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Track Listings
| 1. I Don't See You Again |
| 2. Pretty Amazing Grace |
| 3. Don't Go There |
| 4. Another Day (That Time Forgot) |
| 5. One More Bite Of The Apple |
| 6. Forgotten |
| 7. Act Like A Man |
| 8. Whose Hands Are These |
| 9. No Words |
| 10. The Power Of Two |
| 11. Slow It Down |
| 12. Home Before Dark |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk
Remarkably Home Before Dark is the first US chart topping album of Neil Diamond's forty year career. It appears to repeat the formula behind 2006's acclaimed 12 Songs--relatively understated arrangements and a subtle Rick Rubin production. But Diamond, though sixty-seven years old and the oldest recipient of a Number One so far, is no Johnny Cash, turning his unique voice to some well chosen contemporary material. Instead Home Before Dark is a collection of new Diamond songs, and though they might not match the boomers in his back catalogue they are hardly stripped back. These are songs designed to fill large venues alongside the showstoppers in Diamond's still energetic live show. "Pretty Amazing Grace" is in the great tradition of Diamond songs that defy their corniness with sheer catchiness, as is "One More Bite of the Apple" while "Don't Go There" features bracing backing vocals and a delightfully dated wobbly guitar hook. The duet with Natalie Maines, "Another Day (That Time Forgot)", would fit comfortably on American country radio while "The Power of Two" sounds like another hit in waiting. In fact this is more a conventional Diamond collection than a Rick Rubin production, dominated by lightly understated country rock arrangements played by a crack team including Smokey Hormel, Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell and the usually experimental Matt Sweeney. This is a charming and consistently solid set, though Home Before Dark does lack the unexpected intensity that made 12 Songs stand out so. -—Steve Jelbert
Product Description
DISC 11. IF I DONand#039;T SEE YOU AGAIN2. PRETTY AMAZING GRACE3. DONand#039;T GO THERE4. ANOTHER DAY THAT TIME FORGOT5. ONE MORE BITE OF THE APPLE6. FORGOTTEN7. ACT LIKE A MAN8. WHOSE HANDS ARE THESE9. NO WORDS10. THE POWER OF TWO11. SLOW IT DOWN
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with Neil Diamond's music. Some of his earlier work, where it is all acoustic guitars, soaring melodies and introspective, romantic lyrics are timeless classics and yet there is the other side of Neil - the artist prone to misguided, overblown, bombastic... well, cheesiness. I don't think there is any other artist in my collection who I feel so polarised about and yet he is well worth following because he is one of a handful of truly great, classic songwriters of his era still making often incredible music.
Such an album was '12 Songs', his first collaboration with Rick Rubin. I absolutely adored that album and I'm more than happy to see a continuation of the same feel, style and producer, resulting in the brilliant 'Home Before Dark', a collection of understated, wonderful songs featuring an untouched Diamond voice which always sounds genuine, backed by mostly acoustic instrumentation and a desire to make music with integrity, feeling and heart.
While this is still an 'easy' listen, it has a very positive, feelgood flavour running throughout the album and still manages to be very engaging and, indeed, exciting listen, 'Don't Go There' being a perfect example which makes the most of the dynamics offered by the choice of instruments. In fact, Diamond's voice is perfect for this style of music because his voice sounds great while 'cruising' and yet when he wants to, he accentuates key moments in some of the songs (such as 'One More Bite Of The Apple) by giving it glimpses of the power you know his voice still has, proving that less sometimes really is more.... Read more ›
Such an album was '12 Songs', his first collaboration with Rick Rubin. I absolutely adored that album and I'm more than happy to see a continuation of the same feel, style and producer, resulting in the brilliant 'Home Before Dark', a collection of understated, wonderful songs featuring an untouched Diamond voice which always sounds genuine, backed by mostly acoustic instrumentation and a desire to make music with integrity, feeling and heart.
While this is still an 'easy' listen, it has a very positive, feelgood flavour running throughout the album and still manages to be very engaging and, indeed, exciting listen, 'Don't Go There' being a perfect example which makes the most of the dynamics offered by the choice of instruments. In fact, Diamond's voice is perfect for this style of music because his voice sounds great while 'cruising' and yet when he wants to, he accentuates key moments in some of the songs (such as 'One More Bite Of The Apple) by giving it glimpses of the power you know his voice still has, proving that less sometimes really is more.... Read more ›
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By DalkeyPlayer
Format:Audio CD
With one or two exceptions, most notably The Jazz Singer in 1980, Neil Diamond's musical output since 1976's Beautiful Noise has been dragged down by over-production and self-indulgence. It was only in 2005 when he was persuaded by Rick Rubin to allow Rubin produce what was to become 12 Songs that we were given a glimpse, once again, of the enormous songwriting talent that is Neil Diamond. That album stripped away all pretension and put Diamond's voice front and centre singing songs that were beautifully written and delivered with honesty and integrity. Home Before Dark is their second collaboration and, if anything, produces even better results. Here we have songs written from the heart, lyrically deeper than Diamond has ever gone before, melodically crafted to perfection, sometimes soothing, sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes joyful, sometimes painful: always striking powerful emotional tones. The opening track, If I Don't See You Again, running to a full seven minutes sets the tone. It is elegant and beautiful and soul-searing in its final crescendo. Pretty Amazing Grace is a hymn to the power of love and hooks the listener from the start and never lets go thereafter. It is performed masterfully by Diamond. Another Day (That Time Forgot) is a magical duet with Natalie Maines. The pitch of her voice counterpoints beautifully with the gravelly emotion of his and this song, paradoxically, is both pretty and guaranteed to tear your heart out. Forgotten, Don't Go There, and the title track are all stand-outs on a recording that contains no fillers. All in all, if you are a fan of Neil Diamond, the song-writer, you should love this collection of songs.... Read more ›
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
EVERY SONG ON THIS ALBUM IS A REAL GEM. THIS ALBUM HAS BEEN WELL WORTH WAITING FOR. NEIL DIAMOND IS A CLASSIC SONGWRITER/SINGER AND SHOWS ONCE AGAIN HOW BRILLIANT THIS MAN STILL IS. THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM IS "AMAZING GRACE" AND NEIL SINGS IT WITH SUCH HEART. CANNT WAIT TILL HE RELEASES ANOTHER ALBUM!!!!!!
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
By Music Man
Format:Audio CD
As I review this I note that Neil Diamond has just entered the Billboard 100 at number 1 for the first time in his career. This is an amazing turnaround for such an established artist. Not that many years ago he was perceived as someone who was decidedly showbiz and the purveyor of cheesy overblown extravaganza.
For true fans this was something that hurt, although there was certainly more than a grain of truth in the assessment. It has been said many times in previous reviews, a lot of them mine, that he peaked in the mid 70s, by which time he had written and recorded a catalogue of classic material.
Where did that man go? Well it seems that he simply took the easy option of treating his craft as something that could be turned on every now and then and ignore the critics...........and fans, as long as he still sold out every time he toured.
Why has he returned? Quite simply Rick Rubin! If it had been Diamond who had been chasing Rubin you might have thought that suddenly he had woken up and decided to redress the balance of credibility that had eroded the last 30 years of his career. But no.........it was Rubin who hounded Diamond.......thank goodness.
Diamond was like a man who had been in a deluded bubble for too long until Rubin stuck a pin in the inflated ego that "yes men" had helped to build up. Fortunately this bubble didn't just burst, it burst with such a bang it shook the very foundations of Diamond's comfort zone and woke him up to the reason why so many loyal fans kept sticking with him, even though the quality was dropping. Inside, everyone hoped or dreamt that one day he would produce the kind of material that could happily stand alongside his earlier classics..........you know what they are.... Read more ›
For true fans this was something that hurt, although there was certainly more than a grain of truth in the assessment. It has been said many times in previous reviews, a lot of them mine, that he peaked in the mid 70s, by which time he had written and recorded a catalogue of classic material.
Where did that man go? Well it seems that he simply took the easy option of treating his craft as something that could be turned on every now and then and ignore the critics...........and fans, as long as he still sold out every time he toured.
Why has he returned? Quite simply Rick Rubin! If it had been Diamond who had been chasing Rubin you might have thought that suddenly he had woken up and decided to redress the balance of credibility that had eroded the last 30 years of his career. But no.........it was Rubin who hounded Diamond.......thank goodness.
Diamond was like a man who had been in a deluded bubble for too long until Rubin stuck a pin in the inflated ego that "yes men" had helped to build up. Fortunately this bubble didn't just burst, it burst with such a bang it shook the very foundations of Diamond's comfort zone and woke him up to the reason why so many loyal fans kept sticking with him, even though the quality was dropping. Inside, everyone hoped or dreamt that one day he would produce the kind of material that could happily stand alongside his earlier classics..........you know what they are.... Read more ›
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
I was never a fan of the man, but his voice, his singing and songs finds thier way into your soul and heart.
Received in excellent condiiton and quick delivedry.
Received in excellent condiiton and quick delivedry.
Published 1 month ago by just Jack
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neil Diamond
What is there not to love. He cannot write or sing a bad song. Would recommend it to any Neil Diamond fan
Published 3 months ago by Mrs J I Axtell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a diamond
I purchased this as a gift for my wife, I'm glad I did, we both love it.have always liked Neil diamond and this is one of his better albums
Published 3 months ago by Mike Williams
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good
Slightly different Neil Diamond. Not as much fun as earlier music, but possibly more mature. Would recommend to fans, but easy listen for non fans.
Published 4 months ago by Helly
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rough Diamond
Oh, how I wanted to like this album far more than I do. Neil Diamond, as a singer and songwriter, is out on his own, not quite one of the original Dylan-ish crowd, glitzier than... Read more
Published 6 months ago by GlynLuke
5.0 out of 5 stars
replacement cd
This purchase is a replacement for the first copy I bought -it had been played so many times it was worn out.
Published 16 months ago by Jayjay
2.0 out of 5 stars
Neil Diamond
Having been a fan of Neil Diamond for many years I bought this CD for my husband for Fathers Day. What a disappointment! We find it slow and depressing. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Grandma
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Loved this Cd,different to the usual Neil music every song is beautiful so much emotion. This is a must for Neil fans.
Published on 21 Feb 2011 by Sweetie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neil Diamond CD
Brand new CD still sealed in clear wrapping. Delivery time good. Item well packaged.
If needs be, would use this seller again.
If needs be, would use this seller again.
Published on 14 Feb 2011 by Mr. Vernon Read
5.0 out of 5 stars
Home Before Dark, Neil Diamond - Pretty amazing and graceful
I was introduced to Neil Diamond only recently through his superb `Dreams' album. After hearing that I decided to start working my way through his back catalogue. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2010 by Victor
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