Neil Diamond: The Jazz Singer CD Track Listing

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Neil Diamond The Jazz Singer (1980)
Originaly Released 1980\nCapitol CD Edition Released 1990\nColumbia CD Edition Released February 20, 1996\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Neil Diamond's 1980 screen turn as a charismatic singer torn between Jewish tradition and pop music stardom spawned this phenomenally successful soundtrack album -- six million copies and counting. Diamond's 21st century resurgence as a walking item of kitsch has sparked renewed interest in the bombastic melting-pot jam "America," as well as his signature late-career ballad "Hello Again." In addition, the lite FM favorite "Love on the Rocks" is classic, raw-throated Neil. But beyond these notables, The Jazz Singer is an album of passable pop songs that stand on the edge of disco and in the grip of melodrama. The hyper "You Baby" is dressed up with an audio clip marking the film's embarrassing black face sequence, while the album's midsection sags with songs that shine like Sunset Strip billboards, yet lack any real substance. Swelling strings and lovely lyrics abound, but it all seems directionless, as if Diamond's just going through the motions. Similarly, Jewish traditionals like "Kol Nidre/My Name is Yussel" are important as thematic elements. But removed from the film and in the context of open-collared, glitzy numbers like "Hey Louise," their reverence is off-putting. As it's aged, The Jazz Singer has come to mark the moment when Diamond fully embraced his soft rock audience and completely turned his back on the ambition and spine-tingling vocal presence of his early career. That decision certainly proved to be an economic winner, but it ignored the fact that his most resonant performances really tear into a song with true mirth. The Jazz Singer's big hits have this quality -- a fact not lost on a new generation of listeners who revel in Diamond's powerful voice and showmanship. But the album's bulk is as wooden as Neil's acting. -- Johnny Loftus\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nListen to Neil Diamond's soundtrack and skip the film, April 26, 2004\nReviewer: Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City: Duluth, MN United States)\nThe decision to make a modern version of Al Jolson's "Jazz Singer" in 1980 is one of the more dubious ideas to come out of Hollywood. Putting singer Neil Diamond in the Jolson role opposite Laurence Olivier as his cantor father and Lucy Arnaz as the woman he loves had only one sure upside in that Diamond also did the music for the film. If your choice is between watching the film or listening to the soundtrack, then listen to the soundtrack.\nDiamond was inspired by the immigrant element of the story to honor the national melting pot in the opening song "America," along with one of his better ballads from that part of his career "Hello Again." The songs also play to Diamond's strength in that several of them would be done "live" in the context of the film, and anyone who has listened to "Hot August Night" or any other concert album by Diamond knows he is a lot better live than he is in the studio. In retrospect that is clearly the point in Diamond's career where the hard rock and gospel influences went away and he began a soft rock/pop artist where songs like "Love on the Rocks" and "Summerlove" became the norm. His early songs are arguably his best, but it was not until his 1976 album "Beautiful Noise" that Diamond ever had an album go platinum. \n\nTo his credit Diamond does come up with songs that meet the narrative needs of the film, not that this is a reason to watch the movie, so do not accuse me of advocating you do that. There is no reason for you to see that "You Baby" is part of an awkward homage, for lack of a better word, to Jolson in black face. Also worked into the mix are some traditional Jewish songs, "Adon Olom" and "Kol Nidre/My Name Is Yussel," and Diamond makes an earnest attempt to do them right. The resulting mix might be uneven, but there are enough solid songs here to make this an above average Neil Diamond album.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTerrible Movie.. Decent Album, June 27, 2002\nReviewer: Andy (Greeley, Colorado United States)\nThis semi decent soundtrack is good as long as you haven't seen the movie... otherwise the schlock of the movie will make this CD of work a bitter pill to swallow, and your thoughts will be filled with terrible, terrible acting by Lucy Arnaz and Lawrence Olivier. I would suggest buying another Neil Diamond CD made before this one. The Diamond CDs only get worse as the years go on, and the Jazz Singer Soundtrack is the last listenable thing made by Neil Diamond. "America", "Love on the Rocks", "Songs of Life" and "Summerlove" are pretty good tunes. Those tunes make the disc worth owning for a hardcore fan.. However, "You Baby", "Hey Louise", "Acapulco", "On The Robert E Lee" and "Jerusalem" are utter garbage. "Amazed and Confused" is unlistenable. "Adon Olom" and "Kol Nidre/My Name Is Yussel" are just things put on the album to take up space. I would suggest Stones, Moods, or Greatest Hits over this..they are money well spent.. the Jazz Singer is not.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA great injustice was done to Neil refgarding this album., October 12, 2001\nReviewer: David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA)\nFor some reason, Neil Diamonds's peers have not held him in the same high esteem his fans have. The fans are rigght and his peers are wrong. This CD has three top ten tunes in it, "America," "Hello Again," and "Love on the Rocks." All are great songs and all were hits 20 years ago. There were additional great rockers like "You Baby Baby" on this CD. Inexplicably the academy did not even so much as nominate the movie "The Jazz Singer" for the best score nor did any of the three mega hits get a nomination for best song. This was an unconscionable dump on a great star and songwriter. He deserved an Oscar and did not even get a nomination!\nI recommend both the cd and a video of the movie. The cd has great studio versions of the songs whereas the movie has some great, energetic live performances, particularly of "You Baby," and "Amazed and Confused." This cd is abslolutely classic and as of the writing of this review, "America" is particularly uplifting so soon after the terrorist attack on New York & the Pentagon. Indeed, the night before this review was written, I saw Neil Diamond in concert at Madison Square Garden & he had the crowd on it's feet with "America." This is a cd that we as fans know is great regardless of what his peers may have thought. I hope in the future, some justice will be done and he will be inducted into the Rock n roll Hall of Fame.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nStill a good recording!, March 9, 2001\nReviewer: Lee Ann,music lover "music lover" (Middletown, OH USA)\nOver the years I have heard and read most of the rather nasty reviews of this recording and of the film. I am pleased to see that the majority of the reviewers agree with my feelings. If Neil Diamond made one mistake in doing this film,it was calling it "The Jazz Singer" since it was NOT a remake of the classic Jolson film. So lighten up, sit back and enjoy one of the most memorable scores to come along in many years,and really has not been matched since in a film of this type. And yes, I really did enjoy the movie as well.\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n"America" is one of the most spectacularly horrible songs!, September 24, 1999\nReviewer: A music fan\n"America" is quite the phenomenom. It collects so many of the hallmarks of a horrible song into such a concise package. We have a wonderfully insincere patriotic message, a marvelously cheesy pseudo-heavy guitar part, a woefully synthesized orchestra, a flat spoken word section, and a terrifically horrendous choir of everyday people containing some sort of message about democracy, I think. Few songs reach a peak of sheer banality this high. After this monumental opener there's not too many other places the album can go. There's no way it could possibly get worse, but that doesn't mean that it gets that much better. All in all, a spectacular achievement in the annals of horrible music!\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: King Errisson \nProducer: Bob Gaudio \n\nAlbum Notes\nTHE JAZZ SINGER is the soundtrack to the movie of the same title. \n\nAlso available in a 3-pack with CLASSICS: THE EARLY YEARS (1966-1967) and BEAUTIFUL NOISE.\n\nPersonnel: Neil Diamond (vocals, guitar); Richard Bennett, Doug Rhone (vocals, guitar); Tom Hensley (vocals, piano); Alan Lindgren (piano, synthesizer); Reinie Press (bass); Dennis St. John (drums); Vince Charles, King Errisson (percussion); Linda Press, Mairlyn O'Brien, H.L. Voelker, Oren Waters, Luther Waters, Donny Gerard, Timothy Allan Bullara, Jeremy C. Lipton, Boyd H. Schlaefer, Mark H. Stevens, James Gregory Wilburn, Dale D. Morich, Yoav Steven Paskowitz, David Teisher (background vocals).
This rock cd contains 14 tracks and runs 40min 20sec.
Freedb: eb09720e
Buy: from Amazon.com

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