Tear Down The Walls ; Bleecker And MacDougal (1965)

"Fred Neil's two classic Elektra records albums assembled together on one CD, with new biographical notes supported by lots of photos, too. "Tear Down the Walls" is a hybrid work that has moments of inspired, heavyweight brilliance from Neil, compromised by the lighter-textured voice of Vince Martin. There are some brilliant songs, but interspersed among those splendors, however, are some more retro (even for 1964) and forced commercial efforts. The 13 tracks off of "Bleecker & MacDougal" that follow are brilliant through and through, dark, serious, mostly blues-influenced originals that hold up infinitely better four decades later than anyone had a right to expect -- "Bleecker & MacDougal" is easily among the best records EVER issued by Elektra, and perhaps the best folk record ever put out by the label. It's all essential listening. The digital remastering is spot-on perfect, and the packaging and annotation give these two albums the treatment they've always deserved." (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)