Dark Was the Night

Description

Dark Was the Night is a compilation of songs recorded by American blues man Blind Willie Johnson, released on Sony Music in June 1998. The songs were recorded between December 1927 and April 1930. Emotionally rich, consummately executed and spiritually charged blues at its very best.

Even in the blues, a style capable of wrenching unexplainable emotions from its audience, Blind Willie Johnson has few equals. With a voice capable of alternating effortlessly between sublime, trembling tenor and the sound of pure gravel, and unparalleled skill with the bottleneck (and knife), Johnson recorded 30 sides for Columbia (1927-1930) that stand as a high-water mark for both country blues and raw gospel. Given the fact that his entire output has been issued by both Yazoo and Columbia, it’s difficult to imagine opting for this single disc. Anyone looking for more material will be forced to purchase sets with redundant selections. Still, if you are only seeking one collection, you cannot go wrong with Dark Was the Night. Included are both «God Moves on the Water» and «Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground», which are both utterly necessary, along with the classics «Praise God I’m Satisfied», «Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed», «John the Revelator», and 11 others. «God Moves» is a slide masterpiece in which Johnson’s guitar interjections and responses become as captivating as his voice and a tale of the Titanic sinking at the will of God. «Dark Was the Night» is an otherworldly performance of gorgeously spun slide lines and Johnson’s wordless moaning, aimed straight at the heart. Everything else on hand is nothing less than emotionally rich, consummately executed and spiritually charged blues at its very best. [Nathan Bush, AMG]

CD tracklist:

01. If I Had My Way I’d Tear the Building Down – 3:07
02. Dark Was the Night – Cold Was the Ground – 3:18
03. Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying – 3:00
04. Church, I’m Fully Saved Today – 3:06
05. Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed – 3:10
06. Bye and Bye I’m Goin’ to See the King – 2:51
07. Let Your Light Shine On Me – 3:08
08. John the Revelator – 3:16
09. I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole – 3:02
10. God Moves On the Water – 2:59
11. Trouble Will Soon Be Over – 3:06
12. Praise God I’m Satisfied – 3:10
13. Mother’s Children Have a Hard Time – 3:21
14. It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine – 3:08
15. The Soul of a Man – 3:12
16. Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning – 3:02

«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.