“Neil Diamond is the Velveeta cheese of the world of rock and roll,” Blackwell said. “Like Velveeta, he has capitalized on his place in American culture, reaping the financial rewards of doing something well and sticking with it.”
Neil Diamond has added a very unique twist to the project. He’s recorded a shared version with the Bellamys of the Diamond classic hit “Sweet Caroline.” “What can you say about the inclusion of a song and an artist like ‘Sweet Caroline,’ and Neil Diamond,” noted David. “Howard and I have loved this man and this song before either of us ever found our first grey hair!”
And it’s not really an issue if you’re Peggy Heinzman, a clerk in the Waterloo village office, who slides in one of her four Neil Diamond CDs for long trips, such as the drive to her daughters’ in Arlington, Va.
“I’ve loved him all my life,” said Heinzman.
I don’t actually ask him about his favourite songwriters (that would be a Desert Island question), but at some point in the conversation, the following list emerges: Jimmy Webb, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Neil Diamond. “It’s easy to write a guy like Neil Diamond off,” Stipe adds, “but you shouldn’t dismiss great songwriting.”
I know the Caravan of Stars came here twice, maybe more but I was there for it twice. Some of the stars I remember were Herman’s Hermits, Neil Diamond, BJ Thomas, Billy Joe Royal, The Supremes, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Tommy Roe and many more:
And, fencers included Gen. Patton, Monaco’s Prince Albert (like what the hell else does he have to do), Dolly Parton – Dolly Parton?! – yeah, Dolly Parton, Andrew Jackson, Neil Diamond…
Various, “Treasury of Christmas: Evergreen” (Time Life Records) – Who doesn’t want to go on a “Sleigh Ride” with Neil Diamond? Or shake some “Jingle Bells” with Willie Nelson? This diverse comp gives you them and more – Martina McBride, John Denver, Wham!, Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, Donna Summer – across 18 tracks. File this under Unlikely to Offend at a Christmas Gathering.
Neil Diamond to appear LIVE on QVC!
Tune in December 3rd at 10 p.m. EST to hear Neil talk about the STAGES box set and play selections from the DVD…
It’s a setup that has worked for everyone from William Shakespeare to Neil Diamond. Now, organizers of the Democratic National Convention are considering a theater-in-the-round stage that would place the presidential nominee smack in the middle of the FleetCenter floor at July’s gala…
A new live set from Mr. Diamond is hardly a rarity, but “Stages” is a well-conceived addition to the canon. Great care has been taken to avoid overlap…