You Were a Diamond [ENHANCED] [EXTRA TRACKS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Clem Snide

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 2002)
• Original Release Date: October 8, 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Spin Art
• ASIN: B00006L3Q6
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,647 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Better

2. Nick Drake Tape

3. Row

4. Your Night to Shine

5. I Can't Stay Here Tonight

6. Yip/Jump Music

7. Uglier Than You

8. Fruit Salad Stains

9. Lost on the River

10. Nothing Is Over, Not Yet

11. Chinese Baby

12. Accident

13. Estranged Half-Brother

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A guitar, cello/violin, and bass trio led by a guy named Eef, Clem Snide are every bit as unconventional as you might think. That their sound is firmly grounded in post-country melody makes the whole thing even more remarkable; think of Nick Drake, Ida, Neil Young, and Neutral Milk Hotel all meeting in the back corner of a rarely visited small-town bar and you'll get an idea of what You Were a Diamond sounds like. The lyrics are just as inscrutable as the sound; the first verse of "Better" simply asks the singer's friend to take off a sweater, "'cause it's warm outside." But it's sung with such drawn-out longing that it seems like the most important thing in the world; when Eef turns his attention to grander issues, such as "Your Night to Shine," the tone is heartbreaking. In a lesser band's hands, this sound and emotion would be an affectation--in Clem Snide's, it's simply sublime. --Randy Silver

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Little ditties that hit you in big places., November 22, 2002

By	Derek Stubbs (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Listening to this CD fills you with the kind of thrilling heartbreak that a prolonged road trip with the unrequited love-of-your-life might--while her boyfriend is at the wheel. Through his sneaky lyrics and plaintive vocals, Eef Barzelay constantly elicits sad smiles. Songs like "i can't stay here tonight" and "yip/jump music" are filled with rich contradictions, heightened by the refreshingly simple texture of a snare drum, an upright bass, a cello and a rhythm guitar. Listen to this when you want to fill in the little lost moments of your day.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drumless and beautiful, October 10, 2002

By A Customer

Eef Barzelay's voice on this album is so beautiful, it is impossible to put into words. As always, the lyrics are witty and imaginitive. My personal favorite songs are "Yip/Jump Music", "Lost on the River", "Chinese Baby" and Estranged Half Brother.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Welcome Release, November 18, 2002

By	Joseph A Kauzlarich (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ghost of Fashion and Your Favorite Music were both such wonderfully rare-quality CDs that I was a tiny bit worried that Diamond wouldn't live up. However, this CD is not one iota less of a masterpiece than the other two. Because it is a re-release of an earlier out-of-print CD is no reason to ignore it.