I first heard of John Fahey on a compilation record, yes, one of the those old, black, flat discs, oh so long ago. It was him and Leo Kottke and Peter Lang. They were so hot. God bless you John Fahey, wherever you are.
John Fahey's music is enjoyable, for sure. But to suggest that Fahey is a better guitarist than Tommy Emmanuel is silly on the face of it: Like saying Lou Pinella was a better ballplayer than Ted Williams because of some aethetically interesting aspect of Pinella's swing. The tendency to impute lofty levels of skill to performers simply because we like their celebrity or folksiness or ground-breakingness or whatever ... it just renders assessments of someone's true ability nearly impossible.
@shsnj No one is suggesting JF is a better guitarist than TE. Anyway why compare. neither is it a 'folksiness'. TE is a far better guitarist but sometimes, not always, JF goes beyond just the music and something really human comes from it. It doesn't even happen the whole time, comes in fragments. Have you ever heard the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 9th? JFs music has a subjectivity TE doesn't and some folks prefer that because it touches them, not because they want to be folky.
@kingsindiandefence My reason for responding in such an uncomplimentary fashion is because I've seen some online lists of "greatest acoustic guitarists ever" that feature Fahey in the top five, with TE many places behind him. I've checked out these Fahey videos to see what the accolades are all about and I've been disappointed. I find it a bit baffling that, given the number of superbly skilled guitarists around the world, we settle on Fahey as a "best of the best" contender.
@shsnj take a look at Gary Moore, He had technical skill in abundance plus a subjective touch.I don't want to knock TE but his music does little to me. JF, a technically less gifted player? Maybe but gave a little of what all great artists give the unique flavour of themselves. I don't see where anyone was imputing lofty levels of skill? TE is might impressive, like Clapton but I wouldn't run to either. treat yourself and YouTube Gary moore Still got The Blues, the live version.
@kingsindiandefence Thanks, I'll check out Moore. I can appreciate that TE and Clapton don't do it for you. These assessments are, admittedly, subjective. But I can still recognize and rate the high skill level of someone whose music I don't favor. Les Paul, for example, was an excellent guitarist, even though the genre he played in with Mary Ford was (to me) dorky. My subjective dislike for the music doesn't necessarily make him inferior to a guitarist whose music I like.
@shsnj The thing you're missing is that many of the people who consider Fahey "better" than TE are guitarists themselves, some highly skilled. TE might have had a superior technique, but that's only one part of what makes someone a great musician.Fahey is the one who changed the way people thought of acoustic guitar and who influenced generations of musicians, and he's the one who could sit down with a guitar, improvise for half an hour, and mesmerize an audience.
@shsnj This is an example of what I was saying. You think an "aesthetically interesting aspect of Pinella's swing" wouldn't make Pinella a better ball player than WIlliams, but isn't being "aesthetically interesting" the whole point of playing guitar?
A thought just occured to me. It's really fascinating how we can experience a great performance from a great musician like this from 30+ years ago. It's like I'm momentarily going back in time. Anyway, this guy is great.
Fahey is one of our greatest acoustic guitarists, he has passion, intensity and tremendous creativity. His profound feeling for the music is exceptional. His live performances were all over the map, you could never tell which Fahey would show up or what he might do, or how he might play.
A lot of talk about him making a "mistake". It's actually just an accidental that he intentionally includes as a segue between the two different songs. This same "mistake" can be heard in another performance of these two songs, which can be viewed on youtube. But, I mean, he also could just be really bad at playing guitar...
@jeremywilson15147 Oh no, not one of those so guitar playing is a competition guys. I think you must be the person I saw post to another video after, amazingly, someone told me the opposite. so I took a look and thought about it. It's hard for me to say, why should I criticise that bloke. Tommy Emmanuel is amazing guitarist. Somehow all that technical skill, virtuosity, leaves me cold. For me, JFs appeal lays in his communication. Not sure what you base the not as good as on? Con'd.
@jeremywilson15147 To many folks JF is better than Tommy Emmanuel because where we think, yeh, great guitarist, JF has a greater intimacy of feel. After discovering and listening to JF I thought, this bloke touches something, I know not what but it's there. Try listening for a while, not in judgement or comparrison, maybe you'll here too. Try Desperate Man Blues, When the catfish is in bloom, Requiem for Mississipi John Hurt....and yeh Tommy could play better than John Hurt too but......
@jeremywilson15147 they weren't mate, like the two peeps here have said, it's the soul. tommy emmanuel's amazing from what i can see, fucking ridiculously quick and precise, and he definitely feels the music to a massive degree; but Fahey's on another, extraterrestrial level. he had this cosmic understanding of music and the spirits inside and behind it. you can see it in his face and his body on this vid, and i hope you yourself will feel it in his playing, check that flowwwwwwwwwwwwww oh my
@jeremywilson15147 they weren't mate, like the two peeps here have said, it's the soul. tommy emmanuel's amazing from what i can see, fucking ridiculously quick and precise, and he definitely feels the music to a massive degree; but Fahey's on another, extraterrestrial level. he had this cosmic understanding of music and the spirits inside and behind it. you can see it in his face and his body on this vid, and i hope you yourself will feel it in his playing, check that flowwwwwwwwwwwwww oh my
The greater Washington DC area turned out a lot of good guitarists. Jorma and Jack came from there too although most people think of San Franciso when they are mentioned.
Why do folks make nitty picky negative comments about these videos? Whatever, John Fahey was not some studio manufactured sound but a great guitarist. can any of those criticising play this good? Go listen to something you enjoy and leave the rest of us to enjoy this.
@kingsindiandefence. No, those of us who criticize him can't play that well -- that's true. But we're not highly acclaimed guitarists who perform on stages around the world. He was such a guitarist and should be held to a much, much higher standard than the rest of us. It's absurd to suggest that you can only criticize someone if you can outdo that person.
@shsnj No one has said that you can only criticize if you can outdo. He doesn't do it for you but does it for many of the rest of us. Personally just enjoy the music, most of the time. You can get too much of anything. If you check it was someone came in and made the better than comparison regards TE, not the other way around.."Tommy E is a much better guitarist than.." The response has been largely who cares.
I remember hanging out with John shortly before his death...he was the kind of man that would give you the shirt off his back. Miss the conversations bro. He was a well of picking knowledge.
the more i listen to this guy the more influence he has on my own playing, a few days ago i thought that i made up a cool instrumental but then i realized it was a strait rip off of Fahey's stuff
he is shredding these tracks like a maniac possessed by genius or something like that....lots of his records sound just like this, definitely not easy listening acoustic mellow dinner music that a lot of dreary players release..but who cares
John didn't have to show off - He played for himself - Anyone that criticises Fahey has not explored his music in depth - otherwise they would know he is the one and only master.
@ theleequa, I don't feel it does have the directness and emotional depth of those players. He is a great player, no doubt about it and from my generation, I started playing when I was nine and I'll be 60 this year. When I first listened to the blues, I didn't want to copy it I just wanted to play my guitar and make it sound something like the old blues players because the sound of the blues just struck some part of me and has never left since.
@treetoptop, MJH, Son House, Gary Davis, Robert Johnson etc lived and were the blues. However I respect your opinion but John Fahey just played everything too fast.
his playing style could be called too fast compared to that generation but he was playing at a different time and he's a different person. i hear it as spontaneious, emotional, and honest. it has the directness and emotional depth of all those players you mentioned. newer musicians who copy and paste from the greats lose the point of the blues.
IpkisStanley- You are out of context. This is not suppose to be anyone else but Fahey. But then you are probably someone who was not around during Fahey era let alone Gary Davis or John Hurt. Shesh get a grip on yourself or maybe better yet let go.
does he (ever) sing? I just discovered this guy. Let me tell you, I am loving everything I hear its so insane you can lose your mind in the music from that guitar he plays I love it
That's your opinion. Fahey played straight from the heart and with all the soul in the world. I like the fact that he played covers in his own style. Who wants to hear something identical, why bother, just listen to the original.
@treetoptop Agree with treetop, I understand a person can fall in love with a particular rendition of a song and every other version you hear will sound "wrong"...but I'll bet that even Davis himself played it differently over the years. Got to keep your playing fresh, yes?
@treetoptop agree with you there some folk are so sad i mean we are all human ever the great john fahey makes the odd mistake what a sad person to even pick up on it
@treetoptop A true virtuoso wouldn't make that kind of flub. It's the impeccable quality of play that defines one as a virtuoso. Suppose I found a worm in a store-bought apple and, upon complaining, the store manager retorted with, "Hey, what about the rest of the apple? You didn't comment on the part that didn't have a worm in it!" No, a store-bought apple shouldn't have a worm in it and a virtuoso performance shouldn't contain such a bumbling moment. Sorry. He's good, but not a virtuoso.
Yeah. To me the Gary Davis was the master of the genre. It is interesting though to see how the folks that he influenced (Fahey, Kaukonen, Kotke, etc) utilized his style into their own.
well everyone's fine to think what they like, but i disagree on all counts. i mean, noone else can create that raggy feel like the reverend, and as for creativity, he was a pioneer of an almost totally new guitar style
It has been mentioned before but worth repeating: it is a cover of Reverend Gary Davis' Candy Man up until 1:12. You will find a huge collection of Fahey musical roots (in mp3) if you google "roots of fahey".
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It's a virtuoso 'tour de force' and he misses the beauty of the tunes and artistes he is reprising. Fast hands; no soul. And his hair style is seriously pants.
Not sure what album Candy Man is on, but Brenda's Blues, which starts at 1.13 is on The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, and the last song, at 2.44, is called On The Beach Wakiki, i think, and it's on Death Chants, Break Downs and Military Waltzes.
Thank you my man, this information is most helpful. I thought it was all part of the same tune, the change at 1:13 is my favourite part, so I'll defo get my hands on a copy of The Transfiguration. Does Fahey have a tune called Spanish Dance?
exactly! in this moment, someone else is dying painfully, being beaten or grieving over a lost one. and here we are, privileged to listen to beautiful music.
I have seen John play this is in concert several times and once in his living room. These are the basic components he always uses, its just a question of when he shifts and how. Candy Man in its basic form is a beautiful simple guitar piece that you could learn fingerpicking around. The energy coming out of John's arrangement is astonishing, a classic Fahey interpretation.
People complaining about this are freakin ridiculous. Fahey is absolutely tearing it up. That sound using picks on just his thumb and two fingers is amazing. The section around 2:44 where he gets fired up and plays faster and louder sounds like an orchestra. Those fast banjo like rolls Fahey does are his trademark, awesome.
i dig Fahey... but i think he's wierd. hes avante-garde in a style of music that not many are,,, you can hear a little freight train blues in there too (maj2-5)
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I like Fahey, but not so much here. The 1969 Laura Weber stuff: much better and more representative--Fahey at his best. This clip: temporary insanity.
Its not so much the playing rather the amazing arrangement. Something you obviously know nothing about and therefor can't appreciate it. This ability will come to you by the time your 15 i suppose.
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hmm yes its ovbiously not the playing as he stumbles all over the guitar and as for the arrangement well its just plain boring theres no mood or atmosphere just repetative plucking through chords- take a look at john butlers ocean tell me what you think of it
well i mean, of course hes playing through chords, its a cover of mississippi john hurt. and hurt really only plays in the I IV and V. but if you listen to his other compositions, then you get the aforementioned amazing arrangement.
Your point about the simplicity of the chords is true enough. The song that Fahey is riffing off of, though, at least at first, is Rev. Gary Davis' Candyman, a totally different song from John Hurt's song of the same name.
I have to agree, this is fahey at his worst. he is a brilliant artist but he does john hurt no justice on this song. well, not to many people can play hurt covers without destroying them.
Have you ever heard John Hurt's Candyman? This most of these videos (which I'm glad were posted) were mislabled - this is not a cover of Candyman. It's a medly of two Fahey compositions.
That song starting at 1:12 is actually the middle bridge part of Brendas Blues. I actually do a Fahey medley at open mikes that combines "Take a look at that baby" and then goes into "Brendas Blues." They complement each other perfectly because they are both in the key of C.
what happened to the words?
michaeldonovan26 2 weeks ago
The real thing, I just don't understand how some people can dislike pure talent like this.
Underrated and unknown :(
wolfblass75 2 weeks ago
swirls hammer a divinity song, is fahey
HumanimalDMT 1 month ago
Thanks for posting this -- I like how he segued into Brendas Blues (his take on Blind Blake)and then morphed into something other.
Aviv52 1 month ago
Nobody plays guitar like Fayeh!
XeroPotiri 1 month ago
I first heard of John Fahey on a compilation record, yes, one of the those old, black, flat discs, oh so long ago. It was him and Leo Kottke and Peter Lang. They were so hot. God bless you John Fahey, wherever you are.
jonicruz71 1 month ago
Lovely, that'll do John ;o)
greenslime27 1 month ago
John Fahey's music is enjoyable, for sure. But to suggest that Fahey is a better guitarist than Tommy Emmanuel is silly on the face of it: Like saying Lou Pinella was a better ballplayer than Ted Williams because of some aethetically interesting aspect of Pinella's swing. The tendency to impute lofty levels of skill to performers simply because we like their celebrity or folksiness or ground-breakingness or whatever ... it just renders assessments of someone's true ability nearly impossible.
shsnj 1 month ago
@shsnj No one is suggesting JF is a better guitarist than TE. Anyway why compare. neither is it a 'folksiness'. TE is a far better guitarist but sometimes, not always, JF goes beyond just the music and something really human comes from it. It doesn't even happen the whole time, comes in fragments. Have you ever heard the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 9th? JFs music has a subjectivity TE doesn't and some folks prefer that because it touches them, not because they want to be folky.
kingsindiandefence 1 month ago
@kingsindiandefence My reason for responding in such an uncomplimentary fashion is because I've seen some online lists of "greatest acoustic guitarists ever" that feature Fahey in the top five, with TE many places behind him. I've checked out these Fahey videos to see what the accolades are all about and I've been disappointed. I find it a bit baffling that, given the number of superbly skilled guitarists around the world, we settle on Fahey as a "best of the best" contender.
shsnj 1 month ago
@kingsindiandefence Ha, the third movement. I skip over that one because it bores me. I guess you and I are wired very differently.
shsnj 1 month ago
@shsnj take a look at Gary Moore, He had technical skill in abundance plus a subjective touch.I don't want to knock TE but his music does little to me. JF, a technically less gifted player? Maybe but gave a little of what all great artists give the unique flavour of themselves. I don't see where anyone was imputing lofty levels of skill? TE is might impressive, like Clapton but I wouldn't run to either. treat yourself and YouTube Gary moore Still got The Blues, the live version.
kingsindiandefence 1 month ago
@kingsindiandefence Thanks, I'll check out Moore. I can appreciate that TE and Clapton don't do it for you. These assessments are, admittedly, subjective. But I can still recognize and rate the high skill level of someone whose music I don't favor. Les Paul, for example, was an excellent guitarist, even though the genre he played in with Mary Ford was (to me) dorky. My subjective dislike for the music doesn't necessarily make him inferior to a guitarist whose music I like.
shsnj 1 month ago
@shsnj The thing you're missing is that many of the people who consider Fahey "better" than TE are guitarists themselves, some highly skilled. TE might have had a superior technique, but that's only one part of what makes someone a great musician.Fahey is the one who changed the way people thought of acoustic guitar and who influenced generations of musicians, and he's the one who could sit down with a guitar, improvise for half an hour, and mesmerize an audience.
BlackMonk66 1 month ago
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@shsnj This is an example of what I was saying. You think an "aesthetically interesting aspect of Pinella's swing" wouldn't make Pinella a better ball player than WIlliams, but isn't being "aesthetically interesting" the whole point of playing guitar?
BlackMonk66 1 month ago
A thought just occured to me. It's really fascinating how we can experience a great performance from a great musician like this from 30+ years ago. It's like I'm momentarily going back in time. Anyway, this guy is great.
moneyquickeasy 1 month ago
Fahey is one of our greatest acoustic guitarists, he has passion, intensity and tremendous creativity. His profound feeling for the music is exceptional. His live performances were all over the map, you could never tell which Fahey would show up or what he might do, or how he might play.
He is just a musical force of nature.
Ynysybarri 2 months ago
A lot of talk about him making a "mistake". It's actually just an accidental that he intentionally includes as a segue between the two different songs. This same "mistake" can be heard in another performance of these two songs, which can be viewed on youtube. But, I mean, he also could just be really bad at playing guitar...
dmroque 2 months ago
is this track on any of his albums?
escaflowne3 2 months ago in playlist escaflowne3's favorites
@escaflowne3 The second half of this song is 'Brenda's Blues' from The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death
Dafjalfrezi 2 months ago in playlist More videos from walterneff
@Dafjalfrezi
Thank you!
escaflowne3 2 months ago
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October 29,2011! This concert is to be released in USA on DVD @ November 8th, according to amazon.com ~OspreyD40.
OspreyD40 3 months ago
this just feels too fast, as much as i love john, it is just a little bit off to me. but to each his own, great player nonetheless.
Fruscianteistheman 3 months ago
Someone told me this guy was better than Tommy Emmanuel. That someone was wrong.
jeremywilson15147 4 months ago
@jeremywilson15147 Oh no, not one of those so guitar playing is a competition guys. I think you must be the person I saw post to another video after, amazingly, someone told me the opposite. so I took a look and thought about it. It's hard for me to say, why should I criticise that bloke. Tommy Emmanuel is amazing guitarist. Somehow all that technical skill, virtuosity, leaves me cold. For me, JFs appeal lays in his communication. Not sure what you base the not as good as on? Con'd.
kingsindiandefence 4 months ago
@jeremywilson15147 To many folks JF is better than Tommy Emmanuel because where we think, yeh, great guitarist, JF has a greater intimacy of feel. After discovering and listening to JF I thought, this bloke touches something, I know not what but it's there. Try listening for a while, not in judgement or comparrison, maybe you'll here too. Try Desperate Man Blues, When the catfish is in bloom, Requiem for Mississipi John Hurt....and yeh Tommy could play better than John Hurt too but......
kingsindiandefence 4 months ago
@jeremywilson15147 they weren't mate, like the two peeps here have said, it's the soul. tommy emmanuel's amazing from what i can see, fucking ridiculously quick and precise, and he definitely feels the music to a massive degree; but Fahey's on another, extraterrestrial level. he had this cosmic understanding of music and the spirits inside and behind it. you can see it in his face and his body on this vid, and i hope you yourself will feel it in his playing, check that flowwwwwwwwwwwwww oh my
yeeeeaaaboooooooiiii 4 months ago
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@jeremywilson15147 they weren't mate, like the two peeps here have said, it's the soul. tommy emmanuel's amazing from what i can see, fucking ridiculously quick and precise, and he definitely feels the music to a massive degree; but Fahey's on another, extraterrestrial level. he had this cosmic understanding of music and the spirits inside and behind it. you can see it in his face and his body on this vid, and i hope you yourself will feel it in his playing, check that flowwwwwwwwwwwwww oh my
yeeeeaaaboooooooiiii 4 months ago
He's sleeping...But his hands can't stop playing!
viclot1 4 months ago 2
Leo's birth place!!!
guitar8166 4 months ago
It's now when I discover I don't play the guitar. I touch some strings, more or less.
13FuckedMonkey12 4 months ago
So next time, when people ask me: can you play guitar? guess what I'm going to say. Exactly.
hero451 5 months ago
Sadly, MTV killed the appreciation for this great music. They would have to screen a video on his bald head to get anyone's attention today..
PennsyltuckyBucky 7 months ago
Very Nice!! A lot faster than Im used to hearing from Rev. Gary. but still nice.
Mach1BluesMan 7 months ago
this makes me happy where I pee..
JamesSayne 8 months ago
Comment removed
mstark7 1 year ago
Remember John well...Heard him live several times--never heard anyone come close to sounding like him!
dagda54 1 year ago
nice haircut, :)
qwerrik 1 year ago
Brenda's Blues kicks in at 1:12. Great song.
jbhiller 1 year ago
the song is called Brenda's blues! Its on the Transfiguration of Blind Joe death album
Starrustin 1 year ago
John had soul-something I feel is missing from some of the most "accomplished" players today-it's missing in the world, in general
mikie8865 1 year ago 12
@mikie8865 try james blackshaw maybe. ;-)
jaadtoly23 1 week ago
this is amazing, but I prefer the simplicity of John Hurt
danielouistedman 1 year ago
The greater Washington DC area turned out a lot of good guitarists. Jorma and Jack came from there too although most people think of San Franciso when they are mentioned.
tom6612 1 year ago
@tom6612 Also Henry Vestine came from Takoma Park as did Fahey.
PolarSkua 5 months ago
brilliant
307001zu 1 year ago
holy cow!!!
BeeMichael 1 year ago
Why do folks make nitty picky negative comments about these videos? Whatever, John Fahey was not some studio manufactured sound but a great guitarist. can any of those criticising play this good? Go listen to something you enjoy and leave the rest of us to enjoy this.
kingsindiandefence 1 year ago 9
@kingsindiandefence. No, those of us who criticize him can't play that well -- that's true. But we're not highly acclaimed guitarists who perform on stages around the world. He was such a guitarist and should be held to a much, much higher standard than the rest of us. It's absurd to suggest that you can only criticize someone if you can outdo that person.
shsnj 1 month ago
@shsnj No one has said that you can only criticize if you can outdo. He doesn't do it for you but does it for many of the rest of us. Personally just enjoy the music, most of the time. You can get too much of anything. If you check it was someone came in and made the better than comparison regards TE, not the other way around.."Tommy E is a much better guitarist than.." The response has been largely who cares.
kingsindiandefence 1 month ago
@kingsindiandefence THANK YOU for wording what I was thinking!!!
owlet1963 3 weeks ago
I remember hanging out with John shortly before his death...he was the kind of man that would give you the shirt off his back. Miss the conversations bro. He was a well of picking knowledge.
Zadok8 1 year ago 2
the more i listen to this guy the more influence he has on my own playing, a few days ago i thought that i made up a cool instrumental but then i realized it was a strait rip off of Fahey's stuff
sabbathdisciple94 1 year ago 2
he is shredding these tracks like a maniac possessed by genius or something like that....lots of his records sound just like this, definitely not easy listening acoustic mellow dinner music that a lot of dreary players release..but who cares
flabbdad 1 year ago
Love this.
fireblossom2u 1 year ago
A lot of dumb people like like to comment on this video
cretsina 1 year ago 4
At 2:00 there is a slight error with the audio. Fahey does not make a mistake there.
wally81578 1 year ago
John didn't have to show off - He played for himself - Anyone that criticises Fahey has not explored his music in depth - otherwise they would know he is the one and only master.
tubby6411 1 year ago 3
Great!
Jolie028 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Too fast. Trying to be fancy. Dont work.
guitcam 1 year ago
I used to listen to his records, they didn't sound like this. The recordings were clean and coherent.
birdie399 1 year ago
I also thought John played SOME tunes too fast but pease, please look around You Tube for the slower ones. There are plenty to enjoy and cherish.
bipolarbert 1 year ago
@ theleequa, I don't feel it does have the directness and emotional depth of those players. He is a great player, no doubt about it and from my generation, I started playing when I was nine and I'll be 60 this year. When I first listened to the blues, I didn't want to copy it I just wanted to play my guitar and make it sound something like the old blues players because the sound of the blues just struck some part of me and has never left since.
getarslim 1 year ago
he makes the going bald look look good :)
MarsVoltaKA 1 year ago
@treetoptop, MJH, Son House, Gary Davis, Robert Johnson etc lived and were the blues. However I respect your opinion but John Fahey just played everything too fast.
getarslim 1 year ago
his playing style could be called too fast compared to that generation but he was playing at a different time and he's a different person. i hear it as spontaneious, emotional, and honest. it has the directness and emotional depth of all those players you mentioned. newer musicians who copy and paste from the greats lose the point of the blues.
theleequa 1 year ago
A great virtuoso but not of the blues
getarslim 1 year ago
Please, John lived and was the blues
treetoptop 1 year ago
i get the sense that guy is just trying to show off. He has some licks but eh.
dr0d84 1 year ago
Showing off ? Please, leave that for rock guitarists.... jeez...
lobizoon1 1 year ago 4
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too fast but great
primusfan1989 2 years ago
Comment removed
treetoptop 2 years ago
Excuse me if i callously disregard the opinion of a Primus fan. Jesus.
Pooklette 1 year ago
Thanks for posting. Everything I hear by this guy is just amazing. But I guess I never realized how big he was. He practically dwarfs his guitar.
mearzig 2 years ago
IpkisStanley- You are out of context. This is not suppose to be anyone else but Fahey. But then you are probably someone who was not around during Fahey era let alone Gary Davis or John Hurt. Shesh get a grip on yourself or maybe better yet let go.
6stringdaveyM 2 years ago 2
This is very disappointing, a bit of a dirge.
exocet2000 2 years ago
...He's the most lisergic one...Passion & visions come out from his hands to hypnotize us...
blueturtleblues 2 years ago
does he (ever) sing? I just discovered this guy. Let me tell you, I am loving everything I hear its so insane you can lose your mind in the music from that guitar he plays I love it
r4d4101 2 years ago 4
@r4d4101 he does sing on one track, but i don't remember its title. I think that someone posted it on youtube.
FBuilding 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
man, this is too fast and doesn't have nearly the soul of the reverend gary davis version...
pfmo5678ramone 2 years ago
That's your opinion. Fahey played straight from the heart and with all the soul in the world. I like the fact that he played covers in his own style. Who wants to hear something identical, why bother, just listen to the original.
treetoptop 2 years ago
@treetoptop Agree with treetop, I understand a person can fall in love with a particular rendition of a song and every other version you hear will sound "wrong"...but I'll bet that even Davis himself played it differently over the years. Got to keep your playing fresh, yes?
JDBoelter 2 years ago 2
@pfmo5678ramone or john hurt
goodwrench838 2 years ago
I just played Brendas blues at a senior center in my town. They were clapping along to the beat. They loved it
Mark9309 2 years ago
This song has a broken record quality to it.
clumpofdirt77 2 years ago
you are my wife
IpkisStanley 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
lol I fucked your father
IpkisStanley 2 years ago
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1:12 he makes a mistake
IpkisStanley 2 years ago
He's actually changing songs, to Brenda's Blues
tweezerfetish 2 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
well it still sounds bad, it's not a good smooth transition
IpkisStanley 2 years ago
why don't you show us how it's done Bupkis.
come on now Stash. Let's see how you do champ.
Stroker.
JustJake57 2 years ago
Good idea to point out he made a mistake, forget the other 3:53.9 minutes of a virtuoso performance
treetoptop 2 years ago 24
meh, that's subjective, I prefer Mississippi John Hurt
IpkisStanley 2 years ago
you are dumb.
wincekthomas 2 years ago
@treetoptop Well when you play this good..your mistakes show a little
JimmyPage97 11 months ago
@treetoptop It's a self-esteem issue. Now this guy's got John Fahey BEAT, y'know?
dantean 9 months ago
@treetoptop agree with you there some folk are so sad i mean we are all human ever the great john fahey makes the odd mistake what a sad person to even pick up on it
bedsitsongbird33 3 months ago
@treetoptop A true virtuoso wouldn't make that kind of flub. It's the impeccable quality of play that defines one as a virtuoso. Suppose I found a worm in a store-bought apple and, upon complaining, the store manager retorted with, "Hey, what about the rest of the apple? You didn't comment on the part that didn't have a worm in it!" No, a store-bought apple shouldn't have a worm in it and a virtuoso performance shouldn't contain such a bumbling moment. Sorry. He's good, but not a virtuoso.
shsnj 1 month ago
very very good
but to my mind never a patch on the rev.
Agar101 2 years ago
Yeah. To me the Gary Davis was the master of the genre. It is interesting though to see how the folks that he influenced (Fahey, Kaukonen, Kotke, etc) utilized his style into their own.
deweypug 2 years ago
I admire your loyalty. Musically, creatively. not to mention in the beautiful complexity, John Fahey left the good Reverend in the dust.
piehole23 2 years ago
well everyone's fine to think what they like, but i disagree on all counts. i mean, noone else can create that raggy feel like the reverend, and as for creativity, he was a pioneer of an almost totally new guitar style
Agar101 2 years ago
First time I've ever heard of him, that was amazing. Did he usually only use standard tuning?
WizardBogle01 2 years ago
Nope. Mostly standard, but also open G, open D, even open D minor, open C (CGCGCE), open G minor and more.
mirnooko 2 years ago 4
No to WizardBogle01 - Fahey used quite a few different tunings over the years...and masterfully.
piehole23 2 years ago
Not any more. He died in 2001. Enigmatic and brilliant as ever.
OnkelOtto7 2 years ago
Yeh, we are all dying, just live your life in a straight line first
getarslim 2 years ago
Hey, why do you play this so fast, are you in a hurry?
getarslim 2 years ago
Much too fast and hence no real feeling which is what the old blues masters managed to instill in their music.
vicandlinda 2 years ago
yeah, this guy knows nothing about music. whos he think he is? do some homework
martinaxman 2 years ago
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I agree with you completely
getarslim 2 years ago
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well it´s not blues anyway..
teezbeatz 2 years ago
It has been mentioned before but worth repeating: it is a cover of Reverend Gary Davis' Candy Man up until 1:12. You will find a huge collection of Fahey musical roots (in mp3) if you google "roots of fahey".
nikitak27 2 years ago 3
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nikitak27 2 years ago
Watch this to learn what "virtuoso" means! :-)
henrycate 2 years ago 3
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is this all this guy does?
574912191975 2 years ago
Ya, he plays the guitar. What do YOU do?
henrycate 2 years ago 2
If I had it my way, this is all I would do.
hosscollar 2 years ago 2
what a great comment. you are really on the ball mate.
thenightjar 2 years ago
love how he throws Brenda's Blues in there! one of my favourite Fahey tunes
russelsheartinacage 2 years ago
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It's a virtuoso 'tour de force' and he misses the beauty of the tunes and artistes he is reprising. Fast hands; no soul. And his hair style is seriously pants.
muirhouseterrace 2 years ago
This is beautiful! Does anyone know what album it appears
on? I have only recently discovered Fahey (where has he been all my life?)
satarrant 3 years ago
Not sure what album Candy Man is on, but Brenda's Blues, which starts at 1.13 is on The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, and the last song, at 2.44, is called On The Beach Wakiki, i think, and it's on Death Chants, Break Downs and Military Waltzes.
russelsheartinacage 2 years ago
Thank you my man, this information is most helpful. I thought it was all part of the same tune, the change at 1:13 is my favourite part, so I'll defo get my hands on a copy of The Transfiguration. Does Fahey have a tune called Spanish Dance?
satarrant 2 years ago
the one i thought was Beach Wakiki is Spanish Dance, my bad!
russelsheartinacage 2 years ago
Bravo, John Fahey!
Krittikas 3 years ago
John Fahey is so original and artistic. He makes these modern Windham Hill types sound almost silly.
yukonnoka 3 years ago
oops! sorry 1:13
looser4ever 3 years ago
I am not entirely convinced that we deserve this kind of stark beauty.
dodecahedron9 3 years ago 16
this is why we should always be grateful for the gifts we are allowed to enjoy in this life. sorry for sounding so dorky :P
angusMCjamison 3 years ago 3
exactly! in this moment, someone else is dying painfully, being beaten or grieving over a lost one. and here we are, privileged to listen to beautiful music.
Dadutta 3 years ago
@dodecahedron9 I do! (I'm sure you do, as well).
dantean 9 months ago
I use this tune with my guitar group to teach cross-picking, but does anyone know where I can get the original lyrics that go with it?
Thanks
PinkyOnTheGString 3 years ago
Pinky, 'Candy Man' is originally by Mississippi John Hurt and appears, with vocals, on his album 'Today', which it should still be possible to buy.
5 people gave Pinky's comment the thumbs down? For god's sake, why? I'm giving it the thumbs up for the sake of balance.
JohnMoseley 2 years ago
Thanks, that's much appreciated
PinkyOnTheGString 2 years ago
that's the cat from the movie kingpin!!!
dudeyourvideosucks11 3 years ago
Thank you!!
Not many John Fahey's in one lifetime.....
rufufus 3 years ago 2
I have seen John play this is in concert several times and once in his living room. These are the basic components he always uses, its just a question of when he shifts and how. Candy Man in its basic form is a beautiful simple guitar piece that you could learn fingerpicking around. The energy coming out of John's arrangement is astonishing, a classic Fahey interpretation.
ynysybari 3 years ago 2
people who rip john fahey can't play shit and don't know what they are talking about. he doesn't imitate the standard versions of songs anyway.
JDMUHR 3 years ago
People complaining about this are freakin ridiculous. Fahey is absolutely tearing it up. That sound using picks on just his thumb and two fingers is amazing. The section around 2:44 where he gets fired up and plays faster and louder sounds like an orchestra. Those fast banjo like rolls Fahey does are his trademark, awesome.
treetoptop 3 years ago 12
Sweet Jaysus...
hosscollar 3 years ago
Thats a weird way to play guitar. Suits him I guess. He still rocks.
4psyche 3 years ago 2
i dig Fahey... but i think he's wierd. hes avante-garde in a style of music that not many are,,, you can hear a little freight train blues in there too (maj2-5)
URawls 3 years ago 3
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lol at he makes mistakes LOL
strangetribe 3 years ago
I don't see any mistakes, I think it's great. Nice variation of the Reverend's Candyman and I'm not familiar with the seconds piece, but I like it.
Minwah1959 3 years ago 3
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please delete this video
alfonsochianese 3 years ago
please delete from the world
ThomasSavesorDie76 3 years ago
please delete yourself.
ivycompton 3 years ago 3
I think mistakes is an inaccurate choice of words. Alternate version maybe...
pistolschlapper 3 years ago
who cares about mistakes this is the way acoustic guitar should sound!
egits 3 years ago 3
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lol, he maes alot of mistakes in this one, no offence to him, just a bit bad at this point, lol, still a very skilled musician.
sf70cent 3 years ago
i love the liner notes to his albums.
smp156 3 years ago 2
I love his hair
dm10901234 3 years ago 2
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I like Fahey, but not so much here. The 1969 Laura Weber stuff: much better and more representative--Fahey at his best. This clip: temporary insanity.
sm1164 3 years ago
If i have to be insane to make a guitar sound like that, so be it.
jessupar 3 years ago 3
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Keep practising mate!
MNX58 3 years ago
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its amazing how somebody can play something so simple boring and be so untalented yet be be hailed as a guitar god
1brocka1 3 years ago
STFU N0000B
what're you trying to prove?
dimmucoltrane890 3 years ago
Its not so much the playing rather the amazing arrangement. Something you obviously know nothing about and therefor can't appreciate it. This ability will come to you by the time your 15 i suppose.
pistolschlapper 3 years ago
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hmm yes its ovbiously not the playing as he stumbles all over the guitar and as for the arrangement well its just plain boring theres no mood or atmosphere just repetative plucking through chords- take a look at john butlers ocean tell me what you think of it
1brocka1 3 years ago
well i mean, of course hes playing through chords, its a cover of mississippi john hurt. and hurt really only plays in the I IV and V. but if you listen to his other compositions, then you get the aforementioned amazing arrangement.
arbolista 3 years ago
Your point about the simplicity of the chords is true enough. The song that Fahey is riffing off of, though, at least at first, is Rev. Gary Davis' Candyman, a totally different song from John Hurt's song of the same name.
downjersey 3 years ago 2
I have to agree, this is fahey at his worst. he is a brilliant artist but he does john hurt no justice on this song. well, not to many people can play hurt covers without destroying them.
sprflyenya 3 years ago
Have you ever heard John Hurt's Candyman? This most of these videos (which I'm glad were posted) were mislabled - this is not a cover of Candyman. It's a medly of two Fahey compositions.
user192021 3 years ago
it sounds like a sped up improv of hurt's candyman at times. thanks for clearing that up. still not a fan of this one though :(
sprflyenya 3 years ago
I have Hurt's Candyman and I can here it in this, user, yes.
JohnMoseley 2 years ago
That song starting at 1:12 is actually the middle bridge part of Brendas Blues. I actually do a Fahey medley at open mikes that combines "Take a look at that baby" and then goes into "Brendas Blues." They complement each other perfectly because they are both in the key of C.
Mark9309 3 years ago
As is half of John Fahey's repertoire.
walkindown33 3 years ago 4
Anyone know the name of the second part of this tune from about 1:12? Sounds so familiar but I can't place it.
IgnatowskiLives 3 years ago
His thumb hangs up for a split second at 2:00. But man, what a smoking version of these tunes.
excathead 3 years ago
He is playing a Martin D-35. The D-35 has a white ivroid binding on both sides of the fret board, while a D-28 does not.
MassWineGuy 3 years ago
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wtf are you drunk?
flatpickjohnny 3 years ago
No, but I assure you Fahey is.
savagerabbit 3 years ago
Out fucking standing!
jmdomanjr 3 years ago
What guitar is he playing? My guess is a Martin D-28 dreadnought (rosewood). Anyone know for sure? It has a nice growl like an organ.
wojo403 3 years ago
Yeah...it looks like a Martin...i know that John favored rosewood...how about that little splash of feedback at end of this video...i love it...
junkmandoman 3 years ago