RAILROAD

Frisco Leaving Birmingham

There is a recording under this title by George "Bullet" Williams (1928), one of the very many blues harmonica train imitations. Fahey’s piece steals the title but nothing else. The song uses at least one phrase from the then unreleased Nut House (= Sandy on Earth).

Oneonta

It’s a town in New York state. It’s also a version of When Your Way Gets Dark by Charlie Patton (1929).

Steve Talbot on the Keddie Wye

The re-upholstered 80s version of Poor Boy Long Ways from Home.

NOTE ON STEVE TALBOT

Steve Talbot does documentaries (going back to 1968). One regarded timber harvesting in northern California, where the Keddie Wye is (sic). Perhaps he filmed the Wye.

http://www.flatlandbooks.com/bariart.html

http://www.midwestnpioneer.org/west/keddie.html

Afternoon Espee through Salem

The Bukka White song referred to in Fahey’s notes is Panama Limited (1930) which he re-recorded for Takoma in the 60s under the titles Special Streamline, New Orleans Streamline, Bald Eagle Train and The Atlanta Special. He sure loved that tune.

Enigmas and Perplexities of the Norfolk and Western

Version of Worried Blues. The original title of this piece is understood to have been Dallas Sherwood Dreams of the Pennsey. Dallas has been alluded to in our notes to the pre-Volume One recordings.

Charlie Becker’s Meditation

A radical summary of the 18-minute Hari Krishna Song 1 & 2 from 1977 which as of this writing remains unreleased. During Fahey’s unusual tour of the UK in September 1999 one of the IFC cornered Fahey on this subject. It went like this: “Why doncha release Hari Krishna Song huh?” “What’s that, I never heard of it,” replies Fahey. “Don’t gimme that, you used the tune for Charlie Becker,” “Which one’s Charlie Becker?” says Fahey. He tries to remember the tune, which, delicate and nuanced as it is, remained elusive. He scans his mental horizon, then breaks into a tuneless la-la-la-ing: “La la la la la la,” drones Fahey, “la la ba ba ba la la… is that it?” We don’t know. Could be. But maybe not. We’re in a restaurant and it’s not really the right ambience to try to sing Charlie Becker’s Meditation to its composer. “Yeah, that’s it!” says the IFC representative, lamely. But finally he does persuade Fahey that there exists an 18-minute version of the thing which hasn’t been released, and should be released, right now! By Revenant! Just do it!

Life is Like a Mountain Railroad

Version of a country hit which was recorded as Life’s Railway to Heaven by the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, George Reneau and many others others.

Delta Dog

Version of Maggie Campbell Blues by Tommy Johnson (1928).