton, pictures of several different people and parts of his life, and of course, both pictures of him.

To conclude, I have to recommend this album.

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Rating: - A Deeper Look At Robert Johnson Is Needed
A deeper look at Robert Johnson is needed. He was obviously an extremely talented guitar player and had a real way with words; his lyrics were often quite beautiful, as in "From Four Til Late", "Hellhound On My Trail" and "Stones In My Passway". He is the most influential man in Blues history in terms of the proliferation of the "walking bass" sound. He died at just 27 years of age, which enhances his legend. However, now is the appropriate time to take a deeper look at Robert Johnson. The "walking bass" line he's forever associated with was originally used by the lesser-known and less-talented Johnnie Temple a few years before Robert recorded it. The songs which most white Blues fans associated with Robert- the ones about the Devil and hellhounds- are not the songs that strongly influenced black Bluesmen during and after Johnson's death. Instead, harmless party songs like "Sweet Home Chicago" and "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" became standards for many Bluesmen and Blues bands. However, during Robert's short life, he was not an enormously popular star like Leroy Carr or Tampa Red, as Elijah Wald points out in detail in his "Escaping The Delta" book, which covers the history of Blues music, Robert Johnson's life and subsequent legend, and pop music in general. Robert Johnson purposely used the last name, "Johnson", on his recordings because of his love for the older, more talented (yes, more talented!) Lonnie Johnson. Lonnie Johnson was the inventor of Jazz guitar, performed some of the most dazzling and awe-inspiring guitar duets in history with Eddie Lang, came up with a completely original, striking, and ominous way of playing guitar accompaniment for the brilliant singer and lyricist, Texas Alexander, pioneered Rhythm & Blues ten years later, and, in his later years, performed popular songs and Jazz standards with the best of them, showing off his crooning skills. Robert Johnson will be forever eclipsed by Lonnie Johnson in the eyes of musicians and Blues fans with deep insight. Furthermore, Robert's traveling buddy and fellow Blues musician, Johnny Shines, possessed at least as much, if not more, talent than young Robert did. Johnny was one of the greatest singers in the history of the Country Blues, along with Son House and Texas Alexander. Throughout his life, he was able to perform Country Blues originals and standards, electric Chicago-style Blues standards and originals, Soul music, was able to out-do Otis Rush on Johnny's "My Love Can't Hide", which was highly influenced by Otis Rush's "My Love Will Never Die", and craft lyrics that were every bit as original and poetic as those that Robert Johnson sang on the 42 songs that he recorded. Unfortunately, during the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s, Johnny was constantly pestered by Blues fans and historians to talk about Robert Johnson, instead of Johnny Shines.
When Lomax went looking for Robert Johnson, he had trouble down south finding people who knew who Robert was. He wound up recording a young Muddy Waters. The fact that Robert Johnson was not a famous musician in the Mississippi Delta during his lifetime proves that it was the young, white, mostly-male, guitar-playing, Country Blues audience of the late 1950s and early 1960s, along with the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, who popularized the Johnson legend about Robert selling his soul at the Crossroads. In reality, the traditional belief is that one can sell his or her soul to Legba, the trickster deity, and not Satan/the Devil, at the crossroads at midnight. Tommy Johnson, who possessed one of the most beautiful falsetto voices in the history of American music, and wrote and recorded many Blues standards, such as "Canned Heat Blues", "Big Road Blues" and "Maggie Campbell Blues", was a much better singer than Robert Johnson, and his brother stated that Tommy often used the crossroads story to promote himself, back when Robert was just a little boy. Furthermore, the association between Robert Johnson and the Devil is made even more absurd by the fact that a Blues musician named Skip James, who recorded at the height of The Great Depression, was one hundred times more cryptic, bizarre, and spooky than young Robert. Skip James sang in an eerie falsetto, especially on his 1960s records, and openly expressed disdain towards his young white fans during the 1960s; he often stated that the mission of his music was to "deaden the minds" of his listeners. Skip's "I'm So Glad" also eclipses any of Robert's songs in terms of technical ability on the guitar. Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, the aforementioned Lonnie Johnson, Reverend Gary Davis, and the under-recorded Willie Walker were all better guitar players than Robert Johnson. Furthermore, Robert Johnson was more of an amalgam of great Blues singers and guitar players who came before him than he was a person who came up with an entirely new style of Blues. He was a genius at taking all of these established ideas within Blues and composing songs. He was heavily influenced by Peetie Wheatstraw in terms of vocals, Robert's "Hellhound On My Trail" is his attempt at Skip James' "Devil Got My Woman", young Robert's guitar playing for "Malted Milk" and "Drunken Hearted Man" are directly borrowed from Lonnie Johnson, Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell were a tremendous influence on the young man born in Hazelhurst, Mississippi in 1911, and Robert desperately wanted to play slide guitar as well as Kokomo Arnold, but failed in this respect. With all this being said, I'd like everyone to know that I don't dislike Robert Johnson or his music. In fact, I love his music, his lyrics, and his guitar playing. I'd give anything to be able to play guitar like the man. I just want everyone to dig deeper and take a look at the men who inspired Robert Johnson, men who were at least as talented as the supposed god of the Blues. In Bob Dylan's autobiography, he goes on and on about hearing Robert for the first time and being amazed, while Dave Van Ronk sat in his apartment and simply said that Johnson was very, very good, but far from the best. When I was in high school, I believed the hype completely and thought that Robert Johnson was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Since then, I've realized that there were many Country Blues artists who were just as wonderful as him, if not better, not to mention Post-War electric Blues geniuses like Earl Hooker, who is perhaps the greatest slide guitar player in history. I hope that everyone who reads this review reads my words carefully, takes a look at Elijah Wald's "Escaping The Delta", and buys cds via Amazon.com of Blind Willie McTell, Son House, Furry Lewis, Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, etc. There is much more to the Country Blues than Robert Johnson, despite what Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and many young guitar players on Myspace.com seem to think. If you have any questions or comments for me, feel free to leave them beneath this review. Thank you for reading this, and I hope you now have a better understanding of Johnson's place in the history of the Blues.

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Rating: - For the serious, a "must have"
This collection is NOT for dilettantes. This is not something you play in the background as you're working. The 2CD's and the book are designed for serious study. If you want just some Robert Johnson music for listening or background, get something else.

The book that comes with the box set is a long read. It's not worth reading unless you're serious about the subject. The discs contain many alternate takes. This removes the set from the 'background music' category. It is not what you play in the background for a party with your friends to show you're 'down' with the Blues.

This is a serious collection for serious students of the Blues. I've read a couple of the Johnson biographies, and I found things in the book included that I didn't know, and the information about the recordings contained a LOT of things I did not know.

As for the CD's, being able to compare and contrast primary and alternate takes on Johnson's work just showcases his talent and versatility as a performer and as an artist. Johnson is universally recognized as one of the great icons of the Blues. If you're be a serious student of the Blues, you NEED this set.

On the other hand, if you just like to listen to his work (and who doesn't?) there are many decent collections available two good ones are "King of the Delta Blues " and "His Recorded Legacy: The 29 Songs." These are more accessible, and both are available on Amazon. These are both good for casual listening.

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Rating: - Elijah Wald & I Have Something to Add to the Johnson Legend
What else can I add that hasn't already been said about Robert Johnson? Actually, there is a lot of information and observations that have long been ignored by the Blues community and magazines and newspapers like Rolling Stone and The New York Times. He was a lyrical and musical genius who, as Elijah Wald has pointed out in "Escaping the Delta", perfectly crafted his songs. In other words, his songs were intended to reach mass audiences and were not necessarily expressions of his torment as a black man living in Mississippi. At any rate, "Crossroads Blues", "Stones In My Passway", "Love In Vain" and "Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped The Devil" are masterful. There is one important thing to keep in mind, though. It is something that so-called Blues fans often forget. Johnson consciously imitated Kokomo Arnold, Son House, Scrapper Blackwell, Skip James, Leroy Carr, Peetie Wheatstraw and others. He was a synthesis of all that had come before him. Another artist he greatly admired was Lonnie Johnson, even going so far as to tell people that he was related to the man. "Malted Milk" and "Drunken Hearted Man" are closely related to Lonnie Johnson's style of playing during this period. Unfortunately, Johnson died at the age of twenty seven, and just as unfortunate is the fact that a man of equal brilliance, Johnny Shines, has never been given his due as a brilliant slide player, lyricist, and much better singer than Robert Johnson. People who say they love Robert Johnson's music and believe that he made a deal with the Devil should honestly look into Johnson's roots and realize that men like Willie McTell, Lonnie Johnson and Johnny Shines were just as talented as young Robert.

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Rating: - Brilliant Music, Mysterious Story and Unending Impact
I first encountered Robert Johnson's story as did many people in the movie "Crossroads" with Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca (ironically one of the Larks who recorded Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Eyesight To The Blind"), Jami Gertz (what a fox!), Steve Vai (master guitarist) and Ry Cooder (offscreen).
That is where the story came together. You see the story about selling his soul to the devil at the crossroads was told by Tommy Johnson and even before him. Robert Johnson's songs which mentioned the Devil, Hellhounds, Crossroads, etc. made it very tempting to tie the two stories together. Jim O'Neill co-founder of Living Blues magazine once told me that he was talking with his fellow blueshounds trying to figure out exactly when the stories came together. With some research I found and videoed an interview with the widow of the man who dug Robert Johnson's grave in a church cemetary, ironically at what is probably the church at which Alex "Rice" Miller AKA Sonny Boy Williamson II preached as a child. None of the people in the church remember that connection but I found Sonny Boy's childhood home down the road a piece in Money. The Little Zion Church is closer to Greenwood on the same road.

Ironically again, this is not the Complete Robert Johnson recordings as a alternative of Travellin' Riverside Blues which was later discovered in the Library of Congress is missing as the 42nd recording.

Can't You Hear the Wind Howl? The Life and Music of Robert Johnson, the estate's version of his story, is my favorite documentary on Robert Johnson because it plays short excerpts of his songs so you can get used to the sound and the lyrics in small portions.

I had the pleasure of working with Robert Lockwood Jr., Robert Johnson's stepson (who considered me family and I guess that makes me Robert Johnson's grandson as much as he was Robert Johnson's son -- pretty hip for a white boy) and interviewing him extensively about their relationship. Standing across the street from the site of the house he lived in with Robert Johnson when he learned Sweet Home Chicago, I waited until he played it for me to say, "That's amazing!" to which he answered "If it's good; it's been here first."

I highly recommend all Searching for Robert Johnson, The Afterlife of Robert Johnson and Can't You Hear The Wind Howl? as each reveals different information about this outstanding musician who took what had come before him and made it his. Robert Lockwood Jr. did the same thing with Robert's music, first by encouraging Muddy Waters to record it in the 40s and 50s and then with a new 12-string guitar reinventing and revitalizing from 1960 for another quarter century until his death. This music still jumps off the record or CD and tells its story clearly, colorfully and powerfully.

I will always treasure the time I got to spend with Robert Lockwood Jr. who reintroduced me to the music of Robert Johnson and made it part of my life. I still can't play or sing but I love the poetry of the blues.