Customer Reviews

Of Rivers and Religion

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Although I have since obtained a slew of great John Fahey albums, several better than OF RIVERS AND RELIGION, this one retains a special place in my heart. Partly this is because it was the first John Fahey album I ever purchased. I was seized by it immediately. It isn't quite like any other album I had heard either before or since. Compared to his other albums, it isn't terribly virtuosic: Fahey isn't keen to put on display his utter masterly of complex and startling chord progressions and harmonics (though some do exist on the album; check out various breathtaking moments in his dobro work on "Steamboat 'Gwine the Bend"). This is dramatically toned-down Fahey, and not just on the numbers where he is accompanied by an "orchestra" of such instruments as banjo and mandolin. This album evokes a lazy river on a summer day, and the playing keeps that mood throughout.

A perfect example of what makes me love this album is "Dixie Pig BBQ Blues," where Fahey plays lazily, slowly, and deliberately to a background banjo and mandolin to create a sense of nostalgia that is almost palpable. Fahey plays even more restrained than usual, as if to confirm that the mood is the thing in the piece, not the virtuosic skills of the performers. The band is equally superb and comparably restrained on the magnificent "Funeral Song for Mississippi John Hurt."

One of the great regrets of my concert-going life is that I never heard John Fahey live. In recent years before his death, his health prevented him from performing anywhere, and when he was finally able to perform again, his health caused frequent cancellations. In the summer of 2000 I went to the Empty Bottle in Chicago hoping to hear him, but he had to cancel because of his health. He died not too long afterwards.

This disc is IMHO, one of Fahey's best in both execution and in vision. Time magazine agreed with me, when it named this recording to its Top Ten List of 1972. Unfortunately, the 2000 initial pressings didn't sell that well. I'm glad I bought one of them.

The first of two albums that John Fahey recorded for Reprise in the 1970's---`After the Ball' was the second. Both featured orchestral accompaniment by a crew of Dixieland jazz greats hand-picked by Fahey and producer Denny Bruce.

`Of Rivers and Religion' has only eight tracks, but each one is outstanding in a different way.

Track 1, `Steamboat Gwine Round de Bend' is a slow, sliding delta blues tune in which you can almost envision the steamboat drifting thru the turgid river on a hot Mississippi day. When I had this on vinyl, I'd turn down the tracking and play it even slower. Wish I could do that on my CD.

`Medley: Deep River/Ol' Man River' When Fahey plays hymns and sacred music, he seems to offer up his playing as in prayer, regardless of whatever beliefs John had at the time. Fahey loved medleys, and became particularly adroit at blending tunes together. I believe Kottke picked that up from him. The medleys on this disc are two of JF's finest.

`Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q Blues' An elegantly arranged piece of deliberate, fingerpicking guitar accompanied by 4-string banjo strumming ,mandolin, and fiddle, all of them interlacing their melodies, without colliding with each other.

`Texas and Pacific Blues': Dixieland instruments back a pair of slide guitar/dobros and 4-string banjo, while a trumpet plays the lead blues melody, as majestic and proud as a Preservation Hall performance.

`Funeral Song for Mississippi John Hurt': A best-known JF tune, recorded many times, but always with reverence and respect for Hurt and his music. This is JF's clearest recording of the song. You can hear every Fahey finger striking every string.

`Medley: By the Side of the Road/I Come, I Come' One of the most beautiful sounds that can be heard on a guitar occurs at the point of where `By the Side of the Road' transitions to `I Come, I Come'.

This album may not be as consistently STRONG as some of Fahey's solo instrumental records, but it is the equal of any in inventiveness. John's use of a "folk" orchestra here seems prefectly appropriate, a worthwhile extension of his guitar style. Here the orchestra picks up where the moody, evocative overtones of John's solo guitar leave off. The orchestra's brass captures some of the very same moods and timbres Fahey's solo guitar captured on the earlier instrumental guitar records. Fahey really knew what he was doing when he put this orchestra behind him. Yes, his guitar work is a bit "buried" in the mix, but the sound has the same effect: haunting and very memorable.

To me, this is Fahey's best album. Why this hasn't been re-released in the US on CD is a mystery to me. I had this on tape and played it so much that the tape broke a few years ago. Now, I've located it here on Amazon. I would term this a gentle bluesy guitar instrumental album. My favorite track is 'Steamboat goin round de bend.' When you listen to this track, you can easily imagine a paddle wheel boat chugging down the Mississippi. The other tracks are wonderful too, but I'll buy this album just to hear this one tune again. I've really missed hearing it.

This is truly one of Fahey's finest albums. Some tracks solo, some with a small "orchestra."

BUT...do yourself a favor and purchase the 2-fer on Rhino UK of OF RIVERS & RELIGION and AFTER THE BALL on a single disc. Really, you'll be much happier. It has Rhino's terrific re-mastering, courtesy of Bill Inglot (Collector's Choice seems to have done a simple transfer with no re-mastering), much more complete liner notes, courtesy of Sid Griffin, and a slipcase. At this writing it's available right here on Amazon USA -- you don't even need to pay the import shipping.

This album is a lazy trip down some delightful old river.Quite beautifully produced, it is sheer pleasure throughout, and its easy,relaxed atmosphere is the result of consummate artistry. Those who are more used to Fahey as a solo performer should not be deterred by the addition of clarinet, trumpet, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, banjo, trombone,bass and piano; it is all done with taste and feeling, and the guitar parts are a delight throughout. There are three instrumentals: the simple, sun-drenched STEAMBOAT GWINE ROUND DE BEND with some gorgeous slide, perhaps the best ever version of FUNERAL SONG FOR MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT, and the final track SONG,which drifts beautifully into the sunset. Where Fahey is joined by other musicians, the arrangements are wonderful, subtle evocations of a New Orleans sound and spirit. The guitar blends perfectly, and the whole album benefits from superb recording and production.By all accounts, Fahey (a harsh critic of his own legacy ) remains well pleased with this recording..... says he relaxed and had a lot of fun. That sums up the listening experience. This really is a clever album, but you'll enjoy it so much you might not even notice. After this, check out Fahey's 'AFTER THE BALL'.

I own most of John Fahey's recordings, and I have many favorites, but this is near the top of the heap. It's a striking record for several reasons, perhaps most obviously because it features Fahey working with other musicians (a rarity at this point in his career). It's also one of his few recordings for Warner/Reprise, after a long stint with his own label, Takoma, and a few with Vanguard. I love the recording quality he gets on "Of Rivers and Religion." The mike is apparently placed very close to Fahey's guitar, making the listener's experience much more vivid - his harmonics ring out beautifully, and all the little details (including lots of fret noise) are very present. It's almost like having him in the room with you. One major shortcoming of the Vanguard recordings was the quality of recording, which always seemd too "distant" for my taste. "Funeral Song for Mississippi John Hurt," which was recorded for Vanguard as "Requiem for John Hurt," receives a superior reading here, and the album closer, "Song," is one of my favorite super-slow Fahey numbers. Probably the best known item here is "Steamboat Gwine 'round de Bend," a soulful slide piece. Interestingly, Fahey himself found it to be full of cliches. Perhaps he knew what he was talking about, but one of Fahey's greatest attributes was the ability to take familiar sounds (even cliches) and imbue them with freshness and mystery.

In the 1970s Fahey recorded three "John Fahey and his Orchestra" albums, and this is the first. But it's not an orchestra, that's just a little joke, it's a dixieland jazz band plus some other assorted acoustic accompanists. Fahey fans are divided - some like the trad jazz tracks and some hate them. Fahey himself thought they were the greatest bunch of musicians he'd ever worked with. Anyhow, this album is a real mixed bag. "Steamboat" is a collection of lazy generic slide riffs, very pretty but nothing too challenging; the two medleys (guitar duets) are extremely dull; "Funeral Song" is a rerecording of an old fave from "Requia" and is great but unnecessary; "Lord Have Mercy" is full-on trad jazz and is tedious (sorry John); "Song" is a solo guitar meditation, that's okay - so that leaves only two gems - "Texas and Pacific" which is a trumpet led jazz tune, great melody, and the gradual increase of pace works like magic, and the heavenly "Dixie Pig", which must be in my top 5 Fahey tunes - on that one the dobro player gets the best bits. I think I'll have it played at my funeral service. There won't be a dry eye in the place. But, well, two out of seven ain't that good by anyone's reckoning.