| The Essential John Fahey | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1967–1968 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 66:05(CD reissue) | |||
| Label | Vanguard | |||
| Producer | Sam Charters, John Fahey | |||
| John Fahey chronology | ||||
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The Essential John Fahey is a compilation album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1974.
The original 1974 double-LP release included all songs from both Fahey's Vanguard albums—the only two albums Fahey recorded for the label. The CD reissue in 1993 of The Essential John Fahey contains all the tracks from The Yellow Princess and four from Requia , missing only the four-part "Requiem for Molly". [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [3] |
| MusicHound Folk | 4.5/5 [4] |
In his Allmusic review, critic Mark Allan describes the album as "Essential John Fahey is not essential, but because it features this extraordinary musician solo and with a band — members of Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne — it could be a good place to start." [2]
Writing for Dirty Linen magazine, Ivan Emke, in referring to the original albums wrote "Although they did not sell well at the time, they show Fahey well ahead of his time, and in good form. This is clearly experimental folk. Or the early use of sampling (from 1967, remember) during the four-part "Requiem for Molly." However, there was also the more standard fingerpicking, including the brilliant "Requiem for John Hurt." These CDs will help to remind us all of those paths that Fahey cleared. [5]
In a review of the original LP release of The Essential John Fahey in the July 3, 1974 Milwaukee Journal , Pierre-Rene Noth praised the release but referred to "Requiem for Molly" as "[Fahey's] worst.. a horrid mix." [6]
All songs by John Fahey.
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The Yellow Princess is the ninth album by American folk musician John Fahey. Released in 1968, it was his second and last release on the Vanguard label.
The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Favorites is the third album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1965. The 1999 reissue contained four previously unreleased tracks.
Fare Forward Voyagers is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1973. It contains three songs, one comprising a complete side of the original LP.
The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1966. The cover simply labels the album Guitar Vol. 4 while the liner notes label it The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions. The title never appeared on the record labels themselves. It marked the beginning of Fahey's interest in his recording of experimental soundscapes and sound effects. Despite Fahey's distaste for the 1960s counterculture, it is his release most often referred to as psychedelic.
Requia is the eighth album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey. Released in November 1967, it was the first of Fahey's two releases on the Vanguard label.
Of Rivers and Religion is an album by American folk musician John Fahey, released in 1972. It was his first recording on a major label and is credited to John Fahey and His Orchestra. It marked a significant change from Fahey's previous releases, incorporating a backing band and performing songs and arrangements in a Dixieland jazz style. Although Time picked it as one of the Top Ten albums of 1972, it was also a difficult album to market and had little enthusiasm at Reprise.
God, Time and Causality is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1989.
The Return of the Repressed: The John Fahey Anthology is a compilation album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1994. Fahey's career, health and personal life had been in decline. The release of The Return of the Repressed, along with an article in Spin magazine by Byron Coley served to provide a renewal of his career.
The Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick is a live album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released posthumously in 2004.
The Best of the Vanguard Years is a compilation album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1999.
On Air is a live album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released posthumously in 2005.
Vanguard Visionaries is the title of a compilation recording by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 2007.
