The Robert Johnson Songbook

My mistake; I was expecting a Robert Johnson Guitar player's book and it really is more of a songbook.As a songbook it is pretty good. I just expected it to be more guitar oriented.

Superb renditions of the Robert Johnson classics. Knowing the long and tragic story of Peter Green will enhance your appreciation of this great CD.

Excellent works of Robert Johnson with a wonderful melancholic voice of Peter Green and fantastic execution of Nigel Watson. Some of these songs are interpreted by Eric Clapton and some others too, however this version with Peter Green takes you the era where songs werE written and you could feel real soul out of it. That's because of unbeatable magical feeling pf PG, Bravo +++++

Must have if you swing to the blues. Great background vocals.

I really enjoy the way Peter Green performs the old delta blues. He keeps it simple and authenic. Good Stuff

All items met or exceeded my anticipated exlcellence of expectation.

I bought this CD back when it was issued but hadn't listened to it much until recently when Peter Green's fellow British guitar wizard Eric Clapton issued his own tribute to Robert Johnson called Me and Mr. Johnson. Although the two CDs are very different in both approach and sound, I like them both. The one I would pick as the "best" would depend on my mood on any given day. But if its "authenticity" you seek, then Green's Robert Johnson Songbook comes closest to the Delta Blues sound.Since I have not actually heard most of Johnson's own work, I won't inject myself into the "what would Johnson do?" speculations. I have a feeling that he would be pleased and amused that so many white boys see him as a blues god and want to cover his music. However, I have heard all these songs before covered by a variety of artists from across the rock and blues spectrum, so I can comment on their relative merits.There is a lot to like here. Green and his sidekick Nigel Watson put their hearts into this recording and serve up some very tasty Delta Blues, London style. I like the whole CD, but my favorite renditions here are of Phonograph Blues, a gospel-flavored Last Fair Deal Gone Down, a slow, Stones-like Love in Vain Blues, the mournful Stones In My Passway, the macho I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, and the swinging Sweet Home Chicago.The CD comes with an informative booklet that compares and contrasts the lives of Robert Johnson and Peter Green. It also offers some intimate observations on how the idea for this tribute was born. If you like the blues in general and aren't a stickler for note-for-note authenticity, then I recommend The Robert Johnson Songbook highly.And for the record, some reviewers mentioned erroneously that Peter Green had been away from recording since his Fleetwood Mac days. Not so. He made a number of albums, some of them quite good, during the late 70s and the 80s. If you were unaware of that, its because none of his albums were given proper promotion.Some of that period's music is available here on this site, mostly in compilation form.

On "The Robert Johnson Songbook", and its 13-track companion volume "Hot Foot Powder", Peter Green goes through all of Robert Johnson's twenty-nine recorded songs. Or rather through twenty-seven of them, according to the track list here on Amazon, which doesn't feature "Kind Hearted Woman Blues" or "Terraplane Blues" (they are both on my CD, however, but that may be a European thing).The arrangements are mostly acoustic, featuring guitars and dobros, piano and the occational harp, and while former Fleetwood Mac-guitarist Green's vocals aren't excactly powerful, he sings with a lot of soul and an impeccable sense of rhythm, sounding in fact very much like Eric Clapton.Bad Company's Paul Rodgers guests on a couple of tracks, and vocal group Street Angels 98 lend a distinct gospel-like flavour to "Last Fair Deal Gone Down".This isn't aggressive electric blues with lots of fiery lead guitar, rather it's mellow and rather faithful to Johnson's original readings. And virtually every song is excellent, from the classic guitar/piano duet on "When You Got A Good Friend" and the harp-driven "Stop Breakin' Down Blues", to the Paul Rodgers-sung "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and the delightful low-key rendition of "Sweet Home Chicago".And Robert Johnson's version of "Walking Blues", which incorporates the rhythm, the phrasing and even the main slide guitar riff from Son House's "Death Letter", sounds even more than usual like "Death Letter". Not that I'm complaining, I love that song!There isn't a whole lot to complain about here, actually. This is Robert Johnson's songs, after all, and while Peter Green has updated the arrangements to a certain degree, he doesn't really alter any of the songs enough to offend any Johnson lovers. A little bit more variation might be nice, but "The Robert Johnson Songbook" is a perfectly good record as it is.And it's successor, "Hot Food Powder", is even better, so don't forget to pick up both of them.

Peter Green plays Robert Johnson. Yes.

Having loved Greeny's guitar sound and vocals since forever, was delighted to get this recentevidence that he still has it. Great selection of blues standards played low key and withsuperb arrangements and instrumentation.Vocals may not suit everyone but to me they do more than justice to these timeless numbers-if you like good blues, you'll like this.

Give it a listen, he’s in good form.

Superb

Peter Green has gone on to make music from his days with Fleetwood Mac to a very high spec as always first class music from a first class Guitarist.