John Fahey - The Legend of Blind Joe Death

Sit Down and Meet Blind Joe Death

Its snowing hard outside and I have the stereo on,not too loud.As I try to decide how to write this review,turning it over and over in my head I get visions of times gone past when you had to prove how good you were a song at a time,one person at a time.One man,one guitar.....John Fahey posesses a guitar playing style influenced by many but written,arranged and performed like no other person on this planet.
Covering recording sessions from Joe Bussards basement studio in 59 thru to 63-64 and 67 in Berkley,this disc is what that vision from the past and one extraordinary guitarist capable of lyrical songs with no words and sounds new to all but some can achieve - the sound called American Primitive.
On the 78`s of yesterday were all the ingredients needed to provoke the feelings needed to create this great music we`re talking about.Mr. Fahey will play for you and you will listen....you say you don`t like the sounds of those scratchy records then you should be afraid of someone on par with anyone from the history of modern music recorded cleanly and performances equal to any human beings in this or any world.
Enough talking has been done...buy it and listen for yourself and marvel at the talents of this great man. February 14, 2007

Great, but missing a great track

While it's true that both the 1959 version and the 1967 version of BLIND JOE DEATH are contained on this CD, the disc is missing the 1967 version of "The Transcendental Waterfall." While that is certainly no reason not to buy this disc, buyer should beware that this track is missing. In my opinion, this missing track smokes the 10-minute version that was included on this reissue. This missing track is why I did not give this disc five stars. But get the disc anyway; it's still worth your time and money. February 8, 2007

For more than just guitar-lovers!

This album is a great combo of some of Fahey's early material. In many ways, it's a perfect place to start if you're just getting into Fahey--not only is it chronologically (kind of) his first release (he re-recorded the album multiple times), but it also finds the guitarist at an earlier stage in his signature guitar technique--he basically innovated an idiosyncratic technique all his own, and Blind Joe Death finds him first finding his own [guitar] voice.

This album includes the '64 and '67 versions of Blind Joe Death, as well as a bonus track or two from the very old and less quality-recorded original. Like several of Fahey's CD reissues, this one's a great bargain, since you get both versions on one CD which can be found pretty cheap on alternate sellers here at Amazon. Unlike a lot of artists, having 2 versions of most every one of these songs is actually pretty awesome, since you can audibly hear the progress Fahey makes in his technique, recording quality, and you get a better idea of the melodic and compositional points the composer/performer is trying to get across.

Fahey's style is certainly very thumb-heavy (detractors are annoyed by this and sometimes call it ham-fisted), but it really doesn't bother me. Sure there are some more technically-diverse fingerstyle guitarists out there, but if you listen closely, you'll realize that Fahey is actually probably just as technically skilled as any other guitarist, but he makes a choice to play the way he plays. Why? It's folk and blues--it's not about playing as fast as you can and showing off, it's about feel, emotion, and simple but memorable melodies. That said, this album is chock full of all that stuff, especially melodies that you can't get out of your head after hearing them a couple times. Songs like "Poor Boy Long Ways From Home" and the lilting "Sligo River Blues" show that Fahey can play blues like no other, providing haunting melodies but also pushing the genre's structure and harmony with unconventional changes.

If you're not already a fan of solo guitar, don't be afraid of this music! I had my doubts too when first purchasing an album with only one instrument, but Fahey's music really does provide listeners with plenty to chew on, plenty to keep you engaged, and it's interesting enough that you won't miss a vocalist or accompaniment at all. Like the title of this review says, you don't have to already love solo guitar to enjoy this album--it should be interesting and worthwhile to fans of folk, blues and even rock who are willing to take a chance on some music they might not have otherwise tried. Once you get into this album, I'd recommend checking out Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes to hear what Fahey's style blossomed into in its later incarnations. Enjoy! November 29, 2006

Essential music for guitar lovers.

Rather than trying to recap or extend the effusive comments of other Fahey reviewers, I'll simply say that I've loved this album (1967 version) since I first heard it about 1970. And I love it still. This is music to relax the mind: you can float on it, ride on it, travel with it, and keep it close by to your heart and inner ear forever. And now this new CD issue is really a treat, because the listener can hear both versions Fahey recorded, the one from 1959 and the (more familiar) one from 1967. Essential listening. "Must have" music. March 7, 2006

Blind Joe

I am totally and completely mezmerized by John Fahey every time I listen to this album. The production is shoddy, and the instrumentation is Fahey's lone guitar, but there is more going on in this sparse setting than on most albums with a full orchestra.

"On doing an evil deed blues" is a slow, creeping start to the album. Things really start to heat up with "poor boy long ways from home", though. This is the song that really inspired me to pursue fingerstyle blues guitar. The song is in open-D tuning, and it really opened up the world of alternate tunings for me. Other standouts include "In Christ there is no East or West", "Desperate Man Blues", "I'm gonna do all I can for my Lord", and "The Transcendental Waterfall".

I recommend this album to any fan of acoustic or blues music. Of course, you've probably already very familiar with it if this is so!! August 2, 2005

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