King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vols. 1-2

AMG Review of King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vols. 1-2

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Once The Complete Recordings became a huge success, Sony opened the floodgates for Robert Johnson reissues. Over the next decade, the label reissued those very recordings in a variety of forms, including gold discs of the original King of the Delta Blues Singers album, a reconfigured version of the box set, a compilation of highlights entited King of the Delta Blues and, finally, a 1998 reissue of King of the Delta Blues Singers. It was the first time the original album had been released as a regular CD but it was distinguished by another factor -- the disc boasted a previously unreleased version of "Travellin' Riverside Blues" as a bonus track. It's hard to see how that particular cut was overlooked by the compilers of the original box set, but it's a good alternate take that may be worth the time of hardcore collectors, even though they're bound to be frustrated by purchasing all of this material yet again. The album itself remains a classic collection of timeless music -- novices should either choose this or King of the Delta Blues Singers as an introduction.