Bleecker & MacDougal

Bleecker & MacDougal is the debut solo studio album by the American folk musician Fred Neil. It was released in May 1965 by Elektra Records. 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.

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

• Fred Neil – guitar, vocals
• Pete Childs – guitar, resonator guitar
• Douglas Hatlelid – bass guitar
• Felix Pappalardi – bass guitar
• John Sebastian – harmonica

Production and additional personnel

• Gordon Anderson – producer
• William S. Harvey – artwork
• Jac Holzman – production supervision
• Paul Rothchild – recording engineer
• Mort Schuman – photography
• Skip Weshner – liner notes

References

1. MacDougal Street
2. Bleecker Street
3. Fred Neil
4. Skip Weshner
5. Coconut Grove
6. John Sebastian
7. The Lovin' Spoonful
8. Robert Plotnik
9. MacDougal–Sullivan Gardens Historic District
10. The Other Side of This Life
11. Fred Neil (album)
12. John's of Bleecker Street
13. List of songs about New York City
14. Bleecker Street Line
15. Broadway–Lafayette Street/Bleecker Street station
16. 1965 in music
17. Candy Man (Roy Orbison song)
18. San Remo Cafe
19. Hamburger America
20. The Players Theatre