21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book worth cherishing by any Diamond fan., September 28, 2009
This review is from: Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story of the Man and His Music (Hardcover)
As I said in my Blogcritics article...
There's a very spirited argument running through my head as to whether Neil Diamond is Forever should be published as a book critique or a music review. This beautiful hardbound monster of a book came in the customary brown mailing envelope and the moment it emerged from hiding, music began flowing through my head. Music more clear than any CD could possibly produce and more vivid than any photograph or painting. From the moment you open this volume until hours after its last page is viewed, Neil Diamond's music will flow flawlessly through your mind.
You are the sun, I am the moon, here are the words, you know the tune... read this.
Masterful fingers will continuously strum a blessed guitar and strings swell higher than an eagle dares to fly... and I hadn't even opened the damned book yet. Neil Diamond has an incredible talent for placing images in your mind intertwined with music and though sometimes after a period of years you may forget a lyric or two, the music lives on.
As each page turns you find a new image of a career that has spanned decades - and deservedly so. It's a book that has to be read twice because you don't want words to distract from the beautifully reproduced images and the music that can't leave your mind. "I'll read it after I check out more of the pictures," you'll tell yourself.
Fat chance
The next page always seems to have an image that brings up a long-lost memory that compels you to read its description. You find yourself carried away remembering your old 45 collection; deciding not to explain to your kids what a "45" is for fear of making yourself seem or feel too old just yet. Surprise'll catch you by the image of a Monkees single, then you read where young Neil was approached by Don Kirshner to submit some music for his new TV show. The pre-fab four's rendition of "I'm a Believer" originally began as a throwaway tune that was a little bit too "bubblegum" for Neil until he became rich overnight from it, setting up his financial freedom to record more masterful works.
And the story of a young delivery boy who made it good in the big city, and then the country, and then the world goes on from there, but it's the pictures that make this book a worthy addition to any Neil Diamond fan's collection.
This incredible artist began his career in a long-lost era when music was mostly delivered over three-inch transistor radios in mono laying face down on a beach somewhere. The only alternative was a single five-inch car dashboard speaker bouncing off of a flat windshield. To impress someone under that format was a feat in itself. It was a time when AM radio stations played the Mamas and the Papas, the Smothers Brothers, Steppenwolf, and Barbra Streisand one right after the other and never batted an eye. There were no synthesized instruments or stolen bits and pieces of other musical artists' work to hide behind. You usually only had no more than three or four minutes to sell your song because radio stations didn't want listeners wandering off if they didn't like what was playing at the moment... so that's all you had - a moment. If you weren't good you were relegated to that much-avoided category of "one hit wonder."
Jon Bream has done a great job of building this 8.5 x 11 inch hardbound collection and it is a testament to just how well the author knows his subject. Within its 160 pages you'll find 225 huge color and 81 black & white photos leaving you with the impression that there can't possibly be a single photo of Neil that isn't contained in this volume. The story of Neil's life and career is inspiring and noteworthy because of its many triumphs and it's longevity.
The only question still looming after reading the book concerns wondering why Neil hasn't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame yet. The next time you go to a fireworks display and sing along with Neil coming to America you can ask yourself the same question.
I highly recommend this book and it holds an honored place on my shelf.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible Book - Pictures alone more than worth the price!, September 29, 2009
This review is from: Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story of the Man and His Music (Hardcover)
I still haven't read the entire book but being a Neil Diamond fan for over 40 years, I couldn't resist doing an advance order on the book. When it came I was surprised at how large it was (like a coffee table book) and then I casually flipped through the pages and about screamed with delight! The pictures throughout the book are phenomenal and, after 40 years of being a fan, even I was still blown away by pictures I have never seen! I also loved the pages toward the front of the book with remarks by other well-known in-the-business people praising the works of Neil Diamond. This book is DEFINITELY worth purchasing and, believe me, the price is very much a bargain considering the quality of the book. Someday soon I may even read all the text in it but for now the pictures are still being admired and worth taking the time to make the review! For the true Diamond fans, it's a must have; for those "thinking about it" -- go for it and you won't be disappointed!!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tremendous!, January 6, 2010
This review is from: Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story of the Man and His Music (Hardcover)
I love this book! It's all any Neil Diamond, or serious music fan for that matter, could want. Jon Bream has done an excellent job compiling Neil's life and career in words and pictures. I learned so much and gained a completely new appreciation for Neil and his music. He really is a seminal artist. Bream clearly knows his stuff. This book is a great read and looks tremendous on our coffee table as well. Buy this book today!
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