FROM SONGWRITERS TO MEGA STAR - NEIL DIAMOND

Neil Diamond was good. He have to be as he started his trade in the famed Brill Building writing songs for artists like Lulu, The Monkees, and even have Deep Purple covered his songs. I like Neil Diamond when I first heard his 'Crackin' Rosie' followed by 'I Am...I Said' and 'Song Sung Blue'. I got quite a number of his records too.

THE GREATEST HITS : 1966 - 1992 : I bought this double CDs on impulse. Starved too long of Neil Diamond's music, I bought this only to realized too late that all the early hits her were live version. The  CD seller wouldn't refund me  so I just have to lived with it. This CD does includes his later songs 'Longfellow Serenade', 'Beautiful Noise', 'September Morn', Heart Line',  and  'You Don't Bring Flowers' , his award winning duet with Barbra Streisand. All are originals and that's all I care for. DOP : unknown.

GLORY ROAD - 1968 -  1972 : This is more up my street. All my favorites are here in their original forms. 'Crackin' Rosie', I Am... I Said, ,'Song Sung Blue' and more. Not all are originals composition though, Neil Diamond is not too big headed to included other people's composition. Other favorites are the beautiful 'And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind' which was beautifully covered by Mark Lindsay, 'Juliet', 'Crunchy Grannola Suite' and Solitary Man'. Some songs sounds better live and 'Solitary Man' is one of these songs. I prefer the version on his "Hot August Night" album which I will get eventually. DOP : 14th August 1996.

TAP ROOT MANUSCRIPT : I first got this on album and  I've loved it ever since which was why I bought this CD. This is one of those CD that you play throughout without skipping any tracks. 'Crackin' Rosie', 'Free Life', the stirring 'Cold Water Morning' and the names dropping 'Done Too Soon'. There's only one cover, The Hollies' 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. The whole of Side Two were make up of a medleys of seven songs. Beginning with the childlike 'Childsong', followed by the awesome 'I Am The Lion' till the end of the album. You may want to repeat the CD again. DOP : 6th August 2003.

HOT AUGUST NIGHT /NYC : I fell in love with Neil Diamond with his first live album that I've  bought 'Hot August Night: I will definitely get that CD in the not too distance future. In the 80s, I've fell out of love with Neil Diamond. Funny when I fell out with an artist, I just can't bear to listen to any of his songs thereafter. Don't get me wrong, I still love his early work with a passion but not his latter works. I got this on discount but it doesn't hold a candle to the original. There is, however, one more Neil Diamond's album that I need other than "Hot August Night". "The Jazz Singer" will join my collection before too long. .DOP : 9th May 2012.


That's one thing  about Neil Diamond that's been bugging me for years. When I was in Form 4, I was wandering around the school compound when I saw some school girls dancing to an old Chinese song that's supposed to be as old as the hills. But the melody sounded distinctively like 'Don't Think...Feel' one of the tracks from his then just released "Beautiful Noise" album. What was I supposed to think, that my one time hero plagiarized an ancient Chinese melody for his own song. It couldn't be the other way round 'cos the song coming from an old cassette recorder sounded so ancient. This is one mystery that I guess will never be solved.  Ah well......