Earlier this year, Neil Diamond was honored with the Grammys' Lifetime Achievement Award. The superstar then made a triumphant return to the stage on July 14 at the Dolby Theatre, sharing a duet with Micky Dolenz on his immortal "I'm a Believer" for the Grammy Salute to Music Legends event. It was a rare and thrilling return to the stage for Diamond following his diagnosis with Parkinson's disease. Now, while he's still promising to keep making music, the singer-songwriter is looking back on his remarkable 50+-year career with a new box set.
50th Anniversary: Collector's Edition, due on November 30 from Capitol Records and UMe, expands upon last year's 3-CD 50th Anniversary Collection, more than doubling its 50 tracks to 115, and premiering 15 previously unreleased tracks. These include 12 outtakes (including Diamond's rendition of his own "Sunflower," a chart-topping single for Glen Campbell in 1977; and "Before I Had a Dime" and "C'est La Vie," co-authored with Gilbert Bécaud), a live version of "Baby Can I Hold You" (from 1988's The Best Years of Our Lives), and the original demo recordings of "I Am...I Said" and "America."
Like last year's iteration, the Collector's Edition features Diamond's biggest hits along with B-sides and lesser-known tracks, and is presented in roughly chronological order with some notable alterations. It begins with Diamond's early Bang recordings and continues through his most recent studio album, 2014's Capitol release Melody Road. Whereas last year's set used Diamond's solo recording of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," the famous duet version with Barbra Streisand is here, as well as other collaborations with Waylon Jennings, Chet Atkins, and The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines. Every one of Diamond's studio albums is represented here other than his albums of covers and Christmas music. One of his live albums is represented, too: 1970's raw Gold: Recorded Live at The Troubadour. This marks the most expansive assessment of Diamond's career since 1996's 3-CD Columbia Records box In My Lifetime, which presented rare tracks among its 71 selections.
The box from one of America's most enduring artists is presented in a hardcover book format. It's due from Capitol/UMe on November 30. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below!
Neil Diamond, 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Capitol/UMe, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1 (Tracks 1-11 are mono)
- Solitary Man
- Cherry, Cherry
- I Got the Feelin' (Oh No No)
- Do It
- The Boat That I Row
- You Got to Me
- Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon
- I'm a Believer
- Thank the Lord for the Night Time
- Kentucky Woman
- Red, Red Wine
- Brooklyn Roads
- Glory Road
- Holly Holy
- And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind
- Shilo
- Sunday Sun
- Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
- Dig In
- Sweet Caroline
- Cracklin' Rosie
- Soolaimon
- Crunchy Granola Suite
- Lordy (Live)
CD 2
- I Am...I Said (Original Demo) (*)
- I Am...I Said
- Done Too Soon
- Stones
- Morningside
- Play Me
- Walk on Water
- Lonely Looking Sky
- Skybird
- Be
- I've Been This Way Before
- The Last Picasso
- Rosemary's Wine
- Song Sung Blue
- Longfellow Serenade
- The Gift of Song
- Beautiful Noise
- Jungletime
- Lady-Oh
- Street Life
- Signs
- Surviving the Life
- Stargazer
- If You Know What I Mean
CD 3
- Dry Your Eyes
- Desiree
- Once in a While
- I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight
- America (Original Demo) (*)
- America
- Hello Again
- Love on the Rocks
- Amazed and Confused
- Songs of Life
- Yesterday's Songs
- I'm Alive
- Heartlight
- On the Way to the Sky
- Headed for the Future
- You Don't Bring Me Flowers (with Barbra Streisand)
- Forever in Blue Jeans
- September Morn
CD 4
- The Story of My Life
- It's a Trip (Go for the Moon)
- Hooked on the Memory of You
- Baby Can I Hold You (Live in Dublin R.D.S. 1989) (*)
- Hard Time for Lovers
- All I Really Need Is You
- If There Were No Dreams
- Someone Who Believes In You
- The Way
- One Good Love (with Waylon Jennings)
- Blue Highway (featuring Chet Atkins)
- Open Wide These Prison Doors
- Everybody
- No Limit
- I Haven't Played This Song in Years
- You Are The Best Part of Me
- Delirious Love
- I Believe in Happy Endings
- Man of God
- We
CD 5
- I'm On to You
- What's It Gonna Be
- Save Me a Saturday Night
- Captain of a Shipwreck
- Another Day (That Time Forgot) (with Natalie Maines)
- Don't Go There
- Home Before Dark
- Forgotten
- Pretty Amazing Grace
- Melody Road
- Nothing But a Heartache
- Something Blue
- In Better Days
- Seongah and Jimmy
- Sunny Disposition
- The Art of Love
- Hell Yeah
CD 6
- Sunflower (*)
- C'est La Vie (*)
- Girls Go Fishin' (*)
- Maybe (*)
- Caribbean Cruise (*)
- You Are (*)
- Easy (To Be in Love) (*)
- Before I Had a Dime (*)
- The Ballad of Saving Silverman (*)
- It Don't Seem Likely (*)
- Long Nights, Hold On (*)
- Moonlight Rider (*)
(*) denotes previously unreleased track
CD 1, Tracks 1-4 from The Feel of Neil Diamond, Bang BLP 214, 1966
CD 1, Tracks 5-9, 11 from Just for You, Bang BLP 217, 1967
CD 1, Track 10 from Bang single B-551, 1967
CD 1, Tracks 12, 17 from Velvet Gloves and Spit, UNI 73030, 1968
CD 1, Tracks 13, 15, 18, 19 from Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, UNI 73047, 1969
CD 1, Track 14 from Touching You, Touching Me, UNI 73071, 1969
CD 1, Track 16 from Velvet Gloves and Spit (second pressing), UNI 73030-N, 1970
CD 1, Track 20 added to Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show, repress of UNI 73047, 1969
CD 1, Tracks 21, 22 & CD 2, Track 3 from Tap Root Manuscript, UNI 73092, 1970
CD 1, Track 23 & CD 2, Tracks 2, 4 from Stones, UNI 93106, 1971
CD 1, Track 24 from Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour, UNI 93084, 1970
CD 2, Track 1 & CD 3, Track 5 & CD 4, Track 4 & CD 6, Tracks 1-12 previously unreleased
CD 2, Tracks 5-7, 14 from Moods, UNI 93136, 1972
CD 2, Tracks 8-10 from Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Columbia KS 32550, 1973
CD 2, Tracks 11-13, 15, 16 from Serenade, Columbia PC 32919, 1974
CD 2, Tracks 17-24 & CD 3, Track 1 from Beautiful Noise, Columbia PC 33965, 1976
CD 3, Tracks 2-4 from I'm Glad You're Here With Me Tonight, Columbia JC 34990, 1977
CD 3, Track 6-10 from The Jazz Singer: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, Capitol SWAV-512120, 1980
CD 3, Tracks 11, 14 from On the Way to the Sky, Columbia TC 37628, 1981
CD 3, Tracks 12, 13 from Heartlight, Columbia TC 38359, 1982
CD 3, Track 15 & CD 4, Track 1 from Headed For the Future, Columbia CK 40368, 1986
CD 3, Tracks 16, 17 from You Don't Bring Me Flowers, Columbia FC 35625, 1978
CD 3, Track 18 from September Morn, Columbia FC 36121, 1979
CD 4, Track 2 from Primitive, Columbia QC 39199, 1984
CD 4, Tracks 3, 5 from The Best Years of Our Lives, Columbia CK 45025, 1988
CD 4, Tracks 6-9 from Lovescape, Columbia CK 48610, 1991
CD 4, Tracks 10-14 from Tennessee Moon, Columbia CK 67382, 1996
CD 4, Tracks 15, 16, 18 from Three Chord Opera, Columbia CK 85500, 2001
CD 4, Tracks 17, 19, 20 & CD 5 Tracks 1-4, 17 from 12 Songs, American/Columbia 8-2876-77508-2, 2005
CD 5, Tracks 5-9 from Home Before Dark, American/Columbia 88697 28078 2, 2008
CD 5, Tracks 10-16 from Melody Road, Capitol B002214902, 2014
Zubb says
Very reasonably priced. Going to get it for my Brother for Christmas.
Rich says
Sounds like an awesome trade...wonder how he is going to feel...:-)
Zubb says
Hahahaha. Good one!
Kenny says
What would be nice is a proper collection of all of Neil's Bang output. The release of "The Bang Years" a few years back was okay but was in mono and missed out some recordings. Nearly all of the Bang tracks were originally released in true stereo but have never been issued on cd. Can't see it happening tho.
Bill says
Yep - I have a nice homemade CD-R of his Bang recordngs in stereo; some from previous CD's like "Classics The Early Years" and many from bootlegs. But they seem to think they need mono. Really LOUD mono.
Tom Heusinger says
I am confused. Since when is Universal publishing Colombia material?
Joe Marchese says
Neil moved his complete catalogue over from Columbia/Sony to Capitol/Universal in early 2014.
Tom Heusinger says
Thank you. I did not know that.
gimpyforever says
THIS SET IS VERY COOL, BUT ALSO VERY IRRITATINGLY CONFUSING!!!! What about the fact that the set last year was just a teaser and I already bought it on Amazon, can I return that set for an upgrade to this larger set?!!! STUFF LIKE THIS REALLY MAKES ME ANGRY!!!! 🙁
SC says
Absolutely! I am more irritated by the number of singles that are still left off this compilation:
* At Night/Clown Town
* New Orleans
* Two-Bit Manchild
* Until It's Time For You To Go
* He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
* Do It
* The Long Way Home
* Don't Think...Feel
* Say Maybe
* The Good Lord Loves You
* Be Mine Tonight
* Front Page Story
* Turn Around
* Sleep With Me Tonight
* You Make It Feel Like Christmas
* I Dreamed A Dream
* This Time
* The Best Years Of Our Lives
* Don't Turn Around
* A Mission Of Love
* If I Don't See You Again
I'm sure I missed some. Admittedly not his biggest hits, but this collection includes other lesser hits. When will we ever get a true hits compilation from Neil?!?
Bill says
Totally agree. Good list. Unbelievable that ND or his label has yet to put his great non-album single "I Dreamed A Dream" (studio version 1987) on a CD after all these box sets and compilations. And the great 1984 "Primitive" album always gets ignored - with it's singles "Turn Around" and "Sleep With Me Tonight", and of course "This Time" from 1988, one of his best singles ever.