Fahey opened the door. Kottke is deeply soulful and faster. For me, when I listen to Fahey deeper emotional tones (if you will) are reached. Kottke is great. Fahey is in another zone. Both are in that league of players where "better" is an inoperative word.
Fucking snobbery is crazy! Seriously, snobbery is simply a cowards attempt at having good taste, by scorning anything other than ones pre-determined(and socially acceptable) favorite, because they are too scared to honestly form an opinion. Fahey is like the Dub version. Broken down to its bare bones. Kottke is like the original version. Polished and full of colour/technicality. If you know reggae, and how many versions there are, you know its only a question of style.
mY Cock is IN my Ass!!! Amazing! The Technical prowess my cock has! and Oh its truly in my ass! With heart and soul my own cock is in my own ass! Amazing! I bet your cocks arent in your asses...
I had tickets to see him play only 4 or 5 months before he died. It was heart breaking. He was literally dying but had to tour because he didn't have health insurance. On the whole Fahey versus Kottke, I prefer Fahey, though I love both. Fahey is more of an innovator and can play more musically complex stuff (even if Kottke may have a better picking hand). But I love Kottke's personality onstage. They've both great.
@whosiskid That is sad,he truly was an innovator when it came to solo fingerstyle guitar the same way Chet Atkins was but chet did some different things.Preston Reed was influenced by Fahey as Fahey would occasionally play chords with his thumb which was at the time very unconventional its just that Preston Reed took that Fahey technique even further.
Fahey was actually at one point even kicked out by his third wife and was forced to live in a homeless shelter,very tragic
The thing about Fahey's music is that he takes you somewhere you have never been before when he plays. His guitar is the "vehicle" and the "place" is somewhere in your subconscious mind. He opens the door of consciousness by the creation of Alpha waves when he plays. Fahey understood music and its purpose better than anyone who ever picked up a guitar; that is why he is so special...
I've seen Kottke live several times and he's briliant. I also like Fahey a lot and he's totally different from Kottke.
There's no winner here, guys. This is music, not sports or a technique quizz! People who consider music as a contest should search for another hobby, because the're annoying the crap out of anyone who actually listens music for enjoyment.
To those who are saying Kottke sucks, please write, record, and present better songs than he did. Oh, also please gain millions of fans world wide in the process. Thanks in advance!
PS Fahey and Kottke both own your collective faces.
I have many of his recordings from the early 70's and this rendition seems very rushed. Much hastier than the earlier version that I listened to for hours on end...
Sure is odd to see comments about how Kottke is this and Fahey is that. These are people who really built the foundation that has become our fingerstyle guitar heritage. The contributions of Fahey led us to the place Kottke took on his record label. The contributions of Kottke led us to the place countless fingerstyle guitarists have taken, in numerous styles of music. Both amazing, both teach us many things and both are to be respected for their contributions.
John Fahey was one of my earliest influences on guitar. I saw him.in Ohio at a local club in the 90s. I thought this would be the only time I would get to see him. He showed up onstage totally shitfaced, gave the sound man endless grief, and took a piss break in the middle of the show for about a half hour. Me and my friend left after about an hour.
I have an interview where Fahey states this is the first song he ever wrote when he was 12 or 13. That's worth keeping in mind while debating the worth of this song and performance.
Have always loved Kottke , but Fahey takes my mind to different places . Was fortunate to see Fahey at a small Indy club - the Hummingbird . Sat about 6 feet away and had a beer with him on his break . He was touring the country in an old station wagon back then . I think this song was his first original composition . Sure gonna miss him .
I think one of the most beautiful fingerpicking style guitar songs i've heard so far... It really gets some kind of extra charisma when fahey plays it.
Is that leading riff borrowed from one of the melodies in On The Sunny Side of The Ocean by John Fahey? See what you think. It's amazing how 'Indie' that 1960s tune sounds.
2 different styles, both excellent players and painfully underarted. I'd only say that Kottke doesn't seem to appeal to 'non guitarists' as much because it's so dense, whereas, fahey's music is beautiful and all can appreciate it
i like the idea of democracy, but the sound of its voice is so ugly...as any comments page unfailingly proves... please leave me and mr fahey to sigh, alone...
thank you so much for uploading this high quality video. Along with many of my teenage friends I was a big fan and saw him in concert at Southampton University 1969.
it's sad they focus on his fret hand so much. i don't want to be the guy who point's it out again, yet, i got too. this melody is amazing, brings tears to my eyes. and his right hand work is difficult, i know damnit! i've played more difficult as arrogant as it sounds.......
No one even comes close to Fahey for cadence and harmonics. He gets sounds out of a guitar that simply cannot be duplicated. That's why you don't find anyone covering him, or if they try, why it just doesn't compare.
@PaulAndrewsVideos I must agree with you. I have heard many fine guitar players cover him, but Fahey strikes the strings with an authority which no one else duplicates. He wrenches sounds out of the guitar and tears from my eyes.
Played by others, many of these tunes seem unremarkable. Played by Fahey they make my adrenaline pump and my imagination soar.
Fahey is a great reminder that something like guitar playing, or lifestyles, can be approached from infinite directions. Mr Fahey takes me somewhere nobody else does.
It DOES look easy, that's the rub. Fahey has so much syncopation in his tunes that sound effortless but are hard as #$%^ to get right. They are a bear to play because they are all nuance, and nuance is hard to remember and get right.
I've played some Fahey and it's true about the nuances, but I think the broader point is this: if you are someone who fetishizes technical virtuosity, Fahey is not really your guy. He is a songwriter at heart, and he's apt to be appreciated for inventing, or re-inventing, a whole approach to songwriting for solo guitar that both looked backward to folk guitar tradition, and also outward to Bartok, raga, etc. His talent is less what he does with his fingers--more in the music. IMO, anyway.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
im not discussing John Fahey´s talent, BUT...these one looks pretty easy...all he´s doing is arpeggioating a couple of chords.... im not that impressed....but HEY thats just me xD
@yanki87 Again (why must I post the same line over and over) I'm a session guitarist, I am forced to play everything from metal to what you see here. I first learned this song when I was 16. You have no idea how tough the right hand work is, dipshit. Just like engineering the beauty in this music is thats it LOOKS terribly simplistic, but unlike YOUR brain it is not.
I think your comment alone reflex your BURSTING creativity and intelectual capacity...I did not insult anyone with my past (6 month past) comment...I simply gave my humble opinion... =)
I bet you can learn any Fahey song you want. I can learn some, and I'm not that big a technical player.
But I bet you're not good enough to make tens of thousands of people listen to you play that relatively simple song. And Fahey is. And that's why he wipes the floor with Kottke.
Because anyone who can play "Vaseline Machine Gun" can command instant technical respect. But it takes a really intense player with massive feel and tone and phrasing to win fans by playing simply.
Dude, no one wipes the floor with Kottke. That's just hatin'! Kottke plays with soul and technicality. He also plays his style, as does Fahey. Both incredible players.
But...no one wipes the floor with Leo Kottke. That's ridiculous
@pinholedstars While I agree with you about the differences in playing I have to admit that if you think anyone wipes the floor with Kottke you're a moron.
@bush555 Don't you get it? Music IS this guy's Olympics--the field on which he has apparently experienced some perhaps limited success, for all it appears to have gotten him in the way of self-esteem. Too bad.
@pinholedstars Absolutely. All you have to do is compare Kottke's Busted Bicycle with The Fahey tune he took it off of, Sunflower River Blues. Leo basically ramped it up and destroyed the feeling that Fahey put into it as part of his nature. Leo's was WhizBang. John's was music.
@pinholedstars agree, it's not the speed nor number of notes. It's wringing all the sound out of each one. Fahey is . . . need a better word than huge but I think you get what I mean.
@pinholedstars Real power is in simplicity. I was fortunate to see him in 78 when I was a Soph or Jr at Univ. of Wash in Seattle, and while I'd been listening to him for years, experiencing the PERFORMANCE, was something else. I remember leaving the show feeling like my feet weren't quite in contact with the ground.... My wife and I saw him at McCabe's guitar shop in Santa Monica, 1989 or '90 and he was a different player, yet still powerful. This vid. shows that he definitely had the "SPOOK"
@pinholedstars Real power is in simplicity. I was fortunate to see him in 78 when I was a Soph or Jr at Univ. of Wash in Seattle, and while I'd been listening to him for years, experiencing the PERFORMANCE, was something else. I remember leaving the show feeling like my feet weren't quite in contact with the ground.... My wife and I saw him at McCabe's guitar shop in Santa Monica, 1989 or '90 and he was a different player, yet still powerful. This vid. shows that he definitely had the "SPOOK"
@pinholedstars Oh so right. Just compare Kottke's Busted Bicycle with the Fahey tune he took it off of Sunflower River Blues. One is whizbang. The other is music.
Nevertheless, Kottke's got some nice music out there. Just not on the level of Fahey's. The man was unique.
You're either being sarcastic, or you have no real knowledge of and exposure to Kottke's work. "Vaseline Machine Gun" is Kottke's least technical piece. The fact that you were impressed by it enough to cite it as a piece that would demand instant technical respect simply serves to undercut your position.
Fahey is important, but to dismiss a more talented player's style as nothing more than technical flourishes is to fail to comprehend the true art underlying Kottke's mastery.
i bet fahey could do some pretty damn awesome and intricate stuff, but i agree. a musician that can be complex but chooses simplicity deserves far more respect. i think Bob Dylan is another fantastic example.
Remember that scene in Indiana Jones when the bad guy did all these crazy tricks with the swords and Indie just shot him down without a flinch? i think music is a lot like that....
@pinholedstars "...wipe the floor with Kottke" is exactly the kind of line which makes reading 'Tube comments like listening to 8 year-olds debate whose potty-training skills are best. Better, like listening to them insist whose older brother's toilet paper skills rule, as if THEY were the one's to win something, rather than their sibling merely keeping HIS hands clean of shit. You don't win anything "proving" whose a superior player chief, did they tell you?
@pinholedstars I can't believe I'm writing this but, pretty much, I now agree. Watching John play this show I realized that John's the reason Kottke has worked so hard to get as good as he is. Kottke knows he'll never play this well, so he makes damn sure that he almost always plays the best that he can, as, after all, if ones does one's best, well, what else can anyone expect.
@yanki87 . . . weird, adolescent, and amateurish comment. Looking for a little attention? Post up your own videos of you playing your very much more sophisticated and delicious sounding music. . . you punk ass kid.
John Fahey is the first master of the solo acoustic guitar. He took blues based riffs and his own ideas and strung then together into instrumental pieces that were the basis for Kottke and evryone else to follow. This piece is one of his best and the peferformace is outstanding. Thanks for posting!!
True but I said solo acoustic guitar. John Hut was a huge influence on Fahey. What I meant was Jon Fahey was an innovator in turning this style of music into instrumental pieces. Not to take anything away fro John Hurt who was a huge influence on so many people.
I don't know but I do love me some miss. john hurt he definitly does the work of 2 or three guitar players playin lead and rhthym with accent 5th 7ths sus4th etc and the bass line with his thumb great old bluesman
I agree entirely. I have been listening to Fahey since the late sixties, and had the opportunity to see him live at Carnegie Hall.
Fahey was the first to admit that Kottke was a better guitarist then him. The difference is that Fahey creates his own world. Some of his guitar soli go over 20 minutes. He basically created a symphonic form of American Primitive Guitar.
Kottke creates beautiful songs - listen to his Aardvark album. But he doesn't sustain it. Neither does Lang, although he comes close at times. If you want to hear him at his technical peak, try out the albums Requia and Yellow Princess.. There are a number of commemorative albums after his death, where you can hear a variety of musicians pay homage to Fahey.
Yes, it was an early Takoma LP with Leo Kottke, Peter Lang and John Fahey, with good stuff by all three. Fahey plays this tune on it and it is profoundly beautiful. You get to wallow in those wonderful descending discords. It is available on Amazon.
In the early 80's my guitar mentor gave me the "ultimate acoustic album" Leo and John and Peter. The text made Leo spound like the star, but after listening, I was more impressed with John's playing.
Wow. This is brilliant. A little like Kotkke, but easier to "understand". If you were going to buy 2 or 3 of his albums, which ones would be a place to start.
Great,great stuff. I want to hear more. Videos don't do justice, albums are what I need. People at one time used to listen to them, you know what I mean.
First off, Kottke is the one who sounds like Fahey, not the other way around. Leo got his inspiration from John.
Two best Fahey albums, imo, are "Of Rivers and Religion" and "After The Ball". Good luck finding those. THough, come to think of it, they were re-released on CD some time ago. You might just find them.....
"Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes" and "Voice of the Turtle" are personal favorites. And if you're feeling a bit more experimental check out "Mill Pond". Wild shit.
I don't have a single favorite album, but "Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes" and "The Legend of Blind Joe Death" are two good places to start.
Well, his very first album, The Legend of Blind Joe Death, is definitely one you would want to have. I like all of them, it's hard to choose specific ones. I say The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death and Railroad are some really great ones too, among many.
Amazing how everyone's suggestions are different as far as which lps they got/get behind so much they'd pick them to start someone down Fahey's path.
The two that I'd pick for you to start with would be "America" and "The Legend of Blind Joe Death". The "America" album is truly a masterpiece. If you can get that in vinyl, the booklet inside will keep you occupied for some time as well.
I felt so fortunate to see him in concert so many times, during my 40 years in Seattle. Saw him at Meany @ U.W., Seattle concert theater (long gone), Blue Moon, the HUB @ U.W., & Backstage (long gone), as well as MOHAI at Montlake. Was introduced to his music by a friend in our '67 Ravenna boarding house, when he played one of the early Takoma albums on his little Philco record player. Though scratchy, the sound mesmerized me...
That will do for the summer holidays. Reminds me when he's playing your at a sunny side of the ocean and the waves a bit wild what could be so peaceful and relaxing. Well this tune will make your day when your at the beach.
yep, i was going to say blackshaw too,different approach than fahey but equally powerful music performed on solo acoustic guitar (12 string), hes lives in the UK and tours there often. other guys to check out; jack rose, harris newman and steffen basho junghans.
Yeah and he's done enough to get god's attention already with all those quasi-sarcastic 'hymnals' at the end of his records....FIght on, Christians! Fight On!
I wish he'd titled this tune differently; now it's doomed to all kinds of interpretations as being "peaceful" and "serene" and shit, ignoring all the tension and release. Although you can't hold it against teenagers to be into bad poetry.
wow, all i can say to that is bravo. (and not all teenagers lol. i hate poetry a considerable amount in all forms, thats why i love fahey. he never sings ^_^)
Yes, none of this lyrical shite. Instrumental thankfully usually means the dull cretinous people keep their opinions to themselves for a change rather than come away with bollocks such as "the lyrics are really dark" when talking about springsteen. All hail fahey!
yeah! people with opinions who like discussing them are dull and cretinous. damn them! not us grumpy buggers who detest the clearly universal shitefest that is lyrics.
What the hell are you guys talking about. Lyrics are bad? Lyrics are just as valid an art form as music is. Haven't you people ever heard of Bob Dylan? Leonard Cohen? Shakespeare? Get your heads out of your asses.
Yah..........artists like Dylan and cohen proved music immense potential to express. I consider them higher artists than most poets because they write and compose
i dont know about all that tension and release crap your talking about, peaceful as they come to me, and im no teenager. maybe your interpretation is well yours and thats about it! rock on
The John Fahey website has a "for guitar players" feature. The tunings are given for tunes from his first 6 or 7 albums. This song was one of the first he wrote. I believe he was 14. It is in open G. He would often follow with Hawaiian Two-Step as a medley.
I heard "Sunflower River Blues" on the radio late one night many years ago and went and ordered the album Peter Lang John Fahey & Leo Kottke the very next day. This has since becme my favourite piece from that outstanding album. I saw Kottke in Sydney a few years ago - absolute genius.
Fahey opened the door. Kottke is deeply soulful and faster. For me, when I listen to Fahey deeper emotional tones (if you will) are reached. Kottke is great. Fahey is in another zone. Both are in that league of players where "better" is an inoperative word.
majorhoop 2 weeks ago 3
john fahey is god.
dvdsify 1 month ago
why does everyone have to compare Fahey with Kottke....can't we enjoy both without putting one down? stupid
EndlessNot1 2 months ago 4
father
astrocharlie 2 months ago
Anybody notice the really high action on his guitar?
jonny1251 2 months ago 2
@jonny1251
No!
zen234 3 weeks ago
Beautiful...huichol53.....
huichol53 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
October 29,2011! This concert is to be released in USA on DVD @ November 8th, according to amazon.com ~OspreyD40.
OspreyD40 3 months ago
Fucking snobbery is crazy! Seriously, snobbery is simply a cowards attempt at having good taste, by scorning anything other than ones pre-determined(and socially acceptable) favorite, because they are too scared to honestly form an opinion. Fahey is like the Dub version. Broken down to its bare bones. Kottke is like the original version. Polished and full of colour/technicality. If you know reggae, and how many versions there are, you know its only a question of style.
jackrowet1234 3 months ago
mY Cock is IN my Ass!!! Amazing! The Technical prowess my cock has! and Oh its truly in my ass! With heart and soul my own cock is in my own ass! Amazing! I bet your cocks arent in your asses...
Potatious 4 months ago
@Potatious Really mature comment ....LOL
fenderboy88 4 months ago
@Potatious Looks like you're a bit too young to be acquainted with the genius that is Fahey, what are you doing here?
rb288015 4 months ago
@rb288015 You, apparently, are too old to realize what the internet is for.
MrIbanos 4 months ago
I had tickets to see him play only 4 or 5 months before he died. It was heart breaking. He was literally dying but had to tour because he didn't have health insurance. On the whole Fahey versus Kottke, I prefer Fahey, though I love both. Fahey is more of an innovator and can play more musically complex stuff (even if Kottke may have a better picking hand). But I love Kottke's personality onstage. They've both great.
whosiskid 4 months ago
@whosiskid That is sad,he truly was an innovator when it came to solo fingerstyle guitar the same way Chet Atkins was but chet did some different things.Preston Reed was influenced by Fahey as Fahey would occasionally play chords with his thumb which was at the time very unconventional its just that Preston Reed took that Fahey technique even further.
Fahey was actually at one point even kicked out by his third wife and was forced to live in a homeless shelter,very tragic
fenderboy88 4 months ago
Koettke is boring, he sucks. This is real music
GnomesAmok 4 months ago
love him.
ziaFlora 5 months ago
He's just so into it, its cool to see.
ericcongdon 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
what do i feel ?
lichtungdesseins 6 months ago
The thing about Fahey's music is that he takes you somewhere you have never been before when he plays. His guitar is the "vehicle" and the "place" is somewhere in your subconscious mind. He opens the door of consciousness by the creation of Alpha waves when he plays. Fahey understood music and its purpose better than anyone who ever picked up a guitar; that is why he is so special...
slubberde 6 months ago 11
What's all this crap about who's the best?
I've seen Kottke live several times and he's briliant. I also like Fahey a lot and he's totally different from Kottke.
There's no winner here, guys. This is music, not sports or a technique quizz! People who consider music as a contest should search for another hobby, because the're annoying the crap out of anyone who actually listens music for enjoyment.
Now let's enjoy this clip
3drobotmonster 7 months ago 6
i'm watching a guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!
TurboShorts 8 months ago
To those who are saying Kottke sucks, please write, record, and present better songs than he did. Oh, also please gain millions of fans world wide in the process. Thanks in advance!
PS Fahey and Kottke both own your collective faces.
skilldren 8 months ago
It is a bit faster than on the record. I think it was John's way of keeping himself interested -- making it harder. He did not enjoy playing live.
guild40 8 months ago
There is a big difference between Kottke and Fahey. Kottke sucks, Fahey is God.
LarryLawyerGorman 8 months ago
I have many of his recordings from the early 70's and this rendition seems very rushed. Much hastier than the earlier version that I listened to for hours on end...
I miss you, John.
nnnnnie 9 months ago
Did Fahey write a better song?! Wow! Thanks again for posting.
dantean 9 months ago
Sure is odd to see comments about how Kottke is this and Fahey is that. These are people who really built the foundation that has become our fingerstyle guitar heritage. The contributions of Fahey led us to the place Kottke took on his record label. The contributions of Kottke led us to the place countless fingerstyle guitarists have taken, in numerous styles of music. Both amazing, both teach us many things and both are to be respected for their contributions.
mathewskorner 10 months ago
John Fahey was one of my earliest influences on guitar. I saw him.in Ohio at a local club in the 90s. I thought this would be the only time I would get to see him. He showed up onstage totally shitfaced, gave the sound man endless grief, and took a piss break in the middle of the show for about a half hour. Me and my friend left after about an hour.
freak49 11 months ago
@freak49
That's not the first time I've heard that story about John Fahey - kinda sad, but it's a package deal. Talent and troubles often go hand in hand.
cicadagodking 11 months ago
this sounds like the kind of songs my dad used to play when i was a kid.
ourbearskins 1 year ago
Shit, I just realized I wrote the same comment some time ago. Sorry. Well, just shows you what listening to Fahey can do to you. It's all good.
nonthere 1 year ago
I have an interview where Fahey states this is the first song he ever wrote when he was 12 or 13. That's worth keeping in mind while debating the worth of this song and performance.
jimwalter6 1 year ago
He has so many interesting alternate tunings. Fucking brilliant!
lemonsdontcry 1 year ago
Is he playing a 4 string guitar?
g00dz 1 year ago
@g00dz oh noooooooooooooooo!!!
gremby 1 year ago
@g00I know what you mean but at the end of the video I can see six strings
joycejnn 11 months ago
Have always loved Kottke , but Fahey takes my mind to different places . Was fortunate to see Fahey at a small Indy club - the Hummingbird . Sat about 6 feet away and had a beer with him on his break . He was touring the country in an old station wagon back then . I think this song was his first original composition . Sure gonna miss him .
StoyTheOld 1 year ago 2
My name is John Fahey
a1n9g5u5s 1 year ago
an absolute legend in folk music and a great lose to the music world. god rest you john
johnphaga 1 year ago
Love, Devotion, Surrender...
sanclementekid 1 year ago
I think one of the most beautiful fingerpicking style guitar songs i've heard so far... It really gets some kind of extra charisma when fahey plays it.
64samm 1 year ago 3
Is that leading riff borrowed from one of the melodies in On The Sunny Side of The Ocean by John Fahey? See what you think. It's amazing how 'Indie' that 1960s tune sounds.
kingsindiandefence 1 year ago
John Fahey has (had) a deep spirituality.
kingsindiandefence 1 year ago
Is he playing a Martin D-35 guitar? :-)
ezekielwahwah 1 year ago
John composed this when he was 14.
1noen1 1 year ago
i gave both comments a thumbs up
skinnydoggyz 1 year ago
kottke = genius
Fahey= genius
2 different styles, both excellent players and painfully underarted. I'd only say that Kottke doesn't seem to appeal to 'non guitarists' as much because it's so dense, whereas, fahey's music is beautiful and all can appreciate it
genesisrock43 1 year ago 3
tension + sweetness = Fahey.
tubby6411 1 year ago
i like the idea of democracy, but the sound of its voice is so ugly...as any comments page unfailingly proves... please leave me and mr fahey to sigh, alone...
bertisg 1 year ago 3
Is this Open G tuning?
caralhosvosfodam 1 year ago
@caralhosvosfodam Yeah man! G is a Great tuning
bush555 1 year ago
@caralhosvosfodam Yes, it is.
shantigoble 1 year ago
assolate derive......
frammentonovantadue 1 year ago
this is a great tune. anyone ever heard agnostic front's cover of it?
TRUMBULL89 1 year ago
Vinnie Stigma wouldn't be able to play the first three notes!
treetoptop 1 year ago
@treetoptop agreed
TRUMBULL89 1 year ago
thank you so much for uploading this high quality video. Along with many of my teenage friends I was a big fan and saw him in concert at Southampton University 1969.
bipolarbert 1 year ago
same!
paintball31 1 year ago
one of my favourite acoustic pieces of all time, so moving
glasgowdmon 1 year ago
it's sad they focus on his fret hand so much. i don't want to be the guy who point's it out again, yet, i got too. this melody is amazing, brings tears to my eyes. and his right hand work is difficult, i know damnit! i've played more difficult as arrogant as it sounds.......
deBierce01 1 year ago
It's great but what's with the head. Comment to my YouTube page
guitarSGman 1 year ago
Get real, man! This guy is doing amazing things with his HANDS and all you can say is "What's with the head?"?
IaMoDiNaRy 1 year ago
No one even comes close to Fahey for cadence and harmonics. He gets sounds out of a guitar that simply cannot be duplicated. That's why you don't find anyone covering him, or if they try, why it just doesn't compare.
PaulAndrewsVideos 2 years ago 2
@PaulAndrewsVideos I must agree with you. I have heard many fine guitar players cover him, but Fahey strikes the strings with an authority which no one else duplicates. He wrenches sounds out of the guitar and tears from my eyes.
Played by others, many of these tunes seem unremarkable. Played by Fahey they make my adrenaline pump and my imagination soar.
irchristo 1 year ago
His music never gets old.
tubby6411 2 years ago
fAREY ROCKS
chengharp 2 years ago
♥
denisesouza02feverer 2 years ago 3
this is another world created by mister john fahey
Kingdagmarius 2 years ago 2
this was the one that won me over, none of us can review how amazing this is.
TheIkaraCult 2 years ago 2
Fahey is a great reminder that something like guitar playing, or lifestyles, can be approached from infinite directions. Mr Fahey takes me somewhere nobody else does.
hgievcm 2 years ago
Some folks can express emotion through their instruments, and some can't, John can, Leo can't.
tunaratr 2 years ago
@tunaratr do you mean Leo Kottke...if so then I agree with you, personally.
bluescountryfolk 2 years ago
It DOES look easy, that's the rub. Fahey has so much syncopation in his tunes that sound effortless but are hard as #$%^ to get right. They are a bear to play because they are all nuance, and nuance is hard to remember and get right.
keithvs2 2 years ago 3
I've played some Fahey and it's true about the nuances, but I think the broader point is this: if you are someone who fetishizes technical virtuosity, Fahey is not really your guy. He is a songwriter at heart, and he's apt to be appreciated for inventing, or re-inventing, a whole approach to songwriting for solo guitar that both looked backward to folk guitar tradition, and also outward to Bartok, raga, etc. His talent is less what he does with his fingers--more in the music. IMO, anyway.
noemata83 2 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
im not discussing John Fahey´s talent, BUT...these one looks pretty easy...all he´s doing is arpeggioating a couple of chords.... im not that impressed....but HEY thats just me xD
yanki87 2 years ago
if you have ever played tried to play a fahey song, you would know its not about the fretting hand, its about the picking hand
PhyllisTheFlea 2 years ago 4
dude what the hell are you talking about?
hkfortytwo 2 years ago
your basically retarded
ceepatton 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
you're basically retarded
zapkig 2 years ago 7
@yanki87 Again (why must I post the same line over and over) I'm a session guitarist, I am forced to play everything from metal to what you see here. I first learned this song when I was 16. You have no idea how tough the right hand work is, dipshit. Just like engineering the beauty in this music is thats it LOOKS terribly simplistic, but unlike YOUR brain it is not.
deBierce01 2 years ago
I think your comment alone reflex your BURSTING creativity and intelectual capacity...I did not insult anyone with my past (6 month past) comment...I simply gave my humble opinion... =)
yanki87 2 years ago
@yanki87 Sorry if I come off as a jerk but it's touchy when we write about dead people.... John Fahey was one of my heroes.
deBierce01 2 years ago
so?
I bet you can learn any Fahey song you want. I can learn some, and I'm not that big a technical player.
But I bet you're not good enough to make tens of thousands of people listen to you play that relatively simple song. And Fahey is. And that's why he wipes the floor with Kottke.
Because anyone who can play "Vaseline Machine Gun" can command instant technical respect. But it takes a really intense player with massive feel and tone and phrasing to win fans by playing simply.
pinholedstars 1 year ago 68
Dude, no one wipes the floor with Kottke. That's just hatin'! Kottke plays with soul and technicality. He also plays his style, as does Fahey. Both incredible players.
But...no one wipes the floor with Leo Kottke. That's ridiculous
christopherhoey 1 year ago
@pinholedstars While I agree with you about the differences in playing I have to admit that if you think anyone wipes the floor with Kottke you're a moron.
skunkfunk89 1 year ago
@pinholedstars Music isn't the olympics, nobody defeats or wins. Both Kottke and Fahey play to the heart and from it. Let's all just enjoy it!
bush555 1 year ago 75
@bush555 Don't you get it? Music IS this guy's Olympics--the field on which he has apparently experienced some perhaps limited success, for all it appears to have gotten him in the way of self-esteem. Too bad.
dantean 9 months ago
@pinholedstars very perceptive comment
alyosha140557 1 year ago
@pinholedstars You're basically right on the moneym pinholed..
denverexec2000 1 year ago
@pinholedstars Absolutely. All you have to do is compare Kottke's Busted Bicycle with The Fahey tune he took it off of, Sunflower River Blues. Leo basically ramped it up and destroyed the feeling that Fahey put into it as part of his nature. Leo's was WhizBang. John's was music.
nonthere 1 year ago
@pinholedstars I agree wholeheartedly.
brent3270 1 year ago
@pinholedstars agree, it's not the speed nor number of notes. It's wringing all the sound out of each one. Fahey is . . . need a better word than huge but I think you get what I mean.
irchristo 1 year ago
@pinholedstars Real power is in simplicity. I was fortunate to see him in 78 when I was a Soph or Jr at Univ. of Wash in Seattle, and while I'd been listening to him for years, experiencing the PERFORMANCE, was something else. I remember leaving the show feeling like my feet weren't quite in contact with the ground.... My wife and I saw him at McCabe's guitar shop in Santa Monica, 1989 or '90 and he was a different player, yet still powerful. This vid. shows that he definitely had the "SPOOK"
BRIANPERKINS100 1 year ago
@pinholedstars Real power is in simplicity. I was fortunate to see him in 78 when I was a Soph or Jr at Univ. of Wash in Seattle, and while I'd been listening to him for years, experiencing the PERFORMANCE, was something else. I remember leaving the show feeling like my feet weren't quite in contact with the ground.... My wife and I saw him at McCabe's guitar shop in Santa Monica, 1989 or '90 and he was a different player, yet still powerful. This vid. shows that he definitely had the "SPOOK"
BRIANPERKINS100 1 year ago
@pinholedstars Oh so right. Just compare Kottke's Busted Bicycle with the Fahey tune he took it off of Sunflower River Blues. One is whizbang. The other is music.
Nevertheless, Kottke's got some nice music out there. Just not on the level of Fahey's. The man was unique.
nonthere 1 year ago
@pinholedstars
You're either being sarcastic, or you have no real knowledge of and exposure to Kottke's work. "Vaseline Machine Gun" is Kottke's least technical piece. The fact that you were impressed by it enough to cite it as a piece that would demand instant technical respect simply serves to undercut your position.
Fahey is important, but to dismiss a more talented player's style as nothing more than technical flourishes is to fail to comprehend the true art underlying Kottke's mastery.
tabber87 1 year ago
@pinholedstars
i bet fahey could do some pretty damn awesome and intricate stuff, but i agree. a musician that can be complex but chooses simplicity deserves far more respect. i think Bob Dylan is another fantastic example.
Remember that scene in Indiana Jones when the bad guy did all these crazy tricks with the swords and Indie just shot him down without a flinch? i think music is a lot like that....
knoxrox167 10 months ago
@pinholedstars "...wipe the floor with Kottke" is exactly the kind of line which makes reading 'Tube comments like listening to 8 year-olds debate whose potty-training skills are best. Better, like listening to them insist whose older brother's toilet paper skills rule, as if THEY were the one's to win something, rather than their sibling merely keeping HIS hands clean of shit. You don't win anything "proving" whose a superior player chief, did they tell you?
dantean 9 months ago 2
@pinholedstars I can't believe I'm writing this but, pretty much, I now agree. Watching John play this show I realized that John's the reason Kottke has worked so hard to get as good as he is. Kottke knows he'll never play this well, so he makes damn sure that he almost always plays the best that he can, as, after all, if ones does one's best, well, what else can anyone expect.
randyleepublic1 2 months ago
@yanki87 . . . weird, adolescent, and amateurish comment. Looking for a little attention? Post up your own videos of you playing your very much more sophisticated and delicious sounding music. . . you punk ass kid.
irchristo 1 year ago
im guessing most of the commenters here are musicians......when musicians get together and talk about music a lot of goofy stuff gets said.....
amongst artists in every field, and especially writers, poets are always held in very, very high esteem......for reasons that should be obvious.....
majorhoop 2 years ago
John Fahey is the first master of the solo acoustic guitar. He took blues based riffs and his own ideas and strung then together into instrumental pieces that were the basis for Kottke and evryone else to follow. This piece is one of his best and the peferformace is outstanding. Thanks for posting!!
MrPlatypus70 2 years ago 2
The first master of the acoustic guitar was Mississippi John Hurt.
razorman916 2 years ago 2
True but I said solo acoustic guitar. John Hut was a huge influence on Fahey. What I meant was Jon Fahey was an innovator in turning this style of music into instrumental pieces. Not to take anything away fro John Hurt who was a huge influence on so many people.
MrPlatypus70 2 years ago
I don't know but I do love me some miss. john hurt he definitly does the work of 2 or three guitar players playin lead and rhthym with accent 5th 7ths sus4th etc and the bass line with his thumb great old bluesman
LoveSavestheDay25 2 years ago
I agree entirely. I have been listening to Fahey since the late sixties, and had the opportunity to see him live at Carnegie Hall.
Fahey was the first to admit that Kottke was a better guitarist then him. The difference is that Fahey creates his own world. Some of his guitar soli go over 20 minutes. He basically created a symphonic form of American Primitive Guitar.
no1gandolf 2 years ago
Kottke creates beautiful songs - listen to his Aardvark album. But he doesn't sustain it. Neither does Lang, although he comes close at times. If you want to hear him at his technical peak, try out the albums Requia and Yellow Princess.. There are a number of commemorative albums after his death, where you can hear a variety of musicians pay homage to Fahey.
no1gandolf 2 years ago
Cool thanks :-)
jelnet 2 years ago
Does anyone know what the "ultimate acoustic album Leo and John and Peter" is that mbliddle is referring to?
jelnet 2 years ago
it's probably the one called "Fahey, Lang, Kottke"
russelsheartinacage 2 years ago
Yes, it was an early Takoma LP with Leo Kottke, Peter Lang and John Fahey, with good stuff by all three. Fahey plays this tune on it and it is profoundly beautiful. You get to wallow in those wonderful descending discords. It is available on Amazon.
dingoswamphead 2 years ago
Great thanks for all your help on this - will check that album out :-)
jelnet 2 years ago
Simply Epic ! :D
JesseMathews 2 years ago
In the early 80's my guitar mentor gave me the "ultimate acoustic album" Leo and John and Peter. The text made Leo spound like the star, but after listening, I was more impressed with John's playing.
mbliddle 2 years ago 4
Wow. This is brilliant. A little like Kotkke, but easier to "understand". If you were going to buy 2 or 3 of his albums, which ones would be a place to start.
Great,great stuff. I want to hear more. Videos don't do justice, albums are what I need. People at one time used to listen to them, you know what I mean.
kingofthedeep 2 years ago
First off, Kottke is the one who sounds like Fahey, not the other way around. Leo got his inspiration from John.
Two best Fahey albums, imo, are "Of Rivers and Religion" and "After The Ball". Good luck finding those. THough, come to think of it, they were re-released on CD some time ago. You might just find them.....
patsaretherealchumps 2 years ago
Thanks. I figured Kottke was inspired by him. You know what I meant.
kingofthedeep 2 years ago
"Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes" and "Voice of the Turtle" are personal favorites. And if you're feeling a bit more experimental check out "Mill Pond". Wild shit.
marlboro555555 2 years ago
volume 6...days have gone by..search for impressions of susan, great tune
NuG919 2 years ago
I don't have a single favorite album, but "Death Chants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes" and "The Legend of Blind Joe Death" are two good places to start.
captxunderpants 2 years ago
Well, his very first album, The Legend of Blind Joe Death, is definitely one you would want to have. I like all of them, it's hard to choose specific ones. I say The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death and Railroad are some really great ones too, among many.
djakarta28 2 years ago
definately start from the beginning, The Legend of Blind Joe Death is his first and is brilliant.
russelsheartinacage 2 years ago
Amazing how everyone's suggestions are different as far as which lps they got/get behind so much they'd pick them to start someone down Fahey's path.
The two that I'd pick for you to start with would be "America" and "The Legend of Blind Joe Death". The "America" album is truly a masterpiece. If you can get that in vinyl, the booklet inside will keep you occupied for some time as well.
bloozplyr 2 years ago
I felt so fortunate to see him in concert so many times, during my 40 years in Seattle. Saw him at Meany @ U.W., Seattle concert theater (long gone), Blue Moon, the HUB @ U.W., & Backstage (long gone), as well as MOHAI at Montlake. Was introduced to his music by a friend in our '67 Ravenna boarding house, when he played one of the early Takoma albums on his little Philco record player. Though scratchy, the sound mesmerized me...
jrw344 2 years ago 4
He was a genious!
iandv1 2 years ago 5
Su armonia me recuerda la del maestro cubano Leo Brouwer........Maravilloso!
cuerpoeperra 2 years ago 2
1:48 = tranquility
Lossforwords78 2 years ago
Fahey is simply the BEST!
Krittikas 3 years ago 4
That will do for the summer holidays. Reminds me when he's playing your at a sunny side of the ocean and the waves a bit wild what could be so peaceful and relaxing. Well this tune will make your day when your at the beach.
KarloR27 3 years ago
Fahey is a new discovery for me. I find the energy and power of his music quite amazing.
Wish there was someone comparable playing his stuff who would tour (the UK) - maybe there is...
francesfree 3 years ago
Have you checked out James Blackshaw? He's a pretty good starting point for exploring some of the more interesting players these days.
onedeafear 3 years ago 4
jack rose from philadelphia pa.
yosky5411 3 years ago
yep, i was going to say blackshaw too,different approach than fahey but equally powerful music performed on solo acoustic guitar (12 string), hes lives in the UK and tours there often. other guys to check out; jack rose, harris newman and steffen basho junghans.
aleatoric12 3 years ago
I think it's a bit much to say the young Blackshaw is "equally powerful" as Fahey.
savagerabbit 2 years ago 6
Why? Blackshaw shreds a dreadnought just like Fahey.
JosephMalicke 2 years ago
It's soo much more than shreding, man.
silverstag67 2 years ago 2
John Fahey...guitar god...
John Fahey...comb-over KING
bjorntooski 3 years ago 3
he does it because if his mind got exposed any more god would look down and get jealous.
staronciceli 3 years ago
Comment removed
snailsongs 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Yeah and he's done enough to get god's attention already with all those quasi-sarcastic 'hymnals' at the end of his records....FIght on, Christians! Fight On!
snailsongs 3 years ago
He is from my area
MusicJew158 3 years ago
fahey makes springsteen look like teletubbies
telluride117 3 years ago
how in gods name can you put those two things in the same thought? maybe you should switch back to Mr. Rogers
bjorntooski 3 years ago
b33f
telluride117 2 years ago
a 4Q
bjorntooski 2 years ago
open C?
Hotsoup42 3 years ago
It's played in G tuning (DGDGBD)
hend6182 3 years ago
it is open g
cupiello 3 years ago 2
Fahey elevates my spirit every time, & has for decades...this is poetry
Raymantico 3 years ago
even his mistakes are better than what is now on the radio
rimbaud1020 3 years ago
agree completely.
fabittyfab 3 years ago
Now this just is. Unreal. Well done, John. You were the man then, you the man now.
Neocelt146 3 years ago
this is a genius.
THEREDNECKPEPI64 3 years ago
I wish he'd titled this tune differently; now it's doomed to all kinds of interpretations as being "peaceful" and "serene" and shit, ignoring all the tension and release. Although you can't hold it against teenagers to be into bad poetry.
wheredoescouragecome 3 years ago
wow, all i can say to that is bravo. (and not all teenagers lol. i hate poetry a considerable amount in all forms, thats why i love fahey. he never sings ^_^)
jessupar 3 years ago
Yes, none of this lyrical shite. Instrumental thankfully usually means the dull cretinous people keep their opinions to themselves for a change rather than come away with bollocks such as "the lyrics are really dark" when talking about springsteen. All hail fahey!
zappascotland 3 years ago 2
yeah! people with opinions who like discussing them are dull and cretinous. damn them! not us grumpy buggers who detest the clearly universal shitefest that is lyrics.
great video.
pomlyh 3 years ago 2
What the hell are you guys talking about. Lyrics are bad? Lyrics are just as valid an art form as music is. Haven't you people ever heard of Bob Dylan? Leonard Cohen? Shakespeare? Get your heads out of your asses.
razorman916 2 years ago 2
Yah..........artists like Dylan and cohen proved music immense potential to express. I consider them higher artists than most poets because they write and compose
Jay3039 2 years ago
i dont know about all that tension and release crap your talking about, peaceful as they come to me, and im no teenager. maybe your interpretation is well yours and thats about it! rock on
colbrot 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Sup? you gotta check this out it will blow your mind. meetyourfling(.Com)
6051548887
piperni
aussietube2008 3 years ago
Who needs electric guitar players when you got Bert Jansch, John Renbourn and the greatest of all...John Fahey?!
Efrasnel 3 years ago 2
truly a masterpiece...brilliant
NuG919 3 years ago 2
i have a boot of his work..dunno if u want it..its a bit hissy ,John Fahey at PolyTech 1969
panda606 3 years ago
The John Fahey website has a "for guitar players" feature. The tunings are given for tunes from his first 6 or 7 albums. This song was one of the first he wrote. I believe he was 14. It is in open G. He would often follow with Hawaiian Two-Step as a medley.
genew1949 3 years ago 3
Its not open C, Open g... listen to the guitar sound when he plays open
pistolschlapper 3 years ago 2
Wonderfull.
Its open g, BTW, if You are intereseted.
ari1234a 3 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
hello ari,
not to correct you, but it is an open c tuning...
kind regards,
uwe
uwekasten 3 years ago
I mean isn't YouTube the best? John Fahey, Gary Davis then over to Wes and Barney, B.B and Bonfa!
Thanks for posting!!
bobgure 3 years ago
too good...
pistolschlapper 3 years ago
He's God.
mradamcooley 3 years ago
one of the most successful compositions about loneliness and alienation ever written by anyone
miasm 3 years ago
Parliament Hill Fields free concert in,I guess,'69-Yes,Third Ear Band and John Fahey.He blew me away and continues to do so.
fendermac 3 years ago
I get lost in this...in a good, yet haunted way.
manysons 3 years ago
I heard "Sunflower River Blues" on the radio late one night many years ago and went and ordered the album Peter Lang John Fahey & Leo Kottke the very next day. This has since becme my favourite piece from that outstanding album. I saw Kottke in Sydney a few years ago - absolute genius.
MP60 3 years ago
I knew him very well.
mickmitchell25 3 years ago