Thoughts on Neil Diamond?

[Cant trust em]

He's a legend, but in a good way?

[Sky Masterson]

1. I'm down with Neil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6FfjlxZLTk
Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rosie 1971

[AllenVanAllen]

2. He's teh cool.

Neil Diamond raised 2 million dollars for Oak Island Texas residents who lost thier homes after Hurricane Ike. Now that's cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwircEDCss8

[texanwitch]

3. He hsd built 14 houses already.

Oak Island was hit really hard my Hurricane Ike.

[mitchum]

4. He's better than ABBA or Kenny Rogers

for what that's worth

[kwassa]

5. He IS high fructose corn syrup.

It is the source of his career.

[pokerfan]

6. He projects a good image but scratch the surface...

Watch this short clip and you'll see what I'm talking about.

http://www.devilducky.com/media/31749

[Haole Girl]

7. It's old. And was old even when I was young...

but I love this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HD6O9patDE

[femmocrat]

8. Love those old songs.

I think I know all the words to most of them.

[Skittles]

9. I think he is wonderful

yes INDEED

[Generic Brad]

10. I have none

Not even impure thoughts.

[begin_within]

11. I'm a Believer

[donheld]

12. Belongs in the Rock & Roll hall of fame.

[Frank Cannon]

19. Absolutely, he does

Back in the late '60s and early '70s, no one but Carole King and a few others could touch him as a singer/songwriter. He was awesome.

Wrote some great tunes for the Monkees, too. And NOT just "I'm a Believer".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGzvGSijWFM

[gmoney]

13. There used to be a car dealer here with a Neil Diamond fixation

He used that "Coming to America" thing in most of his commercials, but then he started dressing up like Neil for the ads and it started to get weird and creepy. I think Mr. Diamond's lawyers finally told him to cut it out.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x1066490

[Sebastian Doyle]

14. Like his older stuff

Anything he put out on UNI records was pretty good. Up until about 73 or so, I guess.

[Lucy Goosey]

15. I like his newer, Rick Rubin produced stuff.

[ccinamon]

16. One of my favorite artists and the only concert I've been to...

I love his In My Lifetime compilation.

[RandomThoughts]

17. In one of my more judgemental moments I think I criticized him

But as I have learned more I can see the thoughts from a different possibility. It depends on how he thinks of it.

In some of his songs, if you thought he was making the claim to the people in the song, there could be criticism, but if some beautiful thought is playing through him, then he is just witnessing a thought from elsewhere. Thoughts that could be applied to many different things.

There are arguments of if it is good or bad, or if he actually thinks that way about himself, or if it is a more of a bigger comment on how many people are and how inspiration can come through people. And it could even be getting out from under such a thought, or council of what to avoid.

So I would have to know what he thinks about his songs and his position in them, which is something that is his to think, not mine to judge.

So I can choose to listen to his song with a perception of the meaning that I think is really good.


I really have thoughts on this song as a cautionary tail of claims of glory, that is how I think of it, not as a criticism of any one person, but more of a plight that can occur if someone takes a certain path.

I am I said.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfbOHebiBgw

[6000eliot]

18. I love the rock stuff, but I loathe the MOR stuff.

[saltpoint]

20. Neil's kind of an odd duck. I liked "Shiloh" a lot. The more syrupy

the tune the less it appeals, at least on the Neil Diamond playlist.

"Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show" is kind of fun.

"Cracklin' Rosie" doesn't quite work for me because the hooker in question sounds like she's in the cast of an After-School Special instead of a real hooker. If your subject is hookers, make it real.

"I Am I Said" has a great sweeping anthem-like range but some of the most uneven lyrics in history. Why would a CHAIR, for godsake, even be mentioned? "No one heard at all / Not even the chair." The chair has ears? Is it a magical chair? The chairs we have at our place aren't magical, just functional. We park our asses on them. We don't say anything to them. They don't say anything back. I wish Neil had done a second draft of that line. It wrecks the good parts of the lyrics, such as:

"L.A.'s fine, but it ain't home / New York's home, but it ain't mine no more."

-- That's very concise and agile.

[bif]

21. Never could stand him.

I always thought of him as a commercial hack who wrote corny crap.

[raccoon]

22. Did you know he wrote "Red, Red Wine?" He's a helluva good songwriter,

and I think a good performer too.

[dembotoz]

23. hate him hate him hate him

[MissMillie]

24. I hear he puts on a good show

I'd pay money to see it.

I don't know much about him, really. Just that he likes sparkly shirts, and he writes some pretty good songs.

[Coventina]

25. Great songwriter. Don't care for him as a performer....

Well...okay, when I'm tipsy I can bop along to "Sweet Caroline."

Otherwise, I prefer to listen to others sing his songs...

[SteppingRazor]

26. NEIL DIAMOND HAS LOVED MORE AND LOST MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER KNOW!!!11

That's what I tell anyone who slags Neil Diamond. I love the guy, but I have to admit that my love for Neil Diamond is somewhat based in his kitsch value. I saw him once live in concert and from the moment he rose out of a trapdoor in the stage at the beginning of the show and sashayed downstage, I did not stop laughing. Not my usual taste in music, but I've rarely had a better time at a concert.

[Cant trust em]

29. This is the right answer.

That campy personna is what makes him great. Obviously many of the songs are fantastic, but its the self-referential bit that I really like.

I highly recommend the Neil Diamond tribute band, Super Diamond. They model their show after Hot August Night.

[Broken_Hero]

27. ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmV_YJm5jAc

:D

[hamsterjill]

28. Definitely a legend!

Never been to any concert that was better than Neil's, and I've been to many of his. Always the consummate performer and I always leave feeling like the price of the ticket was worth it.

Incredible artistry, incredible talent, incredible depth in many of his songs. Cannot believe that anyone would think otherwise.