The seminal debut
of the great John Fahey – posing here as Blind Joe Death – an acoustic guitarist whose bluesy undercurrents
showcase Fahey's love
of early recorded music! The style is pure Fahey throughout – those magical tones that cascade effortlessly off the heavily-plucked strings
of his guitar – echoing older blues and folk modes, but never in a way that's stereotypical – and which is already woven through with the kind
of sonorities that continued to make Fahey such an important artist over the years. Think
of the set as a skewed version
of American history – filtered through one mind and one set
of hands – and you'll be well on the way to understanding the power
of this music. The set features songs penned by Fahey, and redone versions
of older numbers – and tracks include "West Coast Blues", "St. Louis Blues", "I'm A Poor Boy Far Away From Home", "John Hardy", "Transcendental Waterfall", "Desperate Man Blues", "Sun Gonna Shine In My Back Door", and "On Doing An Evil Deed Blues". Fahey originally recorded some
of the material in 1959, then again in 1963 – and this double-length CD features all
of the many tracks that appeared on various versions
of the record – 21 titles and over 75 minutes
of music!