The Ultimate Blues Legend

AMG Review of The Ultimate Blues Legend

Steve Leggett
All Music Guide

Robert Johnson may not have been as innovative in the country blues field as many people think, but as one of the last of the great Delta players to record, he brought a late-era refinement to his material, and with striking songs like "Stones in My Passway," "Hellhound on My Trail," and the assured "Last Fair Deal Gone Down," he certainly deserves his lofty position in the early lues canon. This two-disc set has all three of these classic tracks, but lacks other key recordings like Johnson's "Cross Road Blues," and is certainly not the "ultimate" Johnson compilation. There are dozens of Robert Johnson collections like this on the market, but there is really no reason not to simply pick up the double-disc Complete Recordings on Columbia. It has the best sound, the best liner notes, and everything is there, alternate takes and all.