Description
The Complete Blind Willie Johnson is a double disc compilation of songs recorded by American blues man Blind Willie Johnson, released on Columbia/Legacy in 1993, distribution by Sony Music. Archival restoration and remastering by David Mitson.
The tradition of Texas gospel blues survives (and thrives) over generations in the lore and recordings of Blind Willie Johnson. This collection, his complete recorded output, provides vivid insight into both the significance of his work and remarkable life. With comprehensive notes and song-by-song annotations which include lyrics and related anecdotes, The Complete Blind Willie Johnson is a “must have” for any gospel blues fan. [Note printed on the back of the CD package]
Led Zeppelin, Russ Taff, Ry Cooder, Glenn Kaiser, Bruce Cockburn, Seventy Sevens, Phil Keaggy – what do they all have in common? All these people plus many more have all done covers of Blind Willie Johnson songs. This compilation includes all known recordings by the 1920s street evangelist/singer/guitarist extraordinaire gathered together for the first time over here, although all these tracks have previously been available on two separately available Yazoo imports. The songs may be out and out gospel but the slide guitar is what most people listen to him for. Ry Cooder based the style of the whole of his highly acclaimed soundtrack to ‘Paris, Texas’ on the Johnson classic «Dark Was The Night». The man is widely acknowledged to be a master of the bottleneck style up there with Robert Johnson – no relation as far as anyone knows. If you have the Yazoo imports this is probably not worth your money – the sound quality has only been slightly improved, although the sleeve notes are a bit more extensive. Whether or not you will like this collection is a moot point – Johnson has an extremely gruff vocal style, and the sound quality is what you’d expect from a 1920s recording, but what is indisputable is the historic value of these tracks and the enduring influence on blues guitar that these songs hold. For this alone it deserves a full house. [James Lewis, Cross Rhythms, August 1993]
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2CD tracklist:
Disc One
1-01. I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole – 3:03
1-02. Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed – 3:12
1-03. It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine – 3:09
1-04. Mother’s Children Have A Hard Time – 3:21
1-05. Dark Was The Night – Cold Was The Ground – 3:20
1-06. If I Had My Way I’d Tear The Building Down – 3:08
1-07. I’m Gonna Run To The City Of Refuge – 3:23
1-08. Jesus Is Coming Soon – 3:11
1-09. Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying – 3:01
1-10. Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning – 3:03
1-11. Let Your Light Shine On Me – 3:09
1-12. God Don’t Never Change – 2:57
1-13. Bye And Bye I’m Goin’ To See The King – 2:52
1-14. Sweeter As The Years Roll By – 2:46
Disc Two
2-01. You’ll Need Somebody On Your Bond – 3:05
2-02. When The War Was On – 3:02
2-03. Praise God I’m Satisfied – 3:11
2-04. Take Your Burden To The Lord And Leave It There – 2:56
2-05. Take Your Stand – 3:01
2-06. God Moves On The Water – 2:59
2-07. Can’t Nobody Hide From God – 3:21
2-08. If It Had Not Been For Jesus – 3:23
2-09. Go To Me With That Land – 3:04
2-10. The Rain Don’t Fall On Me – 3:18
2-11. Trouble Will Soon Be Over – 3:07
2-12. The Soul Of A Man – 3:13
2-13. Everybody Ought To Treat A Stranger Right – 3:05
2-14. Church, I’m Fully Saved To-Day – 3:07
2-15. John The Revelator – 3:17
2-16. You’re Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond – 3:10
Note: Recorded December 3, 1927 (tracks 1-1 to 1-6) in Dallas, Texas; December 5, 1928 (1-7 to 1-10) in Dallas, Texas; December 10, 1929 (1-11 to 1-14) in New Orleans, Louisiana; December 11, 1929 (2-1 to 2-6) in New Orleans, Louisiana; April 20, 1930 (2-7 to 2-16) in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” is a gospel blues song written and performed by American musician Blind Willie Johnson and recorded in 1927. The song is primarily an instrumental featuring Johnson’s self-taught bottleneck slide guitar and picking style accompanied by his vocalizations of humming and moaning. It has the distinction of being one of 27 samples of music included on the Voyager Golden Record, launched into space in 1977 to represent the diversity of life on Earth. “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” was chosen as the human expression of loneliness. The song has been highly praised and covered by numerous musicians and is featured on the soundtracks of several films.
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