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Now we are some years into the twenty-first century, John Fahey's guitar playing continues to have a reputation that he did not enjoy for most of his life. His route was not the same as most other musicians and was characterised by a slow-burn beginning, a reasonably prolific middle and a less-than-perfect ending when he was dogged by ill-health and personal problems. There is a wealth of his album work to discover in the Ace catalogue and for many the best starting point would be this album which illustrates the development of his early work. We use the word 'development' advisedly, as the material here is not one album, but actually an amalgamation of three issues of some of the same material spanning the years 1959 to 1967. It is a complicated story that is unpicked carefully in Glenn Jones' extensive explanatory notes and is quickly complicated by the addition of the original album issue notes that Fahey put together with no little mischievous intent. The musical content from the three separate album issues shows Fahey's fast development in his playing abilities and has been wisely chosen and intermixed to bring the best experience to the listener.
Tracklist
1 On Doing All Evil Deed Blues
2 St Louis Blues
3 Poor Boy Long Ways From Home
4 Uncloudy Day
5 John Henry
6 In Christ There Is No East Or West
7 Desperate Man Blues
8 Sun Gonna Shine In My Back Door
9 Sligo River Blues
10 On Doing All Evil Deed Blues
11 St Louis Blues
12 Poor Boy Long Ways From Home
13 Uncloudy Day
14 John Henry
15 In Christ There Is No East Or West
16 Desperate Man Blues
17 Sun Gonna Shine In My Backdoor
18 Sligo River Blues
19 I'm Gonna Do All I Can For My Lord?
20 The Transcendental Waterfall
21 West Coast Blues