The Best of the Vanguard Years (John Fahey album)
Encyclopedia
The Best of the Vanguard Years is a compilation album
by American
fingerstyle guitar
ist and composer John Fahey
, released in 1999.
and all of Requia
except for "Requiem for Molly, Pt. 1" and "Requiem for Molly, Pt. 2". Vanguard had previously released both albums with modified track listings in 1974 on The Essential John Fahey
(both differing LP
and CD versions) and would again in 2007 with a different combination of tracks on Vanguard Visionaries
.
review, the staff wrote the CD "can, with the ensuing years’ recognition of difficult popular artists, be set next to such crowd-pleasers as Leo Kottke and not seem that out of place... His performances for Vanguard are challenging, but in a way that we have now assimilated.". Andy Battaglia of Salon.com
called the compilation "an adequate, though limited, introduction to John Fahey" while also stating "His music can be placed neatly within an indigenous folk tradition, but also alongside the most carefully considered examples of harmony's inherent power. As a great folk-song writer, Fahey was a great composer."
Matt Fink, writing for Allmusic called the compilation "an excellent overview of Fahey's tenure on the Vanguard label and also documents an impressively innovative period for the experimental guitarist. Mysterious, groundbreaking, mind-bending, and nearly disorienting, Fahey's unique genius is on display throughout the 70-plus minutes of mostly solo acoustic tracks. Taking country blues on a dizzying and occasionally unsettling journey, this is pretty revolutionary material, even if it all doesn't rank with the very best in his catalog."
Production notes
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking ....
ist and composer John Fahey
John Fahey (musician)
John Fahey was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who pioneered the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the...
, released in 1999.
History
The Best of the Vanguard Years contains the complete album The Yellow PrincessThe Yellow Princess (John Fahey album)
The Yellow Princess and its reissue has received consistently positive critical reviews. Record Collector called it "...a pleasant journey to take, rattling along with the odd surprising flourish to mark the way, a random piece of dissonance to keep you awake and, above all, a reassurance that...
and all of Requia
Requia
Requia is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1968...
except for "Requiem for Molly, Pt. 1" and "Requiem for Molly, Pt. 2". Vanguard had previously released both albums with modified track listings in 1974 on The Essential John Fahey
The Essential John Fahey
The Essential John Fahey is a compilation album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1974.-History: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 1996 of...
(both differing LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and CD versions) and would again in 2007 with a different combination of tracks on Vanguard Visionaries
Vanguard Visionaries (John Fahey album)
Vanguard Visionaries is the title of a compilation recording by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 2007.-History:...
.
Reception
In the PopMattersPopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
review, the staff wrote the CD "can, with the ensuing years’ recognition of difficult popular artists, be set next to such crowd-pleasers as Leo Kottke and not seem that out of place... His performances for Vanguard are challenging, but in a way that we have now assimilated.". Andy Battaglia of Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
called the compilation "an adequate, though limited, introduction to John Fahey" while also stating "His music can be placed neatly within an indigenous folk tradition, but also alongside the most carefully considered examples of harmony's inherent power. As a great folk-song writer, Fahey was a great composer."
Matt Fink, writing for Allmusic called the compilation "an excellent overview of Fahey's tenure on the Vanguard label and also documents an impressively innovative period for the experimental guitarist. Mysterious, groundbreaking, mind-bending, and nearly disorienting, Fahey's unique genius is on display throughout the 70-plus minutes of mostly solo acoustic tracks. Taking country blues on a dizzying and occasionally unsettling journey, this is pretty revolutionary material, even if it all doesn't rank with the very best in his catalog."
Track listing
All songs by John Fahey.- "The Yellow Princess" – 4:52
- "View (East from the Top of the Riggs Road/B&O Trestle)" – 4:56
- "Lion" – 5:10
- "March! For Martin Luther King" – 3:43
- "The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Tennessee" – 2:53
- "Dances of the Inhabitants of the Invisible City of Bladensburg" – 4:10
- "Charles A. Lee: In Memoriam" – 4:02
- "Irish Setter" – 7:17
- "Commemorative Transfiguration and Communion at Magruder Park" – 5:58
- "Requiem for John Hurt" – 5:08
- "Requiem for Russell Blaine Cooper" – 8:55
- "When the Catfish Is in Bloom" – 7:40
- "Fight on Christians, Fight On" – 2:03
- "Requiem for Molly, Pt. 3" – 2:32
- "Requiem for Molly, Pt. 4" – 2:55
Personnel
- John Fahey – guitar
- Mark AndesMark AndesMark Andes is an American musician, known for his work as a bassist with Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, Heart, and Mirabal.-Early life:...
– guitar, bass - Jay FergusonJay Ferguson (American musician)Jay Ferguson is an American rock and roll musician, known for his work with Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, and his 1978 solo hit "Thunder Island". His later career has been as a composer of music for television programs and films.-Childhood and early musical career:He was born in Burbank, California, in...
– organ, piano, keyboards - Kevin KelleyKevin Kelley (musician)Kevin Daniel Kelley was an American drummer, best known for his work with the rock bands The Byrds and the Rising Sons. Kelley also played drums for Fever Tree, although it is unknown whether he was an official member of the group or not...
– drums
Production notes
- Barry HansenDr. DementoBarret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
– producer, engineer - John Fahey – producer
- Samuel ChartersSamuel ChartersSamuel Charters, born Samuel Barclay Charters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 1, 1929 , is an American music historian, writer, record producer, musician, and poet...
– executive producer, engineer - Tom Vickers – producer