John Fahey - Fare Forward Voyagers (Soldier’s Choice)

Maestro Fahey’s Zen-like crown of creation

Originally released in 1973, respectfully dedicated to his guru Swami Satchidananda and comprising three extended compositions, Where The Fire & The Rose Are One, Thus Krishna On The Battlefield and the epic 23-minute title track, all esoteric titles all lifted from TS Eliot’s Four Quartets, Fahey always maintained this was his greatest album. So great, in fact, that he deemed its three pieces too technically demanding to perform live. Overall, the influence of Indian ragas is clearly audible both in Fahey’s playing and his compositional approach, which is entirely consistent with the fact that, around the time of the recording, he had apparently discovered the wonders of yoga. Indeed, copies of the album came complete with a four-page booklet extolling the virtues of Swami Satchidananda’s Yogaville West community in Northern California. Despite all the talk of lofty spiritual ideals, the reality was somewhat earthier, given that Fahey later confessed that his real motivation in promoting Yogaville lay in the fact that he had the hots for his Swami’s secretary. For all that, the supreme meditative power of Fahey’s playing speaks eloquently for itself on this stunning blend of Zen minimalism and good old fashioned virtuosity.

Takoma | CDTAK 7035

Reviewed by Grahame Bent
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