A book about John Fahey has recently come out. It is fairly short and was a quick read for me, quick but unsettling. John led a difficult life. If you are interested in his music, the story about John's struggles is riveting. The book is called The Dance of Death. The author is Steve Lowenthal.
@@abozzone good for you, his unconventional rhythm and quickly changing picking patterns make his songs fairly difficult to learn for me personally. Getting his "feel" right is definitely beyond hard
This guy knew all the riffs. But he strung them all together like nobody did before. And introduced some rhythms that became timeless. Leo Kottke owes him a lot.
It's just unreal, he's such a crazy genius, and so happy at the end, ain't much guitar out there that feels so good. I mean, don't stop playing that John, I wish I could have seen him.
Thanks for sharing this great performance. After coming to Australia, Fahey re-named this Indian Pacific Railroad Blues. It is a kind of train song, or Beverly might be an energetic kinda lady.
The "Beverly" or "Indian Pacific Railroad Blues" track on Live In Tasmania (he renamed the song from Beverly to IPRRB)is the same track that was released on Fahey's After The Ball recording. A fake audience applause and ambience were put onto it to make it sound like part of the Tasmania concert. You can tell this easily by listening to the clean original, and some CD re-release editors have aluded to the Tasmania track fakery. So, treasure this Rockpalast performance!!
as said in the tags, we can recognize the pattern of "I'll see you in my dreams" beginning around 1:15 and again at the end. I love this little song, i can't stop listening to the version at the beginning of the video entitled "take a look at that baby".
learning that myself now, just at the beggining. it's a standard tuning. the part starting from 4:00 follows the same pattern earlier in the composition 1:05. i dont know the chord names but it basicly goes around C chord.
I have just discovered this mans music, he is a madman on guitar! Really great, intense compositions. I love how you include 'combover' in the tags haha.
Been working on playing "Beverly" myself - man this vid is great! He's totally tearing into it at the end. I only wish they'd have taken a close shot at his fingerwork so I could maybe pick up a method of playing this easier. Great vid though!
I have a Fahey album called "Live from Tasmania", and this track is on there entitled Indian Pacific R R Blues. Don't know if that is an early performance of this, or whether he had already recorded it before that. Check that album out though because it's brilliant
Right from the start, my favoirite part. I also like the middle part which I hear ugly vs. beautiful 3.16. As good as a white man can be. And it´s Beverly!
combate, there's a tab for beverly (not this concert version but just about the same) in ultimate-guitar. you need guitar pro to read it, but if you want i could send you in pdf.
yeah your right, this is definetly not brenda's blues, now that i listen to the transfiguration version, the song labeling gets really screwy towards the end of this dvd
He liked snorting "china white". It certainly did'nt effect him in a negative way. I ought to know. I was with him in "71". H has got a lot of bad press. It can be used beneficially.
@porkytard haha except for the little hiccup at 1:24. unless that is in the recording? I'm not terribly familiar with it. But i agree the tempo tears me apart every time
i think you are quite wrong; he is very swoonable and it seems that he never lacked for female companionship though i'm not sure if he could be said to have been "lucky in love."
I think his guitar prowess is a bit over rated (Elizabeth Cotton move over). But that being stated, I'll admit he got me interested in picking up the guitar back in the 70's. He more or less put me onto the idea you don't really have to know a bunch of technical theory to try to learn and enjoy the instrument. Also for me, his style of playing inspires a lot improvisational type playing. I still enjoy listening to his (a lot of which seems stream of conscience stuff) music.
+resomony fahey isn't about the technical virtuosity, he's about the compositions. he only played well enough to be able to reproduce the melodies he created in his head. he even used to say that he didn't practice very much. there are definitely more technical players, but there are very few better composers, and very few artists who understood the american soul like fahey did. his sense of collage and rhythm, his inventiveness and powerful artistic vision, his soundscapes and imagery, have been virtually unmatched in (popular) american music post 1950.
+Charles Crumb agreed my friend good way of putting it I've always thought that his guitar music does a good job at painting images in my head, most of his music sounds like it could be music for background in movies
![fellow fellow - PROUD feat. INK WARUNTORN [STRING QUARTET]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/BQrVkMPTdHE/mqdefault.jpg)
Still watching 2023. John Fahey,- you will never be forgotten
A book about John Fahey has recently come out. It is fairly short and was a quick read for me, quick but unsettling. John led a difficult life. If you are interested in his music, the story about John's struggles is riveting. The book is called The Dance of Death. The author is Steve Lowenthal.
I read it based on recommendations from TH-cam comments like these and yeah, it's a must-read for any Fahey fanatic. What an artist.
His song of the same name is probably my favorite of his. I'll have to check it out
does it talk about his music/style/musical theory at all?
watching for the first time in 2024
(July 2024) Me too ! I just stumbled upon John Fahey tonight for the first time !! Love it ! 💗✌🏼🙋🏻♀️
Still watching in 2021. Unbelievable. Can’t really describe the feeling
when it gets fast near the end..... easily my favorite part of any fahey song.
This song makes me cry... I can feel the pain Mr Fahey. What a Genius!
ericsaguirre qtc
its annoying that this sort of talent doesnt get the recognition it deserves
Fahey is “easy” and impossible at the same time. Fingers is easy, but his SOUL and Rithm is UNIQUE! ❤
Have you learned how to play any of his songs? Definitely would not describe it as easy
@@oobieo Only two, but I need like 10 years more to get his beauty. Is that “easy” 😀
@@abozzone good for you, his unconventional rhythm and quickly changing picking patterns make his songs fairly difficult to learn for me personally. Getting his "feel" right is definitely beyond hard
@@oobieo Agreed. Take me a lot of practice and is still a proyect for a looong time.
This is the myth. But it’s actually a legend. His timing and phrasing is extremely difficult.
I cant stop with song. Beautiful. John Fahey is a genius.
You are correct.
This guy knew all the riffs. But he strung them all together like nobody did before. And introduced some rhythms that became timeless. Leo Kottke owes him a lot.
It's just unreal, he's such a crazy genius, and so happy at the end, ain't much guitar out there that feels so good. I mean, don't stop playing that John, I wish I could have seen him.
John knew how to play
this is one of my favorite fahey tunes. when the chorus gains steam..
speechless. I'm stealing this whole line.
Thanks for sharing this great performance. After coming to Australia, Fahey re-named this Indian Pacific Railroad Blues. It is a kind of train song, or Beverly might be an energetic kinda lady.
When did he come to Oz - how did I miss that?
@@annettemarshall4895 Decades ago. He made a nice record of it: Live in Tasmania.
@@dingoswamphead Tasmania is a club
@@dingoswamphead One of his best albums, at that.
I can't like this enough.
The "Beverly" or "Indian Pacific Railroad Blues" track on Live In Tasmania (he renamed the song from Beverly to IPRRB)is the same track that was released on Fahey's After The Ball recording. A fake audience applause and ambience were put onto it to make it sound like part of the Tasmania concert. You can tell this easily by listening to the clean original, and some CD re-release editors have aluded to the Tasmania track fakery. So, treasure this Rockpalast performance!!
that was awesome. I love his melodic side.
pure genius...
as said in the tags, we can recognize the pattern of "I'll see you in my dreams" beginning around 1:15 and again at the end. I love this little song, i can't stop listening to the version at the beginning of the video entitled "take a look at that baby".
that moment right there 1:03, that moment is so fucking sad, this is a masterpiece
Totally underrated
great music
From the heart , love it !
I learned that tune by ear as a teen. One of my first fingerstyle tune that I learned and it has been a meaningful one for me.
Good ol Fahey
Ya that's it---------Elizabeth Cotton on a mind altering substance.
@ray141 yeah, my goto tune whenever i pick up the guitar, amazing song.
Is everything he plays this way? 6th song tonite and I'm hooked. ...maybe next time John.... thank u
Imagine if we could hear the original tapes of this performance pre TH-cam compression
Damn...
haha, a subtle reference to the critique of pure reason. fahey is awesome.
hkfortytwo I know it’s been 10 years since you posted this comment, but I have to try cause I don’t see it: how does this reference CoPR??
Guessing he’s referring to the album title God, Time and Causality (?)-which admittedly isn’t super on point here
Fire.
I wonder if "Lottie's Blues" by Stefan Grossman inspired the part at 4:16
learning that myself now, just at the beggining. it's a standard tuning. the part starting from 4:00 follows the same pattern earlier in the composition 1:05. i dont know the chord names but it basicly goes around C chord.
I hear a little Nick Drake creeping in around 3:18....sounds nice. I love this song.
I have just discovered this mans music, he is a madman on guitar! Really great, intense compositions. I love how you include 'combover' in the tags haha.
Been working on playing "Beverly" myself - man this vid is great! He's totally tearing into it at the end. I only wish they'd have taken a close shot at his fingerwork so I could maybe pick up a method of playing this easier. Great vid though!
Beverly is from the After the Ball album.. my fave Fahey tune.
Well the man does have incredibly agile fingers...
@tierbiter perhaps Stefan has the Drop D Disease like Richard Thompson, whose songbook has lots of tunes in drop D without indicating it.
I have a Fahey album called "Live from Tasmania", and this track is on there entitled Indian Pacific R R Blues. Don't know if that is an early performance of this, or whether he had already recorded it before that. Check that album out though because it's brilliant
Right from the start, my favoirite part. I also like the middle part which I hear ugly vs. beautiful 3.16. As good as a white man can be. And it´s Beverly!
How would you sing to this.. is there a version with someone singing along to it ?
combate, there's a tab for beverly (not this concert version but just about the same) in ultimate-guitar. you need guitar pro to read it, but if you want i could send you in pdf.
It's a Martin D-35.
I'm sure they were just afraid to ask him the song titles for fear of having a chair thrown at them.
dude from rose windows... nice..
@guruguruponchan27 I would imagine none of the female audience members were there to swoon over John Fahey.
Fuck, why can't I vote this comment up one thousand times?
Martin D-28, of course, what else!?!
I think a d-35
yeah your right, this is definetly not brenda's blues, now that i listen to the transfiguration version, the song labeling gets really screwy towards the end of this dvd
He liked snorting "china white". It certainly did'nt effect him in a negative way. I ought to know. I was with him in "71". H has got a lot of bad press. It can be used beneficially.
@porkytard haha except for the little hiccup at 1:24. unless that is in the recording? I'm not terribly familiar with it. But i agree the tempo tears me apart every time
Ellis. D ; )
which Fahey album is St James Infimary on?
i think you are quite wrong; he is very swoonable and it seems that he never lacked for female companionship though i'm not sure if he could be said to have been "lucky in love."
Great stuff. Anybody know what guitar he's playing?
Martin D-35
0:34 hes human alright, phew xD
no no it's definitely in standard tuning.
I think his guitar prowess is a bit over rated (Elizabeth Cotton move over). But that being stated, I'll admit he got me interested in picking up the guitar back in the 70's. He more or less put me onto the idea you don't really have to know
a bunch of technical theory to try to learn and enjoy the instrument. Also for me, his style of playing inspires a lot improvisational type playing. I still enjoy listening to his (a lot of which seems stream of conscience stuff) music.
+resomony fahey isn't about the technical virtuosity, he's about the compositions. he only played well enough to be able to reproduce the melodies he created in his head. he even used to say that he didn't practice very much. there are definitely more technical players, but there are very few better composers, and very few artists who understood the american soul like fahey did. his sense of collage and rhythm, his inventiveness and powerful artistic vision, his soundscapes and imagery, have been virtually unmatched in (popular) american music post 1950.
+Charles Crumb agreed my friend good way of putting it I've always thought that his guitar music does a good job at painting images in my head, most of his music sounds like it could be music for background in movies
+Derek Costen It compliments long drives in the heavily wooded mountains very well
+resomony define 'guitar prowess'.
+Charles Crumb Thank you, Sheldon!