JOHN FAHEY

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.