Fred Neil-The Many Sides Of (2-CD) EAC FLAC

"Finally, a record label has the sense to reissue folk-era singer-songwriter Fred Neil's three visionary Capitol albums on CD. Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1937, Neil was a major fixture on the early-'60s Greenwich Village folk scene. If he's known for anything today, it's for his songwriting (via Nilsson's AM-radio hit of "Everybody's Talkin,'" Jefferson Airplane's manic cover of "Other Side of This Life," or Tim Buckley's lovely version of "The Dolphins"). Neil's songs are remarkable, the sort of ponderous, moody, complex music reminiscent of the best of Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, and Leonard Cohen. His sound was characterized by nimble 12-string guitar playing; the ability to blend Indian, gospel, rock, and blues into folk music; and an impossibly deep, reverberant baritone voice, sort of like Johnny Cash with a midrange, control, and chops. The material on the two CDs that comprise Many Sides was recorded between 1967 and '71 and presents the entirety of Neil's mature work, adding six unreleased tracks and one historically interesting, hootenanny-imprisoned single. Though there are spots of languorous fooling around and stoned goofiness (notably on the lackadaisical Sessions), the takes are mostly grand, the production ranging from inventively subtle to stripped-down live versions. Fans will also want to scoop up the imports of Neil's '65 debut, Bleecker & MacDougal, and his folknik collaboration with Vince Martin, Tear Down the Walls. Last seen in Texas--or was that Florida?--the music world has not heard from Neil since the '70s. --Mike McGonigal"