Search - Various Artists :: Takoma Artists: Eclectic Sampler

Takoma Eclectic Sampler is a 17-track overview of folk legend John Fahey's former record label. From the blues of Bukka White, Ronnie Barron, and Dr. Ross, to the country of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Rose Maddox, to tracks by Fahey, and even a spoken-word Charles Bukowski cut, this album is nearly essential for anyone who's ever wondered if Takoma's roster was more than just the Peter Lang/Leo Kottke/Fahey triumvirate of instrumental guitar masters. Songs by Canned Heat, Swampdogg, and the Santa Monica Pier Merry-Go-Round (the thing with the horses, not a band) show Takoma's breadth was once enormous. Fahey may have moved on to "running" a label--Revenant, and to projects with a younger generation of noisemakers, but this CD shows how vital a role he played in the music industry from the early '60s to the '80s. Eclecticism may have never paid Fahey's electric bills, but it certainly made for a fine label. --Jason Verlinde