I began listening to John Fahey in March 2024. Fahey is an acoustic guitarist whose music rarely has accompaniment and never has vocals. I listed his albums out of order in terms of release because his first album has a confusing history, which I thoroughly discuss below. Although Fahey released more albums after After the Ball, I decided to stop listening to his work because I no longer felt like I had critically acclaimed albums to work towards.
The Legend of Blind Joe Death (1996): A
Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltz (1963): A-
The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Songs (1965): B+
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death (1965): A-
The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions (1966): B-
Days Have Gone By (1967): B-
Requia (1967): C+
The Voice of the Turtle (1968): B-
The Yellow Princess (1968): B
The New Possibility (1968): B
America (1971): A-
Of Rivers and Religion (1972): A
After the Ball (1973): B
The Legend of Blind Joe Death (1996):
In 1959, Maryland local John Fahey recorded his debut studio album Blind Joe Death under a fake blues name in a small Adelphi church. Consisting entirely of instrumental guitar pieces, the album combined folk, old-time, and blues influences for an ambitious and elegant reinvention of early 20th century American rural music. Although many songs are based upon covers, Fahey rightly takes at least partial songwriting credit for several compositions. For the thousands of recordings of "St. Louis Blues" that exist, none of them quite distort the song in such a beautiful and unrecognizable way (Fahey interestingly chose not to give himself partial credit on this one, however). Without a label to promote his album, Fahey self-released it and pressed about 100 copies. As Fahey earned more recognition for his unique guitar work, he re-recorded and re-released his debut in both 1964 and 1967. While the first re-release mixed some re-recordings with mostly original cuts, the second reissue consisted almost entirely of 1967 recordings. In 1996, the 1964 and 1967 reissues were combined on this album: The Legend of Blind Joe Death (the only version of the album widely available online), which more or less starts with the 1964 track-list and more or less ends with the 1967 album. Although Fahey re-recorded the songs because he felt his skills had improved and the compilers of the 1996 reissue presumably left off the 1959 track-list because they felt the re-releases were better, the few original cuts that show up on the reissue (tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9) are just as good as Fahey's attempts to capture more. They even have a rough, intimate production that vaguely recalls the work of his blues influences, particularly Mississippi John Hurt. The re-recordings are certainly no worse, however, and they combine with the original recordings to make for one hell of an entrance for the young musician. While I recommend mostly sticking to the 1964 version of the album (that is, the first half of Legend), the entirety of 1996 reissue is equally recommended. Besides a re-recording that goes on for 10 minutes and bores for 10 minutes too, the reissue is of such sonic delight that a listener naive to this album's confusing history won't mind sitting through basically the same album twice in a row. A
Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltz (1963):
As with his debut, Fahey re-recorded several songs from his 1963 sophomore album Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltz in 1967 and re-released the album. In 1999, the two versions of the album were combined on a reissue of the same name. Because the history of Death Chants is less confusing than his debut, you can listen to the original 1963 album by simply playing the first twelve songs of the reissue (which is what you'll find most readily available online via streaming). Like the re-recordings of his debut, the 1967 re-recordings of his sophomore work are not substantially better, so I recommend just sticking to his original release. Since his debut, there have been some minor developments in Fahey's compositional approach, most notably present on the experimental "The Downfall of the Adelphi Rolling Grist Mill," which features a high-pitched flute over an amelodic guitar line. However, the majority of the album is a stylistic continuation of his debut, with similarly entrancing guitar work that reimagines folk standards in exciting and nontraditional ways. It does have slightly weaker songwriting than his debut, but Death Chants is filled with worthwhile moments, including one of his most widely known works "Sunflower River Blues." A-
The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Songs (1965):
Although his first and second albums had confusing histories thanks to later re-recordings, Fahey's third album was only recorded once, so you can forget about making sure you are listening to the right thing. Thank God. This is once again similar in style to his previous recordings, but it is worth noting here a growing favoritism for longer compositions, highlighted by two songs that go over seven minutes. Perhaps this will become a bigger issue in the future. For now, however, only "The Dance of Death" gets dull during its extended showcase while the rest is of beautiful songwriting and well-paced progression. B+
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death (1965):
Although Fahey seemed to increasingly favor longer compositions on his last album, his fourth studio album The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death relies on quite the opposite. Besides a six minute medley, which itself quickly runs through enjoyable variations on three Southern compositions, no song stretches over four minutes. The album’s short interpretations play to Fahey's strength as it rapidly moves through slow blues, lively minstrel canon, and Irish folk songs. There's even time for a banjo duet and a hilarious canine intrusion. The songwriting on The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death does not blow out his previous albums in terms of compositional brilliance, but the album is the most well-constructed since his debut. It both beautifully sequences the track-list and collects songwriting which never falters. A-
The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions (1966):
Although this album is rightly described as an overt psychedelic expedition compared to Fahey's previous work, it is worth noting that the nineteen minute title track that kicks off the album is not one long psychedelic rambling, but a hodgepodge of recordings that Fahey simply put under one name in the track listing. However, that caveat does little to take away from the experimental edge that permeates this album. Several pieces within the title track as well as the songs that follow have unpredictable arrangements, obscure guitar tunings, and miss his usual melodic flavor. While the recordings on his fifth studio album rarely coalesce into memorable pieces of art, "Sail Away Ladies," a duet with Alan Wilson on veena, is one of the highlights in his discography so far. B-
Days Have Gone By (1967):
As Fahey continues to offer his fair share of dainty guitar pieces, the longer compositions crowd his track list and make for a mixed bag. The two parts of "A Raga Called Pat" in particular slowly ramble through an experimental and uninteresting soundscape of howling trains and piercing whistles. Although the nine minute composition "My Shepard Will Supply My Needs" is nice enough, it's hardly what this album needs rights after fourteen minutes of a pitiful excuse for music derived from India. B-
Requia (1967):
An album which starts off quite nicely but rapidly descends into madness. Requia only has four guitar pieces that are not ruined by a sound collage of schizophrenic insanity: "Requiem for John Hurt," "Requiem for Russell Blaine Cooper," Requiem for Molly, Pt. 1," and "Fight On Christians, Fight On." C+
The Voice of the Turtle (1968):
Although Fahey has long been a fan of making up fantastical stories for his liner notes (even sending his debut to academics in hopes they would believe it was the work of a lost bluesmen from the 1920s), he goes to new levels here. Overdubbing guitar parts on old blues tracks and then crediting them to John Fahey and Blind Joe Death (or a different fictional bluesman), Fahey seeks to purposefully confuse even the most devoted of fans, so don't feel the need to think too deeply about where the songs come from. Fahey even released two versions of the album, each of which feature different recordings under the same track listing. (This review is of what is available on streaming platforms, which appears to be version two of the track list.) Although recording guitar over long lost old-time music is sometimes an interesting exercise, the track list--which includes sequels to "A Raga Called Pat" and often features soundscapes just like his past two albums--isn't particularly inspired. For anyone interested in the more accessible Fahey tracks, just to stick to the final five. B-
The Yellow Princess (1968):
Although having experimented with soundscapes for his past several albums, Fahey makes the most radical move of his career thus far when he adds drums and bass to a few recordings. While this progression doesn't totally work with his songwriting just yet--if anything, the drums take away from "March! for Martin Luther King"--his soundscapes have become noticeably better. Amongst the albums he's been putting out since 1966, this is clearly his best because of its general accessibility throughout the entirety of its track list, which offers his most well thought-out experiments as well as some fantastic pieces like the title track and "Commemorative Transfiguration and Communion at Magruder Park." B
The New Possibility (1968):
Fahey's covers of traditional music usually take many liberties, sometimes freely combining different compositions onto a single track. Here, his covering of Christmas music finds his interpretations staying much closer to the original chord progressions, probably because these pieces weren't otherwise in his repertoire. While these may be some of his most accessible recordings for those just getting into him (it is one of his best selling albums), The New Possibility does see Fahey phoning it in a little. B
America (1971):
Ignoring the Christmas album from 1968, America is Fahey's most straightforwardly recorded album since 1965's The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death. Featuring no duets, no soundscapes, and no overdubbing, it's an exciting return to form that sees the guitarist releasing a concise and focused project. Sessions for America resulted in enough material for a double album but the 1971 release ultimately opted for what Fahey thought was the better half. A 1998 reissue (now what you'll most easily find) expands the work into a double album. Because the original release contains only four songs and is dominated by two sixteen minutes tracks "Voice of the Turtle" and "Mark 1:15," the reissue adds many worthwhile compositions and is an even better choice than the original release. While America does not necessarily improve upon the qualities that made his first four albums truly excellent, it is not noticeably worse either. It sees a guitarist who, as always, is continuing to evolve as a composer and can easily be awe-inspiring when his muse is perfectly concentrated. A-
Of Rivers and Religion (1972):
While Fahey's collaboration with a Dixieland band seems like a radical move on paper, in truth, Of Rivers and Religion still sees John Fahey very much at the center of arrangements with his acoustic guitar in hand. In fact, the Dixieland band so slickly and tastefully back up Fahey that their combination is effortlessly natural, as opposed to much of the soundscape work Fahey has tried his hand at in the past (not to mention some forgettable work with a bass and drummer on The Yellow Princess). Many of the compositions here hardly include backing at all, making this an album that stays true to Fahey's artistic vision and that will easily be accessible to longtime Fahey fans. Like his debut and The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, Of Rivers and Religion stands out as an essential John Fahey album for its gorgeous pace and arresting track-listing. A
After the Ball (1973):
Of Rivers and Religion cautiously introduced John Fahey's work with a Dixieland band but After the Ball showcases a more significant collaboration with full band arrangements that occasionally bury Fahey altogether. That's not to say that a longtime fan wouldn't soon recognize this as a project by the eccentric guitarist. With the track-list shuffling between full band songs, Fahey solo cuts, and works with minimal backing, the album stays true to Fahey's longtime artistic vision for the most part. But although the full band cuts only comprise two or three of the ten songs here, they nevertheless feel as if they hijacked the entire project, all while missing Fahey's sly sense of humor and mediative qualities. Ignoring these out-of-place works, however, Fahey delivers recordings that, as usual, effortlessly joins a long list of Fahey essentials. B
