Album Notes to Live in Tasmania - John Fahey
TAK-7089 (Chrysalis) 1981
John and I were flying somewhere between Melbourne & Sydney & Perth. A long flight and it was delayed due to the outback haze. Flying Devils were at our heels...We were scared, so we asked the stewardess for some beers. She was scared too, so she had a beer with us. Brought us more. It was, it was, it was...
John and I got definitely drunk, definitely charged and rapping freely about whatever seemed timely, especially the stewardess passing out because of the passing Macleayasaurasis. I don't quite remember the complete idioscopic sequence but it went from Tasmanian Devils, Buggs Bunny to Tasmanian Angst und Scienheit so far from everywhere. There in the Outback and then WHAM, Idea!! Let's do a live recorded concert in Tasmania. So much better than...
Well folks, the free thoughts were flowing more than the beer. (That's mighty fast in the down-under) and pretty soon the attack plan was formulated.
A call to Stefan Markovitch the owner of Hobart's (Tasmania's Capitol) Discurio Record store and a lover and sometime promoter of accoustic guitar (even Stefan Grossmannn!!!!)(!?) and jazz, who loved the idea of a concert in his very esoteric home town...but who just couldn't see covering the expenses.
Continuing, undaunted, a phone call was placed to Festival Records, Takoma's Australian representative who telexed the U.S.A. and to everyone's surprise the answer was a resounding YES! (but to what question?) (Are we in our Einheit for sicher?)
Yes! they sayeth, "An album to be recorded live in Tasmania seemed commercially viable to the POWERS THAT BE (OR DO THEY?) and we were off and running.
Stefan (Markovitch) booked the university hall in Hobart, and before we knew it we were on a submarine for Tasmania (with Fahey's wife, Melody McBad).
The entire deal was four days in the making (I am such a genius) there we were at Hobart University making recording history. The first recording by an international artist in Tasmania. Well, with only two days promotion we had a full house and a dream audience who were there to hear FAHEY and make it all work. John was on. The tapes sounded great on playback. There are some moments such as on "Waltzing Matilda" that are simply brilliant and then there's the remarkable Railroad Song, Indian-Pacific which Fahey traveled. (Fahey's other buiness is Railroad stocks.) This is the first time that Fahey has been sufficiently satisfied to approve a live recording and I am proud to have been involved.
In the prospect that I can't wait for this record's release, I should like to say that I sincerely hope (Hoffung) that the enjoyment you derive from this album is equal to the joy I had in producing it.
Peter Noble
Sydney, Australia 15/10/80
"Detractors have dismissed this album as a piece of ephemeral froth" HOW COULD U! LOOK AT THE KANGAS
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