Robert Johnson: The Complete Original Masters - Centennial Edition Box Set

Is the "Blues Rarities from the Vault" being given a separate release as well?

 

Some additional information in the link below (from link on 'Expecting Rain' site) that implies that there are 4 stand-alone components in the box (Vinyl, CDs and DVD):

http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/feb/18Big_Plans_For_Robert_Johnsons_100th_Birthday.shtml

 

Very true. Robert was great, but I wonder where his legend would be without the spoon fulls of praise the 60s British rockers poured on him. Me, I much preferred Charley Patton. Charley sounded like ol' Beelzebub himself. Dock Boggs gets another vote as someone who I'd believe sold their soul at the crossroads.

Back to the topic. This set is too pricey for me, but I am interested in hearing about the sound quality. I could never take all those heavily NR'd CDs of so many American musical treasures from the first half of the 20th century.

 

Be nice if the vinyls were available seperately at a more realistic price.

 

Time has proven that Robert Johnson was a great player who borrowed ideas heavily from previous blues singers and guitarists. Highly, highly derivative, albeit brilliantly derivative.

I'll take Charlie Patton each and every day of the week vs. RJ. That said, for all we know, Patton borrowed ideas heavily from someone who never recorded and is lost to the mists of time, someone like Henry Sloan. We'll never know.

 

Oh, and I've just been posting on another thread about that same subject. I don't have the time to hunt down the evidence, but you are damn right. Many of Mr. Johnson's songs are reworked "borrowings" of older blues. Blues, country and folk. Tracking down the various roots and branches is a fascinating and fun parlor game. Harry Smith did a good job at starting me and many others on that journey.

 

And here's the ultimate proof:

Yazoo CD "Back To The Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson"

With the following tracks that will conclusively demonstrate where RJ got a lot of his ideas:

1. Police Station Blues - Petetie Wheatstraw
2. Old Original Kokomo Blues - Kokomo Arnold
3. Cruel Hearted Woman - Bumble Bee Slim
4. Roll And Tumble Blues - Hambone Willie Newbern
5. Life Saver Blues - Lonnie Johnson
6. Sitting On Top Of The World - Mississippi Sheiks
7. Hittin' The Bottle Stomp - Mississippi Jook Band
8. Devil Got My Woman - Skip James
9. My Black Mama, Pt.1 - Son House
10. Georgia Bound - Blind Blake
11. When The Sun Goes Down - Leroy Carr
12. Sissy Man Blues - Kokomo Arnold
13. Your Enemy Cannot Harm You - Rev. E.W. Clayborn
14. Lead Pencil Blues - Johnny Temple
15. Blues - Skip James
16. Dry Southern Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
17. Kokomo Blues - Scrapper Blackwell
18. Things 'Bout Coming My Way - Tampa Red
19. King Of Spades - Pettie Wheatstraw
20. Oh Red - Harlem Hamfats
21. You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die - Charley Patton
22. Milk Cow Blues - Kokomo Arnold
23. Preachin' The Blues - Son House

 

2004, from Sony Japan. I'd assumed this uses the '96 remastering — it'd be strange if it didn't — but it sounds just like descriptions I've seen of the original box, so I'm starting to wonder.

 

Nothing from the '96 box, but a few samples here:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=229273

 

At $350 (???), I'll get one used on the bay. Just have to be patient.

"Good things come to those who wait".

 

Good luck on that- probably go up in price rather than down.

 

You and me both. I had a chance in Memphis about 15 years ago to pick up a 78 of Dust My Broom/Sweet Home Chicago for $500 and passed it up because I figured it was too expensive! What a chump I was--sigh....

 

Thanks. And it turns out that I must have the 1996 mastering after all, because those samples from 1990 do indeed sound worse — still next to nothing over 5 kHz, but with even more noise reduction.

 

I contacted Sony through the form on the RJ site to ask about the remastering. At first I got a response referring me back to the listing of the boxset, which has no mastering info. I emailed again, and about 10 days later got this reply:

Not totally clear, but it seems that the CDs will be different than anything released previously. I'd bet the vinyls are cut from the same digital remasters.

 

I bit

I suppose some people will insist that you should play the vinyl at 33 1/3

 

Interesting. Thanks. Did they mention who mastered the CDs and if these are new transfers? And how will they treat the alleged "speed" issue of the original recordings?

 

You could write exactly the same thing about Charley Patton, Son House and Skip James, of course. The music was an oral tradition -- all of the bluesmen and blueswomen of the period drew from the same well of lyrics and tunes.

That doesn't mean that Patton, House, James and Johnson were not all highly original and brilliant stylists.

 

oh God, this is beatiful. I know that there is no logic from a SQ standpoint on buying this. I know I´m spending too much is music. I know, I know, I know it is going to be very hard to resist. Somehow, I´ll find an excuse to add it to the cart.

 

Yes Izozeles, I was thinking the same thing.

 

I don't think there's anything to "fix"...

 

Depending on how the mastering is, I may just get the 2-disc edition for 20 bucks....

 

So the current releases run at the tempo Johnson performed them? I'm asking as I have no opinion, but have seen a few articles which suggest the label speed them up to make them more commercial.

 

I posted everything I was told in the email...

 

I misread the title, and now I'm depressed..

 

That seems likely. It doesn't seem likely that all of his recordings would be as off as the theory suggests.