Martin & Neil - Tear Down the Walls (LP)

Sealed.

The rumbling baritone of Fred Neil and Vince Martin's earthy tenor... It's a vocal blend every bit as impressive as the great duos in music history: the Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel -- with a Greenwich Village twist, of course. Put Neil and Martin, a pair of New York City folkie legends-in-the-making, into a recording studio with a young, pre-Spoonful John Sebastian on harmonica and Felix Pappalardi (later to produce Cream and the Youngbloods) on guitarron (an acoustic Mexican bass guitar) and magic is inevitable. This, of course, is Fred Neil in 1964, well before he just walked away from the folk scene and split for Florida and premature retirement in 1971, to remain an enigma until his recent death. Every recording by this compelling, monstrously talented singer/songwriter should be cherished like spun gold. From the original Elektra Records stereo master, Tear Down the Walls is one of Neil's first studio sessions -- and is undeniably also one of his best.

Side One
1 I Know You Rider
2 Red Flowers
3 Tear Down the Walls
4 Weary Blues
5 Toy Balloon
6 Baby

Side Two
1 Morning Dew
2 I'm a Drifter
3 Linin' Track
4 Wild Child in a World of Trouble
5 Dade County Jail
6 I Got 'Em
7 Lonesome Valley