Superb early work
William Timothy Lukeman | 05/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For anyone who has encountered the work of Fred Neil, nothing more need be said: here's one of our finest singers & songwriters, stretching his creative wings & preparing for full flight. There's truly a timeless quality to his work, a dark richness & depth which speaks to any generation. His own reluctance to take the limelight led to popular neglect of his impressive work & legacy, which continues to this day. But he's definitely not be be overlooked!
I would like to say a few words about the underrated Vince Martin. Today's more cynical view might find the sweetness of his voice & outlook a bit cloying & insincere; but I think the lack is in the contemporary listener. That's easy to understand: how can anyone who wasn't alive in those days really believe that grown men could be so earnest, without a trace of post-modern irony & glibness? But it's important not to forget that sort of open-hearted optimism, especially in these dreary times. In any case, Martin's voice provides a fine counterpoint to Neil's deeper, world-weary tones; and Martin is no slouch as a songwriter himself.
As for the second half of the CD, it's Fred Neil's show all the way, and it's a rich, soulful ride in the company of a quiet master. Follow it up with the 2-disc collection "The Many Sides of Fred Neil," and you'll understand why he was such an influence on an entire generation of singer-songwriters. Excellent, detailed liner notes & vintage photographs add much to the picture of this reclusive creator. Most highly recommended!"
Stick with "Bleecker & MacDougal" alone
David A. Bede | Singapore | 02/07/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Fred Neil was definitely one of the more unique figures in the Greenwich Village folk scene. In an era when the worlds of folk and rock were anathema to each other, he turned up with his twelve-string guitar after having committed the heresy of writing a hit rock song (Roy Orbison's "Candy Man," of which Neil's own version is included here), and became as much a mainstay of the scene as anyone.
The second half of this collection shows why. It features some great guitar and harmonica licks alongside Neil's stirring baritone, even working in the occasional electric guitar when folk rock hadn't quite hit the mainstream. Neil's biggest contribution to that genre, "Everybody's Talkin'," was several years away, but already his contribution to the folk revival was just as important as that evocative cover photo showing him on the title corner suggests. It's a four-star album, at least.
The problem with this collection is its first half. Vince Martin's vocals never get any less irritating throughout the album, and then there are the songs themselves. For the most part, the originals sound like the sort of stereotypical folksinging that was parodied so effectively in the movie "A Mighty Wind." The catch is, those songs were supposed to be so bad they were good, while these are meant sincerely. There is a fine line between the sincere and the silly, and an even finer line between poignant and depressing, and most of these songs are quite a way beyond both of those lines. Neil was fresh from his Brill Building stint at the time, and it shows. He still had a lot to learn about his new style, and most of his lyrics here sound like the insincere musings of someone who is trying much too hard to be the New Dylan. The one exception is the title track - "Tear Down the Walls" - but it's been done better elsewhere (notably Judy Collins' live version from a year or so after this one).
Bleecker & MacDougal is now avaiable on its own on CD. Buy that copy, and leave Tear Down the Walls in the obscurity it deserves."
Track Listings (26) - Disc #1