John Fahey - The Yellow Princess 1969

This particular John Fahey side is a personal favorite of many of his devout fans for several reasons. And although such a judgment is tough, if one were looking to own only one album by this unique guitarist,The Yellow Princess could be the one. The recording sound is among the best of his many releases; at the proper volume, the effect is as if one had taken up residency inside the sound hole of a giant acoustic guitar. The program of pieces is marvelously emotional and varied, with many moments of precisely stated harmonies moving at courageously slow tempos. The second piece on the first side, "View (East from the Top of the Riggs Road/B&O Trestle)," is surely one of his masterpieces, on a par with Charles Ives for musical Americana. It is a great added bonus to have liner notes by the artist, some of the best and most absurd text he ever came up with. Yet another reason this is one of Fahey's top sides is it allows a chance to hear one of his few collaborations with other musicians. Several members of the fine rock group Spirit are present, along with drummer Kevin Kelley, for several lovely pieces, including "March! For Martin Luther King," a remarkably heartfelt tribute that could have gone on much longer. Taped sounds and electronic effects on "The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Tennessee" certainly predict the more noisy stuff Fahey would get into in the later part of his career. AMG.

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John Fahey - The Dance of Death and Other Plantation Favorites 1965

The title The Dance of Death and Other Plantation Favorites might lead some to believe that this is a collection of public-domain items that go back to the Deep South of the 19th century. However, while this 1964 session does contain a song titled "Dance of Death," most of the material (including that tune) was written by Fahey himself in the early 1960s. So an intriguing title is simply that: an intriguing title. Nonetheless, Fahey's music does have strong southern roots. Unaccompanied, the acoustic guitarist/instrumentalist demonstrates his love of African-American blues as well as the Anglo-American country, folk, and hillbilly music of Appalachia. This is essentially a folk album, but a folk album with strong country and blues leanings; in fact, numbers like "Worried Blues" and "Revelation on the Banks of the Pawtuxent" incorporate the slide guitar technique that came from Mississippi Delta blues. Not thatFahey limits himself to American influences -- Appalachian music is a descendent of British, Scottish, and Irish music, and Fahey is hardly unaware of its European heritage. Further, Indian raga is an influence on the Fahey piece "On the Banks of the Owchita." Reissued on CD in 1999 with four bonus tracks (including an interpretation of "Steel Guitar Rag"), this album makes it clear that even back in 1964 Fahey was quite original. AMG.

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