1. Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers.

 Under no circumstances can I be called a student of the blues. I do enjoy watching a blues band live, in some sweaty club, all the while swilling beer like I had just arrived at an oasis after crawling through the desert for two or three days. I personally believe that the blues is best served up live, the recording of this type of music doesn't do it justice.

 So if the music was recorded almost one hundred years ago, it is reasonable to assume that the technology of the time might have left a little of what the artist had to offer on the table. Luckily, in the case of this Robert  Johnson offering, we have heard it revamped and repackaged hundreds of times. It is undeniably the basis of a lot of the music we hear today, like an old farmhouse that has been updated to modern standards, the framework remains the same, solid beams and posts put together to last. The songs, although I have never really listened to them before, are as familiar as the face of an old friend thanks to purists like Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and the Stones. As the amount of influence these artists have had on the generations that have followed them is immeasurable, the farmhouse will continue to become more elaborate, but the structure will endure.

 The album brings to mind the south. Heat. Dust. A shady porch with lemonade.  Legend has it that RJ went to meet the devil at the crossroads and sold his soul in exchange for prowess on the guitar. This legend must have caused quite a stir as he traveled around, from town to town, playing the blues, singing about somebody squeezing his lemon. (You know what he means.) This cat was the original rock star. The  Devil and Sex. Oh, and some amazing skills on the guitar. A new style of blues.

 In the spirit of having listened to this today, I may just get a copy of Crossroads starring Ralph Macchio, it got 6.7 out of 10 on IMDB... how bad can it be? I'm hoping  the  devil gives him some  attitude, and Ralph hits him with the crane kick that we all know and love. Its too bad Mr. Miyagi can't be the old blues mentor, but that really wouldn't fit now, would it.

 As a note, I am listening to this album digitally, it would really benefit from the warmth and pops that go along with vinyl, just as added ambiance. There is a brief moment right before Travelling Riverside Blues (sound familiar?) that has that vinyl sound. And it's good. Rolling Stone placed this at number 27 on the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Favourite Track- Come On In My Kitchen.

Fittingly Robert Johnson is in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. Give it a try, it's worth a listen.


Buy it here.




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