John Fahey is an artist I’ve heard about from time to time on the internet, but is one that I haven’t really checked out before. John Fahey was a sort of bluesy country folk guitarist from everything I’ve been able to gather about him. He was also ranked 35th on the Rolling Stones’ list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. John Fahey introduced the idea of a fictional bluesman, Blind Joe Death, on his debut album, Blind Joe Death (1959), and he revisits this idea/fictional character again in this album. The music was generally well received when it was released, but Fahey was still relatively unknown at the time. I’m pretty excited to give this one a listen, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Beautiful Linda Getchell” starts out with some very pleasant acoustic guitar, laying out the framework to the tune, which is soon joined by some tinny banjo strumming, almost serving as a bit of a percussion section to the track. Oh wow, the guitar lines are incredibly lovely. The overall feel reminds me of listening to some old delta blues records from the 40s, mixed with Woody Guthrie and without any lyrics (so far). This is awesome. Great track, I’m excited for the rest of the album.
“Orinda-Moraga” starts out with some very gentle acoustic guitar picking, with the notes ringing out to wash over the soundscape in a syncopated chordal manner. Oh wow, the twang of the guitar in this one is really hooking me in. Oh wow, this reminds me a ton of some of the fingerpicking from some early Bob Dylan stuff – really wonderful music. Oh wow, the picking almost takes on an avant-garde sort of approach with unexpected lines that take the tune out there and are nearly jarring at first, but as things are reeled back in, the tune is made all the sweeter for having done so. Great track.
Oh wow, “I Am the Resurrection” starts out with some super tasty, strange slide guitar that has a nearly ominous sound at first, but indeed seemingly produces a sound of ‘coming-back’, so to speak, which I really dig. Oh wow, the tune gradually picks up with a gentle ferocity in the guitar strumming/picking, adding a ton of flavor to the track. Great tune.
“On the Sunny Side of the Ocean” begins with some really lovely arpeggio chords that ring out really nicely into the soundscape, nearly beckoning you to follow the guitar and Fahey, wherever it may take you. Holy smokes, the guitar in this one is quite nice, which has been the trend thus far in the album, and it shows no signs of stopping. It really does seem to be a pleasant tune that is reminiscent of the flowing of water, wherever that may happen to be. Really nice track.
“Tell Her to Come Back Home” starts out very pleasantly off of the heels of the previous track, nearly continuing the arpeggios along into this tune. Oh wow, there’s a short break in the playing, which is soon picked back up with a different melody in this movement in the song. I cannot stress enough how pleasant the music is in this one – I keep getting flashes of other folk guitarists and delta blues style guitarists from anytime between 1920 to the 1960s. Really sweet track.
“My Station Will Be Changed After While” starts out with a nearly ominous sound that the tune seems to rally around with what could easily pass for two different guitars being played at the same time. Oh wow, this is sweet. The slide guitar nearly seems to play a sort of raga sound with a country folk inflection – awesome. Really sweet tune.
“101 Is a Hard Road to Travel” has more of a folksy blues style to the playing in this one as the guitar seems to ramble on about this somewhat bluesy line, with the bass notes sort of moving the tune along as the seemingly lonely rhythm section with the high notes exploring the soundscape nicely. Oh wow, the playing stops for a moment and picks back up with a sound that nearly unravels the tune on itself as the gentle picking and strumming keeps the tune moving about itself. Great track.
“How Green Was My Valley” starts out with some classic sounding delta slide blues guitar sounds that keep the track moving, picking up any accidentals on the way and working them back into this seemingly slippery guitar work. Really sweet track.
Oh wow, “Bicycle Built for Two” could be played as a children’s lullaby, and might even be, as I’m recognizing the melody more as it’s continually played in a really lovely fingerpicking style. Sweet track.
“The Death of the Clayton Peacock” has that classic delta blues slide guitar with a minor key, reminiscent of something like “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” by Blind Reverend Gary Davis. Oh wow, this is super sweet – the bass notes in the guitar nearly have a droning quality to them, while the high notes slide around with a really nice buzzy twang. There’s also a ton of weighty feeling behind the playing – super sweet. Great track.
“Brenda’s Blues” has a really fast-paced bluesy, nearly bopping polka-like style to the playing (I’m reminded a bit of “Mexicali Blues” by the Grateful Dead). I really dig the change in style from the previous track to this one, which produces a flavorful contrast to give a lot of dynamic feel to the album. Really sweet track.
Oh wow, “Old Southern Medley” I really dig this track so far. It’s almost like a really ornate, folksy lullaby. I recognize the melody, though I’m not sure from where. This one in particular reminds me a bit of Richard Thompson’s album Strict Tempo! (1981), though the style remains different. There’s a really nice twang to some of the playing, and the sound of the guitar really seems to embody to a great degree the sound of folk music played on a porch in the rural south with a stream of water flowing nearby. Great track.
Oh wow, “Come Back Baby” starts out with some super tasty blues slide guitar, and is promptly joined by some bluesy banjo, which is a style from the banjo that I haven’t heard very often, but it’s super sweet to hear. Wow, the bluesy playing from both the guitar and banjo seem to be playing off one another, making a super tasty back and forth effect with a ton of great twang. Great track.
“Poor Boy” has a super awesome sound to this one, once again reminiscent of folk music being played on some porch in the rural south with a stream of water flowing nearby – there’s a dog that begins barking at the beginning of this tune, only for essentially the only vocals in the whole album to come on, which is Fahey gently shushing the dog to stop barking while he plays some super tasty folksy, twangy blues. Wow, the fingerpicking is awesome. I really can’t tell if there’s only one guitar, as it really does sound like two are being played. Great tune.
“Saint Patrick’s Hymn” has a lot of really pleasant weight behind the playing in this one, which almost takes on a sort of early baroque sort of melody, which seems to be a bluesy melody resolved to something with almost a religious, church-like sound as the blues don’t actually seem to be present, and have been to some degree, surrendered. Really sweet, short outro track that ties together the album really nicely.
Wow, this album was awesome. The music only reaffirmed my love of folk guitar, and now there’s a good chance I’ll be listening to more of the genre the rest of the night. Honestly, if you dig folk music, and especially folk guitar, to any degree, I would recommend you give this one a listen. There’s a ton of really awesome fingerpicking, bluesy flavors, twang, and really great folk melodies throughout the album. I’m adding it to a list of records I want to get on vinyl. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I do sincerely hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A