Customer Reviews

America (Album Version)

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When I was a kid, I had this friend named Larry who was a giant nerd. Even I, a pretty big nerd myself at the time, could tell that his taste in things was so far outside the mainstream as to be hopelessly nerdy. And one of the things that he liked that nobody else our age did was Neil Diamond. And his favorite Neil Diamond song was "America" from The Jazz Singer soundtrack. He'd listen to that song over and over and over and over again. Thankfully, this being the days of cassette tapes, we'd at least get a respite for the few minutes it took to rewind the cassette. I grew to really hate this song during that time, and I swore that if I ever heard it again as an adult, I would take out a hammer and beat whatever piece of electronics the song was coming from until it could no longer make a sound (either that, or I'd turn the station. I was of two minds).

And then I got older,and the song seems harmless now. It's not a great song, but it's kind of catchy. I still never would have bought it for myself, but my wife needed it for some thing they were doing at a local elementary school. Teaching kids about turn of the century immigration or something. I admit that I wasn't really listening. So, I bought the song for her, and, as far as I know, all those kids in that elementary school who had to listen to it that day now hate it as much as I did when I was in elementary school.

I first heard this song back in the late 1970's and this song still rocks today. I think this is one of Neil's best works to date. The music and the message is as powerful today as it was over 20 years ago.

ANY NEIL DIAMOND FAN SHOULD HAVE THE JAZZ SINGER MUSIC CD IN THEIR COLLECTION. SOME GREAT SONGS ON THIS FILM SOUNDTRACK CD. HAD THERE BEEN NO JAZZ SINGER FILM IN THE EARLY 1980'S, NEIL COULD HAVE SIMPLY RELEASED THIS COLLECTION OF SONGS ON THEIR OWN MERIT, WITHOUT THE IDEA THAT THE SOUNDTRACK NEEDED THE FILM TO SUPPORT IT. THE SOUNDTRACK PROBABLY MADE MORE MONEY THAN THE FILM.

THESE GREAT SONGS DID NOT NEED A FILM TO SUPPORT THEM. WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, THE SONGS ON THE JAZZ SINGER SOUNDTRACK WERE REALLY NICE AND UPLIFTING AND INSIGHTFUL. A GREAT GIFT. I SAW NEIL ON TOUR AT THE BRENDEN BYRNE ARENA IN THE MEADOWLANDS IN 1982 AND HE PLAYED MANY SONGS FROM THE JAZZ SINGER, TO THE DELIGHT OF THE CROWD. HE STARTED THE SHOW WITH, COMING TO AMERICA. KEEP GOING, NEIL! STATEN ISLAND LOVES YOU!