 |
everything excellent
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
One to have in your collection
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Fantastic music.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Thanks you lots of fun
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Lyrically and musically, "12 Songs" (2005) is Neil Diamond's best original new material since at least mid 1970's. These songs are more crafted and more genuine than the many years of bland and lyrically clumsy output that characterised the 1980's and 1990's when creativity was abandoned in favour of the undiscriminating audiences of screaming women at big stadium tour performances. The album comes in a special deluxe edition which is highly recommended, containing a second CD as well as the standard disc, made up of early and/or alternate takes of the same songs. It's undoubtedly worth the additional cost, as these "unreleased" versions are in all cases interesting, and most of them arguably superior to the final cut. The musical treatment on the "alternate" track is often more acoustic, less "polished", less "arranged" - the very qualities for which the album has been so well received, as Diamond under Rick Rubin's influence recaptures the more acoustic feel of his early material, and abandons the glitzy, bombastic, over-arranged cabaret-like treatments, sometimes bordering on karaoke, that for 20 years eclipsed his songwriting abilities and threatened his career with middle of the road oblivion. All of which adds even further to the interest of the alternate disc. In addition, many of the "alternate" takes are also lyrically superior to the final take, containing lengthy passages of good quality lyrics (not something Diamond can afford to discard) inexplicably cut from an edited shortened final take, or a better turn of phrase and/or better tone of voice than in the final take. This is especially true of the deeply moving "Create Me", in which he finds a way back from moribundity to live again, a personal renaissance so clearly reflected in that of his music. Again in "Men Are So Easy", we hear how to listen to men - "they speak when they're quiet". Lyrically the album in general is more thoughtful, honest and better articulated than anything since "I Am I Said". The impassioned "Hell Yeah" provides a more mature autobiographical retrospective on his own life, a sort of "My Way" but more genuine by being his own song, while a slight blues flavour to several other tracks adds to the more reflective feel of a fine album with only one poor song called "Delirious Love" which thumps out stridently in Beach Boys style (even including Brian Wilson on vocals), and is at odds with the acoustic mellow feel of the rest. Highly recommended in the "de luxe" 2-CD edition, which has the further attraction of coming in environmentally friendly cardboard (no plastic) packaging, with a nice booklet. KB Norton December 2008Read full review
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best-selling in CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on CDs
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- You may also like
