The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death
| The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death | ||||
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Cover of the Riverboat Records release of the LP
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| Studio album by John Fahey | ||||
| Released | 1965 | |||
| Recorded | 1965 at MIT, Cambridge, MA and Berkeley, CA | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length |
38:34 (original) 38:40 (reissue) |
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| Label | Riverboat Records | |||
| John Fahey chronology | ||||
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| Alternative Cover | ||||
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Cover of the 1997 reissue
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  |
| Dirty Linen | (not rated) |
| Musician | (no rating) |
| Stylus Magazine | A+ |
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death is a 1965 album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey. Originally issued in a hand-lettered edition of 50, it was Fahey's first album to be released by a label other than his own Takoma Records. As with all of Fahey's independently released early albums, it had little critical recognition upon release. The album has grown in stature since its reissue on CD in 1997 and is now highly regarded critically. It was Fahey's fourth album to see release, though after his fifth album, The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions, was labeled Guitar Vol. 4, reissues of The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death were subtitled John Fahey, Volume 5.
The title refers to a fictional bluesman named Blind Joe Death, first introduced by Fahey on his debut album Blind Joe Death. For years Fahey and Takoma Records continued to treat the imaginary guitarist as a real person, including booklets with their LPs containing biographical information about him and that he had taught Fahey to play.
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death was issued by Riverboat Records, initially in a hand-lettered edition of 50, before The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party (Guitar Vol. 4), but was later reissued by Takoma. Once reissued by Takoma, it became Volume 5, but was already labeled Volume 5 on the Riverboat album sleeves. It was the first Fahey album to be released in the UK, on Transatlantic Records.
The original 1965 liner notes came in a separate booklet, were lengthy and were written by John's roommate Alan Wilson of Canned Heat though attributed to one Charles Holloway, Esq. They begin:
The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death was partly recorded on the East coast, but more tracks were needed to make the album. Barry Hansen, Fahey's friend and some-time producer and contributor, stated: "We didn't have the budget for a legit studio for that one. So I found someone who had a real nice home recorder and a quiet room. I pretty much set John up and let him play. He was all by himself for most of it. I wasn't even around for many of the takes... He sat there with a dog at his feet. There's one track where the dog barks in the middle of the music—it was my decision to leave that false start in."
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Wikipedia