Greatest hits packages are a tricky business. When you have an artist with a long and illustrious career, it's difficult to compile a whole CD of material that takes into consideration fan favorites and the artist's hits, while mixing in a few songs off the beaten path. The 23-track The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings does a damn good job of creating a definitive retrospective of Diamond's incredible career.All the songs you know and love are here: "America," "Cherry, Cherry," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Forever In Blue Jeans," "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," "Hello Again," "Holly Holy," "I Am... I Said," "Love On The Rocks," "Song Sung Blue," "Sweet Caroline," and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." There are also songs made by popular by other artists ("I'm A Believer" and "Red, Red Wine") and a song from each of his comeback albums of the '00s.
A big draw to this compilation are the liner notes, penned by Diamond himself, where he shares his thoughts and memories on the writing and/or recoding of each song. Here's what he had to say about my favorite song, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show:"
This very unique record (produced by Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman) was another Memphis creation (circa 1969). Bobby Woods on piano and Mike Leech on bass led me and the band to the promised land with this track. "Brother Love" was a very odd single (you couldn't dance to it because of all the tempo changes) but it caught on nonetheless. Almost immediately, it became one of my favorite songs to perform live and remains my show closer after more than forty years. Now that's what I call longevity!The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings provides an excellent starting point for those not that familiar with his large body of work. And for his fans, it serves as an awesome one-disc retrospective of Diamond's career.
Win A Copy of The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings
Yup, that's right. We've got a copy of the album to give to one lucky reader. All you have to do is shoot us an email with Neil Diamond Contest in the subject line. This contest is open to all U.S. residents age 18 and up. We'll draw a lucky winner on Friday. Good luck!
