Customer Reviews

Ultimate Collection

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After growing up listening to ones parents play Neil Diamond continuously and then seeing him in concert recently in Australia, I was on the look out for a greatest hits album of original recordings. And did I find it in this album. If you want a great summary of his recordings with all the favorites, new and old, buy it. The music listing is not in cronological order but it really shows you Neil Diamonds versatility with all styles of music. A disappointment though is the fact a few classics are missing like "Crunchy Granola" and "Shilo" but don't let that stop you from buying it. It makes up for it with the other songs present. Other collection series have had rather disappointing live versions on the CD but this only has original versions with no live cuts. Not too many of his recent recordings, like "Tennesse Moon" are on the album but most people are more familiar with his older stuff which is covered very well and I myself prefer his older material. A few songs could be left out like the duet with Dolly Parton on "You've lost that loving feeling". Not one of his better covers. A die hard fan would have all the albums that are covered by this compliation album, but if you want all his hits in one, this is the album to get.

The only mishap on this otherwise immaculate collection is the uneven song sequence. Following the sixties pop of "I'm A Believer," comes the slickly produced, early 80's ballad, "Heartlight." Both are superb songs, but they sound confused when placed back to back in a greatest hits compilation. This double disc set would have been flawless with just a little more attention to detail. Why not start from the beginning and end with "Heartlight," 1994's "America" and other late career pinnacles?

Nonetheless, this collection is as good as it gets. All, and I mean ALL the familiar hits are here. Besides those mentioned above this is the ONLY neil Diamond compilation including hits from his entire career: Sweet Caroline, Solitary Man, Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon, Cherry, Cherry I Am...I Said, Song Sung Blue, Forever In Blue Jeans, Kentucky Woman, Holy, Holy...believe me, this is Apple Pie Ala Mode for the Neil Diamond Completist.

Now, that is not to say that this collection indulges in every facet of this genius songwriter's career. Yes, the Jonathan Livingston Seagull tracks are virtually ignored, and his biggest fans with very specific favorites will likely be disappointed. But, come on, we are talking about one of the few songwriters in history to endure the evolutions of his industry from the 60's to the 90's. Two CDs are not going to do proper justice to a career of Diamond's magnitude.

And please, critics, let us stop using this word "pop" as if it were absolutely derogatory. Neil Diamond WRITES these songs, Neil Diamond PERFORMS these songs, and Neil Diamond continues to interest an increasingly aging audience in his work. Just about all of his albums went platinum, from the early 70's through the 90's. Of course, I always welcome surprises, but I don't think that Britney Spears will be remembered for her songwriting prowess in 2030. That's not "pop," that's commercialism.

This is clearly the only collection to chronicle Neil Diamond's brilliance so thoroughly. For the real Diamond freaks among us, I don't think it will take much more time for a box set to come out. So there is still hope for the ultimate Neil Diamond project. But any "fan" claiming to be wholly disappointed in this compilation just isn't a fan.

Of all of the Neil Diamond greatest hits albums to come along during the years, not one ever got it right. Some of them included the hits, however many of the versions were done live! If that is your taste thats fine but I have always come to the conclusion that if you are looking for the hits in their original studio versions then that is what greatest hits albums are for. Stick to "Hot August Night" for the best live Neil Diamond. This lp includes all the hits begining with the great sixties cuts like "Solitary Man" and "Kentucky Woman". It then moves to early 70's songs like "Sweet Caroline" and "Song Sung Blue". It also includes my very favorite song, the gospel flavored "Walk On Water" which is hard to get. It also covers the duets that he made with Barbara Streisand and Dolly Parton. This is a great album for an evening with someone very special for some romantic time. The sound quality is excellent and there are some nice photos and a listing of all his albums (until 1996). In closing if you want one greatest hits lp with all the hits in their original versions then you cannot go wrong with this lp.

This is a great collection! The songs are not live like many of his other CDs; and it combines a variety of labels (Sony, Columbia, etc.) onto one CD. Also, the recordings are clear and sound really good unlike some of his other CDs.

If you are like me and want to economize and get all of Neil Diamond's hits in 1 collection, get this collection, made in Australia. I was looking for a collection with no live songs and original studio versions of his hits, and this is it. The sound quality is superb, as the remastering is handled very well. My only regret is I would prefer more liner notes, as to each song's release date and the album it appears on, but that is a minor beef. This CD is a nearly complete collection of Diamond's greatest hits. Enjoy!

This is it boys and girls... If you want Niel Diamond and you don't like the live versions of some songs...then this is the album for you. 40 of his greatest hits including the old version of holy Holy. I really enjoyed this collection. There are a couple that I didn't care for like You lost that lovin feeling with Dolly. And there are a couple songs that I wish would have been included like Headed for the future. But you can't have your cake and eat it too. Right? But for an all inclusive album this is the way to go. It was worth the wait and the price... You won't find this album in your local music store here in the states. So order it from Amazon.com like I did. You won't be disappointed.

This collection is such a treat. It is a must own for die-hard Neil Diamond fans. The classics range from my personal favorites, "Cherry, Cherry" and "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" to his more contemprary songs. Neil Diamond is a virtuoso. He plays moods, settings and ideas and combines them very effectively as does a painter mixing colors. Neil Diamond is strong and sensory; his music nonpareil. He is still rocking and this collection is proof positive of that. Neil Diamond is a purist in every sense of the word. He has set high standards for himself and this is evident in his music. He has nothing extraneous in his works and in listening to interviews he has given throughout the years, it is his genuine respect for the medium of music that comes through.

Please, please listen to this. You are in for such a treat.

So many compilations that are called Ultimate fail to live up to the title, but this contains everything I want from a Neil Diamond double CD. Shilo is the only significant omission but it's not that important and there is plenty else to compensate. Unlike some of his compilations, all the tracks here are original studio recordings - no live cuts.

All the really essential songs are here, including Sweet Caroline, Song sung blue, Crackling Rosie, Love on the rocks, Beautiful noise, Forever in blue jeans, If you know what I mean, Play me, I am I said, Solitary man, Cherry cherry, Brother love's travelling salvation show, Kentucky woman, America, Holly holy and his classic duet with Barbra Streisand, You don't bring me flowers.

Neil wrote many of his own songs including those already mentioned, but in sixties he also wrote songs for others. The Monkees had a couple of hits with his songs, one of which was I'm a believer. Neil's original version is included here. Another song that Neil wrote, Red red wine, became a British number one in the eighties for UB40. Neil's original version is included here.

Neil has also proved himself as an interpreter of songs made famous by others and this aspect of his career is well represented on this collection. The most interesting of these is You've lost that loving feeling, which he performs as a duet with Dolly Parton. Other covers on this collection include Everybody's talking, Up on the roof, I who have nothing, The sun ain't gonna shine anymore, Morning has broken and Chelsea morning.

This is a brilliant collection of Neil's music.

This is a great collection of songs from Neil however i can't believe they omited Shilo and instead opted to keep some of the make-over songs that to me sound incredibly corney at times.. if you want all of his hits this is the disc and the remastering is done well..

What a great CD! Absolutely the best Neil Diamond collection to date! Only missed 5 stars due to the absense of 3 songs: Shilo, Brooklyn Roads and Done Too Soon. Other than that, this collection is the best!!