...Neil Diamond, 1972.
Aah, 1972.
Nixon was wobbly!
I headed to the Netherlands by myself at the end of this year.
And my sister Jean (now Joke, the J pronounced as a Y) had a huge crush on Neil Diamond and bought this album, a gatefold cover with a sexily brooding in-the-dark picture of Neil (he had hair to spare in those days)contemplating his rise from Tin Pan Alley tunesmith to singer/songwriter/world musician.
I loved this album too.
It was a record of course when first released, and on Side 2 Neil dabbled in all manner of African sounds and conventions - this side alone spawned the huge and funky hit, Soolaimon.
And Side 1 had no less than 3 huge songs on it - Cracklin' Rosie, Done Too Soon and the wonderful He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother (a kind of sequel to Bridge Over Troubled Water).
The album has lasted well over nearly 40 years, due to the crisp arrangements and catchy tunes - Neil Diamond was a very crafty tunesmith, perhaps a little too crafty, raising questions about the sincerity of his musical expression.
With He Ain't Heavy, he very nearly succeeds in making you believe he's talking about his own brother, though the album cannot match the 2 Rick Rubin-produced albums, 12 songs and Home After Dark for sincerity/intensity.
After this, Neil went on to release his glorious Hot August Night live album, then Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a soundtrack album for a movie all about...seagulls!
Well, it was the early 70s, and Nixon did fall, leaving the stage free for ABBA!
7/10.
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