FAHEY, JOHN - The Mill Pond & Collected Paintings

The Mill Pond was originally released in 1997 as a double 7 that went immediately out of print. For its 10th anniversary, were issuing it on compact disc housed in a deluxe letterpressed jacket and including an extensive booklet collecting John Faheys paintings for the very first time. Limited edition. On this release, Fahey uses heavy reverb, electric slide and feedback to create an eerie mood. He gets a bit of help from Jeff Allman, who recorded the songs and adds some electronic noise in spots, and from Scott Colburn, who mixed the tracks, but this record is all Fahey. The Mill Pond is all over the place stylistically, so it should confuse those who try to pigeonhole Fahey into any one category. The Mill Pond further proves that there is only one category into which he fits: truly innovative guitar genius. Four ecstatic, lo-fi grabs for the ring of eternity, recorded in Faheys Oregon hotel room. Containing the first graspable evidence of Johns throat-singing abilities, this represents the merging of the bull and the china shop. The crudity of the electronics and the delicacy of the stringwork makes for a wonderful match." --Byron Coley