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Sunday, 9 August 2020

"Do You Ever Think Of Me?" by FRED NEIL – Including His Third US Album "Fred Neil" from January 1967 and Fourth US Album "Sessions" from February 1967 both originally on Capitol Records in Stereo (August 2003 and October 2012 UK Rev-Ola CD Compilation – Remasters Licensed from EMI) - A Review by Mark Barry...







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"... That's The Bag I'm In..."

Anyone wanting to explore the short but stunning career of Ohio's greatest known/unknown Folk Hero FRED NEIL will probably be alarmed at the sheer array of CD titles afforded him and their equally uninviting price tags.

Almost everything about Neil invites the word 'cult' which is usually followed by 'oh my God' and 'how did I live without this', then the inevitable mumbling of the moniker 'genius' followed by the world-weary admission of 'I missed a trick here man – what a putz'. But what do you buy and why? I’d like to suggest two (this nugget being one of them). To the other first...

The cavernous-voiced Fred Neil began his album career with two storming Americana/Folk Rock LPs on Elektra Records in 1964 and 1965. "Tear Down The Walls" was a duet set with pal and fellow guitarist and singer Vince Martin who in turn would have a solo LP on Capitol Records in June 1969 (see my review for “If The Jasmine Don’t Get You...The Bay Breeze Will” on Barcode 5013929443921 – a January 2006 Rev-Ola CD reissue). That tandem effort was followed by the fabtastic "Bleecker And MacDougal" - a huge one in Fred Neil's catalogue – his first solo album proper titled after the famous street in Greenwich Village where he busked and played gigs with Bob Dylan and Karen Dalton (there is a photo of all three at the microphone on the A-side of the foldout inlay – now there's an unplugged gig I wouldn't mind seeing!). It also contained his most famous song outside of "Dolphins" - the gorgeous "Everybody's Talkin'" made a worldwide smash by Harry Nilsson when it was used to play out that greyhound bus sequence in the Jon Voight/Dustin Hoffman movie "Midnight Cowboy". In fact such was the success of the film and the song, that Elektra repackaged "Bleecker And MacDougal" in January 1970 after a song on the LP called "Little Bit Of Rain" and reissued it on Elektra EKS-74073 in Stereo only (its different artwork and "Little Bit Of Rain" title is shown on the flipside of the foldout inlay).

Soon to become a legendary Producer at Elektra with Paul Butterfield and The Doors, PAUL ROTHCHILD twiddled the knobs on "Bleecker and MacDougal" whilst both albums benefitted from and featured The Lovin' Spoonful main-man John Sebastian on Harmonica and future Cream Producer and Mountain rocker Felix Pappalardi on varying guitars (Pappalardi produced "Disraeli Gears" for Cream). Rhino reissued and remastered both of these rare and desirable albums onto 1CD in October 2001 as part of their '2 Classic Elektra Albums' CD Reissue Series (cut and paste the following Barcode 081227356323 to locate the disc and read my gushing gussets review).

Which brings us here - to door number two - the second and final part of his musical career that played out on Capitol Records (USA). Neil signed to the EMI label and recorded the self-titled "Fred Neil" in late 1966 - issued January 1967 - and a barebones recorded live-to-two-track follow-up album called "Sessions" issued in February 1968. And that's where this jumping little beauty comes a-swirling in - containing as it does both of those Capitol records in their STEREO entirety. Here are the CD details...

UK and EUROPE released 5 August 2003 (reissued 15 October 2012) - "Do You Ever Think Of Me?" by FRED NEIL on Rev-Ola CR REV 47 (Barcode 5013929434721) is a 17-Track CD Compilation of Sixties Capitol Records Remasters that plays out as follows (80:12 minutes):

1. The Dolphins [Side 1]
2. I've Got A Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree)
3. That's The Bag I'm In
4. Ba-De-Da
5. Faretheewell (Fred's Tune)
6. Everybody's Talkin' [Side 2]
7. Everything Happens
8. Sweet Cocaine
9. Green Rocky Road
10. Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga
Tracks 1 to 10 are his third album "Fred Neil" - released January 1967 in the USA on Capitol Records T 2665 (Mono) and Capitol ST 2665 (Stereo) - the STEREO MIX is used for this CD. Produced by NICK VENET. On the success of the John Schlesinger Directed movie "Midnight Cowboy" (issued into theatres May 1969) and the use of the Fred Neil cover version song "Everybody's Talkin'" in its closing credits, Capitol reissued the "Fred Neil" album as "Everybody's Talkin' (Theme From Midnight Cowboy)" with the same ten tracks but in Stereo only on Capitol Records ST 294.

11. Felicity [Side 1]
12. Please Send Me Someone To Love
13. Merry-Go-Round
14. Look Over Yonder
15. Fools Are A Long Time Comin' [Side 2]
16. Looks Like Rain
17. Roll On Rosie
Tracks 11 to 17 are his fourth studio album "Sessions" - released January 1968 in the USA on Capitol Records T 2862 (Mono) and Capitol ST 2862 (Stereo) - the STEREO MIX is used for this CD. Produced by NICK VENET and recorded in October 1967 - musicians included Bruce Langhorn, Cyrus Faryar, Peter O. Child and Eric Glen Hord all on Acoustic Guitars with James E. Bond, Jr. on Bass (Fred Neil played Twelve-String Guitar and did all Vocals)

JOE FOSTER did the new 2003 liner notes on the six-leaf double-sided foldout inlay. It pictures the two Elektra Albums, the two on Capitol and his live set that finished out his three-album deal with Capitol Records - "Other Side Of This Life" (his only album issued in the UK, June 1971). The info comes hard and fast and like so much about this deep-voiced giant of US Folk is laced with fascinating tales of the man who was famous amongst contemporaries but unrecognised by most everyone else (until 1969 really). An enigma to the end, Neil famously quit music and fame in 1971 to spend the next thirty years of his life defending and championing the study of water life - especially Dolphins in the warm waters of his beloved Florida. Loads of admirers have covered his tunes, there are details from Nick Venet who produced both records and on it goes to his sad demise in July 2001 – thirty years on and no new music (Foster gives websites too worth visiting).

There is literally no Audio credit except that Rev-ola have licensed the tapes from EMI - but whatever way you dig this - the audio is gorgeous - truly lovely - especially on that very Tim Buckley-sounding "Sessions" album – loose and trippy like Buckley doing "Song To The Siren". Both records are full of original beguiling tunes and the second album - a wildly underrated platter in my book – despite the fact that many feel it was a slap-dash effort due to the way in which it was recorded (most are Take 1). To the songs...

The first thing that hits you when you play "Fred Neil" is the VOICE - a huge expressive deep-lunged thing not dissimilar to Tim Buckley at his deep-vocal-dancing best when he was over on Elektra and Straight Records between 1966 and 1970. All songs are FN originals and the gorgeous opener "Dolphins" sets the tone – swirling lead guitars courtesy of Peter 'Super Fingers' Childs and John Forsha while Cyrus Faryar and Bill Mundi bring up the rhythm section rear. Contemplating war and a world that seems destined to screw itself over no matter what, Neil tells us he's been searching for Dolphins in the sea, but then wonders when he thinks of a certain lady – do you ever think of me? Neil whistles the opening to "I've Got A Secret..." - lovely guitar solo too. Out comes the Harmonica for "Ba-De-Da" - tired of city life to the extent that he just mumbles the song's zippity doo-dah title. Far better is the shimmering beauty of "Faretheewell (Fred's Tune)" - a slow love song that feels like its actually trembling in front of you as he says goodbye in the drizzling rain - all around his heart - an aching pain.

Side 2 of "Fred Neil" opens with a song that he'd recorded in 1966 that would change his life - "Everybody's Talkin'". Even now its a stunner - I'm going where the sun keeps shining - where the weather suits my clothes - skipping over the ocean like a stone - gorgeous Remaster quality as the acoustic guitars ping and shake. Though I would have to be truthful in saying that when Nilsson speeded up its pace for his "Midnight Cowboy" versions and added his equally expressive vocal turns - it became something altogether bigger than both of them. It's probably one of my favourite songs evah! "Everything Happens" is good without ever being great - nice audio too. Truer to his reflective personality, the same thing is going to happen again, whistling the blues, cops called by some snake, just can't win on "That's The Bag I'm In". Almost jaunty country blues, "Cocaine" runs around his heart and brain - bittersweet but smart enough to know that its making his very soul sick. I love "Green Rocky Road" - that Fred Neil languid vibe - rolling acoustic guitars as Mary stumbles by the wall and Fred asks "...who do you love?" The album ends on 8:13 minutes of "Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga" - an acoustic instruments freak out that can be seen as genius or obvious filler (or both).

For me the second album "Sessions" from February 1968 is a winner too – albeit one that is completely forgotten now. The simple-acoustic opener "Felicity" is apparently Take 5 and at 2:12 minutes represents one of the album’s shorter cuts. Somewhere the sun will shine, the melody returning again as a Dobro comes sexily in when you least expect it. He follows that with the LP's only cover version – Percy Mayfield's old R&B hit "Please Send Me Someone To Love". A huge double-bass note gives the BIG voice its lead in – like Danny Thompson playing with John Martyn – if it’s not asking too much – love it and gorgeous audio as the boys play an acoustic blinder.

There follows a three-song-smash for me. "Merry-Go-Round" is 5:51 minutes of swirling acoustic guitars lazily floating out of your speakers - his shaking vocals beautifully controlled as the players pick out complimentary notes and fills (sometimes I often think of Steve Hackett's acoustic work with Genesis in the early Seventies). "Look Over Yonder" stretches to 8:32 minutes and is even quieter - a gorgeous vibe as he moans the opening words - its Van Morrison unplugged and inspired - the sun won't go down - whippoorwill wind - stunning stuff. "Fools Are A Long Time Comin'" weighs in at 5:15 minutes - idiots in the backyard - looking glass telling you lies as the guitars twang and ping. It rolls to a finish with two more Buckley-like work-outs - 7:16 minutes of "Looks Like Rain" and 8:26 minutes of "Roll On Rosie" - an acoustic romper that reminds me of the magic Bruce Langhorn created on Bob Dylan's "Main Title Theme (Billy)" to the 1973 "Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid" soundtrack - an instrumental many have used for weddings because of its evocative beauty as the bride walks towards her future (Langhorn plays lead acoustic guitar on this Fred Neil album). You can be my woman Rosie, because I'm gonna be your man. Amen...

For sure this CD has been deleted a while now and is in itself pushing the thirty-quid mark regularly. But alongside that Rhino reissue of 2001 - "Do You Ever Think Of Me?" by FRED NEIL on Rev-Ola CR REV 47 of 2003 is so worth the punt. I know with all the legend that surrounds Fred Neil - some are disappointed when they hear the albums - but not me. I worship this stuff and him and that's most definitely the bag I'm in (baby)...

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