''After the Ball'' is an album by the American folk musician John Fahey, released in 1973. It was his second and last recording on the Reprise label and like its predecessor, ''

Of Rivers and Religion ''Of Rivers and Religion'' is an album by American folk musician John Fahey, released in 1972. It was his first recording on a major label (Reprise Records) and is credited to John Fahey and His Orchestra. It marked a significant change from Fah ...

'', it sold poorly.

History

Following in the same mold as Fahey's first album with Reprise, ''Of Rivers and Religion'', accompanists were used on most of the material.

Denny Bruce Denny Bruce (born in 1944 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is an American record producer and artist manager. While living in Los Angeles in 1965 Denny was hired by Frank Zappa as a second drummer with The Mothers of Invention. After 6 months he cont ...

was once again co-producer and many of the musicians were the same. Jack Feierman again wrote the ensemble arrangements. Like ''Of Rivers and Religion'', the Dixieland-style jazz danceband numbers were unlike anything else Fahey had done before. Following the fulfillment of the two-album contract and lackluster sales, Fahey was released from Reprise and went back to recording for his own Takoma label. Speaking of both ''Of Rivers and Religion'' and ''After the Ball'' in a 1998 interview for '' The Wire'', Fahey recalled, "I don't understand why they got bad reviews. It's like every time I wanted to do something other than play guitar I got castigated." "Bucktown Stomp" is an adaptation of "Smoketown Strut" by the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

guitar player Sylvester Weaver. The version of "Candy Man" here is based on Reverend Gary Davis' version. Fahey later re-recorded "Hawaiian Two-Step" as "Spanish Two-Step". The title song, " After the Ball" by

Charles K. Harris Charles Kassel Harris (May 1, 1867 – December 22, 1930) was a well regarded American songwriter of popular music. During his long career, he advanced the relatively new genre, publishing more than 300 songs, often deemed by admirers as ...

, was popularized in

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight Ton ...

and Jerome Kern's 1927 musical '' Show Boat''.

Reception

In his Allmusic review, critic Jeff Schwachter wrote, "...the album suffers from too many mood swings. Individually, however, the tunes are strong and the arrangements very accessible and light." and "The album cover and even the selected tunes and titles are cuttingly funny, but the songs themselves are played warmly and delivered with care, heartfelt arrangements, and a slightly satirical sentimentality." The music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote, "I'd rather listen to this collection of standards and acoustic blues and rag inventions than any rock record this side of the Allmans and the New York Dolls. Conditionally guaranteed." In a review of the reissue, the music critic Thom Jurek called it "...a more up-tempo affair steeped in the Delta blues and in wildly varying New Orleans and bluegrass music."

Reissues

''After the Ball'' was reissued along with ''Of Rivers and Religion'' on CD in 2003 by Warner Bros. Records.

Track listing

Side one

# "Horses" (Fahey) – 2:07 # "New Orleans Shuffle" (Bill Whitmore) – 3:17 # "Beverly" (Fahey) – 4:48 # "Om Shanthi Norris" (Fahey) – 5:49

Side two

# " I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" ( Billy Taylor, Dick Dallas, Fahey) – 2:35 # "When You Wore a Tulip (And I Wore a Big Red Rose)" (

Percy Wenrich Percy Wenrich (January 23, 1880 – March 17, 1952) was an American composer of ragtime and popular music. Personal life and career Born in Joplin, Missouri to Daniel Wenrich and Mary Ray, he left for Chicago in 1901 where he attended classe ...

, Jack Mahoney) – 2:33 # "Hawaiian Two-Step" (Fahey) – 2:39 # "Bucktown Stomp" (Fahey) – 2:14 # "Candy Man" ( Reverend Gary Davis) – 1:26 # " After the Ball" (

, Jerome Kern) – 3:39

Personnel

* John Fahey – guitar * Chris Darrow – guitar, fiddle *Joel Druckman – double bass *

Dick Cary Richard Durant Cary (July 10, 1916 – April 6, 1994) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Cary earned a bachelor's degree in music from Wesleyan University in 1938 and start ...

– piano, horn *Joe Darensbourg – clarinet *Jack Feierman – trumpet *Peter Jameson – guitar *

John Rotella ''Freak Out!'' is the debut studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa's ...

– saxophone *Allen Reuse – banjo, mandolin, ukulele *

Britt Woodman Britt Woodman (June 4, 1920 – October 13, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist. Career Woodman was a childhood friend of Charles Mingus, but first worked with Phil Moore and Les Hite. After service in World War II he played with Boyd Rae ...

– trombone Production notes *John Fahey – producer *

– producer *Jack Feierman – arranger *Doug Decker – engineer * Richie Unterberger – reissue liner notes *Sherman Weisburg – photography

References

{{Authority control 1973 albums John Fahey (musician) albums Albums produced by Denny Bruce Albums produced by John Fahey (musician)