Product Description

This is a two disc retrospective of the most popular tracksby the Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter, Neil Diamond. It includes his version of 'I'm A Believer', the track that he wrote for the Monkees, which subsequently became their first UK no.1 single. Diamond's four UK top ten hits as a performerare also featured.

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Solitary Man
2. Cherry, Cherry
3. I Got The Feeling (Oh No, No)
4. Kentucky Woman
5. Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon
6. You Got To Me
7. Red, Red Wine
8. Thank The Lord For The Night Time
9. I'm A Believer
10. Sweet Caroline
11. Song Sung Blue
12. Holly Holy
13. I Am... I Said
14. Cracklin' Rosie
15. Play Me (Live)
16. Morningside (Live)
17. Crunchy Granola Suite (Live)
18. Brooklyn Roads (Live)
19. Soolaimon (Live)

Disc 2:

1. America
2. Hello Again
3. Love On The Rocks
4. Captain Sunshine (Live)
5. He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother (Live)
6. Medley: Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene (Live)
7. Shilo (Live)
8. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show (Live)
9. If You Know What I Mean
10. Beautiful Noise
11. You Don't Bring Me Flowers (with Barbra Streisand)
12. Desiree
13. Forever In Blue Jeans
14. September Morn
15. I've Been This Way Before
16. Yesterday's Songs
17. Heartlight
18. Headed For The Future
19. You Are The Best Part Of Me

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1737 in Music
• Released on: 2008-01-14
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Import

Amazon.co.uk Review
Neil Diamond is one of a rare breed. As a songwriter, his music has been covered successfully by artists as diverse as the Monkees, Deep Purple, UB40, and Smash Mouth. But Diamond used that three-chord alchemy to build an unparalleled career as a performer as well. The 38 tracks on these two discs address those interlocking legacies in the most comprehensive manner yet, gathering his material from Bang! Records (including such pop staples as "Solitary Man," "Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," "Red, Red Wine," and "I'm a Believer"), Universal (highlighted by "Sweet Caroline," Song Sung Blue," "Holly Holy," and "I Am ... I Said"), and Columbia for the first time. And if Diamond has veered toward the middle of the road on those latter recordings (such as "September Morn," "Heartlight," and the Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"), there remains a remarkable consistency throughout his work. As if to underscore the point, a number of mid-period hits (including "Shiloh," "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," and "Soolaimon") are featured as live recordings from fall 2001. These performances show that the sweet roughness of his voice has only grown in power and drama; it's small wonder that Diamond remains one of the top live draws in the business. Even if it overlooks Diamond's unlikely late-'90s hit country album (Tennessee Moon), this set manages to be both concise and thorough, the best introduction yet to an American music legend. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Not Just Music Your Mum Listens To
You've probably dismissed Diamond as music your mum listens to. You're wrong to think this because you'll be missing some great pompous rock songs. Some of it's cheesy, but a lot of what is on this best of is genuinely good stuff.

His name looks like an anomaly on my MP3 player's artist list. The thing is, I'm not ashamed as I love these big over the top (orchestra included on everything) songs. And you don't have to worry about good taste getting in the way of your listening experience.

Some of these songs even rock in their own way. Though it's best to skip the Streisand duet. And Brooklyn Road and Morningside don't stand up after a few listens. Otherwise it's great. And the live tracks are very energetic - I personally don't consider them to be a compromise in quality.

Diamond's version of "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" is just as heavy as the cover version by Urge Overkill (as heard in Pulp Fiction when Uma Thurman and John Travolta come back to her house after winning the dance contest).

An essential compilation
Following his success in reinventing and reviving the career of Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin has turned his attention to another bygone US icon, Neil Diamond. Their stripped down 2006 collaboration, 12 Songs has been a critical and commercial success. For any new (or old) fans wanting a compilation of the best of the bigger Diamond sound of yore, The Essential Neil Diamond is an excellent purchase.

TEND is a double CD containing all Neil's hits and most famous compositions from his days as a songwriter in the legendary Brill Building in the early 60s right through to recordings made in the early noughties. Originally a writer for others, many may be surprised that he penned The Monkees' I'm A Believer and Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon, a song rediscovered in 1994 by the Urge Overkill recording for the classic Tarantino film Pulp Fiction. Both of Diamond's "originals" are excellent, perhaps surprisingly containing the full arrangements of the more famous later versions minus a few backing vocals and cheese.

Other highlights of The Essential Neil Diamond from Neil's heyday in the 60s and early 70s include his most famous song Sweet Caroline, the call-and-response beat sound of Cherry Cherry and more introspective orchestrated pop of Solitary Man. Like Burt Bacharach, his songs often incorporate full brass and string arrangements to similarly, produce quality easy-listening music which it is OK to like. Occasionally his semi religious zeal gets the better of him with the resulting product being over bombastic though there are many excellent songs to like on TEND.

Beyond his original purple period, Diamond had his first major comeback in the early 1980s following his appearance and songs in the updated film version of the Jazz Singer with Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz. Standout tracks from this period include the downbeat ballad Love On the Rocks and blue-collar country pride of Forever In Blue Jeans.

All in all, the Essential Neil Diamond is an excellent introduction to one of the few easy-listening artists who it's OK to like. With his critical radar on the rise following the Rubin collaboration a deserved re-evaluation of Neil's body of work is now taking place. Lets hope this time that Diamond is forever...

Comprehensive collection
This really is a good collection for Neil Diamond novices. It is a tall order to find a 'definative' Neil Diamond collection as there will always be so much left out of this prolific songwriters catalogue. Offering a mixture of recent 'live' recordings and the more familiar studio work, the former appealing more to those who have experienced Neil Diamond's live shows. This collection is unique in that it benefits from the additon of the sublime 'lady Magdelene' and 'Yes I will', which in my opinion, are probably two of his most outstanding musical contributions. ( For those wishing to hear these songs in their original format, then 'Serenade' is the album for you!)
It has, sadly become'uncool' to like Neil Diamond's music and he has never really received the critical acclaim that he is truly deserving of. This man's contribution to music and poetry is awesome and this collection stands as testament to that. Sheer genius.!