John Fahey

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

I thought I'd start a thread about John Fahey because today I've been listening to a few songs by him pretty constantly and want to know where to go next and what people think of him. I did a little search but nowt came up. I'm thinking of buying the Return to the Repressed anthology straight off, is this a good idea? This kind of music really appeals to me, blues fingerstyle is my fave thing to play and attempt to compose on my guitars. Listening to this stuff really inspires me, and makes me get off my ass and actually play my guitar rather than just dicking about becoming steadily more sloppy and uncreative. I've been listening to Sligo River Blues a lot today and I'm just so moved by it, it's such a simple song, easy to play with a simple/obvious/overused chord sequence but it's just got this wonderful, mournful, floaty feel to it. I can't describe what it is about it that I love so much, but I get so much feeling from it. It's exactly what I aim for (but never get) when I play my guitar. Do non-guitarists find his music (well what I've heard of it anyway) as moving as I do? I certainly don't think I only like him because I play guitar but I obviously can't say for sure that I'd like him as much if I didn't play. Are there any Fahey fans here? If so write your thoughts about him here because I want to know more.

[benthalo]

It was an honour to catch him on that UK tour in around 1998/9. You could have heard a pin drop in the Newcastle Live Theatre.

I did a little search but nowt came up. I'm thinking of buying the Return to the Repressed anthology straight off, is this a good idea?

Now, is that the relatively recent compilation of stuff from the Nineties albums or the fairly old three disc overview which is called Return Of The Repressed and covered his first twenty odd years incredibly well? I seem to remember hearing the most recent comp in a shop last year and assumed they were just playing Womblife in sequence. Is it just the albums shoved together in a box?

Can't go wrong with either, frankly, in terms of quality playing. I've got loads of Fahey albums but still stick on the three-discer with a high frequency.

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

OK, cool, I'll go for the three disc one. Just out of interest, what are your favourites (albums or individual tracks) by him?

[benthalo]

Christmas Album which is always perfect at that time of year, The Yellow Princess, Womblife.  The latter's got an incredible bass on it.

Jim O'Rourke's Bad Timing is well worth picking up too. It was released around the time he was producing Fahey and is basically a tribute.

[quadraspazzed]

The only one I have is 'Return of the Repressed', but yes I'd heartily recommend that.

As for my thoughts about him/his music - don't know any fucking thing about him other than he's (I assume) Irish. His music though is very very nice, great for sunny days smoking a joint and reading a book I reckon (at least that's what experience has thought me). Although it's not the kind of thing I feel a compulsive need to listen to ever (like I never wake up going "must hear 'Appraoching of the Disco Void' right now!"), it is pretty great when you're in the mood for it. And as its a lovely sunny day today, I might give it whirl again when my hangover goes (need loud angry music when I'm hungover).

And I have Gruff from Super Furry Animals to thank for introducing me to Fahey, via inlcuding 'Dances of the Inhabitants of the Invisible City of Bladensburg' on a mix CD ('Phantom Hour') he did a couple of years ago. So thanks there Gruff.

[Pilf]

I've listened to him oon and off for years, and you can't really go wrong with any of it (that I have heard anyway). His later stuff, in the 90s, went much more droney but is still good, as long as you aren't expecting anything really like early Fahey.

I do have one question though:
How do you pronounce his second name? I've occasionally wanted to talk to someone about him but have shyed away as I was scared of ruining my finely honed credibility (a winking smiley here would be appropriate, maybe) by pronouncing his name incorrectly. But then again, I've heard various people pronounce it differently.

[lazyhour]

As I understand it, it's fay-hee.  I think I got this from some Japanese article that had rendered his name phonetically in Katakana.

He's absolutely great, isn't he?  I second mr halo's recommendation of Bad Timing by Jim O'Rourke, too.

[quadraspazzed]

I call him fah-hee - but I see on wikipedia that he's not Irish at all (I based that judgement on his name and one song with Sligo in the title - that'll teach me!), but American so it probably is pronounced fay-hee.

[A Passing Turk Slipper]

Yeah, I heard a guy on youtube pronounce it Fay-hee so that's maybe your safest bet. Thanks for all the replies guys, I'm gonna have to get that three disc comp soon and I'll report back when I do.I learnt how to play all of Sunflower River Blues last night and have been playing it pretty constantly since then (I may try and upload a recording of me doing it if I'm feeling brave), so many nice little bits in it. Anyways, cheers people.