THE SKY IS FALLING collects 15 hard-to-find recordings made by folk singer/songwriter Fred Neil in the 1963-1971 period.
Personnel: Gram Parsons (vocals, piano); Monte Dunn, Stephen Stills, Bruce Langhorne (guitar); Dino Valente (12-string guitar); Les McCann (piano); Nick Robbins, Joe Foster (synthesizer); Billy Mundi (drums).
Liner Note Author: Joe Foster.
Recording information: The Bitter End (1965-1971); The Elephant, Woodstock, NY (1965-1971).
Arranger: Fred Neil.
Folk-rock obscurity Fred Neil is regularly touted as one of the movement's pioneering geniuses, and The Sky Is Falling: The Complete Live Recordings 1963-1971 puts his work into perspective for any doubters. Collecting his live 1971 swan song album, The Other Side of This Life (which counts celebrity guests like David Crosby, Gram Parsons, and Stephen Stills), and appending four early rarities taped from a Bitter End performance in 1963, this set bookends Neil's folk-rock career insightfully. From his most famous creation, a magically soulful rendition of "Everybody's Talkin'" (the song that Harry Nilsson made legendary), to the celebratory drug culture nugget "Sweet Cocaine," his music deserves a second listen. Still, the grooviest of all of these grooves is the recently unearthed bluesy "That's the Bag I'm In." Following the original issue of this disc, Neil quit music, became a Florida-based recluse, and lived on as a cult hero for 30 years until his death in 2001. Although his absence was inexplicable, his music lives on in this inspiring set. ~ John D. Luerssen
Professional Reviews
Uncut (p.146) - 4 stars out of 5 - "The rugged, rueful baritone and belligerent strum barely changed throughout his career..."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Essential for completists."
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