Delving back into some early folk rock, I haven’t really ever heard of Fred Neil before, but am incredibly interested based on the track list alone. There seems to be a song that Jerry Garcia’s “Sugaree” might loosely allude to, plus the last track has raga in the title, so I’m pretty stoked to check this out. This is Fred Neil’s second album and it received pretty solid reviews from what I can tell. Fred Neil was a pioneer in the early days of folk rock according to Wikipedia, so I’m stoked to check out some of his music. With that said, I’m going to go ahead and jump on into the music.
“The Dolphins” starts out with some super interesting tremelo electric guitar that gets the soundscape nearly in a whirl. Oh wow, Neil’s voice has a mystical deep storytelling style, like a super deep Marty Robbins or something of the sort. Holy smokes, this tune is awesome. There’s a steady rockin’ groove from the rhythm section while the acoustic guitar plays really pleasant accentuations of the swirling tremelo chords from the electric guitar. This song is awesome. There is debatably even a certain layer of psychedelia in the form a little raga lines from the acoustic guitar as everything melts together in some musical aether. Great tune.
“I’ve Got A Secret (Didn’t We Shake Sugaree)” starts out really pleasantly with some gentle acoustic guitar and some strange, nearly swirling electric guitar underneath. The vocal performance from Neil has a really nice country inflected twang to it almost. Wow, this is sweet. I think this one definitely influenced Jerry Garcia’s own “Sugaree” – the vocal line with ‘sugaree’ in it sounds super similar, and refreshingly so. It sounds like Jerry Garcia might come in at any moment for his own verse. This song is super sweet. The acoustic guitar is super pleasant, and the whistling makes this song feel super natural and wholesome in sound. Really great tune.
“That’s The Bag I’m In” comes on with some super tasty bluesy folk with some tremelo electric guitar, bluesy acoustic guitar, and super tasty bluesy harmonica. Oh wow, these vocals have such a deep tone. This is almost like a sort of Hank Williams meets Frank Sinatra meets some folksy blues. Holy smokes, this tune is awesome. I’m super into this album so far, and definitely am considering picking it up on vinyl already. Wow, this song is awesome.
“Ba-Di-Da” starts out in a super twisting bluesy manner – as though you can’t really tell the general direction the song is headed, as the melody descends in an almost minor key then climbs back up in what sounds like a major key – absolutely awesome. The electric guitar gently plays some super clean licks in its own corner while the acoustic guitar and drums and bass give a really groovy framework to the song. Holy smokes, the harmonica just started really laying into the song and its incredibly tasty. Oh wow, everything comes together and the loudness creates a sort of super tasty distortion for a moment for it all to blend together and give some grit to the tune. The acoustic guitar work is fascinating to some degree, and almost reminds me a little of Bert Jansch. Great tune.
“Faretheewell (Fred’s Tune)” starts out in a really slow, smooth manner that sounds nearly melancholic in nature. Oh wow, there seems to almost be some other roots in this tune that are used in “Brokedown Palace” by the Grateful Dead. There almost seems to be a banjo or other earthy, folksy instrument that plucks out a really pleasant melody overtop the slow, nearly river-like backdrop created by the smooth and clean electric guitar chords and the gently pulsating pump from the bass that’s keeping the song flowing nicely. Really pleasant tune.
“Everybody’s Talkin'” starts out in a really earthy and folksy way with the almost emerging-from-a-river-like sound in the acoustic guitar – earthy and rich in sound. The bass line really keeps the song gently grooving along its soft sound. Wow, this tune is super nice. I’m definitely digging this album.
“Everything Happens” has a super earthy feel once again, like a sturdy mix of country and folk, digging roots into what could be an Americana type of sound. Holy smokes, this electric guitar lick is awesome. The jangling acoustic guitar sort of rambles around and seems to find a way back into the melody as it continues on. Super groovy.
“Sweet Cocaine” has a super bluesy sound to it right away with that prominent harmonica. The bluesy electric guitar goes along with the steady folk rockin’ blues tune really nicely. Holy smokes, the harmonica really squeals for a moment. This tune is super tasty, and a great bluesy listen.
“Green Rocky Road” seems to have a bit of a folksy meandering feel to the nearly waltz-like meter of the tune. The drums really chug along nicely in a way that serves the tune incredibly well – nothing too complex but still gives a really great framework on the opposite side of the soundscape from most of the stringed instruments. The bass works alongside the drums really nicely to gently move things forward – really groovy. The medley of acoustic guitars is super tasty as each instrument seems to play its own counterpoint to the whole tune. Really great tune.
“Cynicrustpetefredjohn Raga” has a heck of a mouthful for a name, and some super tasty raga-inflected melodies from the electric guitar and acoustic guitars. There’s such a rapid pace to this too, almost like a train going full-steam ahead. Oh wow, the acoustic guitar gets some really tasty notes in alongside the bouzouki. Oh wow, that harmonica in a raga setting is super interesting. It’s almost like Neil is tying this album up in a somewhat psychedelic fashion. The drums have a super great groove to them, nearly mimicking the sound of a train rolling along some tracks. The electric guitar has a bit of distortion in the short little staccato’d lines played, giving some really interesting dimension to the song. Oh wow, the harmonica almost sounds like feedback for a moment. This jam is super sweet. It’s almost a bit rockier version of something from The Incredible String Band’s The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (1967) album I listened to recently – mixing both folk and raga in a super intriguing fashion. Oh wow, this tune sounds like it’s unwinding at this point, and I’m super into it. The outro of this tune is really awesome as everything seems to gently come together for a really tasty finish. Really awesome tune.
Holy smokes, this album was awesome. If you dig folk rock at all, especially early folk rock, I would recommend this album to you. If you just dig blues rock or psychedelic rock, I would still recommend this album to you. Though not overtly or even necessarily psychedelic, there’s a really great touch to the music through the use of Indian raga’s mixed together with some folk and blues, and even a little country, which all combine to form a really great and unique listening experience. If you do decide to give this one a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the experience at least as much as I did.
-A