"FEEL OF NEIL DIAMOND" debut LP on BANG ‘66 orig *RARE STEREO* shrink NICE
$
60
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Description
Artist: NEIL DIAMOND
Title: “The Feel of Neil Diamond”
Year: 1966
Label: BANG. Stereo pressing on medium weight vinyl. Label is red and white with black text, with deep groove. Catalog number is BLPS-214.
Review: Neil Diamond’s debut LP was issued in October 1966 just as "Cherry Cherry" -- Diamond's first Top Ten hit -- was peaking at number six on the singles chart. It's a fascinating document, and not just in hindsight: it has virtues of its own, separate from being an early chapter in a long career to follow. As a showcase for Diamond as both singer and songwriter, he fares well in both capacities, though his songwriting is more interesting here than his singing, but that's no surprise, as according to his own account, he'd just achieved a new level of seriousness and depth as a composer and was reveling in the best that he could do at that moment. As a singer, he needed more time to develop, though he obviously had a good deal of depth and expressiveness at his command, even in 1966. He does have some wonderfully transcendent moments here, and not just on the hits -- "Solitary Man," "Cherry Cherry," and "Oh No No (I've Got The Feeling)" are familiar to most fans -- but "Love to Love," "Someday Baby," etc. also show some of the power and range that Diamond would be able to muster more effectively in his singing as he moved toward his prime years, and show the new, very personal songwriting he was pursuing. He's at his best on the original songs, the most personal of which (apart from "Solitary Man") are confined to the second side of the album: producers Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich (who are all over this record with handclaps, backing vocals etc.) wanted to introduce his talent to the would-be purchasers gradually, book-ending the contents between the two hits ("Oh No No" didn't chart until a month after the LP's release) and offering Diamond doing a handful of covers of familiar hits. Given that he was still making the transition from songwriter to performer, he does very well by all of the latter, which include Paul Simon’s "Red Rubber Ball" (done in the same arrangement used by the Cyrkle, but with Diamond’s raw, personal singing a very different experience from that group's harmonies) and John Phillips’ "Monday Monday" (with Ellie Greenwich very prominent on the vocals), as well as the Barry-Greenwich "Hanky Panky." As a debut effort, it has some flaws that one would expect; not all of Diamond’s originals were jewels, and he would find some finer nuances to his singing in short order. But when his songwriting and singing were on target, which was well over half the album, this was one of the better pop/rock releases of 1966, as well as a kind of transitional work in a singer/songwriter mold. It sounds (and even often, on the covers, feels) like Brill Building pop, but the words and the singing are already evolving out of those origins and into something new. (review courtesy Bruce Eder, allmusic.com)Condition:
DISC: EXCELLENT with full original gloss. Has been played a small number of times and handled with care. There is one very visible scuff on Side Two that is not audible. Also a couple slight hairline scuffs but no serious or audible marks or distractions. Plays beautifully with superb fidelity. Labels are clean. This LP is nearly impossible to find in stereo, and is in a condition that you will never need to upgrade.
JACKET: EXCELLENT in original factory shrink wrap. Flawless front and back panels. Excellent seams and corners except for a noticeable ding at top right corner. No writing, stickers, or other issues. A beautiful jacket you will be proud to display, and a true prize for any serious fan of NEIL DIAMOND.
Track Listing:
Side One:
- Solitary Man
- Red Rubber Ball
- La Bamba
- Do It
- Hanky Panky
- Monday, Monday
Side Two:
- New Orleans
- Someday Baby
- Oh No No
- I’ll Come Running
- Love to Love
- Cherry, Cherry
Guaranteed to be original and authentic. I do not sell bootlegs or modern reissues.
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The records are removed from the jackets to protect the cover.
Both the LP and jacket are sandwiched between additional layers of cardboard.
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