Fred Neil

day 32 of not rolling Aja by Steely Dan it's alright but i sort of forgot i was listening to it at some points. that last song reeled me back in a little bit just because it's so different, so that was fun.

This one had major undertones of an album included for its influence rather than its quality. Upon doing some research I discovered that he gave early breaks to Bob Dylan, David Crosby, and others, so that's pretty sick. He was not kidding about saving the Dolphins either.

Not what I expected but I enjoyed it a lot. Idk maybe it's just that I'm in a really good mood. I think I'll be back to this one. Side note: I love when album covers have the "NEW IMPROVED FULL DIMENSIONAL STEREO" logo. Stupid cool

Laid so far back it's cracked its head on the floor. Everybody's Talkin' is a great song, but Nilsson's version is much better.

This isn’t my genre. No offense to Fred.

Old guy music

This guy was clearly a profound influence on Mark Lanegan. Check out Lanegan’s cover of “Ba-Di-Da”. I like the expressive guitars here even more than the singing which itself is quite good. Some tracks are more engaging than others. “Sweet Cocaine” is crazy.

The perfect accompaniment to a chilled, lazy, maybe slightly hungover Sunday

Im not saying its bad, its just not for me.

Не чув про такого) Останній трек просто супер)

Really enjoyed Fred Neil! His psychedelic folk leaned into country and blues which I enjoyed, and the songs felt personal. The dude had a strong voice. Will definitely check out more of his stuff.

Obviously somewhat important to the Greenwich Village Scene, and a good listen. It’s hard to say if much of this really resonated with me. Perhaps another listen would do it justice? Unsure. 6.5/10 Do you NEED to listen to it before you die: Honestly there’s some historical importance to this one that I don’t know enough about so your call really

not really my jam

Favorite songs: Faretheewell (Fred's Tune), Everybody's Talkin', Everything Happens, Sweet Cocaine

So apparently this guy has hailed from the iconic Greenwich NYC folk scene of the 60s which introduced us to Joan Baez and Bobby Dylan, so he's definitely worth looking out. Also he is creator of iconic "Everybodys Talkin'". Now this is quite an alright stuff, great voice and quite interesting songs, but of course he doesn't reach the sky. This is, after all, a fairly average, but enjoyable folk album, so probably 3 stars.

This album is great! Kinda country, kinda jazzy, very heavy on lyrics.

I collect baritones like Pokémon and I was so surprised and delighted to hear a gorgeous voice I somehow hadn't heard before. If you like Fred Neil's voice, please check out Stan Rogers – they sound like two peas in pod to me, with beautiful resonant voices, though Fred has a moodier vibe. I had no idea he was the originator of Everybody's Talkin' (by coincidence I read and loved the book of Midnight Cowboy earlier this year). I'm surprised the 1001 average is rather uncharitable – this is a lovely discovery for me!

Not a lot to say about this one. Good to hear his own "Everybody's Talkin" but apart from that fairly uninteresting. Boring instrumental filler at the end too. I applaud his decades of work with dolphins though.

Great record! What a voice - this is why I do this challenge! 🐬

I'd never heard of this guy, what a pleasant surprise! Great voice, lovely relaxed vibes, and the guy gave it all up to get into dolphin conservation, what more could you want!

Folk isn't totally my thing, but the last extended track.

Didn't mind this!

This was pretty nice. Got a bit weird at the end, but a lovely voice to listen to.

Ei tehny aivan valtavaa vaikutusta. Sinällään ihan jees, mut enpä muista kauheena näin seuraavana päivänä.

En osaa oikeen eritellä et miks, mut tää oli jotenki aika työlään tuntunen 😮‍💨

Kuuntelin levyn eilen ja en edes enää oikein osaa kuvailla sitä. Ei ollut mun makuun, ehkä jotenkin liian teatraalista mut samalla unohdettavaa?

7/10 Some early quality folk - great voice, and some decent songs. Think Inside Llewellyn Davies.

⭐⭐⭐ Folkrock. Bra röst. Helt ok album men blir lite enformigt. Ger det en 3a. Bäst är Everybody's talkin', Sweet cocaine, Cynicrustpetefrejohn Raga

Who is Fred Neil? Unusual that I haven't heard of someone on here, especially from this era. It's okayish. 2.33 rounded down. 2.0

Quand même chill ngl j’ai bien aimé

**An ok, easy listening album

He's a great songwriter and I love the folkier songs, but the album is too long and starts to feel a little samey.

I had never heard of Fred Neil before. Very solid stuff. A great voice. The songs get a bit same-ish after a while but individually lots of good moments, highlights probably Everybody’s Talkin and Sweet Cocaine. (3.5 stars)

Really enjoyed this. It’s not ground breaking but hard to believe people could turn this on and not find something to like. This album was built for a dinner party where you’re waiting for people to arrive and you’re warming up with cocktails.

never heard of this guy before sounds like he did one album then vanished heck of a voice tho 💥that's the bag i'm in 💥everybody's talkin'

Hell of a voice and a super clean whistle solo on this album. Not bad.

Again more of like it was okay 2

Man, that was pretty good folkin' music right there! I especially liked the bluegrass style raga. Pretty neat! ⭐⭐⭐.51

GOOD VOICE Love the dolphin song

mehhhh

this album is.... ok? it's weird.... ive listened to it like 5 times already and yet its just failing to leave much of anything behind? hmm i kind of like the sound, the way the guitar warbles is kind of fun. but "kind of" is really as firm as i feel like i can be describing anything on this album. like, his vocals are kind of nice sometimes. and the harmonica riffs can be kind of cool. but its also kind of samey. and its kind of just not what im looking for from folk rock, i think? idk. it all just washes past me unless i try really hard to lock in and buddy that is not easy with this album. the only thing i know for sure is that the last track is like, the only one that actually grabbed my attention. other than "sweet cocaine" i guess but given the name coming up in its lyrics is what got me i don't think that counts, the last track, the 8 minute long instrumental journey, is pretty cool. but god do i wish the rest of the album had anywhere near as much sauce as that. i'd come back for that one for sure..... just gotta hope i dont forget the album is playing while i burn thru the 9 tracks leading up to it.....

Rather underwhelming, but I enjoyed the raga at the end.

Pretty good freaky americana stuff

This is cool. It’s also my nephew’s name and my brother’s name

i always loved this album and you gotta give it up to a guy who loved dolphins so much he quit making music to become a dolphin guy

Lovely voice

633/1089 - Very laidback. Not a fan of his country-esque voice but the guitarwork is cool. Between a 3 and a 4 on this one.

No private session used for Spotify. Never have heard of Fred Neil, before my time, but hey, lot's of artists are that I have heard of, so that shows you the lack of impact here. I prefer the cover of "Everybody's Talkin'", though I didn't know it was a cover until now. Album is definitely rooted in western, cool acoustic guitar, some harmonica and a voice he leans on a bit too much. Ok listen, but I done with it now.

i liked dis one

I was familiar with a few of the songs - Faretheewell is a favorite, and I went down a rabbit hole about a decade ago seeking out as many versions as I could - this one was a different take, and I missed the melody from the Van Ronk version; Everybody’s Talkin is a classic, but Harry Nilsson’s take is indelible. My favorite track was “That’s the Bag I’m in” but the rest felt kind of forgettable, like some deep cut on a Tarantino soundtrack, chosen mostly for its obscurity, and whose mystique fades when the theatre lights come back on. **

For starters, it has the original version of one of the greatest songs ever written in Everybody's Talkin plus an A plus cocaine jam (I have never done cocaine myself, but for whatever reason I love cocaine songs), not to mention seeds of lyrics and themes borrowed by the GD, lots to love about this one. Giving it a strong 4 stars 8.7.

I'm surprised I haven't heard of him before, and was pleasantly surprised by this record. Instantly recognized the song "Everybody's Talkin'", but I didn't know it was his original (Harry Nilsson's version is the vastly more famous version). Some songs, such as "That's the Bag I'm In", reminded me of Grateful Dead lyrics (probably those by Robert Hunter).

Neil's baritone is the star here - sonorous and lush. He is pleasant to listen to even if he isn't saying anything in particular. Compositionally, these songs sit at the intersection of Sixties folk and country - if you want another *Workingman's Dead* you'll be on familiar ground here, albeit with less going on musically than the Dead were putting forth. I'm not sure there's a ton worth really highlighting - "That's the Bag I'm In" is probably the best - but it's consistently pleasant. I just can't shake the feeling Neil has another gear that he's holding back from on this album.

i liked "Everybody's talking"

Nice, didn't really rock my world.

4 stars because I really enjoyed several songs, but also I’ll admit I did skip a few.

★★★☆☆ I had never heard Fred Neil before, and this one never really clicked with me. His voice was probably my biggest issue, especially on the opening track “The Dolphins,” and some of the lyrics felt pretty corny to me, although I can cut them a little slack considering this was 1966. The bluesier songs worked better. “That’s the Bag I’m In” was my favorite, and I liked the harmonica and extra grit it brought. “Green Rocky Road” was also interesting because I could hear some of the older blues influence and musical history coming through. Even the eight-minute instrumental closer was surprisingly enjoyable and didn't feel nearly as long as I expected. Nothing here was terrible, but there also wasn't much I'd come back to. My track ratings averaged 4.75, and **5/10 feels exactly right. 3 stars.**

Not bad- not really my style. I imagine this album was influential to a lot of artists. Kind of folksy bluesy hybrid.

So good. I'm going to add this to my collection

singer-songwriter

Not too bad as far as singer/songwriter / folk albums go. I like his expressive singing and the acoustic + electric guitar and occasional harmonica parts. This would be a nice one for lounging around on a rainy day. I recognized Everybody's Talkin' from Harry Nilsson's cover (which is admittedly much better). Overall I enjoyed listening to this album but there aren't any individual songs I want to add to my playlist.

This album is a real gem. This is the kind of record I like to hear on the 1001, and that I know is hard to manufacture or "make happen for people" because it's unique to each listener: a true surprise. A discovery worth hanging on to. (And, I wonder if Capitol's graphic design department got the marketing wrong helping to bury this album by picking that photo). Whether directly or indirectly, I immediately hear the influence of Fred Neil's booming baritone in melancholic and rhythmically fluid songs in Orville Peck and Father John Misty. Gems and debts. When we hear these guys navigate spacious melodies in their own way, I think we hear an echo in a cavern that Neil explored long ago.

Ok

Allright this one

It is my firm belief that NOTHING good came out of Greenwich Village... and I'm once again proven right, because this guy is to blame for Bob Dylan and David Crosby (although he's not as bad). PUT THE CHILD DOWN YOU DOLPHIN FIEND

This is #day786 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... how about some folk rock from almost precisely 60 years ago? Moody, bluesy, psychedelic... I don't mind. The last song is a lot like The Velvet Underground's "Heroin," except the latter was only released a year later. Otherwise, this is a 3 out of 5. Looking forward to #day787.

I was worried I would hate this when the album that came up on Apple Music had the genre as “psychedelic” and was two and a half hours long. Thankfully, that was the wrong album and it’s way less psychedelic and only 40 minutes long. Didn’t know this was who sang that “Everybody’s Talking at Me” song

I feel like this had a bit of potential but it sounded a bit too unpolished and the strange left/right mix that was popular in the 60's was disorienting.

2 - I forgot to rate it yesterday and I already forgot what I thought about it. Not a good sign.

Folk. Original Everybody's Talking. ok, men langt sidste nummer, der stikker ud.

This wasn't psychedelic, more like singer/song writer with a guitar.

I’ve heard ‘Everybody’s Talkin’ a million times by a thousand different artists, and had no idea it was written and first released by this dude. Seems he was quite successful yet from asking around I’m not convinced anybody has ever really heard of him. Decent album, certainly not exciting, but probably spawned a whole load of crooners when this came out back in the 60s

Mega bomba divertidão, the doors folk country antes do the doors

Love Fred’s jazzy folk music. Really drifts over you and gives you a warm feeling. Only heard Bleeker and McDougal by Fred previously but this is in a similar vein. Like it a lot. 4

A 1960s crooner album that grew on me the more I listened. Top tracks: "Everybody's Talkin'," "The Dolphin," "Badi-Da"

What a strange album. A very interesting voice. The instrumental track was fun too

--The Dolphins...a fellow baritone! sing deep, my brother --I've Got a Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree)...pleasant --That's the Bag I'm In...ooh, this one's a little sleazy. sleazy is good --Badi-Da...not bad not good --Faretheewell (Fred's Tune)...the lazy river tune (complimentary) --Everybody's Talkin'...first time hearing the original. still good but it's hard to top Nilsson --Everything Happens...not sure how I feel about this one. bluesy but a bit aimless --Sweet Cocaine...standard blues traditional --Green Rocky Road...more pleasantness. still have yet to hear a track that really puts this LP over the top. every track is just sort of nice --Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga...okay, now we're getting a little weird. not only is this decidedly "eastern" relative to other tracks, there's a rawness to it; more of a jam than a song. not much of a jam person myself but this LP needed a little spice after the "Sweet Cocaine"

It was fine. Not spectacular.

Today I learned that “Everybody’s Talkin’” was not written by The Beautiful South! It was actually written by some dude called Fred Neil and originally appeared on his self-titled album in 1966. Every day is a school day with this challenge. Fred Neil is described as one of the pioneers of folk, which instantly made me think I was going to hate this album. Surprisingly, I didn’t. In fact, it starts really well. I enjoyed pretty much everything up to and including “Sweet Cocaine”. Neil has a great deep voice and there’s a relaxed simplicity to the music that I quite enjoyed. Unfortunately, the second half completely lost me. It becomes incredibly slow and dull, and songs like “Look Over Yonder” and “Merry Go Round” seemed to go absolutely nowhere. By the end I was more than ready for it to finish. So a real album of two halves. The first half was a pleasant surprise and much better than I expected, but the second half was a slog. Favourite track: I quite enjoyed “Sweet Cocaine”. “Everybody’s Talkin’” is obviously a great song too. Least favourite tracks: Most of the second half. “Look Over Yonder” and “Merry Go Round” were particularly dull. Album artwork: Creepy album cover. Fred looks like he’s watching you through the window.

I liked it, my kind of music

peaceful and nice

Enjoyed this album. Didn't think much of it until the last song, Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga, which is rather exceptional. This one song is what creative, emotive, music is all about. Kudos to the Band.

294. ok

This was more intriguing than I expected. Giving it an extra half star because I had no idea he wrote Everybody’s Talkin Now. Love that song and always assumed that Harry wrote it.

Track By Track The Dolphins - Nice, echoey, very classic guitar. Like his voice very much. It’s got a slight crooner quality but more modern and perhaps more unique. It has that slightly minor/seventh harmonies that speak of melancholy. A touch of Scott Walker. I’ve Got A Secret (Didn’t We Shake Sugaree) - Nice almost jaunty melody in the beginning. Sweet whistling. Moody vibe still though, with a pretty tune. I’ve heard ‘Shake Sugaree’ I think, by Elizabeth Cotten before. It’s a nice little translation of that. Digging it. Nice solo as well. That’s The Bag I’m In - More Americana-y almost. Bit like a Bukowski poem. Not sure why it’s reminding me of that but hey. Ba-Di-Da - Flows into this nicely from the previous number. Didn’t even notice the transition! A similar vibe. Didn’t love this as much. But more middling but still ok. Faretheewell (Fred’s Theme) - Much more atmospheric. Very much his own version of a classic folk tune. Really enjoyed. I may have heard this version before actually. His low notes hit very hard and beautifully in this. Lovely. Everybody’s Talkin’ - Did he write this? I think he may have done. Both Nilsson (whose version is more famous) and Neil are credited on Apple Music as writers. In any case, this version is quintessentially Neil’s. More atmospheric, slower. You can really hear more parts of the song. The tenderness in it. There’s an ache in there. Everything Happens - A decent number. A bit more plodding and country sounding. Less a fan of this one than the others. The band sounds very blended in the production as well. Sweet Cocaine - A very him version of this classic. Possibly adding in his own lyrics as well? So many people have done versions of this: Keith Richard’s, Nick Drake, & so on. There’s a positivity to the chord changes even though the song is kind of lamenting also. Nice. Green Rocky Road - Interesting take on this one. Very drawly waltz. Did not like this quite as much. Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga - This was a cool little foray into the structure of Indian music. Kind of weirdly works in the context of the album! Very evocative of the experimentation of the ‘60s music scene. I liked the atmospheric, background sort of feel. Not bad at all. Overall Review: I had heard one or two of Fred’s songs before, notably ‘Little Bit Of Rain’, where I was struck by his voice. Really distinctive. That depth. So beautiful. I will say after 6 or 7 songs, his voice almost gets to be too much. But the songs are strong, tenderly sang and performed. A great record. Very impressed with most of it. 3.8/5 Favourite Songs: The Dolphins, I’ve Got A Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree), Faretheewell (Fred’s Theme)

This is just such nice easy listening. Makes me feel like a cowboy.

Well that was a pleasant surprise. Most enjoyable. And I (almost) preferred Fred’s version of “Everybody’s Talkin’”. It’s rare that I haven’t every heard of an entry on this list, but Fred I hadn’t. And therefore there would have been no conceivable way I would ever have heard this without doing this thing. And it is exactly why I signed up. 3/5.

I was surprised by this album. I went in totally blind, except for expectations created by the date of release and album cover. With the beginning of the opening track I thought “2.” By the end, I almost am going 5. That baritone is… awesome/ seductive. This mixture of folk weirdness is also awesome. I realize I am not in the mainstream. 🤷‍♀️ 4 Boolean: TRUE- thank you 1089! Another day, another great listen!

I imagine Fred Neil being on an early Wes Anderson project and suddenly I like it more.

This is really pretty cool. These songs are great folk tracks, and love the raga at the end. I'd never heard of this guy. I'll go back to this one. 4/5

Obviously heard and love everybody’s talkin but never heard this album - good stuff!

Fairly boring, sorry

TL;DR: Sporadically effective folk-rock with that one song you know from that thing. BEFORE: Never heard of it. What the fuck is this cover. I know Nilsson's version of Everybody's Talkin' because I don't live under a rock. AFTER: Interesting production choice to have the bass so much louder than everything else - makes this a tougher listen than it needs to be. Neil has a great voice - deep and clear but still earthy with a hint of raspiness. HIGHLIGHTS: The Dolphins is a genuinely cool song - pastoral but veering towards psychedelia. I've Got A Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree) and Green Rocky Road are similarly gentle songs with powerful vocals. That's The Bag I'm In and Badi-Ba have a bluesy authenticity that lends emotional heft to the songs. Everybody's Talkin' is a great song, although Nilsson's version improves on the original. LOWLIGHTS: I've Got A Secret is a poorly chosen song title given the album cover. Everything Happens is aimless noodling with chord changes that sound like a child playing with a pre-programmed keyboard. Cocaine Blues is generic, middling blues. The "raga" at the end is overlong and an underwhelming way to finish. VERDICT: Another 3. It's pretty good but not enough to justify being on this list and the second best song here is the inferior original version of Nilsson's cover. The Dolphins is great though.

Meh

Not bad

Cracker blues album, only knew Everybody's Talkin' beforehand but some great tunes on here.

It’s alright but would go for Simon & Garfunkel ahead of this if I wanted this style of music

What in the world am I listening to? There’s a man with a deep mellow pleasant voice singing country/folk ballads. When suddenly- a whole tribute song to COCAINE appears! Never mind we’re back to more mundane ballads. However let’s wind things up with an 8 minute long instrumental based on Indian music ok? That makes sense? THIS ALBUM IS WHACKY Also: his voice is VERY similar to Chris Isaak, which made me look up of any of his albums are on this list. And there are none! Which is also whacky!!!

Really nice album, some well written songs and a few that are a little less interesting. Bluesy harmonica, some good acoustic guitar. Overall, an interesting one to get into, especially when I'm just driving around in Jon Voight's car. I do believe the songwriter's typewriter got stuck typing up the name for the last song, however.

10 songs Boring and uninspiring, I can't even be arsed to write a hate review on this.