#374 Robert Johnson, 'King of the Delta Blues Singers' (1961)
New Entry / Previously #22
Last time around, ‘The Complete Recordings’ featured at #22, this time they’ve chosen to include this compilation, which only include 16 of Johnson’s 29 songs. That’s it. 29 songs is all Robert Johnson had recorded in his short life, and all in two sessions in 1936 and 1937 respectively. Robert Johnson was the first really mythical figure in music. As legend would have it, he sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in return for musical talent. Whether you believe that or not, there’s no denying his talent. Johnson apparently disappeared for a time and when he returned, by all accounts, he could play guitar as if he was possessed by the devil. Keith Richards said it best: “When I first heard it, I said to Brian, “Who’s that?” “Robert Johnson”. I said, “Yeah, but who’s the other guy playing with him?” Because I was hearing two guitars, and it took me a long time to realize he was actually doing it all by himself.”
Robert Johnson influenced everyone. He influenced rock ‘n roll. There’s no point in listing the artists, because it’s all of them. And not only that, he was even the first member of the famed “27 Club.” This album is a snapshot into Robert Johnson. A good place to start. If this is your thing, I would recommend seeking the other 13 songs out on the aforementioned ‘The Complete Recordings.’ This album is a masterclass in music history. The simplistic complexity of these recordings was the blueprint for everything to come from Rock ‘n Roll to RnB to Hip Hop and beyond. And for some, the rudimentary nature of the recordings may be difficult to listen in a similar way to how black & white films are hard to digest for some, but to truly understand music, you must work your way through these recordings. As Keef said: “To me Robert Johnson’s influence-he was like a comet or a meteor that came along and, BOOM, suddenly he raised the ante, suddenly you just had to aim that much higher. You can put the record on now, and it’s as fresh and interesting as the first day you heard it. Everybody should know about Robert Johnson. When you know about something, and comperatively few other people know about it, that’s a crime in a way; you’ve got to do what you can to tell people, “Hey, check this cat out. Because you’re in for something extra in your life.” You want to know how good the blues can get? Well, this is it.”
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