Neil Diamond transitioned from professional songwriter to performer when he signed with Bang Records in 1966. There, he cut two albums -- his 1966 debut The Feel of Neil Diamond and its 1967 sequel Just for You -- that contained his greatest songs: “Solitary Man,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Thank the Lord for the Night Time,” “I’m a Believer,” “Red, Red Wine,” “The Boat That I Row,” “You Got to Me,” and “Shilo.”
All these, along with the rest of the two Bang albums all presented out of LP order, are on Columbia/Legacy’s 2011 The Bang Years: 1966-1968, by far the best overview ever assembled of this crucial era for Diamond. It’s not just that these are Diamond’s best songs but these are his best records: crisp, lively, colorful pop tunes balanced by luxurious moody brooding ballads.
Once he turned into a superstar Diamond tended to rely on his innate showmanship, but here at the beginning of his career he sounded hungry and knew how to have fun, giving these records a snap that still stings decades later. And Diamond knows just how good these recordings are, as indicated by the terrific autobiographical liner notes he’s penned for this collection, notes that give this music context, but they’re not necessary to appreciate The Bang Years: this is pop music that’s so pure it needs no explanation.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. Solitary Man - 2:34
2. Cherry, Cherry - 2:47
3. Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon - 3:00
4. Kentucky Woman - 2:26
5. Thank the Lord For the Night Time - 3:03
6. You Got to Me - 2:52
7. I’m a Believer - 2:44
8. Red, Red Wine - 2:41
9. Boat That I Row - 2:39
10. Do It - 1:55
11. New Orleans (Frank Guida, Joseph Roster) - 2:26
12. Monday, Monday (John Phillips) - 3:01
13. Red Rubber Ball (Paul Simon) - 2:23
14. I’ll Come Running - 3:02
15. La Bamba (Ritchie Valens) - 2:09
16. Long Way Home - 2:31
17. I’ve Got the Feeling (Oh No No) - 2:20
18. You’ll Forget - 2:49
19. Love To Love - 2:22
20. Someday Baby - 2:18
21. Hanky Panky (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 2:49
22. Time Is Now - 3:06
23. Shilo - 3:25
All songs by Neil Diamond except where noted.
Musicians
*Neil Diamond - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
*Hugh McCrackin - Guitar, Harmonica
*Al Gorgoni, Sal DiTroia, Charlie Macy, Bill Suyker - Guitar
*Eric Gayle - Electric Guitar
*Artie Kaplan - Saxophone
*Eddie Bert, Nicky Gravine, Benny Powell - Trombone
*Artie Butler - Piano, Organ
*Herb Lavelle, Gary Chester , Buddy Saltzman - Drums
*Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry - Tambourine, Hand Claps, Background Vocals
*George Devens - Percussion
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Many thanx, Marios !
ReplyDeleteOne of a kind.
ReplyDeleteI am unable to download the .rar file using the Regular Download link at the Deposit Files site. The button is greyed out and nothing happens when I click on it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that Neil wrote I'm a Believer and Red Red Wine. Enjoyed listening to this collection very much.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mario.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot Marios...
Far out! Thank you very much Marios.
ReplyDeleteAre there any working links?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, "Neil Diamond - The Bang Years" ..restored
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice share. Two critics on this package:
ReplyDeleteToo bad this is not the complete Bang catalogue. 2 Tracks are missing (Crocked Street & Shot down).
Second, I strongly believe Shilo is not the Bang Version. This Song were re-recorded in 1968 for second release of the Velvet Glove LP.
Maybe someone could clarify this.
Have a nice day
links are down.
ReplyDeletePlease update.
Alfred 63, just checked, everything is OK
ReplyDeleteThank you, however, when I click on the turbobit or Hitfile link the message comes up The Page Is Not Available. My internet is working so what could be the issue?
DeleteThanks again.
Says "You have reached the limit of IP connections" for all links. Can't download. Please use non-awful file host
ReplyDeleteWith regard to The Seeker's comment, the two missing tracks can be found on the Double Gold collection, which has never been reissued on CD, but it appears they may have been demos which Neil didn't want released (he controls his Bang masters now). Double Gold also contains stereo versions of some of the Bang songs - all the Bang Years versions are mono. Caution: some Bang hits collections include crappy reprocessed stereo tracks.
ReplyDeleteAs for Shilo, Bang remixed and reissued the song with a new backing track after Neil left the label, so there are two different Bang versions as well as his Uni remake. The Uni version is slightly shorter at just under 3 minutes, so this is definitely one of the two Bang versions. Wikipedia has an article on the song.