| The Return of the Repressed: The John Fahey Anthology | |
| Type: | Compilation album |
| Artist: | John Fahey |
| Cover: | Returnoftherepressed.jpg |
| Released: | 1994 |
| Genre: | Folk |
| Length: | 121:42 |
| Label: | Rhino |
| Producer: | Barry Hansen, James Austin |
| Prev Title: | Old Girlfriends and Other Horrible Memories |
| Prev Year: | 1992 |
| Next Title: | City of Refuge |
| Next Year: | 1997 |
The Return of the Repressed: The John Fahey Anthology is a compilation album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1994. Fahey's career, health and personal life had been in decline. The release of The Return of the Repressed, along with an article in Spin magazine by Byron Coley served to provide a renewal of his career.
Most of Fahey's catalog was out-of-print at the time Barry Hansen began working on the Return of the Repressed compilation project for Rhino Records. He interviewed Fahey in Oregon and together with James Austin of Rhino, they selected the tracks to be included. At the time, Fahey was divorced from his second wife and was living in homeless shelters or cheap hotels. Hansen related in an interview with Jason Gross: "He came down with the Epstein-Barr syndrome, which was something that just kind of snuck up on him. Then the divorce. Those two things were linked, I think. The Epstein-Barr syndrome sapped his energy and [his wife] just got tired of him lying around the house, not doing anything. Then there was that sad story that he lost his house and didn't have any money."[1] Dean Blackwood, later Fahey's partner in Revenant Records, relates that Fahey was never penniless, "He lived in a series of welfare-motels, weekly rentals, and all of them were more expensive than weekly rent on apartment. He always had this publishing income and that never went away."[2]
Following a 1994 entry on Fahey in Spin magazine's spin-off Alternative Record Guide publication, Fahey learned that he now had a whole new audience, which included alternative US bands Sonic Youth and Cul de Sac, British comedian and writer Stewart Lee and the avant-garde musician Jim O'Rourke. Byron Coley published a large article called "The Persecutions and Resurrections of Blind Joe Death" (also in Spin magazine). New releases started to appear in rapid succession, in parallel to the reissue of all the early Takoma releases by Fantasy Records.[3]
Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A− rating, writing "...after two decades of asking myself why he's any better than Leo Kottke I've decided it's a spiritual thing—he's maintained a direct line to his inner amateur. For two whole CDs, definitely not boring. Just close enough to make you question the category." Rick Anderson, writing for Allmusic recommended the box set with reservations, also stating "...but the faint-hearted should try to listen before buying."
Both the Baltimore City Paper and The New Rolling Stone Album Guide recommended The Return of the Repressed as an excellent place to start for listeners new to Fahey.[4] [5]
Eric Watford of CMJ New Music wrote "His unshowy style is quiet, unhurried and flowing, using unusual tunings for gorgeous open-string resonances, and focusing on melodies and harmonies which he occasionally augmented with a taste for Indian ragas and 20th century classical composers like Ives and Bartok."[6]
All songs by John Fahey unless otherwise noted.