Record Details
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Record ID
488
Artist
Robert Johnson
Title
The Complete Recordings
Field / Genre
Blues
Year Recorded
1937
Label
Columbia
Pressing
Am
Rating
****
Discs
2
Media
CD
Date Bought
18 Oct 1990
Cost
¤30.00
Cover Name
—
Review
<p>A double-disc box set containing everything Robert Johnson ever recorded, <em>The Complete Recordings</em> is essential listening, but it is also slightly problematic. The problems aren't in the music itself, of course, which is stunning and the fidelity of the recordings is the best it ever has been or ever will be. Instead, it's in the track sequencing. As the title implies, <em>The Complete Recordings</em> contains all of Johnson's recorded material, including a generous selection of alternate takes. All of the alternates are sequenced directly after the master, which can make listening to the album a little intimidating and tedious for novices. Certainly, the alternates can be programmed out with a CD player, but the set would have been more palatable if the alternate takes were presented on a separate disc. Nevertheless, this is a minor complaint — Robert Johnson's music retains its power no matter what context it is presented in. He, without question, deserves this kind of deluxe box-set treatment.</p><p>— <strong>Stephen Thomas Erlewine</strong></p>