1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 76. Fred Neil – Fred Neil (1966)

 

The album opens with the track Dolphins, about “searching for the dolphins in the sea”, appropriate since Neil spent the last thirty years of his life (1970-2001) engaged in dolphin conservation. It’s a slow and steady folky muse with some raga goings-on, and Neil’s voice is like dark treacle, a deeper Scott Walker. It’s a gorgeous track that is probably on a Wes Anderson soundtrack somewhere.  

That’s The Bag I’m In is more bluesy (“They’ll probably drop the atom bomb the day my ship comes in”) and is a catchy groove, as is Sweet Cocaine. The well-known one on the album is Everybody’s Talking, made more famous by Harry Neillson, and that through its appearance in the film Midnight Cowboy. The album ends with the obligatory lengthy jam Cynicrustpetefredjohn, with the also obligatory raga and psychedelia moments thrown in.  

Neil is great to listen to, but never had massive success in his own right – he's one of the many artists on this list who are inspirations for other musicians on the list, especially the ones with at least a dabbling in folk.  

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