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Lately I have been listening to Robert Johnson again. The delta blues has always had an impact on my life, and assuredly will always have one. This being said, Johnson has come into my life, left and returned. It’s hard to imagine popular music without him. Some days I ask myself what would have happened to music today if the plantation where many blues musicians resided had never even existed. A couple of days ago my friend Jason and me had a discussion about this. The question was who had a bigger impact on music today, Blues or Buddy Holly? He said well that’s a stupid question. If the question was Johnson or Holly, of course Holly. At the time when Holly died there was an opening in music where The Beatles, Stones and many others took his place. I.e.: The Music had died. Then was reborn. I agreed but was hesitant to agree. Johnson still had a huge effect.
Back to the album and stepping away from influence.
The album has many different takes of the same songs, which can become overbearing at times, and makes you feel like you are doing research more so than listening and enjoying an album. Then again, who says research cant be a joyous experience. There are many little guitar tricks and things in the music that screams hardship, pain and struggle concerning life and death. There is so much mythology in this album, sprinkled with philosophy were I would put it in the same box as Socrates, Kierkegaard or any other philosopher I can come to think of. There isn’t much to say about this album other than, anyone can listen to the blues and make it their own. So really there is no point in reviewing this piece of work. Regardless I give this album a rating above anything else. It is almost blasphemous to review anything Delta, Daniel Johnson, or Elliott Smith because they all surpass music and fall into spirituality.
Lately I have been listening to Robert Johnson again. The delta blues has always had an impact on my life, and assuredly will always have one. This being said, Johnson has come into my life, left and returned. It’s hard to imagine popular music without him. Some days I ask myself what would have happened to music today if the plantation where many blues musicians resided had never even existed. A couple of days ago my friend Jason and me had a discussion about this. The question was who had a bigger impact on music today, Blues or Buddy Holly? He said well that’s a stupid question. If the question was Johnson or Holly, of course Holly. At the time when Holly died there was an opening in music where The Beatles, Stones and many others took his place. I.e.: The Music had died. Then was reborn. I agreed but was hesitant to agree. Johnson still had a huge effect.
Back to the album and stepping away from influence.
The album has many different takes of the same songs, which can become overbearing at times, and makes you feel like you are doing research more so than listening and enjoying an album. Then again, who says research cant be a joyous experience. There are many little guitar tricks and things in the music that screams hardship, pain and struggle concerning life and death. There is so much mythology in this album, sprinkled with philosophy were I would put it in the same box as Socrates, Kierkegaard or any other philosopher I can come to think of. There isn’t much to say about this album other than, anyone can listen to the blues and make it their own. So really there is no point in reviewing this piece of work. Regardless I give this album a rating above anything else. It is almost blasphemous to review anything Delta, Daniel Johnson, or Elliott Smith because they all surpass music and fall into spirituality.
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