Fred Neil
1966
Tracks
1. Dolphins
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'
7. Everything Happens
8. Sweet Cocaine
9. Green Rocky Road
10. Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga
Amanda: This is a really weird album. I mean, just look at the track listing. I have no idea what the tenth one even says but none of the other titles really make sense either. Fred Neil was an excellent crooner; I don't think we have heard crooning like this since Sinatra. This album was all over the place and it took me until the end to decide if I liked it or not. I think I really did. I felt like this was a very mild dose of Dylan. The lyrics didn't really make sense and you just kind of had to follow along. I liked it better than Dylan though because they were completely confusing. Never heard of Neil before this though.
RATING:
Brie: Fred Neil was probably one of the hippest guys around in the sixties with his innovative form of folk music. Neil took a page out of Bob Dylan's book when he used electric instruments in his folk recordings.
"Dolphins" was a really cool track, and "That's The Bag I'm In" made me feel right at home with that harmonica at the beginning. A few seconds in to listening "Faretheewell" I realized that it is a slower version of "Dink's Song" with a different title, which I love. I only knew Harry Nilsson's version of "Everybody's Talkin'", and I like Fred Neil's version so much better now. His is the original, after all.
A lot of people covered Neil's songs. My favorite cover is "Come Back Boy" by Buddy Holly in 1958.RATING:
Fred Neil was certainly a very good songwriter and singer. He has this distinctive deep voice which I liked. The album is mellow but has a lot of substance: harmonica, electric guitar and so on. That's a bouzouki I'm told on "The Dolphins".
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