Neil Diamond: Gold: Recorded Live at the Troubadour : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

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If groups are a thing of the past, and the solo artist has again come into prominence, then maybe Neil Diamond's time has come.

It's not that he hasn't achieved success in his field. Once a young kid from Coney Island, turned down by every music publisher in New York, he turned out a string of top-selling singles that fairly rivals John Fogerty, and probably made a lot of music business people wish they had listened earlier. He set out to conquer the industry, and he did it. First as a writer, then as a singer of his own material.

But Diamond has always aimed at a fairly teenybop audience. And, now he isn't satisfied. He wants to be an artist. Since, presumably, no one is an artist on 45s, and since his albums have never been more than assemblages of singles that made it and singles that didn't, he's tried something different with his last two albums. One was successful, and one wasn't. I doubt that either will afford him recognition beyond which he holds. But, maybe.

His latest album, Tap Root Manuscript, is a half step at being Artistic.

Side One is the usual a couple of dynamite singles and a couple of not-so-hot singles. "Cracklin' Rosie," which made it to number one nationally, is excellent Neil Diamond. Named after the wine of the same name ("Cracklin' Rose, you're a store-bought woman") Rosie's a good chick. Diamond isn't afraid to throw in a little early-Sixties schmaltz. He has thoroughly bypassed, or ignored "rock" progressive or otherwise. He's chosen to go ahead with straight pop. But, two things set him apart from, say, Bobby Vee. One is that he has a really knockout voice once it might have been called a "strong baritone." And two, he's deeply involved with the music he writes.

"He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother," one of the only songs Diamond has recorded that he didn't write, is a good example of the straight-on soul that Neil Diamond can sing. "Free Life" is another good cut, although it hasn't made it on Top-40. "Done Too Soon" is one of the duds. Reminiscent of Paul Simon's "A Simple Desultory Phillipic," it's just a rhyming list of famous, groovy people who were ahead of their time done too soon.

Side Two is the Artistry, open to question. This is The African Trilogy (a folk ballet). It's a varied and ambitious work. Here is the written introduction:

"When rhythm and blues lost its sensuality for me I fell in love with a woman named gospel. We met secretly in the churches of Harlem and made love at revival meetings in Mississippi.

"And loving her as I did. I found a great yearning to know her roots. And I found them. And they were in Africa. And they left me breathless.

"The African triology is an attempt to convey my passion for the folk music of that black continent."

I know you're laughing. The strange thing is, it's not that bad a piece of music. It's certainly far less pretentious than its introduction. The worst of it has been identified as: "wimoweh" off-key, the "Missa Luba" by Doc Severinsen, or the sound track to Elephant Walk. In its better parts, though, it's quite charming children's chorus, interpretations of African music and the like. The only trouble is, I haven't any idea who would want to listen to it. Certainly not the audience he has. No one interested in African ballet. Freaks leave the room when it's on. But then again the Moody Blues got rich off stuff that's sillier than this. If somebody gives you a copy, listen to it, but I wouldn't recommend your blowing your dope money on it.

Neil Diamond Gold, on the other hand, is probably his best album. He already has a Greatest Hits album on Bang, his first label. But, this record is all his best songs, from early and late, with something added. Gold is recorded live and he comes across much better on this record than he does on his singles.

The singles have a tendency to be overproduced. Gold has guitar, bass, and drums, with some backup singing. It does the world for him. He's forced to add a little more to his voice and it's worth it, even if it produces some excess. His looseness reveals a potent singer.

The version of "Kentucky Woman" he does is the best one I've ever heard. In fact, all his get-it-on songs, "Thank The Lord For the Nightime," "Sweet Caroline," "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" sound better for being reduced to a kind of whoop and holler presentation. It's not the kind of record you'd want to play all the time. Neil Diamond is not a singer of great depth, nor is his music many-faceted. But, frequently, it just hits the spot.

The slow stuff on Gold is very pretty: "And The Singer Sings His Song" and "Solitary Man" have the straightforward approach of country music. It's unabashed sentiment and you have to be willing to meet the singer halfway. Sometimes, his excesses are too much. "Cherry Cherry" is unconvincing emotion and he murders "Both Sides Now." But, those are exceptions. All in all, Gold is a record I've had for quite a few months, played fairly often, and plan on keeping. Unless you hate Neil Diamond, and a few people do, it's definitely worthwhile. Fspecially side two.

Neil Diamond is a talented song writer and an excellent singer, but he is limited. I can understand his wanting to go past Top-40 writing, but, by overreaching himself, as he does on African Triology, he'll keep himself in Top-40. Whatever his moves, I hope he keeps writing singles. They're among the best there are.