John Fahey - The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album

John Fahey has made a habit of recording a new album of Christmas music every five or six years, but The New Possibility, which was originally released in 1968, is still his best. On it, Fahey has pulled off the near miraculous feat of taking old holiday chestnuts like "Joy to the World" and "It Came upon a Midnight Clear" and making them sound fresh. When he plays a Travis-picking version of "O Come All Ye Faithful" or he recasts "Silent Night, Holy Night" as bottleneck blues, you get the feeling Fahey is treating the music with respect rather then piety. Also included in this reissue are six tracks from his 1975 release Christmas with John Fahey, Vol. II. The songs feature some nice duets with Rick Ruskin, but the arrangements lack some of the quirkiness that made The New Possibility sound unique. This isn't Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas," but it is a modern holiday classic nonetheless. --Michael Simmons Amazon.com

clean, powerful, timeless

It's hard to underestimate the power of this collection of Fahey's interpretations of Christmas classics along with his own original compositions. Like all great record albums, it has the ability to draw the listener into its own world. No vocals, just the pure tones of the melodies themselves, played with clarity and genuine affection. With so many boring, ho-hum, "me-too" Christmas albums cluttering the scene, this collection is sure to please those who appreciate Christmas classics done in a refreshingly original style, as well as the lover of acoustic guitar music. I first purchased this as a "platter" many years ago and am pleased to have it on CD. It's a "must-play" every Christmastime and I absolutely cannot get in the Christmas spirit without it. HIGHLY recommended! December 17, 2007

superb

this is an intimate recording of adventureous guitar-playing. Through the sparse instrumentation the christmas-spirit is even enhanced making this a perfect match for people dispising the normal christmas jangling but still are able to open up themselves to the meaning and feeling of christmas January 15, 2007

Easy Listening

I had this album years ago on tape and somehow I lost it (or loaned it). I really missed it and one day when I was browsing Amazon.com music section there it was, what a great service Amazon provides. Three days later I am listening to it on my home stereo, amazing! Any way this is a great Christmas Album, great background music when you have guests over for the holidays, intellectual but not dominating. Instramental. January 10, 2007

Caveat Emptor: This Album is NOT as Advertised

Please beware: although the Amazon site lists 20 songs on this album, in fact it only contains songs 13-20. I discovered this when I received the album and opened it. I immediately noticed the disk itself said Vol. II. So I started looking for Vol. I, which was nowhere to be found. Finally, I discovered some tiny, tiny print on the back on the album that said something to the effect that, due to "time limitations" only Vol. II could be included on this CD. Wow! I am sure Amazon did not intentionally mislead its customers, but you will be sorely disappointed if you are expecting to receive an album with 20 songs on it. If this had been Vol. I, I would have kept it; but the songs I really wanted were the first 12, so I returned it. December 5, 2006

John Fahey makes the impossible actual

This is one of the most improbable great albums ever released. If there is one indisputable fact it is that almost all of the standard Christmas hymns and carols are tired and stale and simply worn out. But if you think you've heard "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" a few times too many, you need to hear John Fahey do it. On song after song he plays a version that seems to bring out all of the beauty that has been hidden for longer than any of us can remember. "What Child Is This?" becomes one of the most beautiful melodies you can think of. And his "Auld Lang Syne" will bring tears to your eyes. "The Bells of St. Mary's" is another gem, but the real miracle on the album might be what he does to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," to which he gives a bluesy turn.

By any standard John Fahey was one of the great guitarists of the past half-century. He was a true innovator, applying with astonishing musical sophistication finger picking to a staggering range of material that had been completely neglected by previous guitarists. Although Fahey was technically a brilliant guitarist, his work always seems as much the product of a brilliant musicologist as a musician. He almost certainly knew more about musical theory than any other guitarist who played a steel string guitar. He also developed a style whereby he would sometimes play slightly behind the tempo, giving his compositions a highly unique lilt. If you listen to his most famous disciple, Leo Kottke, and Fahey back to back, you will see how Fahey played as if he were almost reluctant to release the notes, whereas Kottke is always rushing forward.

If the album has a fault, it is a tiny one. There is perhaps less variation in the tempos of the various songs than one might wish. Any individual song can be extremely moving played entirely on its own, but if you play the album as a whole, it can begin to get a tiny bit tiresome. Interestingly about the only song on the album I don't love is his version of Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song." It is played magnificently, but it just doesn't lend itself to Fahey's style.

John Fahey was not, as far as I know, a traditionally religious man. Perhaps I am mistaken. But assuming that he was not, one thing that has always struck me about his playing was the dignity he bestowed on religious songs. If you listen to his version of "In Christ There is No East or West," which can most easily be found on his superb anthology RETURN OF THE OPPRESSED, there isn't the hint of irony. Much like the respect with which Gram Parsons accorded the Louvin Brothers' great song "The Christian Life," the most devout believer could not play the song with more reverence. So with the songs on this album. I'll close by stating that if you can get only one Christmas album, get this one; and if you don't think you need a Christmas album, get this anyway, just for the sheer beauty of the music and the playing. June 26, 2006

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