BILL FAY: OBITUARY

Bill Fay died on 23rd February having been suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. I have been thinking about what to say about him. What comes to mind is how much like Nick Drake his music means to me and how, like Nick Drake, he was unrecognised at the time. Unlike Nick Drake, Bill Fay lived on to release more music.

I have Eclectic/ Esoteric to thank for getting me ‘into’ Bill Fay’s music.  I was a regular reviewer for the label at its inception and this is what I wrote at the time:

“Championed by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, I was looking forward to hearing a Bill Fay album in its entirety for the first time. I warmed to the album straight away- who could resist lyrics about planting between potatoes and parsley, greenfly, spider or maggot in ‘Garden Song’ with its marvellous 60s orchestral string arrangement by renowned jazz musician Mike Gibbs and wistful sax break. (It should be noted that musicians of the highest order played on Bill Fay’s debut album- John Marshall contributed on drums and John Surman on sax). ‘The Sun is Bored’ seems to be a song about fox hunting or bull fighting but ends up so much more with Ray Russell’s distinctive guitar embellishments adding to the sense of fulfilment. ‘We Want You To Stay’ is a beautiful ballad while there’s a cello/violin accompaniment on the musically and lyrically brilliant ‘Narrow Way’, a song that is comparable to the best of Nick Drake.

It’s impossible not to be moved by ‘We Have Laid Here’ and the anti-war theme continues on my personal favourite ‘Sing Us One of Your Songs May’ with its ephemeral melancholy military drumming and old upright piano. Concerns about the environment and human wellbeing are expressed on ‘Methane River’ and ‘The Room’ (drugs) showing Bill Fay was ahead of his time ecologically as well as musically!

The visceral impact of Bill Fay’s music is omnipresent with the lachrymose string arrangement on ‘Goodnight Stan’ simply heartbreaking while the ‘off the wall’ lyrics like ‘take a watering can to protect yourself’ are endearing! ‘Be Not So Fearful’ was played by Wilco in September, 2007 at Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Fay’s music has had a major influence on Jeff Tweedy) and the band was joined on stage by Bill Fay, ‘a genuinely moving moment’ we are told and I can certainly believe that.

There are two bonus tracks: The first is ‘Screams in the Ears’, a classic 60s single b-side (that should have been the a-side!), deeply personal, episodic but describing a scenario that most of us will relate to backed by some whirlwind drumming. This song could have been a 6minute classic of Bob Dylan proportions but fades too quickly! The a-side ‘Some Good Advice’ is, I agree, ‘slightly melancholic and reflective lyrically, featuring a highly innovative arrangement that in hindsight was many years ahead of its time’. Mark Powell’s statement that ‘Bill Fay’ is a ‘sumptuous and delicately melancholic album’ pretty much sums it up. It’s time to put the record straight and give Bill Fay the prominent place in musical history and heritage that he so obviously deserves.”

Bill’s record label Dead Oceans released this statement:

“The iconic folk singer was called a "gentle man” and a gentleman, wise beyond our times. Bill was still lovingly working on new music just a month before he died, and that there is still some hope to release the album in the future. Bill was a private person with the biggest of hearts, who wrote immensely moving, meaningful songs that will continue to touch people for years to come. Bill's first two albums, “Bill Fay” and “Time of the Last Persecution”, found a modest but loving audience upon their release at the dawn of the 1970s. While they weren't considered commercial successes at the time, they continue to inspire devotion decades on, now known as overlooked classics from the era. With enormous help from producer Joshua Henry, who tracked Bill down and convinced him to make another album, Bill later went on to make three more albums with “Dead Oceans: Life is People” (2012), his first release for forty years; “Who is the Sender?” (2015); and “Countless Branches” (2020), enjoying his cult status in real time.

I have all of the above named albums and find them indispensable. RIP Bill Fay, and thank you.