John Fahey
America
In this age of product overload and bottom-of-the-barrel reissues, this CD is truly amazing. John Fahey, perhaps the greatest acoustic guitarist that has ever lived, went into a California studio to record America in January of 1971, emerging with enough material to fill a double album. Inexplicably, nine of those 13 songs remained unreleased for 26 years. Upon learning this, Fahey fans reacted the same way Beatles fanatics might have if it was discovered that the Fab Four only released half the songs they recorded for Rubber Soul or Revolver.
At the time, Fahey’s record company felt that a double album, especially one of solo steel-string guitar, was commercial suicide, but thankfully, America was rescued in 1998 with a gorgeous reissue that restores all but two of the album’s 81 original minutes. Driving straight into the heart of American folk, blues and country these ambitious pieces’ also manage to evoke the classical composers who were among Fahey’s greatest influences. One restored track is a gorgeous version of the third movement of Antonin Dvorak’s “Eighth Symphony” entitled “Dvorak”. Also previously unreleased are versions of Skip James’ “Special Rider Blues”, Sam McGee’s country standard “Knoxville Blues”, the amazing title track, (a rare Fahey 12-string performance) and moving arrangements of “Amazing Grace” and Fahey’s “Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker.”
The record’s spiritual center is still “Mark 1:15” and “Voice of the Turtle”, where Fahey’s playing is emotionally riveting and technically masterful and the compositions as close to perfect as humanly possible.
This new version of America is majestic. Hearing it now, it’s obvious that it must be counted among the greatest artistic achievements of the Seventies. More simply, America presents Fahey’s vision completely realized, and there are no words powerful enough to do that justice.
also recommended:
Skip James The Greatest of the Delta Blues Singers
Leo Kottke 6 and 12-String Guitar
John Fahey Return of the Repressed
John Fahey The Legend of Blind Joe Death
Bukka White The Complete Bukka White
Music Direct Magazine, 2000
