 | |
List Price: $15.93 | | Label: Sony
Salesrank: 1395
Released: December 4, 2001 |
| Our Price: $10.37 |
| Used Price: $8.50 |
|
| Media: Audio CD |
|
Editorial Review:
Neil Diamond is one of a rare breed. As a songwriter, his music has been covered successfully by artists as diverse as the Monkees, Deep Purple, UB40, and Smash Mouth. But Diamond used that three-chord alchemy to build an unparalleled career as a performer as well. The 38 tracks on these two discs address those interlocking legacies in the most comprehensive manner yet, gathering his material from Bang! Records (including such pop staples as "Solitary Man," "Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," "Red, Red Wine," and "I'm a Believer"), Universal (highlighted by "Sweet Caroline," Song Sung Blue," "Holly Holy," and "I Am ... I Said"), and Columbia for the first time. And if Diamond has veered toward the middle of the road on those latter recordings (such as "September Morn," "Heartlight," and the Streisand duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"), there remains a remarkable consistency throughout his work. As if to underscore the point, a number of mid-period hits (including "Shiloh," "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," and "Soolaimon") are featured as live recordings from fall 2001. These performances show that the sweet roughness of his voice has only grown in power and drama; it's small wonder that Diamond remains one of the top live draws in the business. Even if it overlooks Diamond's unlikely late-'90s hit country album (Tennessee Moon), this set manages to be both concise and thorough, the best introduction yet to an American music legend. --Jerry McCulley
The Essential Neil Diamond Reviews:
Fine Selections MARRED by Live CRAPOLA! 
2009-10-01 - The essential neil diamond starts off great with his early bang classics like "solitary man" and "girl, you'll be a woman soon".
This leads to five uni/mca classics like "i am i said" and "cracklin' rosie".
Listening to this material will give you a very clear idea why diamond continues to have a following because these are absulutely well written songs chock full of hooks and likeabilty.
This is song craftmanship that was built to last.
Then we bump into a pile of doo doo with subpar live recordings taken from concerts that don't hold a candle to his superior hot august night or gold live recordings.
This really puts a damper on a collection that was simply outstanding.
We then start side 2 on a very high note with his columbia classics like "America" and "love on the rocks" then again run into some more POOP live recordings of "shilo" and "brother love" etc....
The collection then returns to his studio columbia recordings and they all are well chosen but curiously find a few omissions that could have made it more rewarding like "longfellow serenade" but since Neil helped to compile the collection i guess he felt it wasn't "Essential".
So to sum it up...75% essential/ 25% jumbo turd!
Luckily a friend loaned this to me since i'm getting into a Neil kick so i'm not feeling a pain in my pocket so i will search elsewhere.
Hope you do the same.
Classic Neil Diamond 
2009-08-06 - Absolutely a fabulous collection of songs! Wonderful ones I already knew and loved and a few I had never heard before, like "Marry Me", very touching in it's tenderness. A mix of studio and live recordings that blend very well together.
Great Collection!!!
2009-01-06 - This cd is great!! It contains all of the best Neil Diamond songs in great quality! Best Neil Diamond cd out there!
wonderful collection
2008-12-11 - Upon arrival I had all the songs already, so I sent this album on to my sister in Australia who just recently discovered the work of Neil Diamond.
This album is essential!!!!1 
2008-11-23 -
Just love the CD! All of the tracks are great. The selection of music is perfect,everyone of my favorites. If you are a Neil Diamond fan you have to have this CD!!!!
