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Steamboats' Favorite Artist John Fahey


book How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life
by John Fahey

Excerpt from the Amazon review: "conversationally voiced collection of ostensibly fictitious but semiautobiographical short stories." Read more readers' reviews at Amazon.com.
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book America An Amazon music fan from Annandale, Va , comments: Fahey's Greatest Work - 10 Stars. John Fahey's music, for those who have never heard it, is an unlikely combination of early 20th century acoustic black blues, ragtime and Ravi Shankar Ragaesque drone sitar type music. Played on solo acoustic guitar, real time recording. No vocals. Unique. Impossible to pigeon-hole. Full of Jazz-like improvization in a blues idiom. A symphony for solo guitar, full of invention!

For those who think they know Fahey, America, his greatest work, will come as a revelation. Instead of the 3-4 minute pieces you may be used to from his other work, on America one hears full blown 20 minute pieces which grab, transfix and hypnotize the listener. Playful, tragic, bluesy, happy, profound. Illustrated with Fahey's vision of the future. Brilliant. This record inspired much of the "new age music" on Wyndam Hill and countless other artists. And even better, Fahey only released half of it in 1970, convinced that a double album wouldn't sell. Half of it sat in the can for over 25 years! Here you have the whole thing! One of the ten best releases of the 90's. Cannot be too highly recommended. This is what the 60/70's were really about. I only hope that Fantasy/Takoma will now release "The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party" and "Days Have Gone By". Buy it while you can still get it! Click here to buy this selection


book The Essential John Fahey An Amazon music fan from Hampton Roads, VA , comments: This album documents the creation of a genre of music In the late 1950's, 6-string acoustic guitar was the instrument of hillbillies, folk, and bluegrass players who used it as a tuned, chordal drum to accompany vocal tunes. John Fahey appeared and began to compose and perform elaborate, eclectic instrumentals on the guitar, pioneering a style that merged styles as disparate as Bartok, Indian raga, John Cage, and the delta blues of Skip James and Bukka White.

This album documents the creation of a genre that Fahey called American Primitive Guitar and paved the way for future innovators such as Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, Preston Reed, Pierre Bensusan, and others. Fahey's hypnotic, droning, angular music is unique among the annals of guitar. The Essential John Fahey catalogs his more known early work on Fahey's now defunct Takoma label. Many guitarists wore out the grooves in John's vinyl albums trying to cop licks and figure out his varied open tunings. It's a must-listen for every student of the acoustic guitar. Fahey will someday be esteemed as highly as Segovia is in the world of classical guitar.
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book John Fahey, Peter Lang, Leo Kottke An Amazon music fan from Irvine, California comments: A must for finger-style players Perhaps the best compilation of players from the "Fahey" school of fingerstyle guitar. Kottke's Cripple Creek is an unaccompanied arrangement and really shows the focused power of his early playing. I've probably listened to this track about 1000 times and have yet to get tired of it. Lang was a revelation to me when I bought this record. A very polished player whose records are hard to find now. Fahey checks in with nicely remastered versions of older favorites. Why don't you already own this record? Buy it yesterday!
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Christmas Guitar John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1998

City Of Refuge John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1997

Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1998

The Epiphany Of Glenn Jones John Fahey, Cul De Sac / Audio CD / Released 1997

Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts, And Other Contemporary Dance Favorites John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1998

God, Time And Causality John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1990

The John Fahey Christmas Album John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1998

The Legend Of Blind Joe Death John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1996

Let Go John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1997

Old Girlfriends And Other Horrible Memories John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1991

Popular Songs Of Christmas And New Year's John Fahey, Terry Robb / Audio CD / Released 1998

Rain Forests, Oceans, And Other Themes John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1987

Requia & Other Compositions For Guitar Solo John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1997

Return Of The Repressed: The Anthology John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1994

The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1997

The Voice Of The Turtle John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1996

Vol. 1-Christmas Guitar John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1998

Womblife John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1998

I Remember Blind Joe Death John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1987

The Yellow Princess John Fahey / Audio CD / Released 1990

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