Once I heard "The Dolphins" I had to buy the cd. I'd never heard of him, but his voice resonates thru many truths. Enjoy.
August 3, 2008Fred Neil just puts me in that state. You know the one where you think of that old guy in town that would come into the office and ask for "Ayndy". That's what Neil's recording does. He brings back memories of all "questionable activity" that goes on down by the park near the edge of town. Man that old dude could sure write a ton of letters as well. I miss him. Neil's exquisite compositions remind me of that 100-year old freak. I have no idea what he's doin' now. Probably pullin' up weeds in his garden or listening to the 80s station in town or just hanging out at the grocery store sucking down coffee with some other old guys. I hope he still has his health and can walk. Every time i hear fred neil, i miss him.
November 12, 2004Was it really 36 years ago that I chanced upon Fred at a friend's place on an Elektra sampling of folkies inc. Tim Buckley,& Hamilton Camp? I remember thinking then (as I've thought subsequently of Buckley, Aster Aweke, Aaron Neville & a handful of others - if I could sing with this power, I'd never talk). There's an undeniable careworn quality to Neil's delivery, an appealing, relaxed warmth, that few listeners could pass by. Yes, we regret his reluctance to tangle with the industry side of music, and yes, this has left us the poorer. So savour these rich baritone minutes. But to heed Fred's unforgettable anthem,'Dolphins',savour without nostalgia. Buckley did it proud. So too did Jesse Colin Young. It's really unjust to compare Fred's voice & attitude, but some listeners might find, as I have, Chris Smither's,'Train Home', as a recent echo of Neil. Not that all-embracing, mellifluous resonance, but similarly sweet & resigned (with a stunning re-visit to the 60s political turmoils in Dylan's, 'Desolation Row').
October 5, 2004 |  | Few could go untouched by such a soulful resonant voice... |  |
The first time I heard Fred Neil's voice was over ten years ago when my friend Richard dug out his this obscure record album, tipped his huge speakers over on their sides onto the wood floor ("better sound this way", said Richard) and put the needle down. Out of those speakers came the sound of the most beautiful, heartfelt and deep tones of a voice that was at first hard to describe.
When the first song was over, Dolphins, I said how much he reminded me of Hoyt Axton! My friend replied that Hoyt used to hang-out, smoke pot and sing with Fred Neil, and now Fred had melted into obscurity, thought to be living somewhere in Oregon. (...) But to me, at that moment and as I listened to the rest of the album, Fred Neil was re-born all over again. What a voice!
I hope that the rumor is untrue that Fred Neil has died. I know that Hoyt Axton died in '99, but I read a review here that said Fred was gone too. I always had a wish that I would see him play somewhere in some little cafe and would get to hear that wonderful sound live. I wore-out the casette that my friend Richard made for me and was so happy that the record companies had the insite to re-release these Sam Neil treasures!
January 31, 2002Fred Neil died over the weekend. Those of us who became members of his cult during the mid-'60s with the Elektra classic "Bleecker and MacDougal," have wished for a return after his disappearance from music in the mid-'70s, but it wasn't to be.
In addition to his compelling vocal style, he wrote a few certifiably classic tunes: "Everybody's Talkin'," "The Dolphins," and "Other Side To This Life." They have been covered successfully by other artists, from Nilsson to Beth Orton, over the decades.
To escape his demons--or maybe just to co-exist with them more easily--Fred retired to Florida and until recently was militant about refusing to connect with the music industry or press. The recordings in this set vary greatly in quality, but even when ragged they carry a tremendous folk-jazz vibe. Possessed of a warm, deep voice and a complex, spontaneous interpretive sensibility, Neil belongs in a rarefied class with Tim Buckley, Nick Drake and Terry Callier as a moody writer-interpreter at the nexus of folk, jazz, blues and soul.
Even if you never heard of him in his lifetime, remember him now. July 11, 2001
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