Of Rivers and Religion

Of Rivers and Religion is an album by American folk musician John Fahey, released in 1972. It was his first recording on a major label (Reprise Records) and is credited to John Fahey and His Orchestra. It marked a significant change from Fahey's previous releases, incorporating a backing band and performing songs and arrangements in a Dixieland jazz style. Although Time picked it as one of the Top Ten albums of 1972, it was also a difficult album to market and had little enthusiasm at Reprise.^[1]

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History

Of Rivers and Religion was the first album Fahey recorded with producer/manager Denny Bruce. Bruce had negotiated the contract with Reprise after failing to negotiate with Fahey's previous label, Vanguard Records.^[1]

Bruce arranged for the musicians, beginning with Jack Feierman who wrote the majority of the arrangements.^[1] Many of the New Orleans session players had previously contributed to Walt Disney's soundtrack for Song of the South.^[2] Some of the same musicians would appear on Fahey's second release for Reprise, After the Ball.^[1] Multi-instrumentalist and session musician Chris Darrow later commented, "I remember the first time I ever heard him, I thought they'd turned the record from 45 to 33 or something, 'cause I couldn't believe how slow he played."^[3] The session band appeared on "Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q Blues", "Texas and Pacific Blues" and "Lord Have Mercy".^[4]

Speaking of both Of Rivers and Religion and After the Ball in a 1998 interview for The Wire, Fahey recalled, "I don't understand why they got bad reviews. It's like every time I wanted to do something other than play guitar I got castigated."^[5]

The album cover featured a photo staged at Disneyland's Tom Sawyer's Island.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]
Christgau's Record Guide	A^[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	^[7]
The Great Folk Discography	8/10^[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	^[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	6/10^[11]
Tom Hull	A^[10]

Time picked Of Rivers and Religion as one of the Top Ten albums of 1972.^[1]

In his AllMusic review, critic Brian Olewnick called it "A fine effort and certainly something that belongs on the shelves of any fan of the late, very great guitarist",^[3] while music critic Robert Christgau said "[it's] not for everyone, but I think this is his best" and gave it an A rating;^[6] later, Christgau would rank it as the twenty-fifth best record of the decade.^[12]

In his 1972 review for Rolling Stone Bob Palmer praised the change in direction and said, "[Fahey] uses traditional motifs to construct pieces of dazzling contrasts, counter-balancing their deep feelings and dark undertows with a dry but devastating sense of humor... it's Fahey's show most of the way and the guitarist makes the most of what is surely his finest hour."^[13]

Reissues

Of Rivers and Religion was reissued on CD in 2001 by Collectors' Choice.^[1]
Of Rivers and Religion was also reissued along with After the Ball in 2003 by Warner Bros. Records.^[2]

Track listing

Side one

"Steamboat Gwine 'Round de Bend" (Fahey) – 4:15
"Medley: Deep River/Ol' Man River" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Traditional) – 6:45
"Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q Blues" (Fahey) – 3:55
"Texas and Pacific Blues" (Traditional) – 4:30

Side two

"Funeral Song for Mississippi John Hurt" (Fahey) – 4:20
"Medley: By the Side of the Road/I Come, I Come" (Albert E. Brumley, Traditional) – 6:05
"Lord Have Mercy" (Traditional) – 2:28
"Song" (Fahey) – 5:22

Personnel

John Fahey – guitar
Chris Darrow – guitar, dobro, fiddle, mandolin
Joel Druckman – double bass
Jack Feierman – trumpet
Ira Nepus – trombone
Joanne Grauer – piano, calliope
Nappy La Mare – banjo
Alan Reuse – banjo
Joe Darensbourgh – clarinet

Production notes

John Fahey – producer
Denny Bruce – producer
Jack Feierman – arranger
Doug Decker – engineer
Nat Hentoff – original liner notes
Richie Unterberger – reissue liner notes
Christopher Whorf – design
Ed Thrasher – art direction and photography
Scott Tepper – location concept (Disneyland, Tom Sawyer's Island at the Mississippi River ride)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Unterberger, Richie. "Of Rivers and Religion 2001 reissue liner notes". Retrieved October 31, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Jurek, Thom. "Of Rivers and Religion 2001 Reissue > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Olewnick, Brian. "Of Rivers and Religion > Review". AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Guerrieri, Claudio (2014). The John Fahey Handbook, Vol. 2. ISBN 978-0-9853028-1-8.
^ Pouncey, Edwin (August 1998). "Blood on the Frets". The Wire (174). Retrieved March 15, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
^ Strong, Martin Charles (2010). The great folk discography. Volume 1, Pioneers & early legends. ISBN 9781846971419.
^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "John Fahey". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). London: Fireside Books. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Tom Hull. "Grade List: john fahey". Tom Hull - on the web. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). "John Fahey". Spin Alternative Record Guide (1st ed.). New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
^ Christgau, Robert. "Decade Personal Best: '70s". Retrieved 7 March 2010.
^ Palmer, Bob (November 1972). "Review: Of Rivers and Religion". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008.

v t e John Fahey
Discography
Studio albums	Blind Joe Death Death Chants, Breakdowns & Military Waltzes The Dance of Death & Other Plantation Favorites The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions Days Have Gone By The Voice of the Turtle Requia The Yellow Princess The New Possibility America Of Rivers and Religion After the Ball Fare Forward Voyagers (Soldier's Choice) Old Fashioned Love Christmas with John Fahey Vol. II John Fahey Visits Washington D.C. Yes! Jesus Loves Me Railroad Let Go Popular Songs For Christmas and New Year's Rain Forests, Oceans and Other Themes I Remember Blind Joe Death God, Time and Causality The John Fahey Christmas Album Old Girlfriends and Other Horrible Memories City of Refuge Womblife Hitomi Red Cross
78s and EPs	The Fonotone Sessions Double 78 The Mill Pond
Live albums	Live in Tasmania Georgia Stomps, Atlanta Struts and Other Contemporary Dance Favorites The Great Santa Barbara Oil Slick On Air Some Summer Day
Collaborations	The Epiphany of Glenn Jones John Fahey Trio KBOO John Fahey Trio, Vol. One
Split albums	Leo Kottke, John Fahey & Peter Lang
Compilations	The Early Sessions The Essential John Fahey The Best of John Fahey 1959–1977 The Return of the Repressed: The John Fahey Anthology The Legend of Blind Joe Death The Best of the Vanguard Years The Best of John Fahey, Vol. 2: 1964–1983 Sea Changes & Coelacanths: A Young Person's Guide to John Fahey Vanguard Visionaries Twilight on Prince Georges Avenue: Essential Recordings Christmas Soli Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You: The Fonotone Years 1958–1965
Tribute albums	A Tribute to John Fahey I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey Friends of Fahey Tribute The Revenge of Blind Joe Death: The John Fahey Tribute Album The Great Koonaklaster Speaks: A John Fahey Celebration
Related articles	American primitive guitar Takoma Records Revenant Records Anthology of American Folk Music, Vol. 4 Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton

This page was last edited on 3 October 2023, at 02:11

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