Customer Reviews

The Essential Neil Diamond

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I own just about every Neil Diamond album prior to 1995 (mostly LP's). I have been a serious fan since high school (late 60's).

If you are thinking that this would be a good "Greatest Hits" album to have, think again.

About half of these tracks are recorded from live concert performances, and many of those are of low musical quality. "Remastering" does no good when you are starting with junk to begin with.

If you like "live" recordings (and we are NOT talking about "Hot August Night" quality here), then you may like this CD.

If what you want is what your heard on the radio way back when, then half of this collection is going to seriously disappoint you.

Ok, so you're probably thinking to yourself, "What's the difference between this new greatest hits package and the others that are already out?" I already have all these songs on cd, but I'm a big fan of remastered cds and bought this primarily to see if the sound quality was better. I was happy to discover that this collection is the best sounding Neil Diamond recordings that you will find, even better than the "In My Lifetime" box set. On a side note, I highly recommend the MCA remastered "12 Greatest Hits" that came out awhile back. The sound quality on that disc is amazing. It also has much better studio recordings of "Shilo" and "Soolaimon" than the other versions that are out.

Anyway, like I said, the songs have been remastered and restored beautifully. Here are the downsides of this collection. First, there are (yet again) more live cuts that are simply not very good. It seems odd to me that they can provide the studio recordings of "Cherry, Cherry" and "Sweet Caroline" but they choose to provide an older Neil singing live versions of "Play Me" and "Shilo" etc. Second, just like the "In My Lifetime" box set, "Hello Again" is not included in its entirety. The opening strings of the song (which I love) are cut out, which I find quite annoying. Lastly, there are some songs like "Be" that are not included but it's no biggie. Anyway, like I said, if you have most of these songs or just want to get a taste of Neil, buy this because the sound quality is the best so far.

Neil's catalog is split across two labels (Columbia & UNI). The last Columbia 2-CD Anthology presented his original Bang material and his post MCA material, but since it couldn't license the rest, Sweet Caroline, I Am...I Said, Holly Holy and others were presented as live versions. No notation was given on the outside of the jewel case.

This latest offering improves on that release somewhat (5 of his UNI material are studio versions), but it still presents live material from that ill fated predecessor.

Which begs another question: Why is Shilo, live? Columbia owns the Bang studio version.

The import Ultimate Collection remains the best bet. It contains most of the Bang material (save for Shilo), most of the UNI material (except for Crunchy Granola Suite), and all the essential post UNI material (Longfellow Serenade, Love on The Rocks, etc).

Columbia, here is a suggestion: There is a comprehensive UNI collection remastered by MCA, why not give us a remastered Bang collection instead of this rip-off?

The Essential Neil Diamond is an excellent two CD set that is attractively priced--what a value! These two CDs have many, many wonderful hits and ballads performed by the great Neil Diamond; and the sound quality couldn't be better. The artwork is nicely done as well. I do need to warn you that some of these songs are recorded from live concerts and that may or may not bother you. I think the live recordings are pretty decent but to each his own!

"Cherry, Cherry" really rocks with Neil Diamond doing a smash-up job on this tune! Neil sounds great and this is absolutely a wonderful number that's very strong as well. "I Got The Feelin' (Oh No, No)" has a bit of a country flavor to it that enhances the natural beauty of this ballad; and I like that very much. Neil's excellent diction bolsters his performance and the backup singers never fail him either! "Kentucky Woman" was a huge hit for Neil Diamond and that's great for all of us--it's a wonderful number that Neil shared with us! "Kentucky Woman" has incredible sounds that Neil handles with panache and it's truly a major highlight of this two CD set. There's also "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon;" this tender love ballad never escapes my mind and it's very pretty. The melody is very well done and Neil sings this with lots of passion to make "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" yet another highlight of this two CD set.

"I'm A Believer" rocks well as Neil does this cover song; the backup singers work wonders for this tune as well. Listen also for "Sweet Caroline;" this classic signature song for Neil proves his talents beyond a doubt--wowzer! "Song Sung Blue" stuns me with its beauty and Neil Diamond sings this with all his heart and soul.

Now there are some live tracks that you're going to love or hate. "Morningside" is well done and the sound quality is actually better than some reviewers led me to expect. Neil clearly enjoys a good rapport with his fans and that's great. "Brooklyn Roads" is another live track that I think works very well.

"Hello Again" from the second CD is a marvelous number that I really like; the piano arrangement is very nicely done. "Love On The Rocks" was never one of my favorite tunes but I can still recognize that it has quality. There's also a great live track of "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother." This number features Neil singing so well in concert--he needed no mixing in the studio to make his voice sound special! In addition, Neil does a wonderful duet with Barbra Streisand on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers;" this touching and moving ballad tugs at my heartstrings--it's all THAT good.

"September Morn" is another major highlight of this two CD set with Neil singing this flawlessly alongside a lush musical arrangement; and there's also "Yesterday's Songs;" "Yesterday's Songs" has that `70s flavor to it that still sounds great today! We also get Neil Diamond doing a great job on "Heartlight;" and the two CD set ends with Neil Diamond performing "You Are The Best Part Of Me." "You Are The Best Part Of Me" is a very touching ballad that makes a great ending for this two CD set.

Neil Diamond has enriched our lives by sharing his talents with us. This two CD set is a strong one and I heartily encourage this for his fans--as long as they don't mind the live tracks. Newcomers to Neil Diamond would do well to start with this two CD set.

Since most of the tracks on this collection have been released previously (numerous times for many of them), I will focus my review of this collection on the new live cuts, more specifically Captain Sunshine, He Ain't Heavy, and the medley of Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene.

Before I focus on them however, let me say that the studio recordings of Neil's greatest songs are all on this collection. Listening to all of these tracks, one can gain an appreciation why Neil Diamond is not only revered as a songwriter but as a vocalist. These are timeless pieces of Americana and popular music.

The three live cuts that are noteworthy in this collection are songs hitherto, unreleased as live recordings. In fact, they are songs that Neil has rarely performed live until this current 2001-2002 tour. For me, they represent two things, one the strong writing skills Neil Diamond has even in songs that never became 'greatest hits' and two, the enduring voice Neil Diamond has even after 60+ years.

1. Captain Sunshine is a song from Neil Diamond's 1972 album called Moods. The song was put into the current tour as a tribute to a longtime band member, Vince Charles. The song is a beautiful tribute to the man. Neil Diamond's voice on this song sounds as youthful as it has since the early 1980's (listen to Play Me on this collection as a early 1990's comparison to see how his voice improved from the 90's to today).

2. He Ain' Heavy, He's My Brother is in Neil's current show as a tribute to the heros and victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the troops that are currently fighting for the U.S. What is particularly interesting about this song is that Neil sang it before it ever became a hit. In essence, he discovered the song. Although sung differently than the way the hit goes (I believe by the Hollies), the song emulates a feeling of sincerity and love. Again, Neil's voice is solid in this song, although he does tend to talk/sing a bit in places.

3. Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene was put on this album, in my opinion, in response to the diehard fans that continually have requested that Neil sing this live in concert. Many Neil Diamond fans consider these two songs as Neil's finest compositions, and I concur. These two songs represent a more mystical side of Neil with lyrics that aren't as straight-forward as most of his songs. Not only are the words incredible, but the music is awesome. Neil sings these songs almost as well as he did in the studio back in 1973/1974. Truly this and the other three tracks are totally worth buying another greatest hits collection of America's greatest singer/songwriter.

A living legend? Neil Diamond is, and this collection proves it!

Trying to find a decent Neil Diamond compilation is a frustrating venture: there are label specific compilations, which focus on the three labels Diamond has recorded for; while MCA has found the most ways to compile Diamond records, Sony has issued very few. Sony's first attempt at a complete career overview, GREATEST HITS 1966-1992, had expert track selection and a logical sequence, but used live versions of the MCA recordings, which happened to include some of Diamond's best songs "Sweet Caroline," "I Am...I Said," "Cracklin' Rosie." THE ESSENTIAL NEIL DIAMOND is Neil Diamond's entry into what has so far been an excellent compilation series, until now.

Many of the Essential series editions do what their supposed to, they provide a relatively complete (definitive) compilation of the artist's best work, Bob Dylan, The Clash, Billy Joel. All compilations miss songs, most have one or two questionable judgement calls, but overall they work. For a serious compilation, THE ESSENTIAL NEIL DIAMOND features some of the worst errors to be found (think K-Tel style problems): poor track selection, excessive live recording substitutions, and illogical track sequencing. Not only does this compilation fail as a Neil Diamond overview, it is largely an unlistenable collection.

Diamond's early classic recordings for Bang, from 1966-1968, is the one part of THE ESSENTIAL NEIL DIAMOND done properly. The sound is a major improvement over CLASSICS, particularly on "You Got To Me." There are some slight differences in the recordings on "Solitary Man" and "I Got The Feeling (Oh No, No)" from CLASSICS, but these are so minor that they don't pose much of a problem.

The Uni era recordings, from 1968-1972, have always been, and will continue to be, a major obstacle in career-length Diamond collections. Some of Diamond's best work is controlled by MCA, "Sweet Caroline," "Holly Holy," "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," and it is a critcal part of any compilation. MCA has issued several different compilations that focus exclusively on these records, ranging from the 11-song 20TH CENTURY MASTERS, to PLAY ME, which covers every studio recording from these years. Sony made some progress here, they obtained the masters for his five Top 5 hits, "Sweet Caroline," "Song Sung Blue," "Holly Holy," "I Am...I Said,", and "Cracklin' Rosie." But there are other tracks from the Uni era of importance and these are featured in live versions from recent concerts, which is a cheap way of getting around licensing issues. For instance, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" has evolved into a show-stopper, and the live version reflects this, but the original studio recording is tighter and boosts the fascinating sound Diamond was-then known for. The point of a career-spanning compilation is to be a one-collection purchase, to get the most important recordings in the same place. Instead if you want some of Diamond's most celebrated songs, you need to buy additional discs. Furthermore, the song selection for the live cuts is highly questionable, "Captain Sunshine" (which makes rarely is compiled, even on live albums) and "Morningside" don't really belong on the essential collection, and even if "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" did hit the Top 20, its importance in a career overview is negligable.

The Columbia recordings are poorly represented. While there are exceptions, there's a sharper divide over these songs, which a good collection could have addressed. Here as well, the compilers excluded important songs, "Be" and "Longfellow Serenade," actual hits, unbelieveably substituted for a live medley of "Yes I Will/Lady Magdalene" and album track "I've Been This Way Before." The second disc's illogical sequencing really stands out as well. So rather than the listener appreciating "Desiree," "America," and "Heartlight," all thats gained from the second half is the rather jarring way the material is presented. The ending of the collection is also problematic, the four year gap between "Heartlight" and "Headed For The Future" is understandable, but "Headed For The Future" was released in 1986, and the disc jumps to 2001 for "You Are The Best Part Of Me," (which does sound out of place). It's understandable that compilers wanted to go for complete, but it simply does not work, they could have drafted in select songs from the surrounding fifteen years, or left off at "Headed For The Future."

Career-spanning compilations work best chronologically, allowing the listener to trace artistic development, and avoiding questionable sequences. THE ESSENTIAL NEIL DIAMOND, especially on the second disc, is very poorly sequenced. The second disc opens with "America" and runs through the hits from THE JAZZ SINGER, plows through five live tracks (three of which are unnecessary additions), and bouncing throught the Columbia era.

Between the poor sequencing, questionable selection, and especially the live tracks, it is impossible to view THE ESSENTIAL NEIL DIAMOND as anything other than a missed opportunity. This collection does a great disservice to both listeners and to the music of Neil Diamond. A one collection introduction is still a long way off.

I spent some time researching the best available collections of Neil's work and the best available for the money. I think this is it. Out of 38 tracks, I only thought 3 did not belong (and there are at least as many shouldabeens) but no one will totally agree. 10 are live recordings, 8 of which are listenable given the tendency to ad lib on stage. Crunchy Granola Suite was done too loud and way too rough. Play Me had the crowd cheering through most of the song which was annoying. I think of this collection as Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 with some live bonus tracks. It is going to allow me to retire a lot of vinyl.

When will record companies realize that people that are buying a "best of" album do not want live recordings to replace the original studio recordings? The track listing on this album is great, but many of the songs are live versions, not the version you hear on the radio and love so much. The album should have looked something like this (all studio versions) (I tried to put this in chronological order, but I may have missed on a few):
Disc 1:
Solitary Man
Do It
Cherry, Cherry
I Got the Feelin'
Kentucky Woman
The Boat That I Row
You Got to Me
Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon
Thank the Lord for the Night Time
Red, Red Wine
I'm a Believer
Shilo (the original version)
Brooklyn Roads
Sweet Caroline
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show
And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind
Holly Holy
Soolaimon
Cracklin' Rosie
He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother
I Am...I Said
Done Too Soon
Stones
Crunchy Granola Suite

Disc 2:
Song Sung Blue
Play Me
Walk on Water
Morningside
Be
Longfellow Seranade
I've Been This Way Before
If You Know What I Mean
Beautiful Noise
Desiree
You Don't Bring Me Flowers
Forever in Blue Jeans
September Morn
America
Love on the Rocks
Hello Again
Yesterday's Songs
Heartlight

"Headed for the Future" is awful and should be ignored as much as possible. And "You Are the Best Part of Me" is good, but doesn't fit in here.

Your best bet is to buy "Classics: The Early Years," "The Neil Diamond Collection," and "12 Greatest Hits Volume 2." That 3-disc collection covers most of the Essential Neil Diamond. You'd be missing a couple, but it would be better than live versions.

The studio stuff on here is great. Early stuff is in mono, later stuff is in stereo. Yes, as others have pointed out, 9 of the 38 tracks are live, and we all agree, the originals of the 9 are by far superior. Sony doesn't own the masters to those songs, but Universal does. There are a few Universal Collections, Like "Neil Diamond - The Collection" and "20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection" that will complete the set. Unfortunately, those compilations don't have all the stuff this one does. Want it all, you'll have to buy both this one and one of the two I listed above, but it will certainly be worth it! If you do like the live stuff, I recommend the remaster of Hot August Night!

I've been a huge fan of Neil Diamond since I was a young teen. I see him in concert every 15 years as well. I just saw him in Dallas,so I guess I'll see him next when he's 75. He's still got it, though.
What other artist can come up with 2 studio albums followed by a new greatest hits and new live album... and have all sell? He's done that most of his career.
I know why the live songs on here were selected. They are in his new tour and Shilo has always been one of my favorites. Seeing Neil sit at the piano playing Yes I will/ Lady Madelene was only surpassed by his Captain Sunshine sung in memory of a recently departed band member. He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother has always been a favorite of mine and listening to him sing it live is thrilling. I own the import Ultimate Collection and I own ALL the live albums and even though I have all these songs on other CD's, this is the perfect complement to his new tour.Needless to say, I have this one, too.