Search - Robert Johnson :: Road to Robert Johnson

Several reasons to own

Chas. | Santa Barbara, CA | 06/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I may be a late adapter to these multi-disc blues compilations, but I can think of several reasons to jump on this bandwagon: 1. You may have many of these cuts in your collection of 78s, but those can stay in a safe place (like a bank vault) and you can actually listen to the music in this format, 2. You may have the entire Robt. Johnson collection in a deluxe CD box, but these can be kept in a different room or in your car stereo, because you never want to be far from an RJ fix, 3. You may not be so familiar with the other artists here that don't have quite the reputation of the Master--most interestingly the ones who the Master learned from--and you'll get a serious taste of both predecessors, proteges, and pupils here that is nothing to sniff at, 4. You may be surprised at the sound quality, which is an excellent mid-point between raw transfer and over-refined scrub. The Grafton cuts remind you of Paramount's technical problems but don't cause so much hair-pulling, and the newer recordings are refreshingly listenable when you get to them. Most are in the middle where you are reminded of the era the recording was made in, but can fully appreciate the artistry and edge that may have disappeared with the whole concept of "race" recordings. And 5. Neil Slaven's accompanying text is first-rate. You don't get a hefty booklet, of course, (or any pictures), but the commentary is knowledgeable and witty. These JSP (and some other producers--almost always NOT from the U.S.) packages are terrific, economically priced goldmines."