Bill Fay - Bill Fay

Bill Fay is the debut album by English folk singer, pianist and songwriter Bill Fay, originally released in 1970 via Deram Records.

More than 40 years ago, Fay, then a young Londoner, released two stunning albums of ambitiously produced and spiritually minded folk rock.  These were deleted as his label dropped him after the release of his second album Time of the Last Persecution.  Supporting himself with odd jobs over the years, he did make some recordings in the late ’70s and early ’80s, (later released as Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow). His work enjoyed a growing cult status in the 1990s, his first two albums being re-issued in 1998, an event which Bill Fay described in a 2012 interview with Spin.com as a "shock" when he got an unexpected phone call from American producer Joshua Henry, urging him to put his vision back into the world.

The songs in the self titled album sound sombre and earnest, sung with the ambitious intent of someone who believes in the content of his songs. leading up into a peak before settling. There are also a couple of storytelling songs like Gentle Willie.  Fay is a songwriter at heart, having begun at an early age and continuing on to the present day, dispite having no label to release his material through.  

"My sister-in-law showed me a little party piece on the piano when I was 14 or 15 years old and from then on writing songs was a natural thing to do. It became second nature. It’s great to find a song, finish it, and move on to the next one. That’s how it is with me, really."- Bill Fay, 2012.

Check out a couple of songs from the album:  Garden Song, The Sun Is Bored, and Be Not So Fearful.

This LP Record is a Reissue (December 2009) on 180 Gram Vinyl with Replicated Artwork including a Peep Hole to a Printed Inner Sleeve (Blue = Stereo), with Remastered Audio and a Digital Download Code, pressed in the UK.