I know he may not be everyone’s cup of tea but the older I get the more I appreciate many of Neil Diamond’s songs. I am therefore sad to learn that the Sweet Caroline hit maker is now suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and has retired.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-42784305
A bummer for his antipodean fans, as he was going to be touring here in March.
And now there’ll no one there; not even the chair(s).
Applause…
I quite like some of the songs he brang to me.
I was sorry to hear it too. His early 70s comp ’12 Greatest Hits’ is one of my favourite albums and I saw him live in Dublin a couple of years back.
Saw him at the O2 in London a few years back. Great show, great songs, consummate showman. Sad.
When I asked my wife which 7″ Supersize single she wanted from Morgan Howell, she said Sweet Caroline, straight away. It hangs on our wall, next to Born To Run.
I NEVER need to hear Sweet Caroline ever again.
That’s not to take from it, because I can say the same of Hey Jude, Satisfaction and Happy Hour.
He’s written some fine fine tunes.
And drunk some red red wine.
Much preferred him as a songwriter than as a performer but sad to hear he’s had to retire.
Especially as Parkinsons Disease is the cause. That’s a nasty thing for anyone to suffer from.
Nearly all of his best-known songs are very basic as far as chord structure is concerned – most don’t stray far from I, IV and V, if at all; but where he really scores is with his melody lines.
“Tap Root Manuscript” is well worth a listen. And with African musicians and vocalists on board years before Graceland.
I sort of put him in the same category as Kenny Rodgers. I know plenty of the songs, and he’s very popular with everyone else, but I find him a bit naff. I don’t have any of his records.
There’s a bit in The West Wing where Lou compares Neil Diamond to Neil Young, and Josh says, ‘I like Neil Diamond’.
It’s a bit like that Beatles v Stones question. There’s no wrong answer(unless you’re in the know).
True story: Some time in the 90s, possibly during interviews for ‘Dazzling Stranger’, I was talking to Bert Jansch about various celebrities citing him as an influence. ‘Who’s the latest one?’ he mused, partly to himself. ‘Neil Diamond, isn’t it? Can’t hear it myself…’
Turns out it was Neil Young.
I am a bit of a fan, although there us a fair amount of dross in the back catalogue. His early stuff ( the Hot August Night album is a fair place to start exploring) and the recentish Rick Rueben albums are terrific. He does seem to be a bit of an arse sometimes though….I actually like his performance in the Last Waltz, but I gather he was a bit full of himself that night.
For this alone he’s forever in my songwriters hall of fame.
Yep mine too. Bought the single in 1967 along with Dead End Street with a record token from my Aunty Hazel
Loved this version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5usk2yrw0E
I don’t think he’s anywhere near McCartney’s league, but he has a similar tendency to veer from (at best) great melody into (at worst) schmaltz.
I agree that there’s always been a bit of naffness about him – principally because he seems to take himself very seriously whilst wearing sequins. That said, I’m always amazed at how some people think that writing bit hits, with great melodies, that millions of people love is somehow easy.
He also falls into that bracket of singer/songwriter that very few men admit to loving, even though he’s written some undeniably great tunes. Totally off the top of my noggin:
Cherry, Cherry
I’m a Believer
Cracklin’ Rosie
Solitary Man
If you Know What I Mean
I’m with you on the thrust of that, Ham, though those particular songs wouldn’t be personal faves among his ouevre.
Done Too Soon
Holly Holy
Play Me
Brooklyn Roads
I Am I Said…
Similar to the phrase used about John Mayall by someone on the AW a while back (probably in a Johnny Conch thread, before he flounced), that he was ‘a man whose every note sounded like he was straining for it’, Peter Doggett used a memorable phrase about Diamond’s delivery in his fabulous book ‘Electric Shock’, saying that Neil was a man ‘over-emoting every word’.
One knows immediately what he means. And sure enough, when I saw him in concert a while back, he was giving it 110%, as if communicating and enunciating his lyrics was crucial to save the planet. But the funny thing is, if you go with what he’s doing, if you accept that’s his (slightly naff) style and enter his world, it’s a whirlwind ride – you dive into it like a good book.
His was the first gig that I ever went to – at the Royal Albert Hall in 1969 (?)
Loved (and still do love) Tap Root Manuscript and have a good few of his albums
Very sad news to hear that he’s got Parkinsons – a friend of mine was diagnosed some 13 years ago and everything seemed to be OK for a few years – controllable with tablets. In the last few months though he has gone downhill and it’s very sad to see someone that you knowing are fond of being unable to do what was once the norm.
As a postscript, it’s also sad to hear that erstwhile Rhythm Pal David ‘Kid’ Jensen has recently gone public with his own Parkinson’s diagnosis, in the laudable aim of raising awareness of the illness. He and his wife talked very eloquently about it the other morning on, er, Lorraine Kelly’s show.