The CD reissue in 1993 of The Essential John Fahey contains all the tracks from The Yellow Princess and four from Requia, missing only the four-part "Requiem for Molly".

[1] In his Allmusic review, critic Mark Allan describes the album as "Essential John Fahey is not essential, but because it features this extraordinary musician solo and with a band — members of Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne — it could be a good place to start.

"[2] Writing for Dirty Linen magazine, Ivan Emke, in referring to the original albums wrote "Although they did not sell well at the time, they show Fahey well ahead of his time, and in good form.

However, there was also the more standard fingerpicking, including the brilliant "Requiem for John Hurt."

[5] In a review of the original LP release of The Essential John Fahey in the July 3, 1974 Milwaukee Journal, Pierre-Rene Noth praised the release but referred to "Requiem for Molly" as "[Fahey's] worst.. a horrid mix.