Name: Life Is People
Brand: Bill Fay

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

51361

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music US

Limited edition

Release date

2012-08-21

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier US

Secre­tly

Tax rate US

Sales:8.875

UPC / Barcode

656605136127

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Bill Fay

Genre US

60s & 70s

Label US

Dead Oceans

Bill Fay is a UK-based singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began writing music in the early 1960s while studying at university. In 1966, he recorded a demo that caught the attention of ex-Them drummer Terry Noon. With Noon's help, Fay signed a recording contract with Decca Records. Between 1967 and 1971, Decca released a single and two albums by Fay. Despite critical acclaim, these recordings did not sell well, leading to the end of his contract.
In the late 1970s, Fay returned to the studio to record his third album, which was finally released in January 2005 on Durtro/Jnana Records under the name Bill Fay Group. In 2004, Lost Highway Records released a collection of demos recorded between 1966 and 1970 titled "Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow." After over four decades without releasing new material (except for one track in 2000), Bill released a new album of original songs in 2012 called "Life Is People." This was followed by another album in 2015 titled "Who Is The Sender?"
Bill has gained a devoted fan base over the years including country rockers Wilco, songwriter/producer Jim O'Rourke, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and David Tibet of Current93.

bill fay is one of english music's best kept secrets. at the dawn of the 1970s, he was a one-man song factory, with a piano that spilled liquid gold and a voice every bit the equal of ray davies, john lennon, early bowie, or procol harum's gary brooker. he made two solo albums but his contract wasn't renewed, which left his lps and his reputation to become cult items. but he never stopped writing, the music kept on coming. now, in his late sixties, he has produced life is people, a brand new studio album that shows his profoundly humanist vision is as strong as it ever was. his debut on the underground decca nova label, 'bill fay' (1970), included spacious big band jazz arrangements by mike gibbs, but it was the follow-up, 'time of the last persecution' (1971), that cemented his reputation - a harrowing, philosophical and painfully honest diagnosis of an unhealthy society and a messed-up planet, that featured the cream of london's fieriest jazz session players such as guitarist ray russell. unable to make ends meet as a musician, fay wandered through a succession of jobs for years, writing songs privately. both solo albums were re-issued in 1998, and when the likes of jeff tweedy began singing his praises in the early 2000s, bill began to come back into view and wilco even convinced the shy singer to join them onstage in london in 2007. a few cds of bill's early demos and home recordings have since emerged, but life is people is his first properly crafted studio album since 1971. he was motivated by american producer joshua henry, who grew up listening to his dad's bill fay albums on vinyl. spooling through bill's home demos, joshua discovered an incredible trove of material. matt deighton (oasis, paul weller, mother earth) assembled a cast of backup musicians to bring out the songs' full potential. these include deighton on guitar, tim weller (who's played drums for everyone from will young to noel gallagher and goldfrapp), and keyboardist mikey rowe (high flying birds, stevie nicks, etc). in addition, bill is reunited on several tracks with ray russell and drummer alan rushton, who played on 'time of the last persecution'. and it's a stunning return to form. ranging from intimate to cosmic, epic but never grandiose, bill's deeply committed music reminds you of important, eternal truths, and the lessons to be drawn from the natural world, when the materiality and greed threaten to engulf everything. it's time to recognise one of the great english voices. after nearly 50 years, bill fay has finally delivered his masterpiece: as rapturous and soul-stirring as any music you'll hear this year.

Life Is People

Music US