John Fahey - Reed College, Portland, OR (1967-04-08)

John Fahey soundboard recording from April 8th, 1967 at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Co-billed show with Robbie Basho, John played his set first. Credit for audio to Steve Halpern, zuma11, and grner1. Additional details are quoted below.
"In late 2019, fellow Neil Young fan and Reed College alumnus, Jim B contacted me. He said that Reed College alum Steve Halpern had a group of late 60's/early 70's Reed College recordings of Reverend Gary Davis, John Lee Hooker, John Fahey & Robbie Basho that needed transferring.
In 1985, Steve found the recordings among a cache of reels in a Reed College library backroom while researching poet Lew Welch. It appeared that most of the reels were of official college business - board meetings etc, but others were student run campus events including lectures and music. He borrowed a few of the music related reels and transferred them using a reel to reel player from the library's AV dept, to a radio shack "y" cable plugged the reel to reel's RCA jacks into one of those ubiquitous, small, portable Panasonic cassette player/recorders. He doesn't know if the originals were mono or stereo.
The library was remodeled in 2008. As Steve was later told, most of the miscellaneous contents of the library was stored in bins in another building while the remodeling occurred. Steve thinks the reels, many of which had no labels, may have been discarded afterwords."
Uploaded for the love.
0:01 St. Louis Blues
2:50 The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party
10:11 Requiem For Russell Blaine Cooper
17:34 The Red Pony (Wine and Roses)
22:22 On The Banks Of The Owchita
27:28 When The Catfish Is In Bloom
34:13 Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Philip XIV
39:23 In Christ There Is No East Or West
Link to Robbie Basho’s 1967-04-08 set:
• Robbie Basho - Reed Co...
#johnfahey #robbiebasho #reedcollege

[@BroadcastsFromPoorFarm]

0:01 St. Louis Blues 2:50 The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party 10:11 Requiem For Russell Blaine Cooper 17:34 The Red Pony (Wine and Roses) 22:22 On The Banks Of The Owchita 27:28 When The Catfish Is In Bloom 34:13 Dance Of The Inhabitants Of The Palace Of King Philip XIV 39:23 In Christ There Is No East Or West Link to Robbie Basho’s 1967-04-08 set: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mX2aamWwadqHjdk

[@nguyenba9605]

Is there anyway this show is available for download? I'm fine with mp3 but flac would be cool, too.

[@nealpomea2836]

Thanks for the song list! Great Birthday Party is fantastic!!!

[@wyliecox2010]

the first track is not St. Louis Blues, but something that Fahey later called "Lights Out". He recorded it again with Terry Robb on the 1997 "Let Go" album. On this live performance he's playing it in a D minor tuning, i.e., DGDGA#D. Great stuff, as usual from Fahey.

[@davidlander1934]

So I was totally taken with Fahey's music and a student at Reed. I saw him twice on campus in those late 60's years, and can't recall which set was which. Anyhow, during his break I followed him into the bathroom and asked him about one of his compositions. He told me he was miserable because he was "on the wagon" and also constipated. He handed me out the chords to the song in question, written on toilet paper.

[@danield9032]

This is the kind of story the internet exists to tell

[@cavecanem736]

David! Would love to be in touch. Jim Beller. We have a picture of my wife and her recently deceased friend taken in SW Portland at a Victory Through Vegetables performance. You are playing bass in the background.

[@StellarFella]

- He was also diabetic. A shame that he needed alcohol to feel right.

[@louix6733]

So do you still have the toilet paper?

[@ceef8688]

awesome. So much Fahey character in those short sentences.

[@michaelhoberman1436]

Neither on of us was nearly old enough to have attended the Reed concert, but I have great memories, Steve, of sitting in your room in the ODB and copying your version of this reel-to-reel, which you found in the attic of the Reed library in, what, 1984? I still have my cassette version, in fact, which bears some sort of magic-marker "mystical" drawing that I thought would be worthy of Fahey's startling achievement. It helps that we spent so much time back then in the SU, where this concert had taken place--we knew well enough of the atmosphere!

[@russfitzgerald]

Thank you for putting a grin all the way around my head with this post! This version of The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party especially pleases me - there's one passage starting around 8:24 that on the studio album he plays through once, but here he roars through it twice, playing it with the fire it always needed - thank you so much!

[@dreamsister6339]

John Fahey ♥️

[@renepeterse1884]

Incredible, hystoric, what can I say. Beautifull, and very, very special.

[@chilblain1]

You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you!

[@jrw344]

Was blessed to attend some of his awesome early visits to Seattle in the '70's to the '90's. UofW, Blue Moon tavern, MOHAI, Seattle concert theatre, & finally the Backstage in '92.

[@beckchristian67]

Thx for this remarquable post on this unknown Fahey concert

[@aidenfoster7459]

This guy was the real deal. I have never heard of dude. I lived off 47th and Woodstock, and 54th and Henderson. I used to occasionally go to Reed to shoot some pool, I like the environment. I cannot believe a dude on this level was there, times have changed. It feels like 37th and Woodstock listening to this, like I am there, I see dude really took in the environment.

[@ennbee2051]

'Dude'?! Have some respect. You can call him Mr Fahey, King John or just plain 'sir'. Now, which is it to be, boy?

[@aidenfoster7459]

@@ennbee2051 I talk how I talk, you talk how you talk. I respect that.......

[@ceef8688]

awesome comment. You show plenty of respect for what this was, which seems to me like it didn't have to do with formality at all... just the respectful vibes of enjoying life.

[@nnnnnie]

I went to D.C for a Fahey concert circa 1972, but he didn't show up. About 1994 I saw him and a small entourage in a 7-11 parking lot by King's Dominion amusement park near Richmond, VA. We parked next to their car. But I didn't recognize him at the time. Dang.

[@sculpt3218]

this is incredible. thank you for this upload. this was recorded during the same year my favorite Fahey album was released, 'Days Have Gone By, Vol. 6', so he was in his prime, imo.

[@petergoodier7887]

My favorite album too!!

[@urideemer4333]

The fact that Days Have Gone by Vol 6 is my most played Fahey record would seem to indicate that it is "my "favorite" as well. Voice of the Turtle is right on up there as well. I happened upon Fahey on the Audio Karma Forum "what are you listening to now" thread where someone had posted Voice of the Turtle. I had never heard of Fahey. Then quite by chance in the local Goodwill store Some 8-10 years ago) I saw it there along with America, Sign of the Red Cross and City of Refuge. I later picked up the Vinyl of Turtle and others that I happened upon along the way including The Transcendental Waterfall which is where Days Have Gone By Vol. 6 is in my collection. I have been having a rather "bad karma" August of 2022. Taxman hit me up for four years of reconfigured back property taxes, a guitar I bought from a large online retailer is now lost in the ether as I sent it back to be fixed......then happened upon some Fahey interviews and shows and he helped bring me right back down to a happier place. Thanks John and the Poor Farm Broadcasters.

[@bmagaziner]

God bless you

[@johngood331]

What a treasure!

[@geraldhugley3618]

Thanks. Always listening to Fahey.

[@Nayersayer]

Thank you for posting!

[@Darren-D.C-Cross]

Thank you!

[@SingleMalt77005]

This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

[@MrMarktrumble]

This is good.

[@dwiggzmasterflex]

This is so fucking incredible holllly shit

[@zatoichimasseur6767]

It's the same as walking down the street, hooping down into a dry canal and under the bridge u find a diamond hidden amongst a throng of garbage... .

[@geffcassuto]

wow never knew he did birthday party live!

[@barrydobrin1135]

This is fantastic! Thanks for uploading this. Is there a way to get a download link for this? I'd love a copy.

[@BroadcastsFromPoorFarm]

Hey Barry if you’d still like a link to the FLAC or MP3, email me-thanks! broadcastsfrompoorfarm(at)gmail

[@barrydobrin1135]

@@BroadcastsFromPoorFarm I sent you an email. Thanks!

[@paintbox9899]

@@BroadcastsFromPoorFarm Can I do the same and drop you an email for a FLAC link? Thanks so much for uploading here in the first place, beautiful sacred stuff I want to treasure onto for the years to come.

[@BroadcastsFromPoorFarm]

@@paintbox9899 Feel free to email. You may have already. There's a couple messages that I haven't yet replied to. Apologies if that was you. I'll reach out soon-thanks!

[@beckchristian67]

This recording was also posted in kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJKbcmxvidGEfJY