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Of Rivers And Religion (RAR/1972) is the 1st, of 3, consecutive, albums in which Fahey is accompanied by an “orchestra” (dixie land jazz band). The orchestra is used sparingly in RAR. Unlike After The Ball (ATB/1973) which has a dominant, happy uptempo, dance feel and Old Fashioned Love (OFL/1974) which has a variety of moods that range from contemplative, mournful, longing, celebratory and ecstatic, RAR is generally a languid, slow tempo CD. Fahey reportedly intended the music to be like what one might have heard on a riverboat at the turn of the century. Imagine sitting on a river bank 100 years ago on a lazy, beautiful sunny day sipping an alcoholic beverage--with nothing better to do than relax and watch the riverboats slowly go by. That’s the mood of much of RAR and is reflected in trks 1-4, 6 and 8. Trks 5 and 7 are up tempo and Fahey performs alone on only Trks 5 & 8. He is accompanied by an upright bass (minimal, subdued and tasteful) on trks 1-4 & 6-7. Elements of the “orchestra” perform on trks 3,4, &7. Trk 1 (Steamboat Gwine Round De Bend) is a slide guitar piece that opens with a motif that could be a steamboat whistle, continues on as if one was watching a steamboat slowly going around a river bend. It’s quite beautiful. Trk 2 (Medley: Deep River/Ol' Man River) has a slower tempo. Deep River features a second guitar (?-electric) that I first thought was a muted hand bell. Old Man River, though slow in tempo, is picked aggressively and continues the feel of watching river boat traffic. Trk 3 (Dixie Pig Bar-B-Q Blues) features a mournful intro by Fahey—then upright bass, ukelele, mandolin and a moaning fiddle. It’s remorseful and reflective. Trk 4 (Texas And Pacific Blues) is similar—but closer to a traditional blues in tempo and form. After a short intro by Fahey, he is joined by an upright bass, second slide resonator (?) guitar and trumpet. The resonator guitar part does not quite fit with the rest of the instrumentation—giving the song an odd, disjointed feel. This foreshadows later Fahey arrangements that have a similar feel. Trk 5 ( Funeral Song For Mississippi John Hurt) features Fahey alone—first playing a simple melody, then exploring pretty finger picking patterns reminiscent of his 2nd 2 albums--very nice. Trk 6 (Medley: By The Side Of The Road/I Come, I Come) slows the tempo down considerably to match the mood of the first 2 trks. Trk 7 (Lord Have Mercy) is a snappy, uptempo piece in which Fahey provides the intro, followed by bass, piano, ukelele, trombone, trumpet and clarinet. It’s mood is celebratory. Trk 8 (Song) returns to the languid mood of earlier tracks—it is sad, sweet and tender. The recording is excellent, but Fahey’s playing shows a few imperfections--a couple of imperfect notes and some mild squeaking as Fahey’s hand slides up and down the guitar neck. Personally I would have placed trk 7 after trk 8—ending the CD on a celebratory note. The accompaniment is excellent, though not as inspired as ATB or OFL. I initially didn’t like RAR because of it’s generally slow tempo, few slight technical imperfections and song order. But, it has become one of my favorite Fahey CD’s. I find it very relaxing and calming. A famous critic placed this CD in the top 10 of 1972. I have been a fan of Fahey’s for about 40 years, am collecting all his CDs and several of his songs were in my repertoire when I played guitar. See http://www.johnfahey.com/pages/orr.html for more info.Read full review