Gold [Geffen]

Performer: Neil Diamond
Producer: Neil Diamond; Tom Catalano; Chips Moman; Tommy Cogbill; Mike Ragogna
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Liner Note Author: Robyn Flans. Neil Diamond 's Gold is the kind of release that makes you wonder exactly who it is aimed at and -- more importantly for the label -- who will buy it. Too long to be the kind of quick overview of his years (1968-1972) with MCA that casual fans would want (and which already exists in 1999's The Neil Diamond Collection), it is also bereft of anything collectors would need. They are likely to have the excellent Play Me: The Complete Uni Studio Recordings...Plus, which has all the songs here but also many more worthy tunes as well. (They might also already have the fine Glory Road: 1968 to 1972 set, which covers the same ground and has a very similar track listing.) In fact, one has to wonder how the selections for Gold were made, because along with all the hits there is a seemingly random sampling of Diamond's album tracks. One could easily argue that Diamond-composed album tracks like "Sunday Sun," "Practically Newborn," and "Deep in the Morning" are of more interest than his somewhat perfunctory covers of "Mr. Bojangles," "Both Sides Now," and "The Last Thing On My Mind." That is the kind of argument that could easily be settled by ponying up a few extra bucks and getting The Complete Uni Studio Recordings, though. If you are interested enough in this phase of Diamond's career to think about picking up Gold, you might as well pop for Play Me instead, because Gold leaves off some of his most interesting and fun work. ~ Tim Sendra Universal's GOLD series is a superb line of comprehensive, well-selected, two-disc compilations by popular artists. The Neil Diamond installment is no exception, bringing together the best of the singer/songwriter's material from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Diamond's distinctive, passionate baritone and his knack for memorable songcraft are evident on each of these 41 tracks. The heavy-hitters--"Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," and "Song Sung Blue," among them--are all here, as are lesser-known gems like the amusing rocker "Crunchy Granola Suite" and plaintive, acoustic live version of "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon." What impresses on the collection is the range of styles Diamond is able to draw from, including Latin ("Two-Bit Manchild"), gospel ("Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show"), tribal campfire music ("Soolaimon"), music-hall novelty ("Porcupine Pie"), and songs by fellow singer/songwriters Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Randy Newman. Given its focus on late-'60s and early-'70s material, the set does not include '80s hits like "Love on the Rocks" and "Hello Again," but the wealth of fine tunes here makes the absence of those songs easy to accept. GOLD is the definitive collection of this popular artist's finest period.

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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