Super Diamond the next best thing to real Neil

Believe it or not, there was really a time when Neil Diamond wasn't super-cool.
American songwriters one of the great -- "I'm a Believer," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," "Solitary Man," "Kentucky Woman," "Song Sung Blue," "I Am ... I Said" and, yes, "Sweet Caroline" -- two decades ago Diamond was nothing more than what your parents liked.
Which makes Randy Cordero a bit of a trailblazer.
Sixteen years ago, Cordero and some friends in the San Francisco Bay area formed what was to become the Diamond tribute band Super Diamond. The group, for which Cordero is the lead singer, plays nothing but Diamond songs and will do so this Friday at the 9:30 Club.
"He had all these great songs I grew up with that no one paid attention to," Cordero said during a recent phone interview. "I thought this would be fun to do in a club setting. I expected more boos than cheers."
The fact that it wasn't the cool thing to do to cover Diamond was partly why Cordero started the group.
"The Beatles have a bunch of great songs, but there's a lot of people who do them," said Cordero, who can do a solid Diamond impersonation. "It wasn't safe. The tide has really changed since I started doing it."
In current years, the 68 year old Diamond has recorded two critically acclaimed, Rick Rubin produced albums that went gold and has sold out arenas across the country. The plot of the 2001 film "Saving Silverman" includes a Diamond cover band, and Diamond makes a cameo in the film. But Cordero doesn't attribute Diamond's resurgence to his band's early allegiance to the star.
"I wouldn't take any credit for that," he said. "We're not any more than a club band.
"It's a tribute to Neil Diamond, not us," Cordero added.
A Super Diamond show feels like a party and promises all the hits.
Diamond himself has endorsed Super Diamond, even sitting in with the band once at a show, something Cordero will never forget.
"It was surreal," he said. "It was great. We didn't have to rehearse. He knew the songs."

The album that made Diamond a music gem, long play

Loyal creature fan Neil Diamond . Under attack, it will hold its lovingly worn copy of Hot August Night high, shielding itself from the stinging rain of musical snobbery.
For every critic who accuses Diamond of padding out his canon with pretentious, overblown fluff, there's a supporter who will point to the statistics that prove him to be one of soft rock's most successful acts, perhaps failing to realise that the evidence supports both positions.
YouTube subscriber shutterbugk8 states pithily: Neil Diamond, musical genius, the Mozart of our time.
Again, the comparison arguably swings two ways.
Live double album Hot August Night (1972) marked Diamond's coming of age as a performer. Recorded during a 10 date stint at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, it captured the moment the one-time-anonymous Brill Building songwriter became big arena showman, confidently counting off his back catalogue of hits while toying with spontaneity.
Not for nothing was Diamond dubbed the Jewish Elvis. The album's orchestral prologue built glorious tension before the core instruments made their entry, Vegas-style, kicking off a rousing rendition of Crunchy Granola Suite, with Diamond punctuating his vocals with a "Good Lord!" here and a "Dig!" there. It was spine tingling stuff, this homage to a breakfast cereal.
Diamond flicked effortlessly between growling rocker and crooning balladeer, delivering astutely arranged readings of his quirky repertoire. The odd vocal glitch only added to the immediacy and trueness of the recording, which held the listener in thrall in the same way it did the audience in the arena and the tree people on the hill.
The top drawer numbers were all there Solitary Man; Cherry Cherry; Sweet Caroline; Red, Red Wine; Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon; and Cracklin Rosie among them. So were the clangers. Porcupine Pie, anyone?
But by the time Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show wound to its feverish climax, more than a few unbelievers had been converted.

For Fans On Halloween, Surreal Neil Sings

Local Neil Diamond tribute band Super Diamond brings a full set of earnest AM radio hits from the 1970s to stage, delighting the group's campy, nostalgic fan base. Singer Randy Cordero started playing around with Neil Diamond covers back in the late '80s. San Francisco when he moved and started performing his uncanny imitation as "the Surreal Neil" in local clubs, the idea of a full band tribute to Diamond soon started to take shape.
Cordero and company have become one of the most in demand cover bands in the country over the course of the last decade, selling out venues on both coasts. The act was even tabbed to play the premiere party for 'Saving Silverman,' the Jason Biggs/Jack Black comedy that prominently featured Diamond's music. The celebration culminated with the real Neil sharing the stage with the band.
Super Diamond gives die hard Neil fans a fix when they're jonesing for the real thing, providing the right mix of emotive camp and affectionate tribute. While the Halloween weekend is sure to bring out a variety of costurmes from attendees, but bellbottoms, platforms and period attire are recommended. Knights of Monte Carlo open the show.

The Chanukah Song for A Cherry Cherry Christmas Neil Diamond sings

'Cherry Cherry Christmas' Neil Diamond's newly released Christmas CD, includes Adam Sandler's original 'The Chanukah Song '. Although not as comedic as Sandler's version, Diamond finishes the album with taste by including all Sandler's favorite personalities.
Neil Diamond's see the artical A Cherry Cherry Christmas CD Includes Sandler's The Chanukah Song for the rest of the story and a complete playlist.

Effect Neil Diamond

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Rough in the Diamond

Neil Diamond Tribute showJoey Purpura his brings, Diamond In The Rough, Friday, October 16 at 8 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion hall on Nelson Street, Hawkesbury.Call 613) 632-5136 for tickets. Purpure for more information.“Not only does Joey master the nuances of Diamond’s vocal tones and phrasing (so completely that some conference members have mistakenly believed him to be lip synching), but his occasional anecdotes describing the background behind Neil’s compositions add to the impact of the performance and his show impresses even the most devoted Neil Diamond fans,” according to a press release. “Joey’s Neil Diamond Tribute Rough in the Diamond, serves up a feel good tonic of dance’ n’ cheer, celebrating the power, energy and emotion of Diamond’s music to joyous and heartfelt perfection.”

Neil Diamond Christmas CD To Feature Guns N' Roses Produced Song

Neil Diamond Christmas CD To Feature Guns N' Roses Produced Song was a top story for this week. Here it is again: (Columbia Records) Columbia Records announces the release of A Cherry Cherry Christmas, the new Neil Diamond holiday collection, available in stores and online Tuesday, October 13.The title song, "Cherry Cherry Christmas," is filled with references to many of Diamond's greatest hits. Newly written and recorded by Neil Diamond for Christmas 2009, it is destined to become a new Christmas standard. Newly included with the re-mastered classics are a transcendent "Amazing Grace"; another new Neil Diamond original, "Christmas Dream"; and a time of party version of Adam Sandler's comedic "The Chanukah Song," produced by DJ Ashba (Guns N' Roses).

Neil Diamond still a Brooklyn cowboy

For all his fame and fortune, at heart, Neil Diamond is still a Brooklyn cowboy.
In “Neil Diamond is Forever,” an illustrated history of the musician, with exclusive photos and interviews, including coverage of his 2008 tour and this year’s Grammy gala salute, Jon Bream chronicles the pop icon’s rise to fame, starting with his Coney Island roots.
“There’s a lot of stuff about Brooklyn in there,” says Bream. “I think one of the things I didn’t know was that he was born and Brooklyn and grew up there, but lived for four years in Cheyenne (Wyoming). That had a big impact on him. He fell in love with cowboys and riding horses. He thought of himself as a Brooklyn cowboy.”

As much himself Diamond says, telling Rolling Stone in 1988, “I think Cheyenne had a big influence on me. That’s where I got my love of cowboys. Because I always thought I was one after I came back from Cheyenne.”
Back in Brooklyn, the book details, Diamond attended Erasmus High School, where he sang in the same choir as Barbra Streisand, though the two didn’t know each other at the time, and then for his senior year went to Abraham Lincoln High School, which Diamond has described, says Bream, as “moving from the inner city to a school that was more like Greece,” with the school more arts oriented.”
In addition to singing in the choir there, he also took up fencing, a skill you can still look to this day, believe it or not, in Diamond’s stage swagger, which he says is inspired by fencing moves.
It was also at Lincoln that he saw current graduate Neil Sedaka perform. After seeing that, his own performance roots became to take shape, as he started to perform as a duo with a friend.
Not much longer after that, Diamond became famous, writing hits for the Monkees and following with his own, including “Solitary Man,” “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Love on the Rocks,” and “America,” with 115 million albums sold worldwide. (By now, Diamond has earned himself another nickname, this one from his fans: the “Jewish Elvis.”)
Bream, a music critic for the Minneapolis Star Tribune since 1974, has been covering Diamond’s career for nearly just as long, following every tour since 1976 and talking with the star seven times.
In his new book, he goes through these interviews, salvaged from old cassettes, collected fan memorabilia from all over the world, including rare posters, t-shirts, record sleeves, and tickets.
Bream is brimming with trivia about Diamond. Last year, he notes, the musician, at 68, was the oldest solo artist to headline a major arena tour. He was also the oldest person to get a number one record, with “Home Before Dark.”
The author has asked Diamond about this drive, as the star approaches his 70s, to keep performing, which he answered with a fencing analogy.
“In fencing they have a thing called blade hunger, that when you’re on the sidelines you want to get in and fence,” says Bream. “He feels the same way about performing. It’s just in him, something he’s got to do.”
And through it all, adds Bream, Diamond has remained consistent, always gracious, always striving to be better, whether he was a superstar performing before millions or a kid playing stickball on the streets of Coney Island.
“His love of Brooklyn,” says Bream, “clearly shines through.”

Fencing medal for luck to Neil Diamond!

Singer Neil Diamond has revealed that he turns to a fencing medal he won as a abolescent for luck.
The 68 year old star said the prize he won as a high school student works as his lucky charm. "This actually tiny fencing medal has been a nice omen for me,” the Daily Express quoted him as saying.
“I do believe in luck, and I some how think this medal brings me good fortune.
"(Winning it) was a defining moment for me. It actually did change me because it raised my self esteem," he added.

DIAMOND'S FENCING MEDAL IS LUCKY CHARM, NEIL DIAMOND

NEIL DIAMOND turns to a fencing medal he won as a teenager when he's feeling low because he thinks the prize is a good luck charm.The Sweet Caroline hitmaker admits the swordfighting honour he won as a high school student in New York gave him the boost he needed to follow his musical dreams. He says, "This actually tiny fencing medal has been a good omen for me. I do believe in luck, and I somehow think this medal brings me good fortune. "(Winning it) was a defining moment for me. It actually did change me because it raised my self-esteem."

Love Neil Diamond, By David Wild, How I Learned to Stop Worrying

David Wild is a "Diamondhead". It has been this way since childhood, when the music of Neil Diamond filtered through his family home: the Wilds worshipped the musician as a "Jewish Elvis". David Wild manages to turn his personal passion into a profession and becomes a Rolling Stone journalist charged with interviewing his hero several times. He wins Diamond over and the Wild family receives a personal invitation to gigs.
The book, then, is part Wild's memoir, part biography of Diamond, tracing the arc of his career and private life. It was at a progressive Jewish camp in 1956 that Diamond was inspired to take up guitar, going on to produce what Wild feels is the "almost existential quality of loneliness" at the heart of his best early work. He paints a portrait of a solitary, otherworldly, self deprecating musician with single minded vision, who made a decision to please the masses rather than the critics.
Wild is captivated by Diamond's "beautiful noise" and the "semireligious experience" of speaking with the man. While his enthusiasm is not always infectious, the book sheds insights into the fascinating psychology of fandom.

Neil Diamond is Forever

The man had stood before Jon Bream dozens of times over the course of four decades, as an interview subject and as a performer. But Bream's approach of Neil Diamond has abided the same throughout, even as other critics changed their minds, because after every conversation the two ever had, Diamond would tell Bream, "Stop by the show and say hi."
Through a collection of interviews, mementos and memorabilia, such candor becomes the main headquartes in Bream's Neil Diamond is Forever: The Man and His Music, out Oct. 15. A longtime music journalist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Bream had earlier investigated the life of Prince and graphiced the history of Led Zeppelin in past books. But for Diamond, Bream needed to further establish the legacy he had to fans. "These books are designed to be the eventual fan books, and Neil Diamond had incredibly devoted, fanatic fans," Bream tells Paste. "So we needed to put together a project that would give them the eventual fan book."As shown in the book, the conversations Bream had with Diamond have been characteristically consistent. All had been over the phone, and all had brought up one subject in particular."The interesting thing is the one topic we have always covered over the years: the relationship he has with his conferences," Bream says. "It's interesting to see how he relates to them, how he treats them. It becomes interesting to see how those answers would evolve."Neil Diamond is Forever also contains photos of 45 singles, ticket bits and other merchandise Bream saved from Diamond's merchandise manager of the mid '70s to mid '90s. Much of what illustrates the 160-page book is a acting of his career, though mementos like a handwritten thank you note from Diamond evident the personality that very few saw on a regular basis.But while Bream's compensation spans Diamond's absolute career, the book fails to provide the answer to just one question: why he has never been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "I dont' think the process has been fair. There are people with less impact and less success that are in the Hall of Fame. One hit wonders," Bream says. "But Neil exactly had a distinguished career, whether you like it or not."

DVD and show to Diamond excited

Neil Diamond has accepted he feels like "an expectant father" as he waits for his new concert DVD to hurt the shops.
The singer's latest offering, Hot August Night/NYC, will be in Walmart stores in the US on Friday and a companion TV specific will air the same day and he can't wait.
"Basically I feel like an anticipant father and I'm just nervously sitting around the waiting room hoping that the baby is healthy and happy," the 68 year old said.
The DVD, filmed during Diamond's accomplishment at Madison Square Garden last summer, armpad more than two dozen songs including classics such as Sweet Caroline and Love On The Rocks.
Diamond said he wanted to make a agreement film for years and "just never got to it".
He finally decided to shoot a show in his native New York City. "There's something specfic when you play your hometown," he said. "It makes my felling that I haven't filmed antecedent tours, but I'm happy we got this one."
The television special includes extract from the DVD and pictures from Diamond's recent trip home.
Diamond said, "This is my first TV special in over 20 years, so I feel my heart beating a little faster. It's exciting,"

Hot August Night Of Neil Diamond

wIT was back in 1972 that Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night, recorded live at the Greek Theatre in LA, helped turn him into a superstar. Last year he played another hot August night but he did not famous, this time he played same on Hot August Night in his Big Apple hometown. Photography on double CD and DVD and every body like him, the setlist boasts all the hallmark hits plus a handful of stripped back songs from his recent sessions with Rick Rubin. His voice isn’t what it was but I Am I Said, Cracklin’ and it has famous Rosie and Brother Love’s was very happy and Travelling Salvation Show still sound strong and there’s a huge Sweet Caroline singalong that all but raises the roof. PC

Esplanade last night and Neil Diamond

The evening’s biggest draw, though, was Neil Diamond, who appeared early in the evening for a jaunty one-two punch of “Cracklin’ Rosie’’ and “Forever In Blue Jeans.’’

He waited till the national broadcast of the festivities began before he busted out the big guns. It’s one exciting for 40,000 people at Fenway to sing “Sweet Caroline’’; it’s another entirely to hear about a half-million holler “So good! So good! So good!’’ at the top of their lungs.

Diamond did what anybody would do during the brief break: He launched into the song again. If anything, the “bap ba baa’’s were even louder when nobody at home was listening.

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Neil Diamond Compilations

1968 Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits
1970 Shilo
1971 Do It
1973 Double Gold
1973 Rainbow (Certified Gold by the RIAA)
1974 His Twelve Greatest Hits (Certified 4x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA)
1976 And the Singer Sings His Songs
1978 Early Classics
1981 Love Songs (Certified Gold by the RIAA)
1982 Twelve Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (Certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA)
1983 Classics: The Early Years (Certified Platinum by the RIAA)
1992 The Greatest Hits: 1966–1992 (Certified 3x Multi-Platinum by the RIAA)
1992 Glory Road: 1968-1972
1996 In My Lifetime (Certified Gold by the RIAA)
1996 The Ultimate Collection
1999 The Best of the Movie Album
1999 The Neil Diamond Collection
2001 The Essential Neil Diamond (Certified Platinum by the RIAA)
2002 The Very Best of Neil Diamond
2002 Play Me: The Complete Uni/MCA Studio Recordings
2005 Gold
2008 The Best of Neil Diamond

Neil Diamond Live Albums

Title	Release date	Peak chart positions
		U.S.	U.K.	AUS
Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour	1970	10	23	34
Hot August Night	1972	5	32	1
Love At The Greek	1977	8	3	7
Hot August Night II	1987	59	74	52
Live in America	1994	93	—	—
Stages (5 CDs of live recordings plus a DVD)	2003	137	—	—

Neil Diamond Studio Albums

Title	Release date	Peak chart positions
		U.S.	U.K.	AUS
The Feel of Neil Diamond	1966	137	—	—
Just for You	1967	80	—	—
Velvet Gloves and Spit (re-released in 1970 with a new recorded version of "Shilo")	1968	—	—	—
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show (later renamed Sweet Caroline)	1969	82	—	—
Touching You, Touching Me		30	—	9
Tap Root Manuscript	1970	13	19	31
Stones	1971	11	18	13
Moods	1972	5	7	4
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (soundtrack)	1973	2	35	1
Serenade	1974	3	11	1
Beautiful Noise	1976	4	10	1
I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight	1977	6	16	5
You Don't Bring Me Flowers	1978	4	15	30
September Morn	1979	10	14	3
The Jazz Singer (soundtrack)	1980	3	3	10
On the Way to the Sky	1981	17	39	12
Heartlight	1982	9	43	8
Primitive	1984	35	7	45
Headed for the Future	1986	20	36	72
The Best Years of Our Lives	1988	46	42	92
Lovescape	1992	44	36	13
The Christmas Album		8	50	18
Up On The Roof: Songs From The Brill Building	1993	28	28	25
The Christmas Album 2	1994	51	—	—
Tennessee Moon A	1996	14	12	2
The Movie Album: As Time Goes By	1998	31	68	—
Three Chord Opera	2001	15	49	3
12 Songs	2005	4	5	40
Home Before Dark	2008	1	1	9

Neil Diamond Quatations

"It's very difficult for me to say 'I love you' but to sing 'I love you' for me is easier."
"My voice is unadorned. I don't try for perfection. I try to be honest and truthful and soulful with the voice I have. If I make mistakes in notes, or there are cracks in notes, I don't fix them. That's the way it is."
"Because my musical training has been limited, I've never been restricted by what technical musicians might call a song."
"I've always thought of music as something which gives the words their flight and their wings and the music often comes first, although sometimes I'll have a concept, a title idea, a lyric idea that I want to write and the lyric will come first."

Neil Diamond Picture Gallery

Introduction to Neil Diamond

Neil Leslie Diamond was born in January 24, 1941. He is an American singer and songwriter, born in Brooklyn, NY.

From 1960s to 1980s, Diamond was one of the more appealing pop music artists, scoring a number of hits. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, “as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was positioned third, following only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most winning adult modern artists in the history of the Billboard chart.” As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records globally as well as 48 million records in the U.S.

while his record sales turned down to some extent after the 1980s, Diamond keeps on to tour productively, and keep up a very loyal subsequent. Diamond’s songs have been recorded by a enormous collection of performers from many different musical kinds.

Diamond was introduced into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He has been entitled for initiation into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame since 1989, but has thus far been mistreated.

In 2008 Neil Diamond achieved his first ever Billboard number one album with “Home Before Dark”, the album also became his first studio album to achieve to number one in the UK.

Neil Diamond - The 1980s

A movie version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was planned to star Diamond and Streisand, but plans fell through when Diamond starred in a remake of the Al Jolson classic The Jazz Singer in 1980, opposite Sir Laurence Olivier and Lucie Arnaz. Though the movie was not a blockbuster hit at the box office, the soundtrack was a hugely successful album, spawning the 3 Top 10 singles "Love on the Rocks," "Hello Again," and "America." For his role in the film itself, Diamond became the first ever Winner of a Worst Actor Razzie Award, yet he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the same role.

Another Top 10 chart selection, "Heartlight," was inspired by the blockbuster 1982 movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Though the film's title character is never actually mentioned anywhere in the lyrics, Universal Pictures, which had released E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and was the parent company of the Uni Records label, by then referred to as the MCA Records label, for which Diamond had recorded for years, briefly threatened legal action against both Diamond and the Columbia Records label.

Neil Diamond’s record sales slumped somewhat in the 1980s and 1990s, and as of this time, his last single to make the Billboard’s Pop Singles chart was in 1986. However, his concert tours continued to be big draws. Billboard Magazine ranked Diamond as the most profitable solo performer in 1986. In January 1987, Diamond sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl. His song "America" was the theme song for the Michael Dukakis 1988 Presidential campaign. That same year, UB40’s reggae interpretation of Diamond’s ballad “Red Red Wine” would top the Billboard’s Pop Singles chart. Like the version of “I’m a Believer” that The Monkees had recorded, this version became better known than Diamond’s original version.

Neil Diamond - The 1970s

After Neil Diamond had signed a deal with the MCA Records label of Universal Pictures' parent company, MCA Inc., whose label was then called the Uni Records label in the late 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles, California in 1970. His sound mellowed, with such songs as "'Cracklin' Rosie," "Sweet Caroline," "Holly Holy," and the country-and-western tinged "Song Sung Blue," which reached #1 on the Hot 100. "Sweet Caroline" was Diamond's first major hit after his slump. Neil Diamond recently admitted in 2007 that he had written "Sweet Caroline" for Caroline Kennedy after seeing her on the cover of Life Magazine in an equestrian riding outfit. It took him just one hour, in a Memphis hotel, to write and compose it. The 1971 "I Am...I Said" was a top five hit in both the U.S. and UK, and was his most intensely personal effort to date, taking upwards of four months to complete.

In 1972, Diamond played ten sold-out concerts at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. During the performance on Thursday, August 24, which was recorded and released as the live double album Hot August Night, Diamond said: "Thank you people in the audience that pays. Tree people out there, God bless you, I'm singing for you too." His reference was to the people hiding and listening from the trees on the hills surrounding the theatre. A few weeks later, in the fall of 1972, Diamond performed a series of one-man concerts on 20 consecutive nights at the Winter Garden Theater in New York. Every one of these reportedly sold out, and the small (approximately 1,600-seat) Broadway theater provided an intimate concert setting not common at the time. Hot August Night demonstrates Diamond's skills as a performer and showman, as he reinvigorated his back catalogue of hits with new energy. Many consider it his best work; critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls Hot August Night “the ultimate Neil Diamond record ... [which] shows Diamond the icon in full glory.” The album has become a classic. It was remastered in 2000 with three additional tracks not included in the original release (Walk on Water, Kentucky Woman and Stones). In Australia, it spent a remarkable 29 weeks at number 1 on the music charts; in 2006, it was voted #16 in a poll of favourite albums of all time in Australia. Also, in 1976 Neil Diamond's final concert of his 1976 Australian Tour (The "Thank You Australia" Concert) was broadcast over Channel 9 Australia to 36 television outlets nationwide on March 6, 1976 and remains the most popular and most watched music event ever broadcast in Australia. It also set a record for the largest attendance ever at the Sydney Sports Grounds. The 1977 concert Love At The Greek, a return to the Greek Theatre, includes a version of "Song Sung Blue" with duets with Helen Reddy and Henry Winkler a.k.a. Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli of Happy Days.

In 1973, Diamond hopped labels again, returning to the Columbia Records label with a lucrative new million-dollar-advance-per-album contract. His first project, released as a solo album, was the soundtrack to Hall Bartlett's film version of Jonathan Livingston Seagull. The film received hostile reviews and did poorly at the box-office. The album grossed more than the film did. Richard Bach, author of the best-selling source story, disowned the film. Both Bach and Diamond sued the film’s producer. Diamond felt the film butchered his score. Despite the shortcomings of the film, the soundtrack was a success, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard albums chart. The film score would also earn Diamond a Golden Globe, a Grammy Award (for "Skybird"), and an Oscar nomination. Diamond often includes a Jonathan Livingston Seagull suite in his live performances (as he did in his 1977 "Love at The Greek" concert). In 1974, Diamond released the album Serenade, from which the songs "Longfellow Serenade" and "I've Been This Way Before" were released. The latter had been intended for the Jonathan Livingston Seagull score, but was completed too late for inclusion.

In 1976, he released Beautiful Noise, produced by The Band's Robbie Robertson. On Thanksgiving night, 1976, Neil made an appearance at The Band's farewell concert, The Last Waltz. He performed one song, "Dry Your Eyes," which he had jointly written and composed with The Band's Robbie Robertson, and which had appeared on what was then his most recent album, Beautiful Noise. In addition, he joined the rest of the performers onstage at the end in a rendition of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released."

In 1977, Diamond released an album titled I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight, which included the selection "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." He had composed its music and collaborated on its lyrics with Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman. The song was covered by Barbra Streisand on her album Songbird, which led Gary Guthrie, then Program Director at WAKY Radio in Louisville, Kentucky, to combine the two recordings in a virtual duet. The popularity of the virtual duet motivated Diamond and Streisand to record the real thing, which was a number one hit in 1978 and became his third song to top the Hot 100 to date. His last 1970s album was September Morn, which included his newly-recorded version of I'm a Believer. It and Red Red Wine are the two best-known selections of his authorship and composition to have had other artists make them more famous than his own versions.

In February 1979, "Forever in Blue Jeans", an up-tempo song by Neil Diamond which was co-written with his guitarist Richard Bennett was released as a single by Columbia. It taken from the previous year's Neil Diamond album You Don't Bring Me Flowers.

According to Cotton Incorporated "Neil Diamond might have been right when he named his 1979 #1 hit “Forever in Blue Jeans”: 81% of women are planning their next jeans purchase to be some shade of blue." The song, needless to say, has been used to promote the sale of blue jeans, most notably Will Ferrell, impersonating Neil Diamond singing, for The Gap. Ironically, Diamond himself did radio ads for H.I.S. brand jeans in the 1960s, more than a decade before he sang this song.

Neil Diamond - The 1960s

In 1966, Neil Diamond signed a deal with Bert Berns's Bang Records label, which was then a subsidiary company of Atlantic Records. His first release on that label, "Solitary Man," was his first hit. Prior to the release of "Solitary Man," Neil had considered using a stage name; he came up with two possible stage names, "Noah Kaminsky" and "Eice Chary." But when asked by Bang Records which name he was going to use, Noah, Eice, or Neil, he thought of his grandmother, who died prior to the release of Solitary Man. Thus he told Bang Records, "...go with Neil Diamond and I'll figure it out later." Diamond followed it with "Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman," "Thank the Lord for the Night Time," "Do It," and others. Diamond's Bang recordings were produced by legendary Brill Building songwriters Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, both of whom can be heard singing background on many of the tracks.

His first concerts saw him being a "special guest" of, or opening for, everyone from Herman's Hermits to, on one occasion, The Who, which he confirmed on an installment of VH1's documentary series program Behind The Music. Neil Diamond began to feel restricted by Bang Records, wanting to record more ambitious, introspective music. Finding a loophole in his contract with Bang, Neil Diamond tried to sign with a new record label, but the result was a series of lawsuits that coincided with a dip in his professional success. Diamond eventually triumphed in court, and secured ownership of his Bang-era master recordings in 1977.

Neil Diamond - Early Career

Neil Diamond’s first recording contract was billed as "Neil and Jack", an Everly Brothers type duo, where Diamond appeared with a high school friend, Jack Packer. They recorded two unsuccessful singles, "What Will I Do" b/w "You Are My Love at Last" and "I'm Afraid" b/w "Till You've Tried Love" both released in 1962. Later in 1962, Diamond signed with the Columbia Records label as a solo performer. Columbia Records released the single "At Night" b/w "Clown Town" in July, 1963. Despite a tour of radio stations, the single failed to make the music charts. Billboard Magazine gave an excellent review to "Clown Town" in their July 13, 1963 issue, predicting it would be a hit. Unfortunately sales were disappointing and Columbia dropped Diamond from their label. Soon after that, Diamond was back to writing songs on an upright piano above the Birdland Club.

Diamond spent his early career as a songwriter in the Brill Building. His first success as a songwriter came in November, 1965 with the song "Sunday and Me" performed by Jay and the Americans, which was a top 20 hit on the Billboard Charts. Greater early success as a writer followed with "I'm a Believer", "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," and "Love to Love" which were all recorded by The Monkees. There is a popular misconception that Diamond wrote and composed these songs specifically for the "Pre-Fab Four." In reality, Diamond had written, composed and recorded these songs to release himself, but the cover versions were released before his own. The unintended, but happy, consequence of this was that Diamond began to gain fame not only as a singer and performer, but also as a songwriter. "I'm a Believer" was the Popular Music Song of the Year in 1966. Other notable artists who recorded early Neil Diamond songs were Elvis Presley, who interpreted “Sweet Caroline” as well as “And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind”, Mark Lindsay, former lead singer for Paul Revere & the Raiders, also covered "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind", the English hard rock band Deep Purple which interpreted “Kentucky Woman”, Lulu, who covered “The Boat That I Row”, and Cliff Richard, who released versions of “I’ll Come Running”, “Solitary Man”, "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon", “I Got The Feelin’"(Oh, No, No), and “Just Another Guy.”

Neil Diamond - Intro

Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Neil Diamond is one of pop music's most enduring and successful singer-songwriters. As a successful pop music performer, Neil Diamond scored a number of hits worldwide in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. According to David Wild, common themes in Diamond's songs are: "A deep sense of isolation and an equal desire for connection. A yearning for home - and at the same time, the allure of greater freedom. The good, the bad and the ugly about a crazy little thing called love."