Customer Reviews

On the Way to the Sky

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is truly one of the best Diamond albums he recorded.It just goes down so easy.The songs are beautifully crafted with lovely cord changes.In my opinion Columbia could have picked at least 5 or 6 singles from this collection.If you want a feel good,relaxing album then I give this record the highest recommendation.

Coming off "The Jazz Singer" movie and soundtrack on a high note, comes Neil Diamond's Autumn 1981 release "On The Way To The Sky". It is here where you'll find the major AOR/pop hit "Yesterday's Songs" and the major-minor hits "Be Mine Tonight" and the title track. "Right By You" should have been a major AOR/pop hit in it's own right, with its mellow, infectious bluesy rhythms. "OTWTTS" features rockin', semi-up-tempo numbers as well, in the uniquely titled "Fear Of The Marketplace" and in the melancholicly titled "Rainy Day Song", which will give you a quick pick me up on a cloudy day. "Guitar Heaven" will literally and figuratively have you floating on Cloud Nine upon the first listen! Tom Hensley's and Alan Lindgren's orchestral arrangements and talents are really extraordinary and tastefully done in the compositions "Only You" and "Save Me", among other selections featured on this CD. "The Drifter" and "Love Burns" are fine tracks as well. With all these brilliantly arranged cuts to choose from, and with the never-ending listening pleasure "On The Way To The Sky" is sure to bring you, and at around ..., is cheaper than most round-trip airline tickets. Buckle up, and have a pleasant flight!

There are some splendidly thoughtout pieces here. The title track, Love Burns, Be Mine Tonight and Save Me are among the best of the second part of Neil's career. He is a much better poet than he is generally given credit for. There are gems in all of his albums, these are among his quality efforts.

His first album after "The Jazz Singer" is nothing to brag about but it's still a listenable album highlighted by the radio-friendly "Yesterday's Songs". It's not essential but it's worth consideration if you're a die hard fan or just like soft rock.
A nice album to pass the time away with.

Neil Diamond is a performer of extraordinary caliber. He does not disappoint on this collection, either. As other reviewers have noted, this is very spiritually uplifting and it just plain SOUNDS good. It is great!

"Be Mine Tonight" is a fun, catchy song that is sure to delight most ears. "Guitar Heaven" and "Save Me" are more pieces of evidence that Neil Diamond is a gifted performer who has genuine respect for his work. He is not the stereotypical burn out rocker who becomes a chart statistic. Neil Diamond, on the other hand, is a very cerebral, very serious and very dedicated performer and it is just this purist approach that makes his music so darn good.

Although this may not be the best Neil album ever released, (remember, many albums of artists in the 80's, even established ones, tended to be over the top, schmaltzy, more glitz than substance fare), this album still has enough of the I'm-singing-this-only-for-you songs done in that gravel-like, sexy bedroom voice that Mr. Diamond does so very well to make it a keeper. "Right By You" and "Love Burns" are especially simmering!

One of Neil's best albums. Every track is brilliant - this is Neil at his most spiritual since Serenade. As the title suggests, this album is hugely uplifting.

Neil Diamond is a legend to me. I had this Cd in record form for years and wanted to get a CD. Everything that Neil Diamond has done has been great. I was afraid I
wouldn't be able to find this CD. Thanks to Amazon I did. Love it!

The title track "On the Way to the Sky" is simply a great song, both lyrics and melody. The song highlights Diamond's vocal range and the lyrics truly are inspiring. Think of any point in your life where you may have been down and coming back and this song helps you remember how wonderful it was to begin again. Sheila, do you remember?

Still riding the wave of success of his multi-platinum Jazz Singer album, this album and a few others after it were dwarfed by its success, which is unfortunate for the true fans of his music. Many of Neil's albums tend to explore different genres. You Don't Bring Me Flowers had kind of a disco hint to it, whereas this one is more love song oriented with a very dreamy synthesizer underpinning throughout most of the songs.

Yesterday's Songs - Having seen its way onto only a few of his countless Greatest Hits albums, this would be the one and only song on this album any casual ND listener would ever recognize. I like the simple upbeat bass pattern in this one.

On the Way to the Sky - Although released as a single, this one seems to have gotten the least attention of all Neil's title tracks which is a total shame. It really is one of his best songs and by all rights should've been included on at least one of his greatest hits albums. I like the mandolin and the synthesizer especially. To my knowledge, he has never even performed this one live, so this would be at the very top of my requests.

Right By You - A simple quiet country/western ballad. I like it.

Only You - Every time I listen to this, I think it sounds like an opening theme to a cheesy 70's TV sitcom, which is probably why I don't care for it all that much.

Save Me - Another pretty song. The electric guitar and synthesizer add a lot to it.

Be Mine Tonight - It's interesting to me that people name this song as one of the better ones on the album. It's a decent song with one of the most satisfying finishes I've heard on his songs.

The Drifter - I sort of get the feeling the title of this song refers to the drummer. Anyone who insists that Dennis St. John is a terrific drummer ought to listen to this song. On Hot August Night, the drumming may have been new and creative, but it just got so boring and monotonous after hearing Neil's songs being played the exact same way on every live album. This album contains some of the dullest and most unimaginitive of his drumming yet. This particular one uses no drum fills whatsoever and it's just painful listening to such an upbeat song with such tired drumming. They might as well have brought in a drum machine, seriously. Nobody knows why St. John departed from the band after this album, but I'd say it's because he was caught sleeping on the job.

Fear of the Marketplace - Despite the lack of a better title, this is one of Neil's better songs. If I were to pick just one song in his entire catalog that captures the essence of his music, this one would be one of them.

Rainy Day Song - This is my most favorite song on the album and definitely of his best ever. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a live version of this song included on his Stages live album box set. I can just imagine all the stupid morons in the audience yelling "I am, I said!" while he was performing this gem live, the one and only time he ever did.

Guitar Heaven - In my youth, I listened to this one until my ears bled. This was yet another much more positive addition to his "Stages" live album. Audience members were of course were probably clamoring for yet another tired performance of "Sweet Caroline."

Love Burns - One of Neil's better "filler" songs.