Neil Diamond - Hot August Night (1973), MCA 2-8000, Gloversville pressing

 

I love early Neil Diamond, particularly his material from the years recording for Bang Records, but I am not a fan of his later schlocky material, which, sadly, makes up the bulk of his career. This double LP live album originally released in 1972 is situated right at the point when he was sliding from great songwriter to purveyor of pap, and the set list reflects this. (My copy is the 1973 reissue Gloversville pressing distinguished by labels showing Diamond amidst a sea of stage lights instead of the standard MCA corporate labels.) Alongside great compositions like "Solitary Man," "Cherry Cherry," and "Red Red Wine" we get "Play Me," "I Am---I Said," and the sing-songy "Song Sung Blue," which, of course, he tries to get the audience to sing along. There are also his attempts at being a comedian and bombing horribly on "Porcupine Pie" and "Soggy Pretzels" (for this facet of his persona, I would have preferred "Knackeflerg" or "The Pot Song" from his LP Velvet Gloves and Spit). The album was a huge hit, going double platinum in the U.S. while reaching #5 on the Billboard charts, and was extremely popular in Australia, of all places, topping the album charts for months. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, reviewer for allmusic.com, calls it "the ultimate Neil Diamond record" precisely because it captures all the various facets of Diamond--the "glitz," the "kitsch," and his genius and madness as a songwriter.

But I have to say that it just doesn't work for me. The performances on the better songs are overwrought, punctuated by grunts and vocal-cord-shredding oversinging, making them far inferior to the more restrained studio versions. The 1983 compilation Classics: The Early Years probably has all the Diamond I need, with one exception--"Sweet Caroline," which is included on Hot August Night but given a somewhat tame arrangement, odd given how Diamond milks songs like "Cherry Cherry" for maximum effect. I had never owned this record before snatching this remarkably clean copy from Half Price Books for the modest price of $8, and I have to admit that the audio fidelity is better than I expected, particularly for a live recording. Also hearing it in this budget-priced version has saved me from pursuing a ridiculously priced audiophile version, such as the 1980 Mobile Fidelity vinyl release, so the purchase of this version hasn't been a total waste. But when I find myself in the mood for a little Neil, this won't be my first choice.

Do I Really Need This record?  I have to admit this is not an essential addition to the collection, and I was able to squeeze this onto the shelves only by removing a couple of snoozy Bert Kaempfert LPs that I probably also would rarely if ever play again considering that I have several more perky albums of his. At some point, Hot August Night may join the Kaempfert subtractions on the sale pile if I run across something else that I want more but don't have room for.