Bob Neuwirth – Self-Titled

“Do I look like a loser?” Bob Neuwirth introduces himself amid a fanfare of trumpets (literally) in the opening bars of his 1974 solo debut. A loser, no — but not exactly a winner either, this Sasquatch-sized footnote to American rock ‘n’ roll and folk music history.

Neuwirth’s name remains remarkably obscure despite his knack for showing up in conspicuous places over the years. That’s him serving as Bob Dylan’s road manager in the landmark 1960s film Don’t Look Back, and interviewing Ramblin’ Jack Elliott in a bathtub in the more recent biopic The Ballad Of Ramblin’ Jack. That’s him nestled next to Janis Joplin in the co-writing credits of “Mercedes Benz”, and teaming with John Cale for the mid-’90s music/spoken-word song-cycle Last Day On Earth. That’s him acting as musical director for Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, and more than a quarter-century later, filling a similar role on the O Brother-inspired “Down From The Mountain” tour.

What Neuwirth isn’t known for is his own records, and that’s kind of a shame, because there are some real diamonds in the rough amidst his admittedly sparse catalogue. He’s made just half a dozen albums in 30 years, but they include some interesting approaches — one recorded in living rooms across the country, one made in Cuba — and all of them harbor at least a couple of timeless songs (some covered over the years by the likes of T Bone Burnett, Robert Earl Keen and Freakwater).

This debut, previously unavailable on CD, arguably remains his best work, or at least his most comfortable and enjoyable. Between the rollicking opener “Rock & Roll Time” — co-written with Kris Kristofferson and Roger McGuinn, typical of Neuwirth’s company-of-kings persona — and the closing “Mercedes Benz” is a balanced mix of classic covers and could-be-classic originals.

Of the standards, the standouts are Bob Gibson’s “Legend In My Time” and Donnie Fritts’ “We Had It All”, both well-suited to Neuwirth’s weary yet heartfelt singing style and arranged to stress the melodic beauty of the tunes. (Track-by-track credits aren’t specified, but among those who play on the album are Stephen Bruton, Chris Hillman, Booker T. Jones and Geoff Muldaur; backing singers include Rita Coolidge, Don Everly, Ian Matthews and Dusty Springfield.)

Yet the real treasures are a couple of Neuwirth’s own obscurities. “Just Because I’m Here (Don’t Mean I’m Home)” recalls the more wistful and melancholy ballads of J.J. Cale and Jesse Winchester, alternately swaying gently in the breeze and soaring high in the sky, lifted toward the heavens on swooning swells of strings. Less dramatic but perhaps more poignant is “Hero”, driven by simple guitar strums and dobro and piano runs as Neuwirth delivers a pining, poetic, bittersweet lyric that ranks with his very best.

More rote are rootsy ramblers such as “Rock & Roll Rider” and “Country Livin'”; they’re the kind of filler that have kept Neuwirth’s records from being start-to-finish masterworks, though they do help diversify the sound and round out the personality of the performer.

Mostly, though, it’s a haunting refrain that remains: “Make me the hero of the story…”