King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2

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King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2
King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. 2 cover
Compilation album by Robert Johnson
Released 1970
Recorded November 1936 and
June 1937
Genre Blues
Label Columbia
Producer Frank Driggs
Professional reviews
Robert Johnson chronology
King of the Delta Blues Singers
(1961)
King of the Delta Blues Singers, Vol. II
(1970)
Robert Johnson: The Complete Recordings
(1990)

King of the Delta Blues Singers Volume II is an album compiling mono recordings by Robert Johnson, released in 1970 on Columbia Records, catalogue number PCL30034. It is considered one of the greatest blues releases ever, and appeared at number 424 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Contents

[edit] Content

The album compiles sixteen recordings, thirteen of which were previously available as 78s on the Vocalion label, originally recorded during two sessions in 1936 and 1937. Through the course of the 1960s, blues music had become more visible in the popular music landscape of the day. Songs from Johnson's first album had been covered by popular rock artists in the late sixties, including Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin, who based their "Lemon Song" partly on "Traveling Riverside Blues." The Rolling Stones placed a version of "Love In Vain" on their 1969 landmark Let It Bleed before it had been released on LP, having heard the song on a bootleg recording circulating at the time.

Columbia decided it was time to issue another Johnson album, scoured the vaults again and came up with the remaining eleven Vocalion masters and three unreleased tracks. Likely finding no further acceptable recordings, to bring the number of tracks to the same sixteen as on Volume I, the masters of "Ramblin' On My Mind" and "Preachin' Blues" from the earlier LP were issued again. Although not quite as popular or influential as its predecessor, it includes recordings of two Johnson songs that have become blues standards, "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Love in Vain." In contrast to the deeply emotive songs released on the 1961 album, many of the tracks on Volume II display Johnson's lighter side.

King of the Delta Blues Singers Vol. II was reissued on August 10, 2004, by the Legacy Records subsidiary label of the Sony Corporaton, with the alternate version of "Ramblin' On My Mind" from the Complete Recordings box appended as a bonus track. The original recording engineer for the 1936 sessions was Don Law; for the 1937 sessions it was Vin Liebler.

[edit] Track Listing

[edit] Side One

Track Recorded Catalogue Released Song Title Time
1. 11/23/36 unreleased alternate take Kind Hearted Woman Blues 2:28
2. 11/23/36 Vocalion 3475 1936 I Believe I'll Dust My Broom 2:57
3. 11/23/36 Vocalion 3601 1936 Sweet Home Chicago 2:57
4. 11/23/36 Vocalion 3519 1936 Ramblin' On My Mind 2:50
5. 11/23/36 previously unreleased Phonograph Blues 2:38
6. 11/27/36 Vocalion 3563 1936 They're Red Hot 2:56
7. 11/27/36 Vocalion 3475 1936 Dead Shrimp Blues 2:29
8. 11/27/36 Vocalion 4630 1938 Preaching Blues 2:49

[edit] Side Two

Track Recorded Catalogue Released Song Title Time
1. 6/19/37 Vocalion 3723 1937 I'm A Steady Rollin' Man 2:35
2. 6/19/37 Vocalion 3623 1937 From Four 'Til Late 2:22
3. 6/20/37 Vocalion 4108 1937 Little Queen of Spades 2:16
4. 6/20/37 Vocalion 3665 1937 Malted Milk 2:20
5. 6/20/37 previously unreleased Drunken Hearted Man 2:26
6. 6/20/37 Vocalion 4002 1937 Stop Breaking Down Blues 2:21
7. 6/20/37 Vocalion 4002 1937 Honeymoon Blues 2:16
8. 6/20/37 Vocalion 4630 1938 Love In Vain 2:20

[edit] 2004 Reissue Bonus Track

Track Recorded Catalogue Released Song Title Time
1. 11/23/36 Legacy C2K6496 1990 Ramblin' On My Mind 2:23