Fred Neil - Other Side Of This Life (1971)

Fred Neil was an influential American singer-songwriter.

Fred Neil had been a major figure of the New York folk scene in the early 60s, and inspired many better-known artists. However his recorded output was very sparse. He released no albums at all in the late 60s as he faded into obscurity, retreating to Coconut Grove, Florida (where his one-time musical partner Vince Martin had also gone). His song "Everybody's Talkin'" became a massive hit for Harry Nillson in 1969, whose version won a Grammy after being featured in the film Midnight Cowboy. The song has since become a well-known standard, though most are not aware of its author. By the end of the 60s Neil had pretty much retired.

A final album did come out in 1971, compiled from live recordings and studio outtakes, so he may well have had no involvement with his release. The live half of Other Side Of This Life was recorded years back in New York, with Neil backed by second guitarist Monte Dunn. The studio half featured alternate takes of a few tunes, plus some surprise duets, one with jazz pianist Les McCann and one with country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons (the latter on a cover of William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water").

Neil was barely heard of again for the rest of his life. He reportedly returned to the studio in the 70s, but the recordings were never released, and he only occasionally performed in public. He died in 2001.

Sessions (1967) <|
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Fred Neil - Sessions (1967)

Fred Neil was an influential American singer-songwriter.

1967's Sessions was an interesting record for Fred Neil, coming after his critically lauded self-titled album. It featured the same sounds and textures, his rich baritone voice riding on waves of jangling, buzzing guitars and other stringed instruments. However whilst Fred Neil for the most part consisted of concise songs, Sessions featured only seven tracks, many of them very long, with more focus on grooves and jams than the songs themselves. Detractors of the album would call it unfocused and rambling. Those in favour would still call it inspired. The musicians around Neil (guitarists Bruce Langhorn, Cyrus Faryar and Pete Childs, and standup bassist James E. Bond Jr) are given plenty of room to explore and improvise, their approach at times bordering on jazz. Neil's lyrics themelves almost seem improvised at certain points, and at times break into echoes of his past as a folk singer (in particular there are certain lines of the traditonal "In The Pines" which pop up). The overall mood of the album is more sparse and darker than its predecessor, and could be called it's experimental, uncommercial counterpart.
It includes one surprising cover, a moody rendition of Percy Mayfield's classic blues ballad "Please Send Me Someone To Love".

Fred Neil (1966) <|> Other Side OF This Life (1971)
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Fred Neil & Vince Martin - Tear Down The Walls (1964)

Fred Neil and Vince Martin were American singer-songwriters who performed and recorded together in the early 60s.

By 1964 both Fred Neil and Vince Martin had gained much experience in the music business. Martin had had a hit with "Cindy, Oh Cindy" in 1956 with The Tarriers, whilst Neil was a major figure in the New York Greenwich Village folk scene (he had previously released several obscure singles dating back to the late 50s). Before either of their solo careers really took off they performed together in New York, and were renowned for their lively concerts. They recorded Tear Down The Walls as a harmonizing duo, backed by Felix Pappalardi on guitarron (a type of Mexican bass) and John Sebastian on harmonica, and it was released on the Elektra label during the tail end of the American folk revival. Neil's deep, dark voice contrasted well with Martin's clear, high tones, leading one to wonder what other things they could have done if they had remained together as a duo in the folk-rock era. The songs were a diverse mixture of folk traditionals and original numbers (mostly from Neil), as well as Travis Edmonson's "I'm A Drifter" and the Bonnie Dobson classic "Morning Dew".

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Fred Neil - Bleecker & MacDougal (1965)

Fred Neil was an influential American singer-songwriter. 

Fred Neil was born in Ohio in 1936, and from an early age benefited from a life of music, travelling across the US with his father (who worked as a representative of a jukebox company). In the late 50s Neil moved to New York and found work as a songwriter at the famous Brill Building (one of his best-known songs from this time was "Candy Man", a 1961 hit for Roy Orbison). He also released a few obscure singles of his own. In the early 60s he became part of the New York folk scene, and performed as a duo with Vince Martin (they released an album together, 1964's Tear Down The Walls).

His first solo album came out in 1965. This was a time when folk singers were beginning to move away from traditional material and start focusing on original songs (a move led by Bob Dylan), and retrospectively it can be said that the folk singer was maturing into the singer-songwriter. Bleecker & MacDougal can be considered part of the tail-end of the folk revival, as the folk-rock phenomenon prepared to take off. Stylistically it's all folk-blues, with his rich baritone voice backed by guitar and harmonica (the latter played by John Sebastian). A closer look at the material reveals it all to be original (with the exception of his adaptation of the folk standard "The Water Is Wide").

|> Fred Neil (1966)
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Fred Neil - Fred Neil (1966)

Fred Neil was an influential American singer-songwriter.

Fred Neil's epoymous second album (third overall if you count his collaboration with Vince Martin, Tear Down The Walls) came out in 1966, when the folk-rock and singer-songwriter genres were taking off - it’s often considered an important album in the development of both genres. Leaving the tradition of folk songs as protest music behind, its lyrics focused on more personal and introspective matters. Indeed it was here that he made the transition from 'folk singer' to 'singer songwriter', being among the first to do so. 

The sound of the album was moody, bluesy and melodic, based around Neil’s rich baritone voice and layers of shimmering acoustic and tremolo electric guitars. The backing musicians consisted of Pete Childs, John Forsha and Cyrus Faryar on guitars (and bouzouki), Jimmy Bond on bass, and Billy Mundi on drums. Also featured Alan Wilson of Canned Heat on harmonica. All songs were Neil originals, and included the classic “Everybody’s Talkin’” (which was a hit for Harry Nilsson three years later). Also notable is the final instrumental track, with its psychedelic raga-esque groove.

Nowadays the album is considered a true classic, and is undeniably Neil's greatest work.

Bleecker & MacDougal (1965) <|> Sessions (1967)
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