Sunday, July 10, 2011

Album #63: 12 Songs by Neil Diamond


1.     
Sound: Singer/Songwriter
Mood: Reflective, occasionally upbeat
Important Song: Delirious Love (with Brian Wilson)
Song You Must Hear: Hell Yeah
Quote: “Running in circles gunna get you nowhere.  Why you wanna go there?  Where’s it gunna lead?”
Notes: I’m a Neil Diamond fan for as long as I can remember.  But he drifted from his excellent songwriting of the 60s and 70s to be a campy figure for a while.  This album brings the old Neil Diamond back.  It is said that producer Rick Rubin (of Johnny Cash’s American Recordings fame) asked Neil to write songs for the album.  After about a month, Neil came back and said he’d written the songs.  Rubin asked, “How many?”  Neil said, “About a hundred.” Rubin replied, “Come back when you’ve written more.”  From that large selection of songs, they picked 12 that were the best.  It really sounds like it. 

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