424 - Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers Vol. 2

[csberry]

You don't claim to be a country fan and diss Hank Williams. You don't claim to be a fan of marching band and diss John Philip Sousa. And you don't claim to be a blues fan and diss Robert Johnson. The man laid the bedrock that most modern blues artists have built upon. Armed with an acoustic guitar and slide, he created, toured with, and recorded classic blues songs and traits.

Robert didn't create this out of his own mind. While greatly relying on the dominant Delta blues sound of his native Mississippi, he obtained wide-ranging knowledge of various styles from vaudeville/minstrel to Chicago blues to ragtime to pop to country music. He then took bits of those other styles and melded them into the blues he created. What he is probably most acclaimed for is the boogie bassline that is set underneath the verses and adds a complexity that stumped Keith Richards upon discovering the artist. Robert did by himself what others would expect to require two guitarists.

On King of the Delta Blues Singers Vol. 2, the listener gets a nice collection of his 1930's recordings (scratch/hiss of the shellac records only add to the grittiness of the songs, IMO). I admit that the casual non-blues listener might find the songs redundant and sound very much the same. But just listen to "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" then "Sweet Home Chicago" then "They're Red Hot" then "Malted Milk" and finally "Honeymoon Blues" and you'll be able to better appreciate the differing sounds that a country blues musician with just an acoustic guitar is capable of.

Songs I knew I liked: "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," "Drunken Hearted Man," and "Love in Vain"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Kind Hearted Woman Blues," "They're Red Hot," "Malted Milk," and "Honeymoon Blues"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None

Comments

[qthewetsprocket.livejournal.com]

One of many things I would do if I had a Tardis: travel back to see Robert Johnson playing on street corners, to hear his renditions of the vaudeville, pop, jazz, country, folk and gospel songs of the time (all with an mp3 recorder secreted somewhere about my person, of course). It would be utterly amazing to hear him play so many different genres.