Thursday, August 14, 2008

Solitary Man

I read this great article about Neil Diamond in the New York Times yesterday (The Marathon Man of Pop). To summarize:
  • Is 67 years old.
  • Grossed $168 million on his last three tours.
  • Released his 46th studio album in May, Home Before Dark.
  • Home Before Dark is his first album to reach number one on the Billboard charts.
  • His first top ten hit, "Cherry, Cherry," came out in 1966.
  • Still plays most of his mega hits (e.g. "Sweet Caroline," "Song Sung Blue," etc.) in concert while wearing a sequined and/or silk outfit.
  • Has no plans to retire.
While most of his more famous material is quintessential soft pop, more recently he has teamed up with producer Rick Rubin to release two albums of stripped-down acoustic music, both of which showcase what an amazing songwriter Diamond really is. Both albums (the aforementioned Home Before Dark, and 2005's 12 Songs) have been hailed by critics and music fans alike.

Solitary Man.mp3
Also famously covered by Johnny Cash in the Rick Rubin-produced American III: Solitary Man (2000).
Buy: Greatest Hits (1992)

Delirious Love.mp3
Buy: 12 Songs (2005)
This is the 2-disc deluxe edition that contains an amazing version of "Delirious Love" as a duet with Brian Wilson (thus making the CD "14 Songs").

Pretty Amazing Grace.mp3
Buy: Home Before Dark (2008)

2 comments:

Chuck and Jean Anne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chuck and Jean Anne said...

Yeah Neil will always catch grief...but the man is a solid songwriter. 12 Songs is ace...top to bottom.

Keep up the good work on the blog!

-charky