Neil Diamond Preps 50th Anniversary Box Set
Neil Diamond will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first hit, “Solitary Man,” with a career-spanning box set out March 31st.
Neil Diamond 50 – The 50th Anniversary Collection will boast 50 tracks over three discs, as well as a booklet featuring new liner notes. Diamond helped pick the track list and oversaw the creation of the collection.
Since Diamond released “Solitary Man” in 1966, he’s notched an array of hits, including three Number Ones: “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “Song Sung Blue” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” the latter a collaboration with Barbra Streisand. His famed 1980 soundtrack for The Jazz Singer, in which he also starred, boasted three Top 10 tunes – “Love on the Rocks,” “Hello Again” and “America” – while other Diamond songs such as “Cherry Cherry,” “I Am … I Said” and “Sweet Caroline” have become staples in the American pop songbook.
Along with Neil Diamond 50, Diamond will embark on a massive tour this April to celebrate his 50th anniversary. The trek begins April 7th at the SaveMart Center in Fresno, California and wraps with a two-night stand at the Forum in Los Angeles, August 10th and 12th.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Diamond teased the tour, saying, “I want to create a list of songs that I haven’t done before. ‘If You Go Away’ is as definite candidate. ‘Suzanne’ is a definite candidate. I have a list, but I want to keep some of them surprises. There will be a bunch of additions to the set list. Hopefully they’ll be accepted by people. If they are, we’ll keep doing them.”
Diamond began his career as a Brill Building songwriter and penned songs for artists like Jay and the Americans and the Monkees (among his credits are “I’m a Believer” and “A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You”). Over the course of his solo career, his music would be covered by numerous musicians including Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and UB40, who famously turned his 1968 song “Red Red Wine” into a Number One in 1983.
Neil Diamond 50 – The 50th Anniversary Collection Track List
Disc 1
1. Solitary Man
2. Cherry, Cherry
3. I’ve Got The Feeling (Oh No No)
4. You Got To Me
5. Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon
6. I’m A Believer
7. Thank The Lord For The Night Time
8. Red, Red Wine
9. Sunday Sun
10. Shilo
11. Kentucky Woman
12. Brooklyn Roads
13. Glory Road
14. Holly Holy
15. And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind
16. Sweet Caroline
17. Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show
Disc 2
1. Done Too Soon
2. Soolaimon
3. Cracklin’ Rosie
4. Crunchy Granola Suite
5. I Am…I Said
6. Stones
7. Morningside
8. Song Sung Blue
9. Play Me
10. Be – Recapitulation And Farewell To Fletcher
11. Skybird
12. Lonely Looking Sky
13. I’ve Been This Way Before
14. Longfellow Serenade
15. Beautiful Noise
16. Street Life
17. If You Know What I Mean
Disc 3
1. Desirée – Single Version
2. You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
3. Forever In Blue Jeans
4. September Morn
5. The Story Of My Life
6. Yesterday’s Songs
7. I Believe In Happy Endings
8. Hello Again
9. Love On The Rocks (From “The Jazz Singer” Soundtrack)
10. Heartlight
11. Lady-Oh
12. Pretty Amazing Grace
13. Hell Yeah
14. We
15. The Art Of Love
16. America (From ‘The Jazz Singer’ Soundtrack)