Primitive (Neil Diamond album)

Last updated
Primitive
Neil Diamond Primitive.jpg
Studio album by
Neil Diamond
ReleasedJuly 16, 1984
Studio
  • Ocean Way, Los Angeles
  • Westlake, Los Angeles
  • Studio 55, Los Angeles
  • The Complex, Los Angeles
  • Lion Share, Los Angeles
  • The Mix Room, Burbank
Length39:33
Label Columbia
Producer Various
Neil Diamond chronology
Classics: The Early Years
(1983)		Primitive
(1984)		 Headed for the Future
(1986)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Primitive is the sixteenth studio album by Neil Diamond. It was released in 1984 on Columbia Records. Its singles "Turn Around", "Sleep With Me Tonight", and "You Make It Feel Like Christmas" reached numbers 4, 24, and 28, respectively on the Billboard Adult Contemporary singles chart, while "Turn Around" also reached number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [2] The album was certified gold by the RIAA on October 5, 1984. [3]

Contents

Cash Box described "Turn Around" as "a swelling heart grabber with deft instrumentation to match its emotional lyrics". [4]

The album ushered in a period of creative and commercial decline for Diamond that lasted, to one degree or another, until the release of the 2001 album Three Chord Opera , followed by his collaboration with producer Rick Rubin and the release of 2005's 12 Songs and 2008's Home Before Dark . While Diamond continued having some success and periodic hits, and some television specials and film appearances, the period beginning with the release of Primitive did not have for him the same level of sales, notoriety or fame that the preceding times did.

Track listing

All songs written by Neil Diamond, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Turn Around" Burt Bacharach, Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager 3:45
2."Primitive" 4:27
3."Fire on the Tracks" 3:07
4."Brooklyn on a Saturday Night" 3:41
5."Sleep With Me Tonight"Bacharach, Diamond, Bayer Sager3:42
6."Crazy"Bacharach, Diamond, Bayer Sager3:41
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Time With You"Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren4:29
2."Love's Own Song"Sam Cole, Doug Rhone3:32
3."It's a Trip (Go for the Moon)" 2:49
4."You Make It Feel Like Christmas" 3:58
5."One by One" 2:37

Personnel

Production

Charts

Chart (1984)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [5] 45
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [6] 55
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [7] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [8] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [9] 20
UK Albums (OCC) [10] 7
US Billboard 200 [11] 35

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [12] Silver60,000^
United States (RIAA) [13] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Primitive at AllMusic
  2. ↑ "Awards for Primitive". AllMusic . Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ "American album certifications – Neil Diamond – Primitive". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  4. ↑ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 18, 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 . St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8572". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil Diamond – Primitive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Diamond – Primitive" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Neil Diamond – Primitive". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Neil Diamond | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Neil Diamond Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ "British album certifications – Neil Diamond – Primitive". British Phonographic Industry.
  13. ↑ "American album certifications – Neil Diamond – Primitive". Recording Industry Association of America.
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