“Other Side to This Life” is a cut on Fred Neil’s first solo album Bleecker & MacDougal. It was on the Elektra label, put out in 1965. This LP figured prominently in the movement toward the electrification of folk music and helped to push other purely acoustic performers in that direction, though that hardly does justice to the impact Neil had on other artists. Almost everything on the album was written by Neil including “Another Side to This Life.”
If you love everything about the New York City folk scene in the early 60s, the album cover is stunning, a picture of the intersection of Bleecker & MacDougal in Greenwich Village, an area where so much important music of the time was developed and performed.
Backing up Neil on various tracks is Pete Childs (dobro, guitar, baritone guitar), Felix Pappalardi (bass), Douglas Hatfield (bass), and John Sebastian (harmonica).
About the album, Thom Jurek at AllMusic writes:
In 13 songs, Neil transformed the folk genre into something wholly other yet not unfamiliar to itself, and helped pave the way for an entire generation of singer/songwriters who cared as much for the blues as they did for folk revival traditions. This is — more so than his fine compilation The Many Sides of Fred Neil (also on Collector’s Choice) or his debut Capitol album, Tear Down the Walls — the Fred Neil record to have.
AllMusic
There it is again, that “tension” between singer/songwriters and the folk revival tradition. Time to have a look at Inside Llewyn Davis again.
This entire album still stands up well.