Customer Reviews

Hot August Night (Remastered / Expanded) (2CD)

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The very first time I played "Hot August Night" was in the dark ages of 1973. I had heard that it was perhaps the best live album of all time. I have never been a live album fan, and still am not. However, "Hot August Night" could not have been done as anything other than a live album. The ambiance of the Greek Theater in Los Angeles was the perfect setting for a singer/songwriter who performs better as a travelling troubadour than a studio musician. As a more recent example of this assertion, watch the ending of "Born in East L.A." when Neil Diamond sings "Coming to America". The song coupled with the movie and the action is a perfect fit, but I find it difficult to enjoy the song as much as a cycled FM song without the movie.

Having said that this album is good, the next question is: just how good is it? Other reviewers have compared this album to the all time live-album king, Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive", which everyone seemed to own in the 1970s. This album is not as hard a rocker, but as noted elsewhere, "Frampton Comes Alive" feels dated when you listen to it today; "Hot August Night" sounds as good, if not better, than when it was first released.

The sound quality is beyond excellent, it is outstanding. When listening to live albums it's often tempting to adjust the equalizer to reduce annoying hisses or crowd noise or some error in the recording process. No need with this album. Leave the adjustments where they normally are for any pop-rock album.

The songs on this album are a best of the best of early Neil Diamond music. You could see every one of these songs as a potential hit in the 60s and 70s. In fact, many of them were. Those that weren't perhaps should have been.

Some highlights of this CD:

"Prologue" is one of the best intros to any album, ever. That is all the comment you need about the prologue.

The first CD is one excellent Neil diamond song after another. They are all good, many mellow. There are a few rockers too. "Crunchy Granola Suite", "Cherry Cherry", and "Porcupine Pie", which is silly, all have a fast pace. The other songs are bluesy and some have a country flavor.

The second CD is a combination of blues/soft rock and an excellent rock song, "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show", where Neil puts himself totally into his music. There is a lot of emotion on this second CD, and it is best listened to when you want to immerse yourself into a musical experience.

"Canta Libre", the second song on this CD, is reminiscent of Neil's songs on the "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull" soundtrack. Very mellow, very beautiful.

The remaining songs are music as art. "Morningside", "Holly Holy", and "I Am...I said" are just a few of the emotional songs that make you long for the days when this music was young. Listening now to "Morningside", the emotions it generates are just awesome. Neil is in this song, living it...

Enough said. This CD is perhaps the best live album of all time. At the very least it is in the top 3. If you've ever found yourself singing along with any of Neil's early songs, buy this. You'll want to play it over and over.

28 years ago today, Neil walked onstage at the Greek Theater, Los Angeles, CA. He took everyone for a walk down memory lane one last time and in the process recorded what would become the last look at Neil Diamond - Singer,Songwriter,Troubador,etc. He would take a sabbatical and emerge with the Jonathan Livinston Seagull Soundtrack. Truly a monumental peak in a mountain of accomplishments, Hot August Night is a rare recording that still holds up well today. The remastering is top notch and the inclusion of three bonus tracks-Walk on Water, Kentucky Woman and Stones are icing on a wonderfully multi-layered cake. The first time I heard these, I found myself applauding as a first time audience member. I have acquired this on almost every configuration released(I didn't own a 8 track). I would buy every show from these recordings if they released it. That is how entertaining this set is. The packaging is faithful to the original gatefold album including 2 pictures that have not seen daylight since 1973 or 1974 when they stopped pressing the gatefold in favor of the cheaper sleeve. It would've been complete with the album labels reproduced on the cds themselves but that is the only detail missing that I've noticed. Overall, I give this CD 100 stars out of five. If anyone attended these shows please contact me at my email. I would like to get more info about these shows!!!

Neil Diamond's greatest strength has always been his live performances, and "Hot August Night" is by far the best of the recorded shows. Production-wise, the sound is phenomenal--you would never guess that this was recorded twenty-eight years ago. The same goes for the stellar arrangements, which in many instances often surpass the original recorded versions of the songs (the most notable instance of this is "Holly Holy," which in its original version was rather soulless but on here flat out ROCKS). The orchestration adds rather than detracts--"Prologue" will give you a good idea of what to expect. There are too many highlights to list. If you're like a lot of people who think that Neil Diamond is just some middle-aged guy who bellows out sappy ballads and overly grandiose anthems while wearing really sparkly shirts, you've never heard this set, and you're about to have all your illusions shattered. It's that good. Period.

Anyone else looking for real music should look at Neil Diamond. I am a Neil Diamond fan. My admiration for the Man, the Singer and his Music is unconditional. Being a product of the `70s rock culture, I never saw Neil Diamond as a rock artist. His songs came to me as folk, country, pop and some gospel. I guess this is the reason why I was able to adjust to Diamond's transition to musical progressions. I love his ballads and I just go crazy listening to them.

Hot August Night is probably the best live concert ever recorded. The intensity is sustained all throughout the performance, electrifying his audience and listeners alike, making this record drip with so much energy. The intro, "Prologue", is a killer tune. It is a masterpiece. Just listen to it build up to a climax as it gets layered into an atmosphere of strings, keyboards, acoustics and percussions (the sound is greatly improved on the remaster--crisp sounding). It is a majestic piece. Sure, Neil has those songs with corny titles and lyrics to it (i.e. "Soggy Pretzels", "You're So Sweet Horseflies Keep Hangin' Round Your Face", "Crunchy Granola Suite", "Porcupine Pie", and even "Song Sung Blue"), but aren't artist allowed to tease and have fun?

"I Am... I Said", "Morningside" and "Canta Libre" are some of the more emotional tracks of the set as Neil Diamond takes you to one moving song to another as he connects with his audience through songs and banter. While "Holly Holy" (a definite favorite of mine), and definitely the best version compared to the stale and thin sounding original studio recording off the Touching You, Touching Me album, sets the tone and pace as the show climaxes to a thunderous end to some of Neil's percussive moments on the album. The big climax of "Holly Holy" sees Neil Diamond exploding into dramatic rage and passion (this is repeated on the closer "Brother Love`s..."), making this a high point of the album. "Holly Holy" is a very beautiful song and a masterpiece as well. Band and orchestra should be applauded here. This leads into a quieter, almost solemn intro into "I Am... I Said" (the calm before the storm) that builds up into a huge emotional burst, full-orchestra, keys and percussions kicking into the music. The Walk Off as orchestra and band explode to a built up "I Am... I Said" instrumental before everything breaks loose as nonstop percussions rumble into "Soolaimon/Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" medley. What a listening experience this brings on repeated play. As the band and orchestra encores to the tune of "Brother Love's...", I stay glued, still, onto my seat, moved by it all like I where in that concert, wishing that it never ended--it always feels that way with me. Musicianship is topnotch and cohesive, and yes, special mention has to be given to drummer Dennis St. John for his amazing distinct and tireless work all throughout. (The first time I ever heard "Holly Holy" playing on the radio in the early `70s was by Hugo Montenegro. I did not even know Neil Diamond existed, but even when I finally discovered Neil, it was the Hugo Montenegro cover that became my measure of that song's beautiful style. The Touching You, Touching Me original version, despite the strings has a poor and uneven mix, and the Gold (first ND live record) version is raw and simple with only electric guitar, bass and drums as backup instruments.)

The beauty about Hot August Night is that all of the songs Neil performed are his original compositions. He got to do this again the last time when he recorded Love At The Greek after the Beautiful Noise album. In retrospect, I wish Neil also sang in this concert "High Rolling Man" (I love the piano riffs on this one), "Captain Sunshine" (beautiful lyrics and melody) and "Lordy" (beautiful melody and beat). Incidentally, I read years ago that the string section was used on this particular night only for the recording purposes of this show.

If you are a Neil Diamond fan but don't own Hot August Night yet, get it. It is worth more than the countless ridiculous ND greatest hits and compilations that are being released faster than you could say "You're So Sweet Horseflies Keep Hangin' Round Your Face". If you are not a Neil Diamond fan yet but are contemplating on becoming one, Hot August Night is definitely the best start for you (though In My Lifetime and Play Me: The Complete Uni Studio Recordings are also well recommended for their sheer historical overview of Neil Diamond`s music), mind you, this concert was recorded in 1972, so you should know what Neil Diamond songs to expect from that era--timeless classics. What were you expecting me to say?

As for Dave Barry's inclusion of "I Am.. I Said" to the "Worst Songs Ever" list, who cares? That is his opinion and he can keep it. Like most of us, we also have our opinions and "I Am... I Said" is a song with profound lyrical content--a true masterpiece.

My father turned me onto this album (via the car 8-track!) in 1974 when I was 11. I have loved it ever since. I still get goose bumps as the violins begin "Crunchy Granola Suite" and all the way through to the awesome encore, "Brother Love's...".

This album is a religious experience for me. What an incredible performance Neil Diamond gives. It's a shame that he never really recaptured this mind-blowing effort in subsequent releases (i.e. Hot August Night II, Love at the Greek).

I just received the new re-mastered version with the three additional tracks. I was stunned to hear that there were new tracks! Why was this not on the 11 o'clock news!?!?!?! To me, this is like discovering there are 3 newly unearthed Commandments.

The sound quality seems much improved (less hiss). So thanks Neil, for one of the best - and most underappreciated - albums of all-time!

This is the fifth time I received Hot August Night. I first got this in '76. In '78 I bought it again after wearing out the first copy. I received a cassette copy in the mid '80's and then finally purchased it on CD in the early 90's. Today I bought it again after noticing there were three bonus tracks. This is a real treat as Walk on Water and Stones have never appeared on album before. In fact, I never knew Neil even performed this live - ever. I saw him in concert 10 times since 1976 and never heard either one of these two live. Walk on Water is fine, a little sparse compared to the studio recording but Stones is beautiful. This was the song that actually got me interested in Neil Diamond in the first place, back in the early '70's.

I own over 800 cds. Not to mention what I have on other formats. This 'musical experience' has always been my favorite. I have owed this awesome concert on every format, and up to the release of this Remastered CD, the best was still vinyl (MCA's previous CD release was very disappointing..sound wise and for lack of original album artwork). On August 29th 2000 I listened to this concert again for the first time...If you close your eyes the clarity of this CD will put you AT the Greek. For those of you who haven't heard this album, Neil Diamond fan or not, now is the time. Do yourself a favor...Experience it!!!

The first exposure I ever got of Neil Diamond was to HOT AUGUST NIGHT.It was a certainty on long car trips.The passing 27 years (and some pretty substandard Neil Diamond releases) have only intensified my love for this live document.This release marks the end of Brill Building era Neil and sets the stage for JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGULL and beyond.From the orchestral intro to the rocking encores,Diamond has this LA crowd jumping out of their Greek Theater seats(and out of the trees) and into his hands. Unlike some of his later live releases,showmanship is replaced by true feeling.It is as if on tracks like HOLLY HOLY,CRACKLIN'ROSIE SOOLAIMON,and MORNINGSIDE Neil has experienced all that he has sung about and wants to share the experiences with the audience. The "theatrical moments"(CANTA LIBRE,BROTHER LOVE'S TRAVELLING SALVATION SHOW,SOGGY PRETZELS)are performed with gusto.Neil croons,roars and jokes with abandon.The band is caught up in the moment and provide a magical backup.Special mention must go to his drummer Dennis St John who puts overpowering energy into his playing,which rivals the great Ronnie Tutt(ex-Elvis Presley Band and current Neil Diamond Band member).After this ,Diamond took a three year "retirement" from the concert scene.For pure excellence and energy,put this release on and take a mind trip back to that HOT AUGUST NIGHT at the Greek Theater.Who knows,you too might become one of the "tree people"!

I have seen Neil Diamond live 4 times and I will soon see him a fifth time. He is absolutely fantastic live and his energy comes out well on live albums. This two cd album does this great performer justice. Over the years, Neil has become sort of an "easy listening" genre recording artist but live, he is still one of the all time great rockers."

I particularly like his many upbeat rockers in this cd. He does a great version of "Cherry Cherry." His classic E-A-D guitar chord progression (that was later used by other artists in songs such as "What I like About You") is so simple yet is the backdrop for Cherry Cherry's great driving beat. The edge that a live performance lends to it makes the song a rock classic. Neil combines "Soolaimon" and "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show" into an incredible 8 minute plus medley that must have had the audience on it's feet. I have personally seen Neil bring down the house with Brother Love and it sounds great on this cd.

Some of his slower tempo songs exude an incredible energy such as "Holly Holy." Again, like "Cherry Cherry," the chord progressions are simple (they must be simple since a dolt like me is able to play them on my guitar) and, without building up in tempo, the song slowly reaches a couple of intense climaxes. Live it is just unbelievable. The emotional ballad, "I Am I Said" also is a highlight of this wonderful live album.

In the past, I have reviewed live cds and given an otherwise great cd 4 stars because having seen the performer live, I felt that the cd did not do the actual performance justice. This is not the case here. Neil's live performances are extraordinary and the cds do them justice. I also recommend "Hot August Night II" another great live cd, with many of the same songs performed again, years after this album was recorded,

This was the second album I ever bought, and inspired my interest in music and singing. I wanted to play beautiful acoustic guitar just like on this album, and also wanted to be able to sing just like Neil Diamond. Also, some of these songs really resonated with me.

Unlike like most albums which have many filler songs, most of the songs here are high quality, and given an extra dimension by the showmanship, emotional intensity, humor and the fascinating voice of Neil Diamond.

Considering it is a live album the production qualities are better than many studio albums.

The highlights on this album are the show stopping rendition of Brother Love, the best version he has done on any album. Song sung blue sung live, Cherry Cherry and it's infectious beat. Red Red wine country style. Soggy pretzels, and Girl you'll be a woman soon, which was used in the movie Pulp Fiction. Can you remember that scene where Uma and John Travolta were dancing. There are many more I could mention.

The arrangements on this album differ from the studio recordings with beautiful acoustic guitar being more prominent here. If you like Neil Diamond, then this is a must have album.

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