Sealed Robert Johnson The Complete Original Masters Centennial Edition Box Set

$

699

Item Photos
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Robert Johnson ?– The Complete Original Masters: Centennial Edition
Still Factory Sealed & Out Of Print!!

Robert Johnson - 100th Birthday Box Set

12 Vinyl 10-inch 45-RPM Replicas of Original Vocalion Records

ONLY 1,000 NUMBERED COPIES PRESSED

Recreated in the historical look and feel of the 12 10" 78-RPM discs that originally carried Robert Johnson's music into the world in 1936 and 1937 (only playing at 45 RPM), this Limited Edition collector's set is individually numbered, again, limited to 1,000. Housed in an actual 78-RPM album book - each "page" being a sleeve holding a single disc - each vinyl disc is outiftted with reproductions of the original record labels. Also included is a unique booklet with a new 1,500-word essay written by Ted Gioia, Texas-based pianist and music historian, and the author of Delta Blues: The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music (2008), telling the story of Robert Johnson, complete historic track annotation and discographic data and photos.

Track listings and further information below

Condition:
Vinyl: Mint (unplayed)
Cover: Mint (factory sealed)
see key below:

Label: Columbia ?– B00512ZFRU
Format: Box Set, Limited Edition, Remastered
             12 × Vinyl, Single, 10", 45 RPM, Compilation
Country: U.S.
Released: 2012

Description:
     This is just as cool as it gets. Ten-inch vinyl-disc replicas of Robert Johnson's Vocalion records, now at 45 RPM (instead of the original 78). And all put together in a 10x10-inch hardbound box set. These are without a doubt the most celebrated blues recordings ever. Sure, purists would argue that there are many other blues recording artists who had as great an impact on the genre's evolution, but nobody can argue that Robert Johnson's output has been the most lasting, the most mythical, the most revered and certainly the most collectible of all blues recordings. Take a look at Ebay to get some idea of what an original - in horrible condition - sells for. This is as close as almost all of us will get to what it would feel like - and sound like - to have a Robert Johnson original in our mitts.
     Something tremendously exciting about this set is the fact that four of the songs were sourced from the original metal parts. Those tracks - "32-20 Blues," "Ramblin' On My Mind," "Little Queen Of Spades" and "Preachin' Blues" - sound incredible in their clarity. Here's a bit more perspective on that topic, taken from the 23-page booklet included with this set:
    
     "...A few Robert Johnson metal masters still existed after the various scrap drives and these formed the basis for the first reissue LP in the early '60s. In 1980 they were sent to a freelance engineer who updated the sound restoration for a soundtrack. They were returned to CBS Records, but went astray before they reached the vault. In 2008 a reorganization of the Sony Archive in New York revealed a box labeled "Surplus LPs" which contained the missing metal masters. They had been mis-labeled and stored in the wrong building for nearly thirty years!

     "Unfortunately, for the purposes of this project, most of these newly-found masters consisted of takes never released on 78 rpm. The only parts originally issued on 78 rpm still existing were: '32-20 Blues,' 'Ramblin' On My Mind,' 'Little Queen Of Spades' and 'Preachin' Blues.'
    
     "Before tape, recording masters were cut onto wax, and later, by the time Robert Johnson recorded, onto acetate coated aluminum disc, which was electro-plated. The metal was stripped away to form a perfect mirror image of the grooves, i.e., the grooves projected upwards. Then, this negative was again plated to form a positive; this served as the 'mother' and was used to produce one or more negatives or stampers for production runs. When these wore out, more stampers were plated from the mother.
    
     "Glenn Korman, head of Sony Archives, authorized all existing parts to be shipped to sound engineer Harry Coster in Hilversum, The Netherlands. Harry, a 78 rpm expert, possesses a record press which is kept in a barn in the Dutch countryside and he hand-made new polystyrene pressings from the negatives, making new 78 rpm discs; these were then transferred to the digital medium and sonically enhanced." - Producer, Michael Brooks
    
     The other songs were sourced from the very best 78 copies that the Sony team could locate.

The Complete Original Masters tracklisting:
Disc 1.     Kind Hearted Woman Blues / Terraplane Blues
Disc 2.     32-20 Blues / Last Fair Deal Gone Down
Disc 3.     I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom / Dead Shrimp Blues
Disc 4.     Ramblin’  On My Mind / Cross Road Blues
Disc 5.     Come On In My Kitchen / They’re Red Hot
Disc 6.     Sweet Home Chicago / Walkin’ Blues
Disc 7.     From Four Until Late / Hellhound On My Trail
Disc 8.     Stones in my Passway / I’m a Steady Rollin’ Man
Disc 9.     Malted Milk / Milkcow’s Calf Blues
Disc 10.  Stop Breakin’ Down Blues / Honeymoon Blues
Disc 11.  Little Queen of Spades / Me and the Devil Blues
Disc 12.  Preachin’ Blues / Love in Vain


*  I always use actual pictures of records, not stock photos
     
*  Combined shipping available for multiple purchases, just wait for invoice


Calculated shipping by weight of 7 1/2 lbs.
USPS Priority for U.S. buyers
All international shipping will be done USPS International Priority

Item will be carefully packaged to ensure that you will receive it in the condition described.  I take great care as a collector myself in packaging my items for shipment.  I use professional packing material that can withstand even the rigors of international shipping.  I generally sell mint condition collectible vinyl and even though I am selling it; as a collector I still do not want to see it damaged in any way, so rest assured that your purchase or rather investment will be well protected.  If item is not sealed I ship vinyl outside of the cover to avoid seam splits in transit. 

I am a private record collector.  All my records are kept upright, out of direct sunlight, and in a smoke free environment.  Please be prepared to pay within 3 days of auction closing if you win or buy it now.

• Condition Code / Grading Scale:

Mint:

New, Sealed, Never Opened, Never Played, Undamaged

NM = Near Mint:

Record looks and sounds new. No scratches, surface noise, ticks or pops. If there would be any surface noise, it would be very soft. If there would be a tick or pop, it would only be one or two soft ones.

NM- = Near Mint Minus:

Record looks and sounds very acceptable. This is a record that can be enjoyed. It may have some slight visible marks and may have surface noise and a few ticks and pops, but this will still be minimal.

 VG = Very Good:

Record looks and sounds used. This record has lots of surface noise and has visible scratches. For listening or collecting it is only good as "filler".

 + = Plus: (such as VG+)

Indicates the degree of closeness to the next higher grade.