The Essential Neil Diamond | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | December 4, 2001 | |||
Recorded | February, 1966 – October 28, 2001 | |||
Genre | Pop rock | |||
Length | 141:09 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Compiler | Neil Diamond, Al Quaglieri | |||
Neil Diamond chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Essential Neil Diamond is a two-disc compilation album by Neil Diamond. It was released by Sony Music in 2001.
Diamond and his collaborator Al Quaglieri personally chose the 38 tracks that appeared in the collection. Nine selections were from Diamond's early period with Bang Records (1966–68) while 14 were from his Columbia years, which began in 1973. The Bang recordings are now owned by Sony, Columbia's parent company. For the five top ten hits that Diamond record for Uni Records (1968–73) Columbia leased the right for their appearance on this collection. Ten recordings that were used for the album were not the original studio recordings but live renditions from concerts. [2] "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", Diamond's 1978 duet with Streisand is included in The Essential Barbra Streisand as well as this compilation. [3] The Essential Neil Diamond reached number 90 on the Billboard 200 chart and was awarded double platinum status by the RIAA on March 3, 2016. [4] [5]
In 2009, Columbia issued an expanded version of the album entitled The Essential Neil Diamond 3.0 which featured the original two discs and a bonus third disc containing eight more selections. [6]
All songs written by Neil Diamond, except where noted.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Solitary Man" | 2:32 |
2. | "Cherry, Cherry" | 2:42 |
3. | "I Got the Feelin' (Oh No, No)" | 2:13 |
4. | "Kentucky Woman" | 2:26 |
5. | "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" | 2:55 |
6. | "You Got to Me" | 2:48 |
7. | "Red Red Wine" | 2:41 |
8. | "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" | 3:00 |
9. | "I'm a Believer" | 2:43 |
10. | "Sweet Caroline" | 3:21 |
11. | "Song Sung Blue" | 3:13 |
12. | "Holly Holy" | 4:30 |
13. | "I Am... I Said" | 3:33 |
14. | "Cracklin' Rosie" | 2:59 |
15. | "Play Me" (live recording) | 4:21 |
16. | "Morningside" (live recording) | 5:25 |
17. | "Crunchy Granola Suite" (live recording) | 4:05 |
18. | "Brooklyn Roads" (live recording) | 5:29 |
19. | "Soolaimon" (live recording) | 5:06 |
Total length: | 1:06:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "America" | 4:19 | |
2. | "Hello Again" | Diamond, Alan Lindgren | 3:39 |
3. | "Love on the Rocks" | Gilbert Bécaud, Diamond | 3:40 |
4. | "Captain Sunshine" (live recording) | 3:20 | |
5. | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (live recording) | Bob Russell, Bobby Scott | 3:46 |
6. | "Yes I Will " / "Lady Magdalene" (live recording; medley) | 7:01 | |
7. | "Shilo" (live recording) | 3:57 | |
8. | "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show" (live recording) | 5:02 | |
9. | "If You Know What I Mean" | 3:43 | |
10. | "Beautiful Noise" | 3:26 | |
11. | "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" | Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Diamond | 3:16 |
12. | "Desiree" | 3:17 | |
13. | "Forever in Blue Jeans" | Richard Bennett, Diamond | 3:39 |
14. | "September Morn" | Bécaud, Neil Diamond | 3:52 |
15. | "I've Been This Way Before" | 3:48 | |
16. | "Yesterday's Songs" | 2:51 | |
17. | "Heartlight" | Burt Bacharach, Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager | 4:26 |
18. | "Headed for the Future" | Diamond, Lindgren, Tom Hensley | 4:06 |
19. | "You Are the Best Part of Me" | 3:59 | |
Total length: | 1:15:07 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Boat That I Row" | 2:41 |
2. | "Do It" | 1:53 |
3. | "Longfellow Serenade" | 3:51 |
4. | "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind" (live recording) | 4:10 |
5. | "Done Too Soon" (live recording) | 2:53 |
6. | "Glory Road" (live recording) | 3:37 |
7. | "Pretty Amazing Grace" (live recording) | 3:29 |
8. | "Hell Yeah" | 4:33 |
Total length: | 27:07 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [7] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [8] | 3× Platinum | 45,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [9] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [10] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"The Way We Were" is a song by American singer Barbra Streisand from her fifteenth studio album of the same name. It was released as the album's lead single on September 27, 1973, through Columbia Records. The 7" single was distributed in two different formats, with the standard edition featuring B-side track "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"; the Mexico release instead included an instrumental B-side. The song was written by Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, and Marvin Hamlisch, while production was solely handled by Marty Paich. "The Way We Were" was specifically produced for the record, in addition to three other tracks, including her then-upcoming single "All in Love Is Fair" (1974).
The Movie Album is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on October 14, 2003, by Columbia Records. Overall, her sixtieth release with her record label, it was executively produced by Streisand and her manager, Jay Landers. A concept album, it contains twelve songs from the singer's favorite films ranging in release from 1935 to 1988. While curating the album, Streisand was inspired by her marriage to actor James Brolin to record songs about love and relationships. To better fit her needs, songwriting duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman were commissioned to add lyrics to several of the songs Streisand had chosen to record.
A Collection: Greatest Hits...and More is the fourth greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 3, 1989 by Columbia Records. The compilation features ten songs from Streisand's career, dating from 1975 to 1988, plus two previously unreleased songs: "We're Not Makin' Love Anymore" was released as the album's lead single on September 14, 1989, and "Someone That I Used to Love" was distributed as the second and final one in 1989. Both singles charted on several record charts internationally.
The Essential Barbra Streisand is the fifth greatest hits album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on January 29, 2002, by Columbia Records. The compilation features 38 songs from Streisand's catalog, in addition to two previously unreleased tracks. It includes material from 26 of the singer's albums and was described as a collection of, mainly, her pop songs. A reissued version of the compilation was distributed by Columbia and Legacy Recordings in 2008 and includes a bonus disc featuring nine additional songs from Streisand's discography.
Duets is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on November 26, 2002, by Columbia Records. The collection features nineteen duets from Streisand's career, including two newly recorded ones: "I Won't Be the One to Let Go" with Barry Manilow and "All I Know of Love" with Josh Groban. The Manilow duet was released as the album's lead single on November 4, 2002, as a streaming-only exclusive for AOL Music website members.
Superman (1977) is the nineteenth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. The lead single "My Heart Belongs to Me" became a hit in 1977, peaking at #4 on the US pop chart. The title track was released as a follow-up but did not chart as highly as its predecessor. The album peaked at number 3 on the Top 200 LP Billboard album chart and on the UK Albums Chart at number 32. It has sold 2 million copies in United States and was certified 2× Platinum. Streisand co-wrote two songs on the album - "Don't Believe What You Read" and "Answer Me". The latter is also featured on her 2023 compilation album Evergreens: Celebrating Six Decades.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits is the first greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released in January 1970, by Columbia Records. The record is a compilation consisting of 11 commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1960s, with a majority of them being cover songs. The songs on Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits originally appeared on one of the singer's eight previous albums and span in release from 1963 to 1968. It contains her most commercially successful tracks, including her first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single "People" and top 40 entry "Second Hand Rose". The album was distributed on compact disc in 1986 and rereleased under the title The Hits in 2006.
Memories is a compilation album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1981. It is primarily a compilation of previously released material, but includes three newly recorded songs. First released on Columbia, it was re-released under the CBS imprint in 1981 with four additional tracks.
The Broadway Album is the twenty-fourth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released by Columbia Records on November 4, 1985. Consisting mainly of classic show tunes, the album marked a major shift in Streisand's career. She had spent ten years appearing in musicals and singing standards on her albums in the 1960s. Beginning with the album Stoney End in 1971 and ending with the album Emotion in 1984, Streisand sang mostly rock, pop, folk, and disco-oriented songs for Columbia records. Noted Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim personally penned additional lyrics for the songs "Putting It Together" and "Send in the Clowns" on request of the singer. The album, originally released on the Columbia label and subsequently re-released by Columbia and Sony Records, was a critical and commercial success. First certified gold by the RIAA on January 13, 1986, it reached four times platinum on January 31, 1995.
A Christmas Album (1967) is the first Christmas album and the tenth studio album released by American singer Barbra Streisand.
Simply Streisand (1967) is the ninth studio album released by American singer Barbra Streisand. The album was released simultaneously with A Christmas Album and was Streisand's first that failed to chart in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 when it peaked at #12. Simply Streisand was recorded March 14, 15 and 20th, 1967. The album sold 250,000 in its first week in the market. It was certified Gold by RIAA on April 24, 2002.
What About Today? is the eleventh studio album released in July 1969 by Barbra Streisand. It is considered to be her first attempt at recording contemporary pop songs and features songs by The Beatles and Paul Simon, among others.
The Greatest Hits: 1966–1992 is a compilation album by Neil Diamond released in 1992. Songs from his years with Uni/MCA (1968–1972) are represented by live or studio re-recordings as noted below because MCA Records refused to license the masters to Columbia Records, something that would cause controversy.
Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2 is the second greatest hits album recorded by American vocalist Barbra Streisand. It was released on November 15, 1978 by Columbia Records. The album is a compilation consisting of ten commercially successful singles from the singer's releases in the 1970s, with a majority of them being cover songs. It also features a new version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", which was released as the collection's only single on October 7, 1978. Originating on Streisand's previous album, Songbird, the new rendition is a duet with Neil Diamond who had also recorded the song for his 1978 album of the same name. The idea for the duet originated from DJ Gary Guthrie who sold the idea to the record label for $5 million.
Stoney End is the twelfth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand. Released in 1971 and produced by Richard Perry, it was a conscious change in direction for Streisand, having a more upbeat, contemporary pop/rock sound. It included cover versions of several songs by contemporary singer-songwriters, including Laura Nyro, Randy Newman and Joni Mitchell.
Emotion is the twenty-third studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in October 1984 by Columbia Records. It was her first studio album in four years after the release of Guilty, which has since become her highest selling studio album worldwide.
Lazy Afternoon is the seventeenth studio album recorded by American singer Barbra Streisand. It was released on October 14, 1975, by Columbia Records. Following a mixed critical response to her previous studio album, ButterFly (1974), the singer began working with new musicians for the project. Recorded in April 1975 in Los Angeles, Lazy Afternoon contains pop standards. Producer Rupert Holmes wrote three songs on the album and co-wrote a fourth, "By the Way", with Streisand. She also included a few cover songs, such as the Four Tops' "Shake Me, Wake Me ", Stevie Wonder's "You and I", and Libby Holman's "Moanin' Low".
Live Concert at the Forum is the second live album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released physically on October 1, 1972, by Columbia Records. Produced by long-time collaborator Richard Perry, it was recorded at The Forum in Inglewood, part of Greater Los Angeles, on April 15, 1972, during Four for McGovern, a concert held in benefit for George McGovern's 1972 presidential campaign. A CD version of Live Concert at the Forum was released on September 6, 1989.
Songbird is the twentieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released in 1978. The title track reached number 25 on the Hot 100 and spent two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart. The album also includes Streisand's solo version of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers". She also subsequently re-recorded the song as a duet with Neil Diamond and this version topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two non-consecutive weeks in December 1978.
The Concert is a live album by Barbra Streisand, released in September 1994 through Columbia Records. The album reached a peak position of number ten on the Billboard 200. The Concert was certified platinum in Australia, Canada and the United States. The song "Ordinary Miracles" was released as a CD-single by Columbia Records including a studio version of the track produced by Walter Afanasieff. It was arranged and conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. An abbreviated version of the album titled The Concert: Highlights was also released with a different cover art and was certified gold by the RIAA, while the double album received a triple-platinum certification.