Customer Reviews

Neil Diamond - His 12 Greatest Hits

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

There have been many Best-Of Neil Diamond Compilation albums
released by MCA.But this is the first,and by far the best.Every track fits the track before and after it.The studio versions instead of live recordings.All his MCA hits are here,and they still sound great.

Many of MCA's other compilation have lacked the simple focus of this album.These are Neil's big MCA Hits soon after they were hits.The compilations from later years have been more about non-singles that became concert favorites.

The late 60's/early 70's was the best period of Neil's career:Powerful songs with personal lyrics and soaring arrangements.And great rockers with a distinctive honey-and-toast flavour.

Apparently the genius who wrote the first review doesn't know what a cover is. These songs are all Mr. Diamond's and are all excellent. My old cassette has worn down though, so I'll be purchasing one of the used CDs soon enough.

To The Previous Reviewer:

There isn't a cover song on this album, professor, Mr. Diamond wrote all of these tunes. Furthermore, many of his originals have been hits for others, such as "Red Red Wine" (UB40), "I'm A Believer" (The Monkees), "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (The Hollies) and "Solitary Man" (Chris Isaak). I'm not one of those people that think Neil Diamond was the greatest artist that ever came down the pike - I believe his musical legacy would have enjoyed much higher critical, and possibly, public acclaim if he had foregone the heavy-handed horns & strings, but his finely-honed melodies from the late 60's & early 70's are among the finest examples of the singer-songwriter genre.

Why does Neil Diamond, one of the most gifted pop singers/composers of the past four decades, always insist on including live cuts of his most popular songs in Greatest Hits collections?

His 30+-track, Columbia double-disc set, The Greatest Hits 1966-1992, is a prime example: nearly ten of the songs are live versions. The All-Music Guide has a reasonable explanation for this. Columbia, it says, only owns the rights to his studio versions of his *earliest tunes* (Kentucky Woman, Shilo, Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon, etc.) but failed to purchase the rights to studio versions of MCA-label songs during the early 1970s, (such as the wonderful "Sweet Caroline", "Cracklin' Rosie"), and decided to include substandard live cuts.

But this doesn't explain why the original, twelve-track MCA Greatest Hits album, released in the early seventies, contains live versions of "Caroline" and "Soolaimon." I purchased this album, on vinyl, for the original, studio cut of both songs... and didn't get either.

The songs are, of course, masterful -- in *any* version. But while Neil gives a jaw-dropping performance in person -- a spectacle, with lasers, a revolving stage, etc., Neil Live on record is often atrocious, out-of-control, and campy. This isn't a poor album -- just a little deceptive. Just know what you're in for, and if you're looking for the studio cuts of "Sweet Caroline" and/or "Soolaimon," look elsewhere.

Beware! This CD is a classic example of false advertising as perpetrated by the stellar individuals who run the music industry. While there is no indication whatsoever on the outside or inside packaging, two of these "greatest hits" are in fact live versions: i.e., "Sweet Caroline" and "Holly Holy." This is ridiculous, and both the record company (MCA) and artist (Neil Diamond) should be chastised for such blatant misinformation. Having said that, the rest of the CD is fair. Typically, it features its share of Neil Diamond schlock (e.g., "I Am ... I Said"), while "Cracklin' Rosie" and "Shilo" remain shining examples of his long-forgotten pop-songwriting capabilities.

Great collection of the UNI hits. The original vinyl version of this release 25 years ago also contained the live versions of Sweet Caroline and Holly Holy from Hot August night and I think that's what "Original Recording Remastered" refers to. It's not misleading if you own the original 12 Greatest Hits on vinyl. I was disappointed to find the early CD releases substituted the studio recordings of those two songs. I'm glad to have the live versions back.

I have heard this album ever since I was a kid and the more I listen the better the songs sound. For a die hard fan of Neil I can only say that you have to hear this album to know the genious of Neil.

I own the LP record of this album and i think somebody else who reviewed it doesn't because they said that sweet caroline and soolaimon were live. Right about the former but not the latter. Holly Holy is live and not a bad live version either. Anyway i see the point people have made about Neil's greatest hits albums containing live versions. This was made by MCA and all the versions should be studio as it is not a live album. Since this came out in the age of vinyl i suppose 12 songs was the most they could fit and its a pretty good 12 songs. Although when it was released on CD they should have added bonus tracks like Atlantic did with Rod Stewart best of Vol.1 and 2. Instead MCA just released a separate album called the Neil Diamond Collection which has all these songs plus five more from that era and the Hot August Night version of Cherry Cherry. I give it 3 stars because of the live tracks and because they did not add anything on CD

Neil Dimomd may have not had the melodic magic of the Beatles or the classical grandure of Jim Webb or Burt Bacharach. But Neil's edge was that he sounded like no one else, and no one else has ever sounded like Neil.

"Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Holly Holy," all these were fantastic songs made for late 1960s AM radio. But Neil had a sense of phrasing in his chords that made his music uniquely, almost eccentrically, his. Even songs like he handed off to the Monkee's, "I'm A Beliver," had a different sense to them then most top 40 of the era.

And Neil was a master at getting the exact arrangements for the nuances he wanted, and then getting the best session people to execute his vision. Listen to the chior on "Brother Love's Travalin' Salvation Show" or the rainy horns on "Brooklyn Roads." Weird songs about wierd subjects, but Dimond brings it off with complete sinceraty. You were not going to hear pop like this on a Gary Pucket album.

Or any other. Becuase no one sounds like Neil Diamond, and Neil Diamond will never sound like anyone else.

As previously stated, this is a remaster of a previous Vinyl LP. It is a very SMALL improvement of the previous CD, MCAD 37252, ASIN No. B00000DWHI. Failing to hear a significant difference on my stereo, I used Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge Studio to measure it. At best, it is a 10% improvement. I recommend against replacing your current CD if you already own MCAD 37252.