The Neil Diamond Collection

• Artist: Neil Diamond
• Rating:
• Release Date: November 23, 1999
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Although not as comprehensive an anthology of Neil Diamond's eight-album, four-year affiliation with MCA as 1992's 38-track double Glory Road, The Neil Diamond Collection is a definitive single-disc recap of one of his extensive career's most influential periods. It's a beautifully remastered, non-chronologically arranged 67 minutes of studio highlights from Diamond's most ambitious, if not his most commercially successful years. Only his version of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," the disc's lone cover, is a questionable choice, but since it charted at number 20 in 1970, its inclusion is justified. Otherwise, this non-stop, hit-filled collection shifts from one radio standard to another, easily replacing the existing and rather anemic 12 Greatest Hits with its sound quality, depth and breadth. Dramatic, classic mini pop-operas like "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," "Cracklin' Rosie," and "Holly Holy" are as much a part of the late-'60s singer/songwriter rubric as work from the era's more feted artists. The thoughtfully compiled 16-page booklet includes detailed track documentation, an extensive essay, and some rare pictures of the young artist, making this the essential single-disc representation of Neil Diamond's short, yet significant, MCA tenure. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Sweet Caroline	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:21)
Cracklin' Rosie	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:01)
Song Sung Blue	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:17)
Play Me	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:52)
Brooklyn Roads	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:39)
Shilo	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(2:59)
Crunchy Granola Suite	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(2:55)
And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:32)
Holly Holy	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(4:41)
Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:29)
Stones	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:06)
Soolaimon	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(4:24)
Walk on Water	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:05)
Cherry, Cherry [Live]	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(4:52)
I Am...I Said	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(3:35)
Done Too Soon	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(2:43)
Morningside	Neil Diamond	Neil Diamond	(4:20)
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother	Bob Russell, Bobby Scott	Neil Diamond	(4:10)

Credits

Neil Diamond (Producer), Neil Diamond (Main Performer), Chip Taylor (Producer), Tom Catalano (Producer), Tommy Cogbill (Producer), Al Gorgoni (Producer), Chips Moman (Producer), Vartan (Art Direction), Erick Labson (Mastering), Geary Chansley (Photo Research), Barry Korkin (Editorial Assistant), Beth Stempel (Production Coordination)

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