Enigmatic UK-based singer and pianist Bill Fay's dark and haunting work gained him a strong cult following in the late 60s and early 70s. He released two albums on the Deram label in the early 70s and promptly disappeared into relative obscurity for 30+ years. In the last decade, those albums have finally begun to get the recognition they deserve, and Proper Records is proud to bring them back into circulation on 180g vinyl. First up is his self-titled 13-track debut from 1970, an absolute classic of British folk-rock that stands as an overlooked baroque pop classic featuring lavish production well-suited to his rich, evocative songwriting. The album cover features a photograph of Fay standing in water beside a lake in Hyde Park, perfectly capturing the ethereal, introspective quality that would define his work.

Recorded with orchestral arrangements by jazz musician Michael Gibbs and produced by Peter Eden, the album showcases Fay's remarkable ability to blend intimate songwriting with lush, cinematic instrumentation. Critics have noted it should be filed "between Nick Drake and Scott Walker," though Fay's vision remains entirely his own. The album opens with "Garden Song" and its promise of waiting for "rain to anoint me and the frost to awaken my soul," immediately establishing the spiritual and pastoral themes that would characterize his entire catalog. Fay's fantastic songs have touched and inspired many across the decades. His admirers include country rockers Wilco, whose Jeff Tweedy has performed Fay's "Be Not So Fearful" in live performances, songwriter/producer Jim O'Rourke, Ben Chasny of Six Organs Of Admittance, and David Michael of Current 93. The War on Drugs covered Fay's song "I Hear You Calling" at shows throughout 2014, while Stephen Malkmus of Pavement has been recorded covering "We Have Laid Here."

Uncut magazine described him as 'the missing link between Nick Drake, Ray Davies and Bob Dylan', a comparison that speaks to both his melodic sensitivity and his literary approach to songwriting. Fay's work enjoyed a growing cult status in the 1990s. His first two albums were re-issued in 1998, an event which Bill Fay described in 2012 as follows: "Up until 1998, when some people reissued my albums, as far as I was concerned, I was gone, deleted. No one was listening. But then I got the shock that people remembered my music."