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- Date Released: December 4, 2001
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Pop
- Label: Columbia
- Copyright: (P) Compilation 2001 Neil Diamond and Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Emo for suburban grandparents
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We Say...
Neil Diamond is a roadmap for children of all ages to connect with baby boomers alienated by a rock ‘n’ roll heaviness that set in between Sgt. Pepper’s and Altamont. That’s not to say that Diamond wasn’t initially a rocker (dig the joyous R&B riffs that animate “Cherry Cherry”) or heavy in his own way — witness his sulky “Solitary Man,” all those black leather stage costumes, or his voice itself; an instrument that deepened while accumulating the gravel of passing years. This Brooklyn-born mensch captures the everyday drama of ordinary lives as he pits the vulnerability of his lyrics against the stoicism of his unrepentantly masculine croon. Diamond is emo for suburban grandparents.
And why should they have all the fun? Only a party pooper would deny the craftsmanship and emotional truths abundant in this career-spanning, Diamond-curated collection; particularly on the first disc, where songs more familiar by other artists (“I’m a Believer,” “Red, Red Wine”) sit next to what are now ballpark anthems (“Sweet Caroline”) and often-covered classics (“Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.”)
As the bubblegum-soul efficiency of his Brill Building output on the Bang label gave way to the orchestral grandeur of his introspective songbook on Uni and Columbia, Diamond, like Carole King, met the challenge of the ‘70s with even greater success. But thoughtful singer-songwriters don’t ordinarily engage arenas of ridiculously loyal fans decade after decade, and it justifies the inclusion of several live versions, even when he croaks like a drunken pirate on the 1992 rendition of “Crunchy Granola Suite.” What Journey does with stadium-rock guitars, Diamond does with vocal bravado. Attempt it in karaoke and you’ll understand. -
They Say...
Columbia Records' series of two-disc, limited-edition Essential compilations of its major long-term stars -- Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Barbra Streisand, etc. -- has generally been a winner, so it is a shame to have to report that the Neil Diamond number is not. True, most of the singer/songwriter's best and most popular songs are included, but there are also significant omissions and enough inessential material to prevent this from being the sort of definitive collection it could and should have been. For once, the basic problem in assembling a Diamond best-of has been overcome, since Columbia has licensed the five Top Ten hits he scored for Uni Records in the late '60s and early '70s from Universal. Meanwhile, Columbia parent Sony controls the Bang Records catalog for which Diamond recorded from 1966 to 1968, and he has been signed to Columbia since 1973, so that puts his biggest hits at the compilers' disposal. But those compilers, Diamond himself and Al Quaglieri, have chosen oddly, shortchanging the Columbia material in favor of using more Bang recordings (nine) than necessary and employing ten live recordings, six of them newly made, nine of them songs from the Uni era, including versions of obscure album tracks like "Captain Sunshine." That leaves space for only 14 Columbia studio recordings from 1973-2001, and though most of them were chart singles, fans will miss the Top Five hit "Longfellow Serenade," while "I've Been This Way Before," another track from the Serenade album that barely made the Top 40, is included. This is the kind of idiosyncratic selection typical of a collection chosen by the artist himself, in this case one who is more interested in his new interpretations of half-forgotten songs from 30 years earlier than what a more objective observer might consider the "essential" recordings of his career.
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| 01. |  |
Solitary Man |
2:31 |
|
| 02. | |
Cherry, Cherry |
2:41 |
|
| 03. | |
I Got The Feelin' (Oh No, No) |
2:12 |
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| 04. | |
Kentucky Woman |
2:24 |
|
| 05. | |
Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon |
2:54 |
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| 06. | |
You Got To Me |
2:47 |
|
| 07. | |
Red, Red Wine |
2:39 |
|
| 08. | |
Thank The Lord For The Night Time |
2:59 |
|
| 09. | |
I'm A Believer |
2:42 |
|
| 10. | |
Sweet Caroline |
3:21 |
|
| 11. | |
Song Sung Blue |
3:12 |
|
| 12. | |
Holly Holy |
4:28 |
|
| 13. | |
I Am...I Said |
3:32 |
|
| 14. | |
Cracklin' Rosie |
2:58 |
|
| 15. | |
Play Me
|
4:21 |
|
| 16. | |
Morningside |
5:24 |
|
| 17. | |
Crunchy Granola Suite
|
4:05 |
|
| 18. | |
Brooklyn Roads |
5:28 |
|
| 19. | |
Soolaimon |
5:07 |
|
19 Total Tracks, 65:45 Total Length
This album includes one or more tracks available only with a full album download.
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 24 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 24 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. | |
America |
4:17 |
|
| 02. | |
Hello Again |
3:38 |
|
| 03. | |
Love On The Rocks |
3:38 |
|
| 04. | |
Captain Sunshine |
3:19 |
|
| 05. | |
He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother |
3:44 |
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| 06. | |
Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene |
7:00 |
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| 07. | |
Shilo |
3:57 |
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| 08. | |
Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show |
5:00 |
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| 09. | |
If You Know What I Mean |
3:40 |
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| 10. | |
Beautiful Noise |
3:22 |
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| 11. | |
You Don't Bring Me Flowers |
3:14 |
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| 12. | |
Desirée |
3:17 |
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| 13. | |
Forever In Blue Jeans |
3:37 |
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| 14. | |
September Morn |
3:51 |
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| 15. | |
I've Been This Way Before |
3:46 |
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| 16. | |
Yesterday's Songs |
2:49 |
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| 17. | |
Heartlight |
4:24 |
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| 18. | |
Headed For The Future |
4:04 |
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| 19. | |
You Are The Best Part Of Me |
3:59 |
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19 Total Tracks, 74:36 Total Length
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Credits
- Barbra Streisand - Performer // Barbra Streisand - Performer // Neil Diamond - Producer // Neil Diamond - Producer // Neil Diamond - Compilation Producer // Neil Diamond - Compilation Producer // Robbie Robertson - Producer // Brooks Arthur - Engineer // Ellie Greenwich - Producer // Burt Bacharach - Producer // Burt Bacharach - Producer // Carole Bayer Sager - Producer // John Arrias - Engineer // Peter Asher - Producer // Jeff Barry - Producer // Neil Brody - Engineer // John Calder - Engineer // Tom Catalano - Producer // Tommy Cogbill - Producer // Val Garay - Engineer // Bob Gaudio - Producer // Ron Hitchcock - Engineer // Ron Hitchcock - Mixing // Nat Jeffreys - Engineer // Alan Lindgren - Producer // Joseph M. Palmaccio - Mastering // Phil Ramone - Engineer // Rick Ruggieri - Engineer // Bill Schnee - Engineer // Allen Sides - Engineer // Jeremy Smith - Engineer // Dennis St. John - Producer // Armin Steiner - Engineer // David Wild - Liner Notes // Bernie Becker - Engineer // Bernie Becker - Mixing // Tim Kramer - Engineer // Al Quaglieri - Compilation Producer // Mick Guzouski - Engineer // Neal Preston - Photography // Humberto Garcia - Engineer // Andy Bloch - Engineer // Mary Maurer - Art Direction // Mary Maurer - Design // George Hurrell - Cover Photo // Tom Bert - Photography // Alan Mason - Engineer // Ed Anderson - Engineer // Michael Lau Robles - Design
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Performers
Julia Waters // Oren Waters // Barbra Streisand duet with Neil Diamond // Raven Kane // Craig Copeland // Josef Powell // Linda Press
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