A double-disc box set containing everything Robert Johnson ever recorded, The Complete Recordings 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, The Complete Recordings 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 or mp3 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 -- 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.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Believe I'll Dust My BroomRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Sweet Home ChicagoRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Terraplane BluesRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:59 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | 32-20 BluesRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | They're Red HotRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Stones in My PasswayRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:27 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | I'm a Steady Rollin' ManRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Hellhound on My TrailRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | Malted MilkRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:20 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Traveling Riverside BluesRobert Johnson | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Ramblin' On My Mind (Take 1) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Come On In My Kitchen (Take 1) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Cross Road Blues (Take 1) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | Walkin' Blues | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:28 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Love in Vain (Take 2) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:20 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Take 2) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:21 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 17 | Me and the Devil Blues (Take 2) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 18 | From Four Until Late | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:23 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 19 | Come On In My Kitchen (Take 2) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 20 | Stop Breakin' Down Blues (Take 1) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:16 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 21 | Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Take 1) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 22 | Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Take 2) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:27 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 23 | Love in Vain (Take 1) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:23 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 24 | When You Got a Good Friend (Take 2) | Robert Johnson | Play | 02:50 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 63 mins | 145 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Johnson | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 2 | Traditional | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |