American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
fingerstyle guitar
Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...
ist and composer John Fahey, released in 1967. The cover labels the album ''Volume 6'' while it was preceded in 1966 by ''The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party'' which is labeled ''Guitar Vol. 4''.
History
''Days Have Gone By'' continues Fahey's interest in soundscapes, sound effects and experimental music—begun on ''
The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions
''The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions'' is an album by American fingerstyle guitarist and composer John Fahey, released in 1966. The cover simply labels the album ''Guitar Vol. 4'' (it was his fourth release on his own Ta ...
''—mixed in with the more traditional guitar playing of his earlier musical style. This is especially present on the two-part piece, "A Raga Called Pat".
"The Portland Cement Factory at Monolith, California," was covered by
Cul de Sac
A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet.
Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praised the album, noting the album "expands American blues traditions by enriching the palette of the guitar with Eastern tunings. He may create a challenging work like "A Raga Called Pat--Part Two" that is difficult to interpret, but its opulence is undeniable. Fahey has often been grouped with new age music but this—especially with his early work—is somewhat of a misnomer. New age strives to build harmony; Fahey revels in conflict. ''Days Have Gone By'' is another rewarding reissue of the master's classic '60s work and will be eagerly greeted by guitar aficionados."
From his review for ''
All About Jazz
''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'', critic Derek Taylor called it "... an album very much in the experimental vein that he first started tapping in the early 1960s... Fahey's influence remains indelibly etched in the psyches of those who have followed him, regardless of whether or not the corporate music culture chooses to recognize it. The self-styled grandfather of “ American Primitive” guitar may be gone, but with documents like this one within ready reach his memory and music will endure for years and years to come."
In late 2007, ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' included the album on their list of "1000 albums to hear before you die", writing: "Fahey makes innovative use of splicing and sampling. Locomotive sounds blend with his acoustic guitar to create a sparse, meditative atmosphere. A wide-open, pan-American travelogue."
Reissues
*''Days Have Gone By'' was reissued on CD in 2001 by
Takoma Records
Takoma Records was a small but influential record label founded by guitarist John Fahey in the late 1950s.My Grandfather's Clock" (
Henry Clay Work
Henry Clay Work (October 1, 1832, Middletown – June 8, 1884, Hartford) was an American songwriter and composer of the mid-19th century. He is best remembered for his musical contributions to the Union in the Civil War—songs documenting the ...
, Traditional) – 1:31
# "Days Have Gone By" – 2:54
# "We Would Be Building" (
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...
) – 1:57
Personnel
*John Fahey –
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
*Robert Gardner – guitar (on "My Grandfather's Clock")