It was rumored that an entire album known as the Nuthouse sessions was rejected, leading to the release of John Fahey Visits Washington D.C.

"[12] Music critic Richie Unterberger praised the album, noting the "stellar picking and an eclectic range of influences...

"[9] From his review for the UK-based Record Collector, critic Sid Smith gave the album 4 stars, writing "... although the landscape may look and sound familiar, nothing is quite what it seems.

Circuitous, complex lines are unfurled into rare, blooming chords in much the way a magician pulls flowers out of his pocket.

However, it’s the gothic rumbles of "Guitar Lamento" that remind us how Fahey’s use of space and haunting repetition created glorious epic moods tempered with a bleak intensity that still resonates.