Nice read on Neil Diamond. A number of his songs rotate through my Walkman mixes. Like Dion, Diamond has done cool songs most folks have never discovered.

[web.musicaficionado.com]

Longfellow Serenade is my Top Choice. Not that it matters- I wonder if he is in the R & R HOF.

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Chris Fountain
Longfellow Serenade is my Top Choice. Not that it matters- I wonder if he is in the R & R HOF.

Solitary Man!

Cracklin' Rosie is a crackin' classic (first song that came to mind), as is Sweet Caroline and most of his greatest hits.
Part of the soundtrack to my early youth while listening to top 40 radio late '60's\early '70's.

Neil Diamond was sort of hip yet square at the same time - the type of music that my parents and their friends listened to when they had cocktail parties.
He seems to be one of the few who had young and old fans alike.

Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Some of it is great. Some of it is unmitigated cheese.

His Brill Building singer songwriter period resulted in some ace songs, found here (the first 10, in particular, I love):
[www.allmusic.com]

I also like some of this:
[www.allmusic.com]

There are some other great songs here and there, but if I never hear Sweet Caroline again, it'll be too soon.

Declan

I grew up with Neil Diamond's music ! And this week especially I listen a lot to his songs..it brings up good memories !
Exactly one year ago my dad died, and on his cremation we played Fats Domino ánd Neil Diamond .

Huge part of the soundtrack of the early seventies for me.
Still love a number of his songs.

Remember hearing him talk of writing "Cracklin' Rosie".. many may have known, but was I surprised to find out it was about a bottle of wine he bought while on the road...

"Cracklin' Rose, you're a store bought woman
You make me sing like a guitar hummin'"

Elvis, if he had managed his career right.
I flip past the Elvis channel on Sirius and they often have Elvis doing Neil Diamond covers.

my parents played the holy living f*ck out of hot august night back in the day. i saw him a few years ago at staples ctr here in la and he was pretty damn good!

Holly Holy

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wonderboy
Elvis, if he had managed his career right.
I flip past the Elvis channel on Sirius and they often have Elvis doing Neil Diamond covers.

Neil Diamond hired Elvis's drummer Ronnie Tutt shortly after Elvis died. Tutt also played in Jerry Garcia's mid-70s band. Between these 3 employers, Tutt must have some stories.

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ab

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wonderboy
Elvis, if he had managed his career right.
I flip past the Elvis channel on Sirius and they often have Elvis doing Neil Diamond covers.

Neil Diamond hired Elvis's drummer Ronnie Tutt shortly after Elvis died. Tutt also played in Jerry Garcia's mid-70s band. Between these 3 employers, Tutt must have some stories.

Yes Ronnie Tutt did that great drumming on Burning Love.

I know a lot of guys from The Wrecking Crew played on many of his records. You can here the great Joe Osborne on bass on Neil Diamonds hits.

Cracklin Rose is about wine

His late solo albums are very good.
All those big hits are undeniable, but I always get slightly embarrassed when one of his songs comes on one of my playlists. I can't quite convince the other guys that they're missing out, like I do with Tom Jones.

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Palace Revolution 2000
His late solo albums are very good.
All those big hits are undeniable, but I always get slightly embarrassed when one of his songs comes on one of my playlists. I can't quite convince the other guys that they're missing out, like I do with Tom Jones.

Unsure of his status these days but recently was on some TV special. He sounded great!! Tom Jones was just as popular as BJ Thomas at their time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-11-10 15:24 by Chris Fountain.

In the ‘60’s and ‘70’s he was all over the radio. When I watched The Last Waltz for the first time, I thought his presence was incongruent with the whole of the show. But I realized that The Band and many of the other performers had a great deal of respect for him and his music. I have since come to enjoy and appreciate his artistry and I like many of his songs. He stands tall among bands and musicians of the past 50 years.

Thanks dmay for the thread.

Neil also wrote songs for the Monkees.. at least four I believe.
"I'm a Believer," "Lookout, Here Comes Tomorrow," "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," and "Love to Love."

Can definitely see where these could have been ND hits..
Talented writer.

Never liked the guy, to be honest.

His appearance in the Last Waltz was embarrassing for all involved. The story goes that Robbie Robertson strong-armed the rest of the Band into agreeing to have him on the bill just so RR could promote the ND album he had just produced. RR even went as far as suggesting Muddy Waters get dropped to make room for ND if you believe Levon Helm's take on the subject.

Having said that, Mr. Diamond is certainly talented and has earned his accolades. And I would be interested to hear some of his lesser-known album tracks. Because his hits just don't do it for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-11-10 19:05 by JimmyTheSaint.

Deep Purple rocked the hell out of this Neil Diamond tune in 1968: Deep Purple - Kentucky Woman

Neil's original is very tame and lightweight in comparison, though it's still great: Neil Diamond - Kentucky Woman

Verdict: Deep Purple wins.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Ronnie Wood's reception to him backstage at THE LAST WALTZ ("What's he doing here?") was as scathing as it was embarrassing to witness. It wasn't Ronnie's gig. Robbie Robertson and Garth Hudson had just worked with Diamond. It's their call if he deserved to be on the bill with them.

When I saw this thread I am ironically listening to "Brother Loves Travelling Salvation Show". Since its use in Tarantino's "Once upon a time in Hollywood" this song has grown on me. I like how it sound like a faith revitalization performance.

Great singer and phenomenal entertainer. A true legend . A must see live in concert.

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Midnight Toker
Great singer and phenomenal entertainer. A true legend . A must see live in concert.

Lucky to have seen him live a few times. Unfortunately no longer possible due to his Parkinson's Disease.

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JimmyTheSaint
Never liked the guy, to be honest.

Mr. Diamond is certainly talented and has earned his accolades. And I would be interested to hear some of his lesser-known album tracks. Because his hits just don't do it for me.

Brooklyn Roads, produced by Chip Taylor who wrote Wild Thing among many other tunes of the period: [www.youtube.com]



Glory Road: [www.youtube.com]



And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind: [www.youtube.com]

Sorry. Never liked him.
Always hated “Sweet Caroline.” I particularly hated it at Red Sox games.

There’s an ice cream store I go to in Palm Beach County, Florida, when visiting relatives. On weekends, they often have somebody outside the shop with a keyboard, singing at ear-splitting levels (so the elderly crowd can hear). I walked out of the store last year to “Sweet Caroline,” and my wife, knowing my opinion, laughed at me.

I went there a few months ago, and as I walked out, the singer said “Does anyone want to hear some Neil Diamond?” Involuntarily, I shouted “Nooooo!” He said, “all right,” and started to play something else. Then he stopped, and said, “ah, I’ll play it,” and he, of course, played “Sweet Caroline,”

Still hate it.

I'm A Believer

Even before I liked the Stones, I loved the Monkees and especially that song, which was my favorite for a while.

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Hairball
Deep Purple rocked the hell out of this Neil Diamond tune in 1968: Deep Purple - Kentucky Woman

Neil's original is very tame and lightweight in comparison, though it's still great: Neil Diamond - Kentucky Woman

Verdict: Deep Purple wins.

Exactly! Purple also rocked the hell out of Joe South's Hush!

In recent years Sweet Caroline seems to be played a lot in arenas during sporting events, similar to Journey's Don't Stop Believing.

The Fonz singing Song, Song Blue is my favorite Neil Diamond moment.

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JimmyTheSaint
Never liked the guy, to be honest.

His appearance in the Last Waltz was embarrassing for all involved. The story goes that Robbie Robertson strong-armed the rest of the Band into agreeing to have him on the bill just so RR could promote the ND album he had just produced. RR even went as far as suggesting Muddy Waters get dropped to make room for ND if you believe Levon Helm's take on the subject.

Having said that, Mr. Diamond is certainly talented and has earned his accolades. And I would be interested to hear some of his lesser-known album tracks. Because his hits just don't do it for me.

I agree. It is those tacky crescendos, musicaLLY and lyrically; this very provincial drama that he infuses all those early hits with, that turns me off.
But the two Rick Rubin albums "12 Songs" and "Home Before Dark" are much more restrained. It says a lot about ND that he recognized the value and power of a good producer. It was a win-win.

Again - I see such a parallel with Tom Jones, who cultivated a similar type audience back in the day. I always thought TJ was hot though. But his late era albums also showed so much more depth and and soul searching. Lots of Blues and Gospel.[youtu.be]

One of my favorite clips, where everyone seems intent on stealing the show. Stills is on fire back there on falsetto.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2019-11-11 14:39 by Palace Revolution 2000.

I love Neil's early rockers:

Cherry
Thank The Lord For The Nightime
You Got To Me
etc.

He should get a writing credit for R. O. C. K. in the USA and What I Like About You.

That I IV VII I (E-A-D-A) chord change is awesome.