Search - Robert Johnson :: Close Personal Friend (Bonus CD)

IF You Like Power Pop then this is for you

Robert Alan Bryan | Waldorf, Maryland USA | 11/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw a free track by Robert Johnson, but I didn't know the title and thought I was familiar with all the old Bluesman's work.



Well, this is not the legendary Robert Johnson or the more recent funkster. This is a power-pop buy from 1978. I have never heard of this "Robert Johnson" before. So I sampled the album which was one of two albums he released in the late 70s. The other work is included on this re-release ("The Memphis Demos").



This is pleasant power pop with some great Southern-Style Power Pop thrown in. Never heard of 'Southern-Style Power Pop'?

Me neither, I just made that term up.

This is a bit Lynyrd Synyrd jamming with Cheap Trick.

Guitars jangle all over the place. Solid rhythm section, but the guitar work is a bit more flavored than Cheap Trick, Shoes, or Raspberries.



I don't know much about this guy but download some free songs (if they are still free) or hear the samples. I am sure you will enjoy it.

The songs are all very pleasant power pop tunes with a lot of great hooks. This should have been big 30 years ago."

Become a Close Personal Friend

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 12/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the late seventies lost classics came in the form of a split-legged Memphis rock guitarist who came with an incredible pedigree. Robert Johnson was the touring guitarist with John Entwistle's Ox, was once considered a replacement for Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones (Ronnie Wood got the gig) and was signed with the lavish - but ultimately failed - Infinity Records in the USA. Infinity was a new vanity label which scored early hits from Rupert Holmes, Orleans, Hot Chocolate, New England and Spyrogyra. Johnson was supposed to be their entry into the scene that was blowing up via The Knack and The Cars.



Johnson's album met that challenge and more. While his closest contemporary of the time would be folks like Dave Edmunds or Nick Lowe, his fretwork was still rooted in Chuck Berry's Memphis and there was an energy here that could have lit up radio dials had radio been paying attention (and Infinity not $pent itself into oblivion). Like Berry, Johnson has an affinity for the cars and girls rock life, as is evidenced by name-drop titles like Keri, Leslie and Debbie. I've also been always partial to "Wreck My Mind," Johnson's ode to the calamity of love ("like cutting corners on two wheels...").



While the album never caught on stateside (and Infinity tanked soon after the album was released, wiki the label if you'd like to see more), Johnson did get a second album in the UK. His biggest hit there was a faithful (if revved up) cover of Elvis Presley's "Burning Love." The companion album, "The Memphis Demos" is linked to the CD, marking its first release ever in the US. They include a couple live cuts and raw versions of "Wish Upon a Star" and "I'll Be Waiting."



I've been looking for this to come out on CD (or downloads) for a long time. I'd kind of given up hope, but holy cow. If that roots-rock style of Edmunds, early Graham Parker, The Stray Cats or even a little Springsteen gets your motor running, download this now. Robert Johnson maintained in the original liner notes that his close personal friend was his guitar. Now it can be yours, too."

A Lost Classic Rediscovered At Last!!!!!!!

joetahoe | Alameda, CA | 12/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't believe it! It has finally arrived! I've been searching for a CD version of this great classic for over 20 years and I am now trembling because I'm so excited. This artist, like so many in the 70's, had a sound of his own and played the guitar with such joy and dexterity, you would swear he had extra fingers! Amazing piece of work from the greatest decade that brought us so much original music. Don't miss it!"