The Thing At The Nursery Room Window

Description

Displaying a mastery of both the 6- and 12-string guitar, this avowed "offbeat eccentric" has won lots of admirers for his playing and composing-even though he never achieved the recognition of a John Fahey or Leo Kottke. His 1972 debut-reissued here with three bonus tracks!-is one of the best fingerpicking albums you ll ever hear.Although Peter Lang never achieved the public recognition of Takoma Records labelmates Leo Kottke and John Fahey, his fingerstyle guitar playing has long been an inspiration to other guitarists. On The Thing at the Nursery Room Window, Lang s 1973 solo debut, some of his original compositions such as "Turnpike Terror" and "Bituminous Nightmare" show a bit of the Fahey influence, particularly in the use of dissonance and unusual chord progressions. But overall his playing has an elegant simplicity that is wholly his own. Although Lang is a master at composing short pieces--five of the selections clock in at less than two minutes--the most successful track is the nine-minute "Future Shot at the Rainbow." On this track Lang runs through a set of variations on a theme that skillfully blends elements of ragtime and classical music with folk and blues. The Thing at the Nursery Room Window, which includes three bonus tracks not on the original LP, is a long overdue reissue from an unjustly neglected guitarist. --Michael Simmons