"Solitary Man" European CD Featuring 19 Of Neil Diamond's Best Early Songs Recorded On The Bang LabelJuly 23, 2007 Kurt Leith(Vernon, CT) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This review is for the rare & out of print European CD titled "Solitary Man." "Classics: The Early Years" is a great album, but only contains a mere 12 songs, while Neil Diamond released well over 20 songs for the Bang label during the late 1960's before joining UNI. The "Solitary Man" CD contains a total of 19 songs, 11 of which are out of print and otherwise unavailable on CD. This disc contains all of the songs on the OOP LP "The Feel Of Neil Diamond" except for "Hanky Panky" and most of the songs released on the OOP 2LP "Double Gold." These are: "Red Rubber Ball", "New Orleans", "Monday Monday", "I'll Come Running", "Someday Baby", "You'll Forget", "Shot Down", "The Long Way Home", "Love To Love", "Crooked Street" and "La Bamba." This CD doesn't completely replace "Classics", as there are a few songs on that disc that are not on "Solitary Man", so buying the "Solitary Man" CD in addition to "Classics" will give you nearly every song Neil ever recorded for Bang Records. The other songs are completely out of print("The Hanky Panky" for one)and have never been issued on CD. "Classics: The Early Years" is currently in print and easy to find, but "Solitary Man" is out of print and almost impossible to find, so grab a copy if you can find one! Track List: 1)Solitary Man 2)Cherry Cherry 3)I Got The Feelin'(Oh No No) 4)Red Red Wine 5)Red Rubber Ball 6)New Orleans 7)Monday Monday 8)I'll Come Running 9)Someday Baby 10)Do It 11)Shilo 12)The Boat That I Row 13)You'll Forget 14)I'm A Believer 15)Shot Down 16)The Long Way Home 17)Love To Love 18)Crooked Street 19)La Bamba. Some background: Originally recorded for legendary producer Bert Berns' Bang label, this collection documents the mid-'60s period when Neil Diamond was an emerging New York songwriter and apprentice pop star. Many of these hits have generated subsequent cover smashes--"I'm a Believer" (Monkees), "Red Red Wine" (UB40), but the originals remain the greatest. Produced by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, sublime singles like "Solitary Man," and "Cherry Cherry" kept Brill Building rock on the charts during the British Invasion. Diamond would go on to become a '70s megastar, but many believe he has never equaled these recordings. (Exerpts of this review courtesy of Ben Edmonds.)
