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Music : Home Before Dark (Deluxe Edition with DVD)
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Rating: 
- Fantastic Album, But...
I loved this album. I'd have given it 5 stars if not for one problem I had with the DVD. But before I get to that, I want to state for the record (no pun intended) how good this album is. If you loved 12 SONGS, you'll love this one, too. It's that simple. They are done in the same style and Diamond's catchy melodies really work with the expanded band used for this recording. It's pure Diamond. Any Neil Diamond fan knows what I'm talking about. I purchased the version with the bonus tracks and the DVD. As for the bonus tracks the Dylan cover is great the other cover not so much. I don't know if this is due to the fact that both of he bonus tracks are not Diamond compositions so they don't quite gel or what. The Dylan one is very good the other just seems a bit out of place. Perhaps further listenings will correct this.
As for the DVD, it should be great! You get a couple of live performances and a couple of studio performances. My knock against it is that, after the first tune, you can't hear ANY vocals. They are either mixed down to a whisper or were poorly recorded in the first place. On the last tune, The Boxer, they are just gone. You can't hear a word. I thought perhaps my DVD is defective in some way. Has anyone else encountered this problem.
But if you're a Diamond fan and have your eye on the single CD version of the album, then I can't recommend it highly enough. Just be wary of the DVD. It's an exercise in frustration. There's Neil singing his heart out and you can't hear a word!
However the album is one of the best I've heard this year.
Rating:
- A Masterpiece
Home Before Dark (Deluxe Edition) This is probably one of the best Neil Diamond albums, and one of best albums of any artist of the last years. As an effort of an artist with several decades of making music, its really extraordinary that he can still have the inspiration to compose such beautifull music, when young artist who put cd's every month can't.
P.S. Some people have complain about the sound of the last 2 songs on the dvd, I had no problem with them but let me tell you that the singing did not came out on the front speakers of my sunround system, they can be heard only in the back speakers.
Rating: - Diamond Not in the Rough with Rubin by His Side for a Second Collaboration
At an age when most people retire, Neil Diamond managed a truly transcendent return to form with the release of 2005's 12 Songs thanks primarily to the behind-the-scenes work of Rick Rubin, the renegade producer who directed the late Johnny Cash to produce similarly stellar results on his acoustic 1994 return to form, American Recordings. For his latest recording, Diamond has wisely re-teamed with Rubin, and comparisons with the previous stellar effort are inevitable. Although the legendary musician's unique talent as both songwriter and performer are in full evidence, the 2008 result is simply not as revelatory as "12 Songs". The acoustically-oriented arrangements that worked so well before somehow don't seem quite enough this time around because Diamond's newest compositions seem to beg for fuller arrangements. On the upside, the core ensemble of "12 Songs" has thankfully returned and perform strongly - not just Diamond but also Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers and Smokey Hormel on guitars and another Heartbreaker, Benmont Tech, on keyboards.
While all fourteen songs reflect Diamond's sterling craftsmanship, they are somewhat more variable in musical quality than one would hope. The opening track, the declarative "If I Don't See You Again", is a smooth-as-silk transition from "12 Songs" perfectly reflecting Diamond's true pop sensibilities, even if it runs too long at over seven minutes. Moreover, only Diamond could bring such dynamic conviction to his melodramatic ode to love's transcendence, "Pretty Amazing Grace", replete with his aggressively played fretwork at the song's climax. He displays a welcome sense of humor with the clever lyrics on the bluesy "Don't Go There", especially with the emphatic, frog-throated repeat of the chorus. It melds nicely into "Another Day (That Time Forgot)", a haunting duet with the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines about not getting over a long-lost love. It's suitably heartbreaking, even though Maines' reedy soprano does not make her Diamond's most ideal partner, at least tonally.
Diamond uses every metaphor imaginable for seeking second chances on "One More Bite of the Apple" building to quite a guitar-strumming crescendo. The mood of the recording becomes slightly mercurial at this point with the undeniably catchy "Forgotten" followed by the slow waltz of "Act Like a Man". Despite his bold guitar strumming, the anthem-like "Whose Hands Are These" comes across as a bit too slight to be genuinely memorable, while the Billy Joel-like "No Words" gallops along without really going anywhere. As a classroom example of straight-ahead pop music, "The Power of Two" is refreshing even if the chorus is inane - "We have the power of two...me and you!". Starting out like a country reel, "Slow It Down" takes its title too literally and becomes a dirge. Fortunately, he rebounds with the nominal closing track, as the title tune is classic Diamond - beautiful, full of yearning and lots of pointed references to the open road.
On the Deluxe Edition, two bonus tracks have been included - first, a percussive arrangement of Harry Nilsson's "Without Her", which sounds like an outtake from a 1970's-era recording session as it glides over an abundance of lyrics; and Bob Dylan's melancholy "Make You Feel My Love". Even though Diamond can be a charismatic performer, the accompanying DVD is a decidedly low-key affair. He performs "Pretty Amazing Grace" and "If I Don't See You Again" seated in a dimly lit studio. This is followed by black-and-white footage of Diamond in the recording studio performing "Forgotten" and a rather hurried version of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer".
Rating:
- Disappointed, again
I'm a die-hard Neil Diamond fan. It took me awhile to figure out why I didn't like his last album, but it is this: I like Neil's music because it makes me feel good. It is upbeat, it is catchy, it's optimistic. I liked the strings, the horns, the drums. This album and the last one are just downright depressing. I can understand Rick Rubin wanting to get Neil back to the craft of songwriting, and leaving out the over-production, but geesh could we at least have a little percussion?! And what happened to the upbeat, catchy songs? Even Neil's slower ones like Captain Sunshine (one of my personal favorites) were more upbeat than these. Where is the old Neil? I miss him.
Rating: - A Living Legend
"Home Before Dark" is playing while I type this review! I'm 33 years old and have truly become a Neil Diamond fan within the last 10 years. Brought up mainly with the love of Elvis... Neil Diamond managed to skip my childhood memories. My parents always liked him but not as much as their Memphis "King". I do not want to compare the two but would like to just say one thing and that's Neil Diamond wrote all of his own music.
My favorite Neil songs were mostly from the late 60's through the mid 70's. He still managed to make great music though till roughly the mid 80's. He has so much soul in his voice with lyrics that are both poetic and haunting. He is simply a man who has been around a good long while and has experienced so much of life.
When I bought "12 Songs" I realized that he still had it. He managed to continue with his "sound" but in a more quiet and subtle way. I must admit when I bought "Home Before Dark" I was anxious to know if this follow up album would compare. All I can say is that Neil's new CD is absolutely amazing! It is brilliant in every way imaginable. He sounds so comfortable behind the microphone... like he's talking to an old friend. To me it has a similar sound to his early work from the 70's. This man is almost 70 years old and is by far putting out the most groundbreaking material I've heard in a long time. It's so hard to pick a song that stands out as they ALL stand out. Every song on this CD is magic. Neil Diamond is a living legend and needs to be respected and forever immortalized in music history.
- Fantastic Album, But...I loved this album. I'd have given it 5 stars if not for one problem I had with the DVD. But before I get to that, I want to state for the record (no pun intended) how good this album is. If you loved 12 SONGS, you'll love this one, too. It's that simple. They are done in the same style and Diamond's catchy melodies really work with the expanded band used for this recording. It's pure Diamond. Any Neil Diamond fan knows what I'm talking about. I purchased the version with the bonus tracks and the DVD. As for the bonus tracks the Dylan cover is great the other cover not so much. I don't know if this is due to the fact that both of he bonus tracks are not Diamond compositions so they don't quite gel or what. The Dylan one is very good the other just seems a bit out of place. Perhaps further listenings will correct this.
As for the DVD, it should be great! You get a couple of live performances and a couple of studio performances. My knock against it is that, after the first tune, you can't hear ANY vocals. They are either mixed down to a whisper or were poorly recorded in the first place. On the last tune, The Boxer, they are just gone. You can't hear a word. I thought perhaps my DVD is defective in some way. Has anyone else encountered this problem.
But if you're a Diamond fan and have your eye on the single CD version of the album, then I can't recommend it highly enough. Just be wary of the DVD. It's an exercise in frustration. There's Neil singing his heart out and you can't hear a word!
However the album is one of the best I've heard this year.
Rating:
- A MasterpieceHome Before Dark (Deluxe Edition) This is probably one of the best Neil Diamond albums, and one of best albums of any artist of the last years. As an effort of an artist with several decades of making music, its really extraordinary that he can still have the inspiration to compose such beautifull music, when young artist who put cd's every month can't.
P.S. Some people have complain about the sound of the last 2 songs on the dvd, I had no problem with them but let me tell you that the singing did not came out on the front speakers of my sunround system, they can be heard only in the back speakers.
Rating:
- Diamond Not in the Rough with Rubin by His Side for a Second CollaborationAt an age when most people retire, Neil Diamond managed a truly transcendent return to form with the release of 2005's 12 Songs thanks primarily to the behind-the-scenes work of Rick Rubin, the renegade producer who directed the late Johnny Cash to produce similarly stellar results on his acoustic 1994 return to form, American Recordings. For his latest recording, Diamond has wisely re-teamed with Rubin, and comparisons with the previous stellar effort are inevitable. Although the legendary musician's unique talent as both songwriter and performer are in full evidence, the 2008 result is simply not as revelatory as "12 Songs". The acoustically-oriented arrangements that worked so well before somehow don't seem quite enough this time around because Diamond's newest compositions seem to beg for fuller arrangements. On the upside, the core ensemble of "12 Songs" has thankfully returned and perform strongly - not just Diamond but also Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers and Smokey Hormel on guitars and another Heartbreaker, Benmont Tech, on keyboards.
While all fourteen songs reflect Diamond's sterling craftsmanship, they are somewhat more variable in musical quality than one would hope. The opening track, the declarative "If I Don't See You Again", is a smooth-as-silk transition from "12 Songs" perfectly reflecting Diamond's true pop sensibilities, even if it runs too long at over seven minutes. Moreover, only Diamond could bring such dynamic conviction to his melodramatic ode to love's transcendence, "Pretty Amazing Grace", replete with his aggressively played fretwork at the song's climax. He displays a welcome sense of humor with the clever lyrics on the bluesy "Don't Go There", especially with the emphatic, frog-throated repeat of the chorus. It melds nicely into "Another Day (That Time Forgot)", a haunting duet with the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines about not getting over a long-lost love. It's suitably heartbreaking, even though Maines' reedy soprano does not make her Diamond's most ideal partner, at least tonally.
Diamond uses every metaphor imaginable for seeking second chances on "One More Bite of the Apple" building to quite a guitar-strumming crescendo. The mood of the recording becomes slightly mercurial at this point with the undeniably catchy "Forgotten" followed by the slow waltz of "Act Like a Man". Despite his bold guitar strumming, the anthem-like "Whose Hands Are These" comes across as a bit too slight to be genuinely memorable, while the Billy Joel-like "No Words" gallops along without really going anywhere. As a classroom example of straight-ahead pop music, "The Power of Two" is refreshing even if the chorus is inane - "We have the power of two...me and you!". Starting out like a country reel, "Slow It Down" takes its title too literally and becomes a dirge. Fortunately, he rebounds with the nominal closing track, as the title tune is classic Diamond - beautiful, full of yearning and lots of pointed references to the open road.
On the Deluxe Edition, two bonus tracks have been included - first, a percussive arrangement of Harry Nilsson's "Without Her", which sounds like an outtake from a 1970's-era recording session as it glides over an abundance of lyrics; and Bob Dylan's melancholy "Make You Feel My Love". Even though Diamond can be a charismatic performer, the accompanying DVD is a decidedly low-key affair. He performs "Pretty Amazing Grace" and "If I Don't See You Again" seated in a dimly lit studio. This is followed by black-and-white footage of Diamond in the recording studio performing "Forgotten" and a rather hurried version of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer".
Rating:
- Disappointed, againI'm a die-hard Neil Diamond fan. It took me awhile to figure out why I didn't like his last album, but it is this: I like Neil's music because it makes me feel good. It is upbeat, it is catchy, it's optimistic. I liked the strings, the horns, the drums. This album and the last one are just downright depressing. I can understand Rick Rubin wanting to get Neil back to the craft of songwriting, and leaving out the over-production, but geesh could we at least have a little percussion?! And what happened to the upbeat, catchy songs? Even Neil's slower ones like Captain Sunshine (one of my personal favorites) were more upbeat than these. Where is the old Neil? I miss him.
Rating:
- A Living Legend"Home Before Dark" is playing while I type this review! I'm 33 years old and have truly become a Neil Diamond fan within the last 10 years. Brought up mainly with the love of Elvis... Neil Diamond managed to skip my childhood memories. My parents always liked him but not as much as their Memphis "King". I do not want to compare the two but would like to just say one thing and that's Neil Diamond wrote all of his own music.
My favorite Neil songs were mostly from the late 60's through the mid 70's. He still managed to make great music though till roughly the mid 80's. He has so much soul in his voice with lyrics that are both poetic and haunting. He is simply a man who has been around a good long while and has experienced so much of life.
When I bought "12 Songs" I realized that he still had it. He managed to continue with his "sound" but in a more quiet and subtle way. I must admit when I bought "Home Before Dark" I was anxious to know if this follow up album would compare. All I can say is that Neil's new CD is absolutely amazing! It is brilliant in every way imaginable. He sounds so comfortable behind the microphone... like he's talking to an old friend. To me it has a similar sound to his early work from the 70's. This man is almost 70 years old and is by far putting out the most groundbreaking material I've heard in a long time. It's so hard to pick a song that stands out as they ALL stand out. Every song on this CD is magic. Neil Diamond is a living legend and needs to be respected and forever immortalized in music history.