A hugely overstuffed collection – one that features over 70 minutes worth of work that guitar genius John Fahey recorded for the Vanguard label in the 60s! Although Fahey's maybe best known for material on his own Takoma label, his 60s Vanguard recordings are equally revolutionary – recorded at the same time the company was allowing other artists like Sandy Bull and Peter Walker to really open up and do amazing things in the world of acoustic music – not familiar folk, but progressive acoustic sounds that were a lot more challenging! There's a whopping 15 tracks in all on the set – and titles include "Lion", "March For Martin Luther King", "The Yellow Princess", "View", "The Singing Bridge Of Memphis Tennessee", "When The Catfish Is In Bloom", "Requiem For John Hurt", "Irish Setter", and "Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg". CD

42 tracks – a beautiful career-spanning collection! CD

An album as lovely as its title, and John Fahey's 8th record – mostly solo guitar, but with guest drums and bass on 2 cuts – "March For Martin Luther King" and "Dance of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg". The sound is extremely magical – introspective, yet far-seeing – with that fragile sense of being in the world that's made Fahey's work endure far longer than that of most of his contemporaries. Other titles include "Irish Setter", "Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion At Magruder Park", and "Lion". LP, Vinyl record album

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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". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's way cooler than the cover and title might make you expect – as it's filled with ultra-cool acoustic recordings from the Vanguard label – one long John Fahey cut, two cool ragas from Peter Walker, a number of jazz tracks from Oregon, and wonderful oud material from Hamza El Din! So forget the cheesy image on the front, and enjoy all these great acoustic cuts – titles that include "Norwegian Wood" and "Bianca" by Peter Walker, "Fegir Nedan" and "Shahadag Og" by Hamza El Din, "Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg" by John Fahey – and the cuts "Slumber Song", "Timeless", "Silence Of A Castle", "Grazing Dreams", "Rejoicing", "Cry Of The Peacock", and "Dark Spirit" by Oregon. CD

Guitarist John Fahey had a surprisingly great ear for a Christmas tune – a surprising inclusion in the catalog of the sometimes-dark musician – whose usual recordings often had a much moodier feel! At Christmas, though, Fahey pulled out a tone that was often a lot more joyous – this ringing quality that was always present in his guitar work, turned to herald the season with sublime solos issued on a host of classic albums on the Takoma label! This set features the best of those gems, a total of 14 solo guitar tracks (a few of which feature added rhythm guitar) – sure to please any fan of Fahey's regular work, and bound to turn lots of other folks onto his genius as well. Titles include "Joy To The World", "Wee Three Kings Of Orient Are", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "Christmas Medley", "Silent Night", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "The Christmas Song". CD

A fantastic follow up to the first, better-known Christmas album from guitar genius John Fahey – and a set that's maybe even more mindblowing overall! Side one features Fahey's shorter interpretations of Christmas themes – done on acoustic guitar, with his amazing sense of phrasing and tone – in duet with Richard Ruskin on a few tracks, with titles that include "Oh Holy Night", "Carol Of The Bells", "Russian Christmas Overture", and "White Christmas". But on side two, things really get interesting – as the side features two long tracks – "Christmas Fantasy", in two parts – with the kind of long, exploratory guitar lines that we love on some of Fahey's non-Holiday albums for Takoma – extended acoustic work that goes way beyond the simple sounds of the season! LP, Vinyl record album

Not the famous album of the similar name, but an even more obscure 80s set – one that has John Fahey revisiting the older territory. Titles include "Improv In E Minor", "Lava On Waikiki", "Gaucho", "The Evening Mysteries Of Ferry Street", "Steel Guitar Rag", "A Minor Blues", and "The Minutes Seem Like Hours The Hours Seem Like Days". CD

Sublime Holiday sounds from the legendary John Fahey – one of a few Christmas Records that probably got Fahey a lot more exposure than all the rest of his non-seasonal work combined! The style here is a perfect link between an older folk era and the rising acoustic underground left in its wake – a very personal mode that really served to unlock a whole new sensibility in these tunes – thanks in no small part to John's very edgey work on the strings of the guitar! The music rings out with a surprising sense of joy, but a nice undercurrent of darkness too – and titles include "Christ's Saints Of God Fantasy", "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Fantasy", "Good King Wenceslas", "Auld Lang Syne", and "What Child Is This". LP, Vinyl record album

A lesser-known later entry in Fahey's holiday oeuvre! LP, Vinyl record album

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A pair of wonderful albums from the great John Fahey – back to back on a single CD! First up is Rivers & Religion – a really unique album by John Fahey – issued during a short stretch of initial mainstream approval, and a brief time of recording for Warner Brothers! Some of the album's quite different than the spare, solo Fahey you might know – and mixes his legendary guitar work with more elaborate elements than usual – additional instrumentation that includes bass, banjo, clarinet, piano, trombone, and fiddle – but all used at a level that really supports John's presence, not occludes it. Other tracks return to spare acoustic steel string guitar – creating an evocative balance that's mighty nice. Titles include "Funeral Song For Mississippi John Hurt", "Texas & Pacific Blues", "Dixie Pig Bar B Q Blues", "Lord Have Mercy Song", and "Deep River". After The Ball is a set with a disco ball on the cover, but a record that fits right in with the best early 20th century aesthetic in the work of John Fahey – particularly his way of reiimagining older musical traditions! There's a bit of added instrumentation on the record – two tracks that have some slight trad jazz flourishes – but overall, the album's mostly a solo effort with loads of wonderful guitar work from John – still as creative and as complicated as in his best recordings for Takoma! Other added instrumentation sometimes expands the sound with mandolin or banjo, but again in very sensitive ways – and titles include "Bucktown Stomp", "Om Shanthi Norris", "Beverly", and "Horses". CD

A great pairing of two key John Fahey albums from the 60s! Yellow Princess is an album as lovely as its title, and John Fahey's 8th record – mostly solo guitar, but with guest drums and bass on 2 cuts – "March For Martin Luther King" and "Dance of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg". The sound is extremely magical – introspective, yet far-seeing – with that fragile sense of being in the world that's made Fahey's work endure far longer than that of most of his contemporaries. Other titles include "Irish Setter", "Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion At Magruder Park", and "Lion". Requia is excellent work by Fahey – all solo, and featuring some wonderful production on the guitar that brings out all the brilliance of his warm chromatic playing. Side one features "Requiem For John Hurt", "Requiem For Russell Blaine Cooper", and "When The Catfish Is In Bloom" – and side two features the four-part "Requiem for Molly", which has Fahey's guitar over some very cool effects! CD

Sublime Holiday sounds from the legendary John Fahey – one of a few Christmas Records that probably got Fahey a lot more exposure than all the rest of his non-seasonal work combined! The style here is a perfect link between an older folk era and the rising acoustic underground left in its wake – a very personal mode that really served to unlock a whole new sensibility in these tunes – thanks in no small part to John's very edgey work on the strings of the guitar! The music rings out with a surprising sense of joy, but a nice undercurrent of darkness too – and titles include "Christ's Saints Of God Fantasy", "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Fantasy", "Good King Wenceslas", "Auld Lang Syne", and "What Child Is This". CD

Very dark sounds from John Fahey's later years – music that was likely recorded in the boardinghouse where he was spending his time, and done with a much moodier vibe than most of his earlier music! The set begins with a layered vocal number that's extremely foreboding – layered vocals that are almost a looser take on some sort of early Steve Reich territory – balanced by acoustic guitar instrumentals that are in that looser, more open later Fahey mode as well. There's a bit of electronics on the set at points, plenty of those 90s Fahey surprises along the way – and the whole thing was edited and mastered by Jim O'Rourke. Titles include "All The Rains", "F For Fake", "Untitled", "Evening Not Night", and "For LMC 2". LP, Vinyl record album

An album as lovely as its title, and John Fahey's 8th record – mostly solo guitar, but with guest drums and bass on 2 cuts – "March For Martin Luther King" and "Dance of The Inhabitants Of The Invisible City Of Bladensburg". The sound is extremely magical – introspective, yet far-seeing – with that fragile sense of being in the world that's made Fahey's work endure far longer than that of most of his contemporaries. Other titles include "Irish Setter", "Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion At Magruder Park", and "Lion". CD

"Now you can experience transcendental consciousness without spending 10 years in a Tibetan monastery" – or so the liner notes proclaim – a pretty great description of what's bound to happen after making your way through this very trippy album from the early 70s! The set's essentially a set of long electric guitar solos – played by Wilburn Burchette on his self-created "impro guitar" – recorded with lots and lots of echo, and maybe a bit of distortion too – so that the long, cyclic lines ring out beautifully – with every bit of the hypnotic feel you might expect! The whole thing's almost like an electric version of some of John Fahey's longform solo work – and titles include "Dawn Of Awakening", "Regeneration", "Transformation", "Introversion", and "Piercing The Psychic Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning album of free improvised music – and one that comes from a very unusual source – not ESP or FMP Records, but the mostly-acoustic Takoma label, which was best known as the home of its founder John Fahey! Charlie Nothing began as a visual artist, but one with a very strong interest in music as well – and this 1967 record is a very early example of extended improvisation on the American scene – not psychedelic at all, and much more in the territory that European free jazz players were beginning to unlock – but perhaps with some more sensitivity in the mix as well! Charlie's got a style that almost feels like circular breathing at times, and spins out these long, hypnotic solos that are wonderful – augmented with just a bit of percussion and maybe some other instrumentation as well – although the arty cover hardly leaves room for any notes. The set features two long tracks – "The Psychedelic Saxophone Of Charlie Nothing" and "In Eternity With Brother Fred". LP, Vinyl record album

A further stunning chapter in the career of guitarist Jeff Parker – a musician who's just grown in leaps and bounds on a succession of records for the International Anthem label! Here, Jeff plays solo guitar throughout – in modes that occasionally hearken back to his earlier material for other labels, but which really shows that amazing understanding of sound and tone that he's developed more recently – this incredible ear for all the possibilities of the electric guitar, at a level that moves beyond just jazz too – with moments on the record that almost have a John Fahey-like understanding of his instrument, as Parker creates all these fantastic passages in sound that are completely sublime. Titles include "Suffolk", "Flour Of Fur", "Four Folks", "La Jetee", "Ugly Beauty", and "Excess Success". LP, Vinyl record album

Contemporary guitar, circa 1966 – an amazing document of the acoustic innovations going on at the time – served up in a really free-thinking batch of tracks! The music here isn't really straight folk, and definitely isn't acoustic rock or blues either – and instead really represents the forefront of the acoustic underground headed up by John Fahey and the Takoma Records scene – music that's had an undeniable impact on the sounds of the past few decades – and which sounds as fresh today as when it was released 50 years ago! Most tracks are relatively long, with amazing phrasing, tone, and timing that really sets them apart from the pack – stone gems that include two "Raga" numbers by Max Ochs, "The Fahey Sampler" by John Fahey, "Water Verses" and "Children's Dance" by Harry Taussig, "The Thousand Incarnations Of The Rose" by Robbie Basho, and "Old Man Walking Blues" by Bukka White. LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Duck Baker takes on the music of Herbie Nichols – the sometime-overlooked modernist of the postwar years, a player that some folks rank right up there with Thelonious Monk – later given his due with a run of revival projects like this! Nichols' music sounds very different here – less of the sharp percussive angles that a piano might create – and almost more warmly chromatic, through the acoustic guitar readings of the tunes by Baker – himself a very creative player, and really setting himself apart from some of his contemporaries with this project. The album's got equal appeal to both fans of Herbie's mid-century modernism, and the decades of creative acoustic guitar solo material that came before Baker's rise – work by John Fahey, Robbie Basho, and others. Titles include "117th Street", "Portrait Of Ucha", "House Party Starting", "Nick At T's", and "Spinning Song". CD

Amazing work from acoustic guitarist Don Bikoff – a 60s contemporary of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, but much more obscure than either of those legendary players! Yet Bikoff's got a very similar vibe – a style that's rooted in folk, but has broken way way past the genre – amazing acoustic guitar explorations that are filled with tones and timings that so many other players wouldn't discover until the 70s – yet still never be able to deliver with a freshness like this! The album's completely mesmerizing from the start – almost like the hypnotic air of Sandy Bull, without the hypnotic pyrotechnics – served up simply and sparely, in a way that leaves us breathless. Titles include "Today Has No Tomorrow", "Rindler's Metamorphosis", "The Ellipses Of Your Mind", "Bathing Prohibited In The River Styx", and "Riverside Park Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

At risk of overselling the thing, we're going to go ahead and make a proclamation. (It's 100% true to our ears, so screw it!) We honestly can't think of a more consistently great series of releases in the rock-ish realm from one act, in a two year period, than Califone has produced between 2002 and 2004, lest we go all the way back to what Dylan did between '65 and '67. We've admired Califone since the great great Red Red Meat broke up, but with last year's Quicksand/Cradlesnakes and now Heron King Blues, they've really found a tuneful groove that previous records and live shows only hinted at. Tim Rutili and company's purely unique mix of spare, rural acoustic string-plucking, broken/fragmented organ and piano, hoarse and somewhat cryptic vocals from Rutili, and whispy tape loop effects are pretty much incomparable (and soon to ripped off by hundreds of followers, if that's not happening already.) If you're unfamiliar, Califone's pretty tough to describe, but if you dig early 70s Neil Young at his most stripped-down, and the experimental/tape-manipulating guise John Fahey wore for some of the better Takoma LPs, than you really can't go wrong here. The fact that this thing was written and recorded in only a couple of weeks seems like a small miracle. "Wingbone", "Trick Bird", "Sawtooth Sung A Cheater's Song", "Apple", "Lion & Bee", "2 Sisters Drunk On Each Other" and more. CD

Harry Smith's much revered efforts to compile the deepest early-to-mid 20th Century American folk music resulted in the monumental Anthology Of American Folk Music box set – plus this later volume that didn't make it into the original set or the celebrated reissue – and sadly went unissued at all until 2000! Despite the lack of a commercial release for the set, Volume Four includes a number of tracks that ended up to be just as ingrained in the American folk, blues, and country conciousness as the cuts from its more famous big brother collection – with a bit more of a dip into the blues, gospel and cajun music of the time. 28 tracks on 2CDs – plus a thick, and truly excellent book featuring notes on the artists, photos, illustrations, text and essays by Greil Marcus, John Fahey, Ed Sanders, John Cohen and Dick Spottswood – nearly 100 pages worth! Tracks include "Memphis Shakedown" by the Memphis Jug Band, "Dog And Gun" by Bradley Kinkaid, "Nine Pound Hammer" by the Carter Family, "Packin' Trunk Blues" by Leadbelly, "Wreck Of The Tennessee Gravy Train" by Uncle Dave Macon, "Milk Cow Blues" by John Estes, "The Cockeyed World" by Minnie Wallace, "Ace's Breakdown" by the Four Aces and many more! CD

One of the wildest albums ever from the great Robbie Basho – as you might guess from the cover! Basho first made waves with his solo guitar work (and a bit of vocalizations) for the Takoma label, during the early years of John Fahey – but as the 60s ended, Robbie had more of a spiritual awakening – which really changed up certain aspects of his music. The set's still got some beautiful long-spun guitar passages – acoustic work that makes Basho maybe an even closer tie to Sandy Bull than Fahey – but Robbie also sings a bit too, in this weirdly trilling voice that almost feels as if it's been pulled from some 15th century pagan culture, but infused with a new missionary spirit. Most of the set is instrumental, but these vocal moments are wonderfully haunting too – and titles include "Venus In Cancer", "Eagle Sails The Blue Diamond Waters", "Kowaka D'Amour", "Song For The Queen", "Cathedrals Et Fleur De Lis", and "Wine Song (Sweet Wine Of Love)". LP, Vinyl record album

Blind Owl Wilson is Alan Wilson of the band Canned Heat – an artist who was surprisingly dedicated to the roots of blues, and always brought a richly personal style to his music! The package brings together key Wilson moments from his time with the group, plus a few other sides – all from a too-short stretch of recording before Alan took his life at the early age of 27. The set features a great booklet of notes on the songs and a bit of biography – including ties (which we didn't know) to John Fahey. Titles include "Poor Moon", "My Time Ain't Long", "On The Road Again", "Childhood's End", "Alan's Intro", "Time Was", "My Mistakes", "Pulling Hair Blues", and "Nebulosity". LP, Vinyl record album

Never-seen footage from the legendary Memphis Country Blues Festival – served up here in the fourth year of the event, at a time when both interest in blues and particularly southern blues was running strong – which led the festival to have the largest lineup of its career! The footage here is all color, and features rare performances that haven't been seen since the event way back in 1969 – not just blues, as the set also features Stax Records artists Rufus Thomas and The Bar-Kays – next to more blues-based artists who include Son Thomas, Bukka White, Piano Red, Furry Lewis, Rev Robert Wilkins, Sleepy John Estes, and Mississippi Fred McDowell! There's also a few surprises along the way – appearances by John Fahey, Insect Trust, John D Loudermilk, Johnny Winter, and The Salem Harmonizers – plus the legendary Memphis psych act Moloch. DVD

One of the most legendary bluesmen of the early 78rpm generation – heard here in a wonderfully-recorded set from 1964! The session came at a time when Skip James was hardly getting any mainstream attention, but had been rediscovered by a younger generation – which led to the fledgling Adelphi Records bringing him into the studio and really letting him do his thing! There's no attempt at commercialism here at all – as the tracks are spare, of varying length, and have James letting that amazing vocal style loose – soaring out with a heavenly sound at some moments, and hewing to the rhythms of his guitar at others – given reverent production treatment by the young John Fahey. Titles include "Broke & Hungry", "Crow Jane", "Cypress Grove Blues", "Black Gal", "Drunken Spree", "Illinois Blues", "Look Down The Road", and "Bad Whiskey". LP, Vinyl record album

A gorgeous presentation of material from the great Charley Patton – presented here with a format that's like a 78rpm album, each CD on 10" replica pages – inside a book with a huge amount of notes on this rare work, and plenty of other details on Patton as well – plus a second paperback book on Patton written by John Fahey! CD

A wild and wonderful soundtrack – one that features the incredible mix of psych tracks and other unusual tunes used by Michelangelo Antonioni for this legendary film! There's some really fantastic cuts on here – including 3 early Pink Floyd numbers "Heart Beat Pig Meat", "Crumbling Land", and "Come In Number 51" – plus "Brother Mary" and "Mickey's Tune" by Kaleidoscope, "Sugar Babe" by The Youngbloods, and part of "Dark Star" by the Grateful Dead – plus the acoustic gems "I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" by Roscoe Holcomb and "Dance Of Death" by John Fahey. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful record by Bola Sete, and probably one of his best. The great John Fahey produced this set for his Takoma label, and his history with the acoustic guitar lets him get all of these beautiful tones and sounds out of Bola's playing that are often missed on other recordings. The set includes some fantastic stuff played on solo guitar, including "Let Go (Canto De Osshana)", "Macumba", "O Astronauta", "In Of The Beginning, Cotati", and "Ocean Waves". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime solo work from Peter Walker – a hell of a guitarist with a very edgy sound, and a vocalist with this dark tone that almost takes us back to some of the moodier moments from the early Velvet Underground! The combination is amazing – very deft, complicated lines on a Gibson Hummingbird steel string guitar – mixed with these moodily poetic lyrics sung starkly in a voice that's completely unique – often bursting out with the same energy as the movement of the guitar passages – ebbing and flowing with this subtle but amazing power! The approach is hardly folk, and has a darkness that goes way past most overstated records of its generation – a really essential record that maybe blows away our favorites from guys like Tim Hardin, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, and John Fahey. Titles include "Grey Morning Sun", "Wonder", "Fifty Miles", "Me & My Lady", and "Pretty Bird". CD

Dreamy sounds in many styles – and a collection that's way more than you might guess from the title! The tunes are by artists who are maybe more familiar than you'd guess from any "celestial" reference – not folks from the new age underground, but instead a mix of jazz, soul, rock, and acoustic artists who come together here in a wonderfully well-chosen batch of cuts that reminds us that in the right hands, the art of the compilation is still alive and well! These are definitely tracks that we'd never have thought to put together ourselves, and they work alongside each other in a really great way – creating a laidback musical journey with some really surprising stops along the way – on tracks that include "Balsam" by Roedelius, "I've Got A Secret" by Fred Neil, "Poison" by Bert Jansch, "Jennie Lee" by Shuggie Otis, "Holy Are You" by The Electric Prunes, "Sais" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Come Ye" by Nina Simone, "I Hear You Callin" by Bill Fay, "It's Taking So Long" by Kathy Smith, "With Tomorrow" by Gene Clark, "Eden's Island" by Eden Ahbez, "Jesus Is A Dying Bedmaker" by John Fahey, "May I" by Kevin Ayres, and "Broken Heart" by Alexander Skip Spence. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the spookiest album ever cut by this legendary guitarist – a set that feels like an electrified take on John Fahey territory, but maybe also with an aim to unlock the kind of magick that you'd expect to hear in a Kenneth Anger soundtrack! The tunes are all nicely brooding, and really take their time to fill in – Burchette feeling the tones and resonance of the guitar in space, with just a slight bit of distortion – in ways that might also make his work on the record a bit of a precursor to Spacemen 3, although with a bit less fuzz. Titles include "Invocation To The Horned One", "Fire Spell", "Raising The Pyramid Of Power", "Birth Of A Witch", and "Building The Circle". LP, Vinyl record album

A further stunning chapter in the career of guitarist Jeff Parker – a musician who's just grown in leaps and bounds on a succession of records for the International Anthem label! Here, Jeff plays solo guitar throughout – in modes that occasionally hearken back to his earlier material for other labels, but which really shows that amazing understanding of sound and tone that he's developed more recently – this incredible ear for all the possibilities of the electric guitar, at a level that moves beyond just jazz too – with moments on the record that almost have a John Fahey-like understanding of his instrument, as Parker creates all these fantastic passages in sound that are completely sublime. Titles include "Suffolk", "Flour Of Fur", "Four Folks", "La Jetee", "Ugly Beauty", and "Excess Success". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from Hans Reichel – a musician who might be to free jazz what John Fahey was to acoustic music – a player who can at once be immediately modern and completely timeless in his approach – working here in a way that opens up the instrument beyond any conventional expectations! Many of these tracks have an inherent cyclical pulse – a bit like the way that Fahey could mix Eastern elements with blues inspiration – but there's also a more chromatic approach to the instrument, and ways of playing that go beyond simple notes – so that each touch of a string is almost like a little explosion of color – explosions that work together to make some amazing sounds throughout! Titles include "Bonobo I", "Peter Zweifel", "Lurch", "Toeni", "Moor", "Nicht Sand Sondern Popel Im Getriebe", and "Mariahhilf". CD