Urge Overkill, UB 40, Barbra Streisand, Monkees, Johnny Cash. What is a common denominator for this musicians? Well, they have all covered at least one song of Neil Diamond that turned out to be, if not the biggest, then very important track in their careers.
Besides this, I can add that Diamond's songs graced many movies. Generation that grew up in the 90s will always remember cult scene from Pulp Fiction with Uma Thurman and confused John Travolta in which Urge Overkill are killing it with Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon. Young ones will remember Shrek and I'm Believer while 80s generation will sigh on UB 40 and Red, Red Wine. The lovers of Americana will also clap their hands for this collection. Diamond found himself in creme de la creme company in 1976 when Martin Scorsese and The Band were making The Last Waltz. It was the last concert of humongous The Band and Neil Diamond was invited to perform alongside Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Neil Young... You got it by now - the absolute top of that era's music scene. Unofficial boss of The Band, Robbie Robertson even produced Diamond's album.
Diamond gained his reputation in the most banal manner, which is also the hardest one - through his songs. My eyes did not get tired reading about his scandals, drug problems, love problems, skeletons from the closet, blacked out periods. On the contrary, Diamond has a long and consistent career and he carefully introduces innovative moments so that he don't lose old fans. You always know what you are getting with Neil Diamond album. What a brand, huh? A pop-romantic brand that never outlined.
Proof for this is his new compilation (which is why this is a semi-tbt) titled 50th Anniversary Collection. Through 50 songs and 50 years, Diamond is singing his story starting from his first big solo hit - Solitary Man. Newer generation will know this one in a version by Johnny Cash. Diamond predicted his loneliness in his first hit and it turned out to be his recurrent theme throughout what I consider to be one of the most consistent music careers ever.
With this collection, Diamond serves as a diamond argument for everyone who claims that pop music was better in the past. Of course, his career could have been described with 100 songs as well, but 50 is just enough for the 21st listener to observe that this is an author who knew how to construct a perfect balance between sweet and sour, mirth and melancholy. The compilation will assure you that writing pop songs is easy, but not in a five decade winning streak. You will also discover that Diamond was never a very strong singer; sometimes he even sounds sleazy, which is why he should be grateful for all of those great covers. Nonetheless, his talent is directly proportionate to his fame.
