Anyone who says that Fay’s first album was overproduced or too baroque can go to hell. This album is the work of a genius. From “Garden Song” — saxophone and all — straight on through to the end. I’m sure you wouldn’t dare say that shit about Elliott Smith, would you? Even when he was double-tracking the same melody in left and right channels, with the guitar on one side and the piano on the other? Fay’s orchestral instrumentation always heightens or depressed the mood. It serves its intended purpose. How else are you going to capture the essence of a guy who is singing about burying himself and leaving his body for maggots, only to awaken and leave his chair and live his life? Sometimes you just need a wild string section to capture the triumph and the heartache.
If anything, this album suffers from a lack of consistency. The first two tracks on the album are the best: the aforementioned “Garden Song” and its follow-up number, “The Sun Is Bored.” Screaming guitar leads and rising and falling strings overshadowing absurdly morbid lyrics. It’s brilliant, I tell you. It might take some effort to get through the rest, but it’s a killer album. Highs, lows, rapidly shifting dynamics and that dark, soulful voice constantly spouting stunning couplets. I can’t think of another voice like his. It’s like a young Leonard Cohen maybe mixed with some John Lennon and Steve Winwood on the early Traffic records. What say you, reader?
Bill Fay
Bill Fay
Deram, 1970
MediaFire DL Link
Tracklist:
01. Garden Song
02. The Sun Is Bored
03. We Want You To Stay
04. Narrow Way
05. We Have Laid Here
06. Sing Us One Of Your Songs May
07. Gentle Willy
08. Methane River
09. The Room
10. Goodnight Stan
11. Cannons Plain
12. Be Not So Fearful
13. Down To The Bridge
September 2nd, 2010
It shoudl be brilliant, but somehow it just doesn’t work
September 9th, 2010
well. bill fay’s first album is a masterpiece. Good as hell from start to finish. Sure, some people will not have it in them to fall for the heavy orchestrated arrangements, but me? I love it!
This is his finest album along with the demo/outtake album “from the bottom of an old grandfather’s clock” which features some of the songs from the “Bill Fay” album but with just piano or guitar and vocals. That album is among the top 20 all time whatsoever in my book, actually…up there with john lennon, leonard cohen, jimmy campbells’ album, pete dello etc