I wanted to bump this because I am now listening to Neil Diamond’s newest album, “Home Before Dark,” and I must say it is simply amazing. Rick Rubin has given it the Johnny Cash treatment and stripped Neil down to his essentials, his acoustic guitar and excellent songwriting. Neil’s voice sounds warm and intimate and he sounds happy to have walked down the roads that he has. This is a solid and well-crafted album. My favorite song of the album is “One More Bite of the Apple.” This album is currently #1 on Billboard’s charts, the first #1 album of Diamond’s career. Nobody should feel embarrassed to be caught listening to this one, and I would definitely haul this one out in front of my friends and point Neil out as one of the greatest artists in the last 40 years.
26-year-old Diamond fan here. I was subjected to his music endlessly as a kid, because my mother was (still is) a rabid fan. At first, I liked his stuff. Then I reached the age when anything my parents did was, by definition, not cool. Took me until around college to admit that, yes, I really do love his stuff. “Soolaimon,” “Holly Holy,” and “I am, I said” are a few of my all-time favorites.
I have no real opinion on Manilow. I honestly don’t think I’ve heard enough of his stuff to judge one way or the other.
I can’t stand Frank Sinatra, however, but that’s mainly because I was subjected to several hours of the same CD looped over and over and over while I was stuck at a car dealership. The first play through, I thought it wasn’t bad. Second, third, and fourth? I wanted to take a “test drive” right through the main lobby.
[QUOTE=Weirddave]
Hi, my name is Weirddave, and I like Manilow and Diamond.
(
Through it all, from teenage idiot to the complete MAN I am today, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond have been there with wonderful songs. So…
I’m throwing off the mantle of “cool”. I’m stripping all of the expectations from myself. I’m standing tall and proud and I’m shouting to the stars for the whole world to hear:
DAMNIT, I LIKE BARRY MANILOW AND NEIL DIAMOND!!
Whose with me?[/QUOTE
I really feel for you mate but dont despair I’m sure theres anonymus self help groups for sufferers,just take it one day at a time and if it gets like you feel you MUST play one of their records ring someone,anyone until the craving dies off.
But its not all doom and gloom at least your not a Barbara Streisand fan as well…are you…?
Great! Once I have 2 nickels to rub together, I’ll try it out. Thanks.
Ok, it’s weird confessions day, I just got this collection of music from the 40s, and to my great surprize, BING CROSBY has an incredible voice. I can’t say I’m a big fan of his musical selections, but his voice, the tone and strength of it, is a thing of beauty.
If he got that voice by swearing at and beating his children, it was worth it. 
I love Bing Crosby. What I can’t stand is that chorus of shrieking harpies behind him and every other singer of that era. Dean Martin has those singers, too. The songs were good enough to stand on their own–what did they need those “embellishments” for?
RE the beatings etc. As I get older, I find that less and less do I care about the RL of the performer. If the music stays good, the voice solid etc–the rest can go hang. I’m not going to date/marry/live next to any of these people.