Along with John Fahey and Lleo Kottke, Robbie Basho was one of the big three acoustic guitar innovators to emerge in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s.

Though the least commercially successful of the three in his lifetime, his deeply spiritual approach, intellectual rigor, and formal innovations have continued to win converts since his untimely death at age 45 in 1986.

Basho’s first recordings were on Takoma, the label started by his college chum John Fahey

After Fahey signed with Vanguard, Basho followed suit and recorded two albums for the label, Voice of the Eagle and Zarthus, in 1972 and 1974, respectively. Basho’s most commercially successful recordings came later in the decade for the windham hill label.

In 2009, Vanguard contacted guitarist and Basho champion Glenn Jones with the intriguing news that a tape had been found containing an unreleased album session but the tape lacked any real documentation. It was not until research for this release began that Jones
discovered that both the unreleased album and the two official Vanguard releases had all been recorded at one early ‘70s marathon recording session by Vanguard engineer Jeff Zaraya. Thus songs of the great mystery—the lost vanguard sessions takes its place as the third of the triumvirat of albums Basho recorded for the label explores some of the same native american themes as voice of the eagle. Some songs, like “a day in the life of lemuria,” “night way,” and “laughing thunder, crawling thunder” showed up on later albums in markedly different forms.

The album also includes a number of new compositions, including “song of the great mystery,” which highlights Basho’s amazing acoustic guitar technique and touch. Vanguard briefly put these sessions up digitally when they were found, but this real gone music release represents the first physical release of any kind.

The alternate take of “a day in the life of lemuria,” which Jones discovered, has never been heard anywhere, not even online.