Bleecker & MacDougal explained

Bleecker & MacDougal
Type:Album
Artist:Fred Neil
Cover:Fred Neil - Bleecker & MacDougal.jpg
Genre:
Length:34:09
Label:Elektra
Producer:Gordon Anderson
Prev Title:Tear Down the Walls
Prev Year:1964
Next Title:Fred Neil
Next Year:1966

Bleecker & MacDougal is the debut solo studio album by the American folk musician Fred Neil. It was released in May1965 by Elektra Records.[3] The recording, which unlike many folk albums at the time featured electric guitar backing, had an influence on the folk rock movement.

Guest musicians included Felix Pappalardi on bass, a young John Sebastian playing harmonica, and Pete Childs on dobro and electric guitar.

Except for two tracks, all of the songs on the album were written by Neil. Bleecker & MacDougal was reissued as Little Bit of Rain in 1970.[4]

The album is named for the intersection of Bleecker Street and MacDougal Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. A picture of the intersection featured on the album cover. The San Remo Cafe can be seen in the picture, a gathering spot for writers and musicians for decades. Both streets were locales for folk and rock music of the period.

Track listing

All songs are written by Fred Neil, except where noted.

Side one

  1. "Bleecker & MacDougal" – 2:14
  2. "Blues on the Ceiling" – 2:24
  3. "Sweet Mama" – 2:35
  4. "Little Bit of Rain" – 2:23
  5. "Country Boy" – 2:27
  6. "Other Side to This Life" – 2:56
  7. "Mississippi Train" – 2:14

Side two

  1. "Travelin' Shoes" – 2:18
  2. "The Water is Wide" (Traditional) – 4:18
  3. "Yonder Comes the Blues" – 1:52
  4. "Candy Man" (Neil, Beverly "Ruby" Ross) – 2:29
  5. "Handful of Gimme" – 2:15
  6. "Gone Again" – 3:13

Personnel

According to Richie Unterberger:

Musicians

Production and additional personnel

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Unterberger. Richie. Richie Unterberger. Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Author Favorites. Richieunterberger.com. November 2, 2023.
  2. Stern. Harold. For the Record. The Macon News. June 26, 1965. 6. Newspapers.com.
  3. Unterberger. Richie. Richie Unterberger. Bleecker & MacDougal. Fred Neil. Liner notes. 2002. Collectors' Choice Music. CCM-275-2. RichieUnterberger.com.
  4. Web site: Curd . Zach . Little Bit of Rain . . June 11, 2024 . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20150421103429/http://www.allmusic.com/album/little-bit-of-rain-mw0000888194 . April 21, 2015 . live.