Hot August night/And the leaves hanging down/And the grass on the ground smelling sweet...

Those words which open Neil Diamond's rousing 1969 hit "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" inspired the title of the superstar's 1972 electrifying live album, Hot August Night. Recorded that summer at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre, Hot August Night went on to inspire four sequels between 1977 and 2018. Now, all five of these live albums are coming to vinyl this August (when else?), with two making their debuts in the format.

"The stage, she is the God-damnedest woman you ever saw," Diamond observed during that first Hot August Night. He was caught in an odd pose on the album's cover, deep in a moment.  He's in a beaded denim suit predating his famous glitter shirts, his long mane of hair wind-blown.  The harsh red lighting suggests the fire that was so evident in his performance in front of 5,000 screaming fans.  Indeed, by the time the original double-LP set arrived at its conclusion with the inevitable "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," Diamond's voice was shredded and torn, but his passion was never more evident. Even today, Hot August Night just about defines every aspect of Neil Diamond, the musician and the entertainer. It's been reissued numerous times on CD, most recently in 2012 (itself an expansion of a 2003 expanded edition).

The original double-LP set produced by Tom Catalano was successful stateside, over time achieving a double platinum certification. But it may have achieved its biggest impact in the land Down Under.  In Australia, Hot August Night spent a whopping 29 weeks at No. 1 on the album charts, becoming the top-charting album there for the entire decade.  (This record was broken when Dire Straits' 1985 Brothers in Arms spent 34 weeks at pole position.)  Hot August Night also marked the end of an era for Neil Diamond; it was his final album for Uni/MCA, only his second label affiliation after he started his career at Bang Records.  The very next year, he signed a staggering deal with Columbia Records, where he remained until 2014. Now, Hot August Night is returning to vinyl from Capitol, sister imprint to its original home of MCA. The album, with its original track listing, will be available on standard black vinyl (at general retail) and crystal-clear vinyl (from uDiscoverMusic.com).

Diamond's first (and only "unofficial") sequel to Hot August Night returned him to the Greek Theatre in September 1976. Love at the Greek, released the following year, was produced by his Beautiful Noise collaborator, The Band's Robbie Robertson, and was issued in conjunction with a television special of the same name. The program received four Emmy Award nominations, and the romantic album (once again, a 2-LP set) earned Diamond another top 10 berth on the Billboard 200. Love at the Greek, featuring Beautiful Noise's title track, "Street Life," "Lady Oh," "Surviving the Life," "Stargazer," and "If You Know What I Mean" as well as an epic, 15-minute Jonathan Livingston Seagull suite, makes its first appearance on vinyl in three decades. The standard edition is on black vinyl, while the exclusive edition is pressed on translucent, non-metallic gold vinyl. Note that the longstanding CD edition (first released by Columbia and still available from Capitol) dropped "The Last Picasso" and "Longfellow Serenade" from the original album, so this reissue is a chance to enjoy those songs anew in remastered sound.

1986 saw Neil release an official sequel. Produced by Val Garay, Hot August Night II was also recorded at the Greek, and shared some of the same repertoire with its 1972 predecessor. But it also reflected Diamond's changing setlists; by 1986, newer favorites like The Jazz Singer's "America," "Hello Again," and "Love on the Rocks" had become concert staples. The closing "Soolaimon" and "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" - the same two songs that closed the first Hot August Night - were now followed at the show's climax by a final encore of "Heartlight," the artist's E.T.-inspired hit co-written with Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. That evening at the Greek, Diamond also introduced his version of the then-new "I Dreamed a Dream," from the musical Les Miserables. (His studio version of the anthemic showstopper, originally issued on a single, still remains unavailable in the CD/digital era.) Hot August Night II went platinum, and like Love at the Greek, hasn't been available on vinyl in 30 years. The standard version is on black vinyl, and the exclusive on white.

In 2009, Diamond took the Hot August Night spirit east. Columbia released Hot August Night/NYC, recorded at Madison Square Garden in August 2008, on DVD/BD and CD. Produced by Ian Stewart, it opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and became another platinum smash. Diamond reprised hits from the previous albums while staying current with "Home Before Dark," "Don't Go There," "Pretty Amazing Grace," "Man of God," and the triumphant "Hell Yeah" from his acclaimed and intimate collaborations with producer Rick Rubin. NYC will be making its vinyl debut on black (standard) and translucent red (exclusive) double vinyl, but note that six songs have been cut from the original CD presentation: "Crunchy Granola Suite," "Sweet Caroline," "I'm a Believer," "Cracklin' Rosie," "America," and the closing "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show."

Hot August Night III brought Neil Diamond full circle, preserving the 40th anniversary concerts celebrating the original album. The setting was again The Greek Theatre in August 2012, and Diamond passionately recreated numerous highlights from '72 including "Solitary Man," "Play Me," "I Am...I Said," and the inevitable "Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," and "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show." The album (produced by Diamond) was released on CD, DVD, and BD, and this release brings it to vinyl. The standard black 2-LP set is joined by the exclusive sea-glass colored variant. As with NYC, numerous songs have been cut from the longer CD presentation of the marathon show. "Love on the Rocks," "Hello Again," "September Morn," "Shilo," "Red, Red Wine," "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," "Glory Road," "Chelsea Morning," "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind," "Pretty Amazing Grace," "We," "Stones," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "Morningside," and "Crunchy Granola Suite" have all been excised.

While Neil Diamond has released other live albums, the Hot August Night series captures him at his finest, performing in his original and adoptive hometowns of New York City and Los Angeles. All of these releases will hit stores on August 7 along with a 2-LP black vinyl edition of All Time Greatest Hits. Target has been carrying a crystal-clear exclusive variant of the 23-song compendium originally released on CD in 2014. (Note that while the uDiscover description of this new edition mentions that the solo version of Diamond's chart-topping duet with Barbra Streisand, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," is included, the duet version is specified in the track list. The duet is, in fact, on the Target vinyl, so it's likely it will be on the standard black edition, too.)

If you want to make this coming August 7 a Hot August Night, we've got pre-order links and track listings below!  All uDiscover links will take you to the colored-vinyl variants other than for All-Time Greatest Hits which is for black vinyl only.

Neil Diamond, Hot August Night (MCA Records LP MCA2-8000, 1972 - reissued Capitol/UMe, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD / uDiscoverMusic.com)

Side A

1. Prologue
2. Crunchy Granola Suite
3. Done Too Soon
4. Solitary Man
5. Cherry Cherry
6. Sweet Caroline

Side B

1. Porcupine Pie
2. You're So Sweet
3. Red, Red Wine
4. Soggy Pretzels
5. And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind
6. Shilo
7. Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon

Side C

1. Play Me
2. Canta Libre
3. Morningside
4. Song Sung Blue
5. Cracklin' Rosie

Side D

1. Holly Holy
2. I Am...I Said
3. Soolaimon/Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show (Encore)

Neil Diamond, Love at the Greek (Columbia LP KC2 34404, 1977 - reissued Capitol/UMe, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com)

Side A

1. Street Life
2. Kentucky Woman
3. Sweet Caroline
4. The Last Picasso
5. Longfellow Serenade

Side B

1. Beautiful Noise
2. Lady-Oh
3. Stargazer
4. If You Know What I Mean
5. Surviving the Life

Side C

1. Glory Road
2. Song Sung Blue
3. Holly Holy
4. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

Side D

1. Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Be/Dear Father/Lonely Looking Sky/Sanctus/Skybird/Be (Encore)
2. I've Been This Way Before

Neil Diamond, Hot August Night II (Columbia LP C2X 40990, 1986 - reissued Capitol/UMe, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com)

Side A

1. Song of the Whales (Fanfare)
2. Headed for the Future
3. September Morn
4. Thank the Lord for the Night Time
5. Cherry, Cherry
6. Sweet Caroline

Side B

1. Hello Again
2. Love on the Rocks
3. America
4. Forever in Blue Jeans
5. You Don't Bring Me Flowers

Side C

1. I Dreamed a Dream
2. Back in L.A.
3. Song Sung Blue
4. Cracklin' Rosie
5. I Am...I Said

Side D

1. Holly Holy
2. Soolaimon
3. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
4. Heartlight

Neil Diamond, Hot August Night/NYC (Columbia 88697 62841 2, 2010 - reissued Capitol/UMe, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscovermusic.com)

Side A

1. Opening/Holly Holy
2. Street Life
3. Beautiful Noise
4. Love on the Rocks
5. Play Me

Side B

1. Thank the Lord for the Night Time
2. Home Before Dark
3. Don't Go There
4. Pretty Amazing Grace
5. Done Too Soon

Side C

1. Brooklyn Roads
2. I Am...I Said
3. Solitary Man
4. Kentucky Woman
5. Forever in Blue Jeans

Side D

1. You Don't Bring Me Flowers
2. Song Sung Blue
3. Man of God
4. Hell Yeah

Neil Diamond, Hot August Night III (Capitol B0028149-00, 2018 - reissued Capitol/UMe, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscovermusic.com)

Side A

1. Overture
2. Soolaimon
3. Beautiful Noise
4. Forever in Blue Jeans
5. Play Me
6. Red, Red Wine

Side B

1. You Got to Me
2. Cherry, Cherry
3. Kentucky Woman
4. Solitary Man
5. Cracklin' Rosie

Side C

1. I'm a Believer
2. Holly Holy
3. Sweet Caroline
4. Sweet Caroline (Reprise)

Side D

1. I Am...I Said
2. America
3. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
4. I've Been This Way Before
5. Walk-Off

Neil Diamond, All-Time Greatest Hits (Capitol B0020812-02, 2014 - reissued 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com / Target.com)

Side A

1. Cracklin' Rosie
2. Forever in Blue Jeans
3. Song Sung Blue
4. Sweet Caroline
5. Holly Holy
6. Red Red Wine

Side B

1. Hello Again
2. Beautiful Noise
3. America
4. September Morn
5. Love on the Rocks

Side C

1. Shilo
2. You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Duet with Barbra Streisand)
3. Morningside
4. Soolaimon
5. Play Me
6. Kentucky Woman

Side D

1. Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon
2. Solitary Man
3. I'm a Believer
4. Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
5. Cherry Cherry
6. I Am, I Said