I have always enjoyed his music. Why is there so much animosity aimed towards him?
I think some people see him as a cheesy Vegas-type guy.
He does exude some cheese, but he’s not so bad.
Beats the hell out of Wayne Newton!
Or Barry Manilow.
Comparing Neil Diamond to Barry Manilow is like comparing Velveeta to…well, Velveeta.
Both are very skilled craftsmen with a fervent fan base, but I would rather shove toothpicks in my ears than listen to either one of them.
Except “Cherry, Cherry.” For some reason I really* like* that song. 
I think his angsty self-involved earnestness is pretty much to blame here. I mean, “I am, I said” fer crissakes? Mind you, I love the guy. Except when he’s singing CHRISTMAS CAROLS. OY!
“I am,” I said
To no one there
An no one heard at all
Not even the chair"
I think that clears it up.
He’s more a pop star than a rock star. Some people think all pop music is crap, failing to make the distinction between good pop music and bad.
I like Neil Diamond. And Barry Manilow too actually.
He does competent push-all-the-buttons by-the-numbers pop. Moderately talented, but most of his songs are too self-important and bland to be worth much.
He’s OK at what he does, but there are dozens who can do it better.
His early songs, like Sweet Caroline and Cracklin’ Rosie were pretty decent, but his later stuff, like America Heartlight suck donkey balls.
I think he should just stick to writing music for other artists.
Neil Diamond, Marry Manilow, Marvin Hamlisch; all great writers of lyrics and music.
But, dang their voices just GRATE!
I think the worst thing about Diamond is that he doesn’t really sing; he just sort of yells and moans rhythmically, like a soft-pop Jimi Hendrix. This isn’t much of a sin as a rock artist, and Diamond’s rockier '60s work is pretty good. But it’s fatal for an AOR singer of the type Diamond eventually became. His duet with Streisand painfully showed how inadequate he is as a singer; it’s embarrassing to listen to. (And yet it was a big hit—go figure.)
My personal reason for hating Neil Diamond? Mrs. Bentley.
My music teacher from 4th through 6th grade was a Neil Diamond fanatic, and at least three-fourths of our classes involved listening to something by him.
Because he’s the Jewish Elvis?
Ah, I got nothin’…
It was 1977. I was a freshman at the U of Maryland College Park. I remember the little engineering guy who looked like a grown up Mason Reese, with two HP calculators on his belt, and he LOOOVED Neil Diamond! Neil Diamond was a musical God! Neil Diamond was so deep you couldn’t hear the waves. Neil Diamond was Jewish (like the little engineer) and he believed that gave them a spiritual bond. He would go on for hours about the (real) hidden messages in Neil Diamond’s lyrics. He would go to Neil Diamond concerts all over the country. Boy, he loved him some Neil Diamond!
There was nothing wrong with him until he did that duet with Barbra Streisand. Before then he wrote perfectly good Brill-Building-style pop, afterwards he wrote boring crap.
While I was in the Scouts, every year our troop would take a week-long trip during the summer (as opposed to the usual one weekend a month). One year we went on a houseboat. One day driving up, crammed into the scoutmaster’s RV… Five days on the lake… And one day driving back, in the same RV… with the only music being the scoutmaster’s Neil Diamond tape.
We woke to that tape. We ate to that tape. We played, and earned merit badges, and swam to that tape. The only thing we didn’t do is sleep with that tape, because the scoutmaster slept with it; he knew we’d chuck it out the window if we had the chance during the night so he kept it under his pillow.
My first thought upon reading this was “What did my MOTHER have to do with it???”
And man who gave us “Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show” can’t be all bad. That song kicks ass.
Jiffy Pop® chest hair. He sports it proudly.
Shiloh when I was young
I used to call your name
When no one else would come
Shiloh you always came
and we played
That’s why.
There’s nothing “wrong” with Neil Diamond (or barry Manilow or Wayne Newton). What it’s about is feeling superior to somebody else who does like Neil Diamond.