The Neil Diamond Collection

Performer: Neil Diamond
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Producers: Neil Diamond, Tom Catalano, Chip Taylor, Chips Moman, Tommy Cogbill. Compilation producer: Mike Ragogna. Includes liner notes by Mike Ragogna. Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California). Although not as comprehensive an anthology of Neil Diamond's eight-album, four-year affiliation with MCA as 1992's 38-track double Glory Road, The Neil Diamond Collection is a definitive single-disc recap of one of his extensive career's most influential periods. It's a beautifully remastered, non-chronologically arranged 67 minutes of studio highlights from Diamond's most ambitious, if not his most commercially successful years. Only his version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," the disc's lone cover, is a questionable choice, but since it charted at number 20 in 1970, its inclusion is justified. Otherwise, this non-stop, hit-filled collection shifts from one radio standard to another, easily replacing the existing and rather anemic 12 Greatest Hits with its sound quality, depth and breadth. Dramatic, classic mini pop-operas like "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," "Cracklin' Rosie," and "Holly Holy" are as much a part of the late-'60s singer/songwriter rubric as work from the era's more feted artists. The thoughtfully compiled 16-page booklet includes detailed track documentation, an extensive essay, and some rare pictures of the young artist, making this the essential single-disc representation of Neil Diamond's short, yet significant, MCA tenure. ~ Hal Horowitz An overview of the pop legend's 1969-'72 stint at MCA, THE NEIL DIAMOND COLLECTION brings together the singer/songwriter's finest studio work from this period, some of the best music he ever recorded. The 18 tracks form a definitive picture of Diamond's aesthetic. With one foot in rock and one in adult-contemporary pop, Diamond borrowed elements from folk, gospel, country, and R&B, synthesized these in his deep, expressive baritone, and delivered the whole with a dramatic flair. COLLECTION plays like a '70s radio hits mix, with every cut except the Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," penned by Diamond. Nearly every track here charted, with two number ones ("Cracklin' Rosie;" "Song Sung Blue") and several others following close behind. Even lower-charting songs like "Stones," Soolaimon," and "Done Too Soon" showcase the strength, emotion, and accessibility of Diamond's enduring songcraft. COLLECTION is more thoughtfully selected than the double-disc NEIL DIAMOND GOLD, and has superior sound and more tracks than 12 GREATEST HITS. A perfect retrospective of an important artist, COLLECTION is the finest available anthology of Diamond's early work.

With a career as a hitmaker stretching across the decades, Neil Diamond has purveyed catchy, three-chord pop/rock, progressive singer/songwriter material, middle-of-the-road balladry, and even traditional country. He started out as a Brill Building hitmaker; a songwriter for hire, he worked alongside the likes of Carole King and Gerry Goffin, and penned hits for the Monkees and Jay & the Americans. His solo career took off in the mid 1960s and made him one of America's most successful recording artists and concert attractions for a long time to come. Even decades down the road, younger groups such as UB40 in the '80s, Urge Overkill in the '90s, and Smash Mouth in the 2000's were still scoring hits with Diamond's evergreen compositions.

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