Neil Diamond - The Movie Album (2-Disc Set)

On this lazy, nearly shameless album (two CDs that don't even make it to 70 minutes combined), Neil Diamond visits movie songs past ("As Time Goes By") and present ("My Heart Will Go On") with stops along the way for takes on almost anything you would anticipate an album and artist like this would cover ("Unchained Melody"? There. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"? Ditto. "Moon River"? Yep, it's there.) Assisted by conductor Elmer Bernstein and an 80-piece orchestra, Diamond takes a 20-song stroll down film memory lane on The Movie Album: As Time Goes By with a bombast that often borders on parody. Oversinging like he's never oversung before, Diamond makes even the most inspired tunes of the bunch ("And I Love Her," "Can't Help Falling in Love") into Branson-worthy set pieces that are all melodramatic glitz and no style. A black stain on both Diamond and movies. ~Michael Gallucci

Album: The Movie Album (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:16
Size: 76.2 MB
Styles: Adult Contemporary
Year: 1998

[2:53] 1. As Time Goes By
[3:38] 2. Secret Love
[3:49] 3. Unchained Melody
[4:06] 4. Can You Feel The Love Tonight
[2:37] 5. The Way You Look Tonight
[3:27] 6. Love With The Proper Stranger
[2:56] 7. Puttin' On The Ritz
[2:45] 8. When You Wish Upon A Star
[4:21] 9. The Windmills Of Your Mind
[2:38] 10. Ebb Tide

The Movie Album (Disc 1)

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Album: The Movie Album (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 33:21
Size: 76.4 MB
Styles: Adult Contemporary
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[3:09] 1. True Love
[4:13] 2. My Heart Will Go On
[3:58] 3. The Look Of Love
[4:37] 4. In The Still Of The Night
[3:30] 5. Moon River
[3:14] 6. Ruby
[4:21] 7. Suite Sinatra I've Got You Under My Skin One For My Baby
[2:23] 8. And I Love Her
[3:07] 9. Can't Help Falling In Love
[0:45] 10. As Time Goes By (Reprise)

The Movie Album (Disc 2)

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Neil Diamond - Gold: Live At The Troubadour 1970

Size: 103,7 MB
Time: 38:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1989
Styles: Pop/Rock
Art: Front

01. Lordy (Live) (4:59)
02. Both Sides Now (Live) 3 (4:13)
03. Solitary Man (Live) (3:25)
04. Holly Holy (Live) (4:52)
05. Cherry, Cherry (Live) (3:11)
06. Kentucky Woman (Live) (2:41)
07. Sweet Caroline (Live) (3:35)
08. Thank The Lord For The Night Time (Live) (3:11)
09. And The Singer Sings His Song (Live) (3:35)
10. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show (Live) (4:53)

"Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour" is a live album recorded July 15, 1970 at Doug Weston's Troubadour in Hollywood, California and released August 22, 1970.

While no singles were released in support of the album, the opening track Lordy appeared as the B-side of Cracklin' Rosie. This is the only recording available of this song.

Review:
Though Hot August Night is better known as the definitive Neil Diamond live album, Gold will have value for those who prefer the songsmith's pop-rock beginnings to the slick sophistication that made him a superstar. Recorded live at Hollywood club the Troubadour, Gold provides a chance to hear Diamond in a looser, more rock-oriented setting than he'd ever attempt on vinyl again. Leading a small, raucous band with breathless enthusiasm, Diamond pours sweat and energy into numbers like "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" and "Cherry Cherry," giving them a satisfyingly raw rock and roll spirit. As befits a gig of this type, ballads are kept to a minimum in favor of upbeat material, and Diamond's personable, unpretentious delivery on this recording saves songs like "Sweet Caroline" and "Lordy" from the bloated schmaltz that most listeners either love or loathe him for. By the climax of "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show," Diamond has sung himself nearly hoarse, and the connection with his audience is evident. As his career exploded in the years to come, there would be no more intimate venues like the Troubadour, and his music would swell in size accordingly. Gold is likely to sound thin and unpolished to the legions of fans who made Diamond a top concert draw for his mega-hit ballads, but it's still a great snapshot of the singer/songwriter at the end of his hit-making rock and roll days as he begins his ascent into adult contemporary pop stardom. ~by Fred Beldin

Gold

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Neil Diamond - Up On The Roof: Songs From The Brill Building

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 55:31

Size: 127.1 MB

Styles: Adult Contemporary

Year: 1993

Art: Front

[4:29] 1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'

[3:28] 2. Up On The Roof

[3:03] 3. Love Potion Number Nine

[3:28] 4. Will You Love Me Tomorrow

[3:44] 5. Don't Be Cruel

[2:53] 6. Do Wah Diddy Diddy

[4:03] 7. I (Who Have Nothing)

[3:02] 8. Do You Know The Way To San Jose

[3:36] 9. Don't Make Me Over

[3:55] 10. Mountain High

[2:51] 11. A Groovy Kind Of Love

[3:41] 12. Spanish Harlem

[2:52] 13. Sweets For My Sweet

[3:39] 14. Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen

[4:15] 15. Ten Lonely Guys

[2:26] 16. Save The Last Dance For Me

Up on the Roof: Songs from the Brill Building is Neil Diamond's equivalent of, say, one of Barbra Streisand's Broadway albums. It's Broadway that Diamond is returning to as well; specifically, the corner of 49th Street, where he and many others turned out songs for music publishers. Some of these songs were written there; most were only in the spirit of that modern Tin Pan Alley. Handling the work of his then-rivals, such as "Spanish Harlem," "A Groovy Kind of Love," and "River Deep, Mountain High," Diamond adopts his usual hammy style. Peter Asher patented a neo-'60s production style in crafting oldies for Linda Ronstadt in the '70s, and he does the same thing here. Actually, this record sounds exactly like you would expect: just call to mind a familiar song like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and imagine what it would sound like if Neil Diamond sang it. Fans can decide for themselves whether it's valid and, perhaps more problematic, necessary. ~William Ruhlmann

Up On The Roof: Songs From The Brill Building

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Neil Diamond - All Time Greatest Hits (Deluxe) (2-Disc Set)

All-Time Greatest Hits was released on Capitol Records, a label Neil Diamond never recorded for, but Universal -- who owned the recordings Diamond made for both Uni and MCA -- selected this as the imprint for 2014's All-Time Greatest Hits, a generous collection of hits from the '60s and '70s. A consistent bugaboo with Diamond compilations has been licensing, but this one does a very nice job of sampling from all of Neil's major labels, including Bang, Uni, MCA, and Columbia. The late-'70s hits -- "Forever in Blue Jeans," "Beautiful Noise," "America" -- are scattered throughout the compilation; the Uni/MCA sides ("Cracklin' Rosie," "Sweet Caroline," "Holly Holy," "Shilo," "Play Me") are the anchor of the comp, and the Bang singles are grouped together toward the end. True, the collection might've been better served if it was sequenced chronologically, but this has the vast majority of the big hits, and that's been hard to find in Diamond's catalog. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Album: All Time Greatest Hits (Deluxe) (Disc 1)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 71:41

Size: 164.1 MB

Styles: Adult Contemporary, Soft rock

Year: 2014

[3:37] 1. Brooklyn Roads

[3:22] 2. Shilo (Single Version)

[3:28] 3. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

[3:16] 4. Glory Road

[3:19] 5. Sweet Caroline (Single Version)

[4:39] 6. Holly Holy (Single Version)

[2:32] 7. Solitary Man (Single Version)

[3:24] 8. Forever In Blue Jeans (Single Version)

[3:29] 9. And The Grass Won't Pay No Mind

[4:30] 10. Soolaimon

[3:31] 11. I Am...I Said (Single Version)

[2:52] 12. Crunchy Granola Suite (Single Version)

[3:00] 13. Stones

[3:49] 14. Play Me

[2:40] 15. Done Too Soon

[2:23] 16. Kentucky Woman (Single Version)

[4:19] 17. Morningside

[3:09] 18. You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Solo Version)

[3:14] 19. Song Sung Blue (Single Version)

[4:01] 20. Something Blue

[2:56] 21. Cracklin' Rosie (Single Version)

All Time Greatest Hits (Deluxe) (Disc 1)

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Album: All Time Greatest Hits (Deluxe) (Disc 2)

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s

Time: 72:48

Size: 166.7 MB

Styles: Adult Contemporary, Soft rock

Year: 2014

Art: Front

[2:43] 1. Cherry, Cherry (Single Version)

[2:42] 2. I'm A Believer

[2:59] 3. Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (Single Version)

[2:48] 4. You Got To Me (Mono)

[3:36] 5. Love On The Rocks

[3:52] 6. Longfellow Serenade (Single Version)

[3:47] 7. I've Been This Way Before

[3:14] 8. Beautiful Noise

[2:39] 9. Red Red Wine

[3:53] 10. September Morn

[4:02] 11. Hello Again

[4:19] 12. America

[3:18] 13. Desirée (Single Version)

[3:46] 14. We

[2:52] 15. Yesterday's Songs

[4:25] 16. Heartlight

[3:53] 17. Pretty Amazing Grace

[2:37] 18. The Boat That I Row (Mono)

[3:00] 19. Thank The Lord For The Night Time (Single Version)

[4:31] 20. Hell Yeah

[3:42] 21. If You Know What I Mean

All Time Greatest Hits (Deluxe) (Disc 2)

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Neil Diamond - The Classic Christmas Album

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 42:09

Size: 96.5 MB

Styles: Holiday

Year: 2013

Art: Front

[3:55] 1. White Christmas

[2:37] 2. Joy To The World

[4:14] 3. O Come All Ye Faithful

[3:34] 4. The First Noel

[2:42] 5. Winter Wonderland

[3:38] 6. You Make It Feel Like Christmas

[3:30] 7. The Christmas Song

[3:27] 8. O Holy Night

[3:04] 9. Silver Bells

[2:40] 10. Sleigh Ride

[4:43] 11. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

[4:01] 12. Silent Night

Part of Legacy's budget-priced Classic Christmas series, the Neil Diamond installment offers up 12 previously issued holiday hits, including yuletide classics like "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The first Noel," "Winter Wonderland," "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Silent Night." ~ James Christopher Monger

Recording information: Abbey Road Studios, London; Angel Recording Studios Ltd., London, England; ArchAngel Recording, Los Angeles, CA; Conway Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Ocean Way Recording, Los Angeles, CA; Studio 55, Los Angeles, CA; The Complex, Los Angeles, CA; The Hit Factory, New York.

The Classic Christmas Album 

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