John Fahey Songs Ranked

John Aloysius Fahey (February 28, 1939 – February 22, 2001) was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who played the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been enormously influential and has been described as the foundation of the genre of American primitive guitar, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the self-taught nature of the music and its minimalist style. Fahey borrowed from the folk and blues traditions in American roots music, having compiled many forgotten early recordings in these genres. He would later incorporate 20th-century classical, Portuguese, Brazilian, and Indian influences into his work. Fahey spent many of his later years in poverty and poor health, but enjoyed a minor career resurgence in the late 1990s, with a turn towards the avant-garde. He also created a series of abstract paintings in his final years. Fahey died in 2001 from complications from heart surgery. In 2003, he was ranked 35th on Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” list. Here are all of John Fahey’s songs ranked.

Don’t miss out the music of John Fahey. Reminisce his beautiful songs by clicking the link below

15. The Transcendental Waterfall (Blind Joe Death, 1959)

“Some of the best folk and guitar playing ever. There are no highlights. its best to listen to this album as a whole and just enjoy it at as one piece of music.”

14. Mark 1:15 (America, 1971)

“Fahey shows, time and time again, how to make some of the most emotional and heartbreaking music out there without the use of a single vocal. Masterful playing in a class all of its own.”

13. Wine and Roses (The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Favorites, 1965)

“One of my favorite albums. Intensely weaves between the unnerving and the meditative. Both cold and comforting at the same time. If you’re new to Mr. Fahey’s confusing catalogue and want to try out a couple of albums, make this one to listen to.”

12. Requiem For John Hurt (Requia, 1967)

“Like much of Fahey’s music it is technical, but it doesn’t seek for immense applaud nor admiration. It is the purest music, where we can both be sad and appreciative of its impermanence; that one moment will die and another will emerge from it.”

See more: John Fahey Albums Ranked

11. Poor Boy a Long Way from Home (Blind Joe Death, 1959)

“While I would usually eat my own leg before I’d purchase a best-of release by an artist I respect, you have to make an exception here. The recordings have been lovingly remastered so that the guitar comes through rich and bright, and the tape-hiss which characterizes his album releases is gone”

10. The Revolt Of The Dyke Brigade (Days Have Gone By, 1967)

“This is what Fahey’s music is about to me. Both the guitarist and the listener are experiencing what is in my view, an intensely personal experience of discovery, thanks in no small part to the self-taught nature of the music.”

9. Take A Look At That Baby (Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes, 1963)

“This sounds like America, even more than the actual album of his named after America. The dirt road transforms into a neatly paved sidewalk, but your spirit remains the same.”

8. What the Sun Said (The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Favorites, 1965)

“Fahey’s third album is neither as melodic as Blind Joe Death nor does it effectively evince a mood like Death Chants. Much of this album is performed solo on a slide guitar, and there is a bit too much twang for my taste. “

7. Sligo River Blues (Blind Joe Death, 1959)

“In the pantheon of musical geniuses, John Fahey ranks highly for me. This is as good a place as any to start exploring his brilliant musical vision.”

6. In Christ There Is No East or West (Blind Joe Death, 1959)

“This song is stuck in my mind – I can’t stop listening to it. Even worse, I am trying to learn to play the song on my guitar. His composition of this old hymn is genius, seemingly simple but full of some surprisingly advanced techniques. “In Christ There Is No East Or West” turned out to be my gateway to the rest of Fahey’s discography, so be warned that listening may be addictive.”

5. The Red Pony (God, Time and Causality, 1989)

“1990 was not a good year for our hero Mr. Fahey, but he still managed to put out this rather excellent album. One of his last solo acoustic records, and Fahey plucks his way through three 11 to 15 minute tracks in a row and still keeps your attention.”

See more: Jackson Browne Albums Ranked

4. When The Springtime Comes Again (Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes, 1963)

“So, there’s a reason John Fahey has immediately become my favorite guitarist over the span of two weeks, and it has everything to do with what’s happening right now. I just finished my first college music appreciation class, which (unsurprisingly) has helped me understand the value of a lot more music and understand my unfair biases.”

3. On The Sunny Side Of The Ocean ( The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death, 1965)

“This is the greatest John Fahey studio album. Here, the vocabulary of American Primitive is not yet as introspective, nor as ambitious, as it would later become as the 60s & 70s progressed. In fact, a significant portion of these songs could really be fully described as country blues without losing any nuance, as Fahey spends a fair chunk of this record wishing he was Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten rolled into one. “

2. Some Summer Day (Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes, 1963)

“Another amazing set of finger picking from my favorite acoustic guitarist (and that’s saying a mouthful). This reissue adds in the original albums plus the 1967 remake for a nice long dose of classic Fahey.”

1. Sunflower River Blues (Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes, 1963)

“John Fahey simply dominates the acoustic guitar like no other can, providing these mesmerizing instrumental tracks that’s just him strumming chords. Simple, but the character and personality he places on these chords his really unmatched, and yea this one goes by quick on the background. Its also a bit more jovial and upbeat than the rest of the records i have heard by him. Overall a good listen.”