The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album / Christmas with John Fahey Vol. 2John FaheyDescription: Need ref. John Fahey has made a habit of recording a new album of Christmas music every five or six years but The New Possibility which was originally released in 1968 is still his best. On it Fahey has pulled off the near miraculous feat of taking old holiday chestnuts like Joy to the World and It Came upon a Midnight Clear and making them sound fresh. When he plays a Travis-picking version of O Come All Ye Faithful or he recasts Silent Night Holy Night as bottleneck blues you get the feeling Fahey is treating the music with respect rather then piety. Also included in this reissue are six tracks from his 1975 release Christmas with John Fahey Vol. II. The songs feature some nice duets with Rick Ruskin but the arrangements lack some of the quirkiness that made The New Possibility sound unique. This isn't Bing Crosby singing White Christmas but it is a modern holiday classic nonetheless. --Michael Simmons
