Bill Fay’s second album Time of the Last Persecution (1971) stands as one of the great lost works of British folk-rock. Shifting away from the orchestration of his debut, Fay worked with producer and guitarist Ray Russell to craft a raw, urgent set of songs steeped in spirituality, doubt, and the political turbulence of the era.
The record’s stripped-down sound amplifies Fay’s intensity: Russell’s searing guitar lines frame lyrics that wrestle with faith and human frailty. Tracks like ‘Til The Christ Comes Back’ and ‘Release Is In The Eye’ are commanding statements, while ‘Pictures Of Adolf Again’ grimly confronts the return of authoritarianism only decades after the war. Influenced by the Kent State massacre, the title track envisions reckoning and collapse, echoing anxieties that feel strikingly relevant today.
At the time, the album’s dark tone, discordant edges, and stark sleeve image painted Fay as a potential casualty of the counterculture. Instead, he stepped away quietly, continuing to write while living outside the music industry. Long overlooked, Time of the Last Persecution remains a singular document of troubled times, its apocalyptic vision and poetic depth as compelling as ever.
Pickup currently unavailable at Dreamhouse Records London
