Nobody’s talkin’, everybody’s singin’ “That’s the Bag I’m In.” Take one classic semi-comic song and listen to two radically different but fab and buzz-worthy interpretations.
344) Fred Neil — That’s the Bag I’m In”
This sly ‘66 album track was also a ‘68 B-side to Neil’s original version of “Everybody’s Talkin’”, which Harry Nilsson famously took to #6 in August ‘69. Matthew Greenwood writes in All Music Guide that:
Primarily known for introspective, emotionally deep songs that truly make Fred Neil the father of the singer/songwriter genre, it’s not always readily apparent that Neil had a sense of humor. “That’s the Bag I’m In” certainly shows that he indeed does. With its litany of trouble and depressing circumstances . . . it’s one of the few folk songs that can’t help but make you laugh. Guided by a simple yet effective bluesy groove, the song has a wonderfully funky quality that mirrors the lyrics.
Richie Unterberger writes in AMG that:
Moody, bluesy, and melodic, Fred Neil was one of the most compelling folk-rockers to emerge from Greenwich Village in the mid-’60s. . . . For all his tangential influence, Neil himself remained an enigmatic, mysterious figure. His recorded output was formidable but sparse.
Here is a live performance from ‘70:
345) The Fabs — “That’s the Bag I’m In”
The Fabs transformed the song into a formidable ‘66 garage rocker — the A-side of the only single by the Fullerton, California band. On the Flip Side says:
The Fabs . . . played the SoCal circuits with bands like The Seeds and The Arrows. They made one and only one single in 1967 . . . . The A-side of the double-sided gem is the superb cover of folkster Fred Neil’s That’s The Bag I’m In. The Fabs add a defining bass line that lifts this far above other versions and change some lyrics to highlight their teen angst LA lifestyle a bit more.
http://ontheflip-side.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-fabs-thats-bag-im-indinah-wants.html?m=1
Cosmic Minds at Play calls it:
Another humdinger, this time from Fullerton, California’s The Fabs. They take an already brilliant “everything I do seems to go wrong” song by legendary singer-songwriter Fred Neil and transform it from a subtle folk number into a garage stomper. Some of the lyrics are changed in the process; it seems The Fabs needed to address some of their own problems – like not being able to get the girl.
https://cosmicmindatplay.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/classic-singles-20-the-fabs-thats-the-bag-im-in-dinah-wants-religion-1967/
346) Buzzy Linhart: “That’s the Bag I’m In”
Buzzy recorded his friend Neil’s song with his band Music on the ‘70 album Music. Joe Viglione writes regarding the legendary asterix that:
Linhart auditioned for Tennessee Williams, and Williams’ office immediately called to invite [him] to be on staff as an actor . . . That same evening Linhart saw Fred Neil and Neil asked [him] to play vibes with him. “I called . . . Williams’ office the next day, I was young and didn’t quite realize what was happening . . . . I wanted to play with [Neil] so badly that I called [the] office back and said, ‘Could you please tell him I’m very sorry but I can’t work with him this season (laughing now at the absurdity of what he was doing) but I certainly would enjoy working with him some time in the future.'” So he joined the folk-rock scene “and started really starving.” He began hanging out with Tim Hardin, Fred Neil, Dylan. . . .
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/buzzy-linhart-mn0000528435/biography
Here is a live performance by Buzzy from ‘69 at the Videofreex Loft in NYC:
Here he is live in ‘71:
Brace for the Obscure (60s rock)! / Off the Charts: 60s Rock Revelations 
Richie Havens did a great rendition of That’s the bag I’m in alongside Fred Neil’s The Dolphins and a few others on his self titled record. I’m a huge fan of Fred Neil and I’d never heard these covers you posted, thanks!
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Thank you. I need to listen to Havens’s cover. He did great covers of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Lady Madonna.”
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