Forever Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 23, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B000F8OILY
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,501 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You

2. Sweet Caroline

3. Ain't No Way

4. Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon

5. Kentucky Woman

6. And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind

7. Solitary Man

8. Cracklin' Rosie

9. Red Red Wine

10. Glory Road

11. I'm a Believer

12. The Boat That I Row

13. Holly Holy

14. Dry Your Eyes

Editorial Reviews

FOREVER NEIL DIAMOND

Classic covers of Neil’s best songs

"Neil Diamond." To many, the name evokes bright lights, stage costumes that would make Elvis jealous, and legions of female fans in the audience. But there’s another Neil Diamond—Neil the songwriter. That’s the Neil that producer Rick Rubin chose to highlight on the recent 12 Songs album, and it’s telling that while Rubin recorded covers with artists such as Johnny Cash, with Neil he stuck solely to original material.

The new collection Forever Neil Diamond presents 14 of the best and most popular covers of classic Neil Diamond songs, including UB40’s #1 smash recasting of "Red Red Wine," Urge Overkill’s memorable version of "Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon" from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, Deep Purple’s hard-rock take on "Kentucky Woman," and even Elvis Presley himself paying tribute to Neil’s songwriting prowess with the cult favorite "And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind." The result is a fun and engaging look at the real Neil—Neil the songwriter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tribute CD that Is Actually Worth the Money, June 16, 2006

By 

Thomas D. Ryan "American Hit Network" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever Neil Diamond (Audio CD)

In the past fifteen or twenty years, the horrible trend of `tribute' CD's has robbed me of hundreds of dollars in precious cash. There is hardly a musical act that hasn't been given this questionable accolade. Johnny Cash, Van Morrison, Elvis Presley, Richard Thompson, the Who, Captain Beefheart, the Carpenters...this is just a small sampling of musicians who have had their songs covered by other acts who never really capture the essence of their subject, and sometimes inadvertently destroy that which they allegedly emulate. I've purchased tribute disks for all of the above, and I never listen to any of them, because (surprise, surprise) I've discovered that I'd much rather hear the original version than some awful interpretation.
"Forever Neil Diamond" is a `tribute' CD, but don't let that put you off, because it is a different type of tribute CD. Rather than consisting of nasty, wrongheaded reinventions of songs you already know, this disk contains versions of songs that ought to be familiar. It celebrates Neil Diamond as a songwriter, not as a performer, and it gathers together a baker's dozen of Diamond's songs, many of them as originally recorded by the likes of the Monkees ("A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You"), Deep Purple ("Kentucky Woman") and yes, even Elvis Presley ("And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind"). Closing the disk is the definitive version of "Dry Your Eyes," as performed by Neil Diamond and the Band for "The Last Waltz," an odd presence that casts Neil's own performance as a cover version of sorts.
As could be expected, the least successful tracks are those that attempt to reinvent Neil's hit versions of his own compositions. "Solitary Man," "Cracklin' Rosie" and "Holly Holy" are underwhelming in the versions presented here, while the Four Tops' version of "I'm a Believer" may add diversity, but ultimately makes me realize that they could have made a great album by simply collecting an album's worth of Monkees interpretations. On the other hand, Diamond's recording of "Red Red Wine" was nothing special, while the UB40 version that appears here is universally accepted as definitive. There's also a surprise or two. Arthur Alexander's version of "Glory Road" is sadly beautiful, and Lulu's interpretation of "The Boat That I Row" makes me wonder why this wasn't a hit for her. All in all, `Forever...Diamond" may be a bit spotty, but it is quite excellent if compared to other `tribute' collections. B+ Tom Ryan

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great idea, yet I don't like the result much..., July 29, 2008

By 

William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forever Neil Diamond (Audio CD)

I enjoy Neil Diamond's singing and I have always felt he was an excellent songwriter. Before he became a solo star, other singers or vocal groups had been making the charts with his songs. To do a "tribute" CD which featured various artists' versions of Diamond songs, most of which either sold well on their own or were cuts on well-regarded albums is a great idea. I was disappointed in this disc, however. For repeated listening, 30-plus years after most of these songs were written, these selections did not measure up. I do like Arthur Alexander's version of "Glory Road" and Junior Walker's rendition of "Holly Holy." I enjoyed the outrageous Shane McGowan's boozy version of "Cracklin' Rosie" (which is about wine, anyway.) The other 11 tracks just left me indifferent, despite the artists, including Elvis, Bobby Womack, The Monkees, The Box Tops and The Four Tops. Had I the assignment to pick the finalists for this effort, I would have gone with other versions by other people, if not for entirely different songs. Everyone gets the right to his or her own opinion, but in my view, this CD's concept sounds better than its final product.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good times never seemed so good, May 24, 2006

By 

spaghetti western - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever Neil Diamond (Audio CD)

Forever Neil Diamond gives props to Neil Diamond songs through 14
fun and diverse covers.While Neil Diamond is still not in the rock n roll hall of fame,he was one of the earliest inductees
into the songwriters hall of fame.And for good reason.The man can write some of the catchiest hooks and sing-along lyrics.

I was suprised to enjoy the soulful r&b covers the best.Bobby Womack does a great version of "Sweet Caroline".Junior Walker & the All-Stars make "Holly Holy" like a religous experience in church.And the Four Tops do a great version of "I'm A Believer."

"Solitary Man" is one of my favorite Diamond songs,and the Crooked Fingers version is like a beautiful funeral durge with banjos.Urge Overkill is another alternative band that stays true to Diamond's distinctive singing style,on "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon."

of the 14 covers,the only one I skip is Deep Purple's long, phycodelic "Kentucky Woman." It is the only cover that feels out of place.But this song has never been a favorite of mine even when Neil sang it.

the cd ends with the Band backing Neil on the powerful "Dry Your Eyes." It is interesting that the cd ends with one of Neil's more political songs(about the toll the Vietnam war took,and a nation healing)This song has been covered by Frank Sinatra,but Diamond's passionate delivery can't be beat,as he sings lyrics like "it was more than being holy,and it was less than being free,And if you can't recall the reason,can you hear the people sing? Right through the lightning and the thunder,to the dark side of the moon,to that distant falling angel that descended much to soon
come dry your eyes".

Neil Diamond is one of the most covered songwriters,so a compilation cd like this will always leave out some good stuff.But there is always the possibility that other big Diamond covers,like Sonny&Cher's version of "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show",Roy Orbison's version of "Cracklin Rosie" and Johnny Cash's grammy winning cover of "Solitary Man" will show up on Forever Neil Diamond II!