Robert Johnson Classics: Hellhound on My Trail (2004)

About this title: It's really difficult to say what this collection is trying to do, since there are no tracks by Robert Johnson on it, and what is here seems split between tracks that might have influenced Johnson, tracks that may have been influenced by him, tracks that have no apparent connection to Johnson whatsoever, and a handful of tracks that make mention of Hell, the Devil, or the crossroads, as if Johnson had somehow invented the concept of each. All confusion aside as to why this set is called Robert Johnson Classics, there are some cool performances here, including Rosetta Howard's eerie, snaky ... read more

Tracks:

1. Roll and Tumble Blues [Newbern/Traditional]
2. Delta Bound [Howard/Malcolm/Mora]
3. Friars Point Blues
4. Shetland Pony Blues [House]
5. West Helena Blues
6. Rambling Blues
7. Mr. Freddie's Kokomo Blues
8. My Black Mama, Pt. 2 [House]
9. Dark Road [Jones]
10. Sagefield Woman Blues [Arnold]
11. Blue Yodel No. 4/How Long Blues, Pt. 1
12. Make Me a Pallet on the Floor
13. Black Spider Blues [Lockwood]
14. Take a Walk with Me [Waters]
15. Evil Hearted Woman Blues [Woods]
16. What Is That Smells Like Gravy
17. Black Diamond Express to Hell, Pts. 1-2
18. 22-20 Blues [James/Johnson]
19. When the Sun Goes Down [Carr]
20. Evil Devil Blues
21. Six Weeks Old Blues [Bunch]
22. Crossroads
23. Paging the Devil

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.