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DISCID=8607d30a
DTITLE=Neil Diamond / Stones (Japanese Pressing)
DYEAR=1971
DGENRE=Rock
TTITLE0=I Am ... I Said
TTITLE1=The Last Thing On My Mind
TTITLE2=Husbands And Wives
TTITLE3=Chelsea Morning
TTITLE4=Crunchy Granola Suite
TTITLE5=Stones
TTITLE6=If You Go Away
TTITLE7=Suzanne
TTITLE8=I Think It's Gonna Rain Today
TTITLE9=I Am ... I Said
EXTD=Stones (Japanese Pressing)\n\nOriginally Released 1971\nCD Editio
EXTD=n Released February 1985\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Moods finds Neil D
EXTD=iamond attempting to craft a more ambitious and substantial album
EXTD= than his usual pop record through heavy orchestration, but the r
EXTD=esults only work when he sticks to catchy pop-rock, as on "Song S
EXTD=ung Blue," "High Rolling Man," and "Play Me."  -- Stephen Thomas 
EXTD=Erlewine\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nOne of Neil's best early 
EXTD=efforts..., September 22, 2006\nReviewer: William E. Adams (Hobbs
EXTD=, NM USA)\nThese ten tracks are thoughtful and soulful and mostly
EXTD= mellow. All are well done, and the price asked is fair for a cha
EXTD=nge, considering this is somewhat short given today's CD capabili
EXTD=ties. You could put two early Diamond LP's on a CD and add five b
EXTD=ucks and still have a bargain. If you like Neil, and don't own th
EXTD=is one, grab it quick. If you want an introduction to the young N
EXTD=eil's serious side, this one's your baby.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOME
EXTD=R REVIEW\nmoody classic from 1971, November 9, 2005\nReviewer: Ne
EXTD=w York Boy (NYC) \nAlong with some great originals,Stones is Neil
EXTD= Diamond giving props to his favorite singer/songwriters.The song
EXTD=s fit perfectly with his 'Solitary Man' persona.  Stories of lone
EXTD=rs searching for their place.  And lots of desperate lovers. \n\n
EXTD=Stones is also one of the early rock-with-an-orchestra.  This arr
EXTD=angement makes the songs fly high. Neil's singing is also great:p
EXTD=owerful and emotional without going overboard. \n\nThe best songs
EXTD= are the darkly deceptive title cut, "If You Go Away", Randy Newm
EXTD=an's "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today", Leonard Cohen's " Suzanne" 
EXTD=and the gut wrenching reprise of "I Am...I Said". \n\n\nAMAZON.CO
EXTD=M CUSTOMER REVIEW\nAn old favorite...rediscovered, June 19, 2005\n
EXTD=Reviewer: KC "KC" (CA)\nMy parents bought this album when it firs
EXTD=t came out back in 1971 or so and played it so often on our old '
EXTD=hi-fi' that the songs (and the order of them) have taken permanen
EXTD=t residence in my mind as part of the soundtrack of my childhood.
EXTD= \n\nHowever I had not listened to "Stones" until recently when I
EXTD= 'rediscovered' the album when browsing through Napster. Just a W
EXTD=ONDERFUL album. Even though most of the songs are covers, Neil Di
EXTD=amond covers them eloquently; "Chelsea Morning" evokes images of 
EXTD=lazy summer mornings in a butter-yellow kitchen watching the earl
EXTD=y rising sun. \n\nI actually prefer the 'reprise' version of "I A
EXTD=m...I Said" over the hit version. \n\nStones is a great album jus
EXTD=t to kick back and listen to or during a long road trip. 35 years
EXTD= later, it still sounds crisp and fresh. Great effort, ND!\n\n\n\n
EXTD=Diamond's Best, August 26, 2001\nReviewer: Loni Smith "loni107" (
EXTD=Canada)\nUndoubtedly, for me, this is Neil Diamond's best album o
EXTD=f all time. For first time listeners who maybe cued into Diamond 
EXTD=after hearing a track on the radio (sadly, is there any station o
EXTD=ut there that plays Diamond anymore?), this is the place to start
EXTD=. A singer who can evoke moods within the listener like virtually
EXTD= no other artist of the 1970's, and who never sounds better than 
EXTD=on Stones. The Diamond-penned title track is one of his absolute 
EXTD=best, demonstrating a style that is clearly all his own. I Am...I
EXTD= Said is the showpiece tune, a light that could not even be extin
EXTD=guished by it's overplay on the radio at the time. And does anyon
EXTD=e else agree that no one covers a song quite like Diamond, making
EXTD= it all his own? Perhaps surprisingly, this album has many exampl
EXTD=es of that, given Diamond's proliferance as a song-writer. I Thin
EXTD=k It's Gonna Rain Today demonstrates that nicely, as do Diamond's
EXTD= versions of Joni Mitchell's Chelsea Morning, Tom Paxton's The La
EXTD=st Thing on My Mind, and Leonard Cohen's Suzanne. (If you like th
EXTD=ose cover tunes, check out his take of Everybody's Talkin' (Harry
EXTD= Nilsson), and a beautiful rendition of Both Sides Now, on other 
EXTD=albums). These covers are harder to come by, as they don't show u
EXTD=p as readily on his greatest hits packages, probably due to royal
EXTD=ty issues. So you have to dig with Diamond, and you'll be glad yo
EXTD=u did! The real gold is not to be found with all his catchy pop t
EXTD=unes, but on the supposed filler between them.\n\n\n\nAMAZON.COM 
EXTD=CUSTOMER REVIEW\nI Am.. I Said reprise, March 21, 2001\nReviewer:
EXTD= A music fan\nAll the tracks on this album I had on other albums,
EXTD= but there was one track I didn't have and had never listened to.
EXTD= It was the "I Am..I Said" Reprise. When I finally did hear it, i
EXTD=t was at a particularly difficult time in my life. It released so
EXTD= much emotion in me like no emotional laxative could.\nI have to 
EXTD=say, this is Neil singing with all of his honesty. The anger, des
EXTD=pair and frustration in his voice as he cries at the top of his l
EXTD=ungs, "I Am..I Cried!", whilst the same string arrangement and ph
EXTD=rashing that is heard within "I Am..I Said" continues as the rest
EXTD= of the arrangement disappears, is enough to sense and know that 
EXTD=he is asserting his existence to the face of self-doubt. It's won
EXTD=derful and overwhelming. To those who have heard it, you know wha
EXTD=t I mean.\n\nAll the tracks on "Stones" shine, but the "I Am.. I 
EXTD=Said" Reprise is the real gem.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nS
EXTD=tones a winner, August 31, 2000\nReviewer: David Hugaert (Honolul
EXTD=u, HI United States)\nNeil Diamond put out one of his finest work
EXTD=s in 1971 with this album. Some of the songs feature a somewhat m
EXTD=oody persona (The Last Thing On My Mind, Suzanne, I Think It's Go
EXTD=nna Rain Today) that'll leave you feeling maybe a little melancho
EXTD=ly. The up-tempo "Crunchy Granola Suite" will have you singing an
EXTD=d humming the lyrics, and perhaps dancing. Joni Mitchell penned a
EXTD= song titled "Chelsea Morning", which shows up on this CD. Roger 
EXTD=Miller even contributed to this collection as well, with the unfo
EXTD=rgivingly interpersonal "Husbands And Wives." The CD's title trac
EXTD=k is a classic in it's own right. The signature track here is the
EXTD= autobiagraphical "I Am...I Said- a song Neil Diamond stated that
EXTD= it's been his hardest song to write to date, which took him four
EXTD= months to compose. It was well worth the wait, for I Am...I Said
EXTD= is one of Neil's most memorable songs. Lee Holdridge's musical a
EXTD=rrangements really shine here as well. This title is a must-have 
EXTD=for all Neil Diamond fans to add to their collection.\n\n\nAMAZON
EXTD=.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Glory Days of Neil, August 15, 2000\nRe
EXTD=viewer: Sandeep Mukherjee (Kolkata ( Calcutta ), West Bengal Indi
EXTD=a)\nThis album was recorded when Diamond was switching over from 
EXTD=the bubblegum swingers of Bang days to a mature artist who wanted
EXTD= to be accepted for more meaningful songs. This album contains so
EXTD=me soul-searching tracks from I Am..I Said to Stones which are hi
EXTD=s own compositions coupled with songs by Leonard Cohen's masterpi
EXTD=ece Suzanne and Tom Paxtons 'Last Thing on My Mind'. This album c
EXTD=ontains indeed some awesome tracks from an young man with a voice
EXTD= that has beautiful seductive edge most unparalled during the 70/
EXTD=s. If you are looking for songs that can stir your soul, this is 
EXTD=a must. And the cover shows Neil looking like a greek god with hi
EXTD=s long hair and poetic aura !\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTh
EXTD=is album touched my soul over and over again ., May 29, 1999\nRev
EXTD=iewer: A music fan\nI thought " Taproot Manuscript " was his best
EXTD= work but this came in a close second. " Husbands and wives " rea
EXTD=lly touched me. This came out about the time I was in Viet-Nam an
EXTD=d is one of those albums that identifies memories so clear that I
EXTD= consider it a gospel necessity to my music library .\n\n\nAMAZON
EXTD=.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA thoughtful album at a moment of musical t
EXTD=ransition., September 20, 1998\nReviewer: A music fan\nIn "Stones
EXTD=" you can see the tip of the iceberg of what was to come in Diamo
EXTD=nd's future. He questions himself, and what he stands for as an a
EXTD=rtist and an individual. Keep in mind it is 1971-72 and "pop" mus
EXTD=ic had gone through a phase of non-introspection. "I am, I said" 
EXTD=is a powerful statement of one man's search for self, after treme
EXTD=ndous success. Was he worthy of that success, an emphatic "YES!"\n
EXTD=\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nContrary to the "Boston" review, 
EXTD="Stones" is a HIT, September 13, 1998\nReviewer: dayo1026@aol.com
EXTD= (Memphis, TN U.S.A.)\nStones has been my favorite Neil Diamond a
EXTD=lbum for more than 20 years. He is a great baritone, and the lyri
EXTD=cs to most of the cuts on this album are fine poetry. Crunchy Gra
EXTD=nola Suite is perhaps the worst cut, not the best. Maybe the Bost
EXTD=on reviewer should stick to the soapy contemporary stuff that giv
EXTD=es him a "kick" and leave the smooth poetic style of Mr. Diamond 
EXTD=to real connoisseurs that appreciate the beauty of "Stones" and t
EXTD=he talent of Neil Diamond. It is a great album.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM C
EXTD=USTOMER REVIEW\nNeil's on a bummer, July 14, 1998\nReviewer: A mu
EXTD=sic fan\nDiamond was at low point, literally, when he put this al
EXTD=bum together. A songwriter who can't sing shouldn't do cover song
EXTD=s. Plus, Neil was already into grunting instead of singing by thi
EXTD=s time in his career, and too far gone into strings and syrupy or
EXTD=chestrations. The only entertainment on this album is "Crunchy Gr
EXTD=anola Suite", which is Neil's hilarious attempt at rock and roll.
EXTD= And this was 1971.\n\n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Tom Catalan
EXTD=o \n\nAlbum Notes\nSomething of an anomaly in the Neil Diamond ca
EXTD=talog, STONES features half-a-dozen covers of songs by Diamond's 
EXTD=contemporaries, including Randy Newman, Roger Miller, and Joni Mi
EXTD=tchell. Diamond's version of Miller's "Husbands and Wives" is a t
EXTD=asteful masterpiece of country pastiche, and his version of Jacqu
EXTD=es Brel's "If You Go Away" is similarly restrained. The album's t
EXTD=itle track is a fine example of early-'70s L.A. pastoral pop, whi
EXTD=le the ache of homesickness in his existential classic hit "I Am.
EXTD=..I Said" ('and no-one heard at all, not even the chair...") cont
EXTD=inues to resonate.\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nRemember how embarr
EXTD=assed you felt on first listening to Neil Diamond destroy "He Ain
EXTD='t Heavy, He's My Brother" only to decide on the tenth hearing th
EXTD=at his version wasn't that horrible after all? Those feelings are
EXTD= multiplied sixfold with Stones. Diamond has bucked his habit of 
EXTD=recording mostly his own material and has selected six famous bal
EXTD=lads by other writers. On first hearing the album sounds like it 
EXTD=deserves to be thrown out the window, but after a time one gets f
EXTD=riendlier towards Diamond's interpretations.\n\nTwo questions are
EXTD= obvious. Why did Diamond change his custom of recording his own 
EXTD=songbook and, secondly, why did he select years-old numbers ident
EXTD=ified with other singers? To the first it can be said that Neil h
EXTD=as proved himself as a performer and that after six years of writ
EXTD=ing his own hit singles has earned himself the option to record a
EXTD=n album of somebody else's material. The more interesting of the 
EXTD=questions is why he selected songs from the last decade which hav
EXTD=e already been over-recorded.\n\nThe pertinence of this question 
EXTD=becomes more obvious when Diamond's style of singing is considere
EXTD=d. That style is perfect for his own compositions: spoken, barked
EXTD=, semi-recited passages fit in where intended. But there are thin
EXTD=gs Neil's voice gets away with in his own songs that it cannot in
EXTD= other composers' pieces. For example, Diamond punches out the "l
EXTD=onely!" that Judy Collins assuaged on her version of "I Think It'
EXTD=s Gonna Rain Today." He matter-of-factly drops the line "And Jesu
EXTD=s was a sailor" into Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne." He recites "If yo
EXTD=u go away" in the song of the same name and tremors like a Bee Ge
EXTD=e on the first "If." He attacks "Woke up, it was a Chelsea mornin
EXTD=g" and whines "can" in the line "some can" from Roger Miller's "H
EXTD=usbands and Wives."\n\nAt first these variations seem like insult
EXTD=s to the contemporary standards but after several listens one get
EXTD=s over the heresies. Neil's versions begin to stand on their own 
EXTD=and can be evaluated for what they are, not what they are not. In
EXTD= short, these performances are at first tolerable at best and lat
EXTD=er on disquieting at worst. There are some things that are not pe
EXTD=rmissible. It is not all right to make "Chelsea Morning" a Latin-
EXTD=flavored number, nor is it OK to make "Suzanne" upbeat or to talk
EXTD= about "your perfect bod-dy."\n\nThe highlights of the album rema
EXTD=in the two singles, "Stones" and "I Am ... I Said." "Stones," wit
EXTD=h its cryptic lyrics and lush orchestration, merits one appearanc
EXTD=e on this LP, but "I Am ... I Said" rates both the opening and cl
EXTD=osing slots. The first appearance is the single version with its 
EXTD=excellent lyrics: "I'm New York City born and raised/But nowadays
EXTD= I'm lost between two shores/L.A.'s fine but it ain't home/New Yo
EXTD=rk's home but it ain't mine/No more." The reprise at the end star
EXTD=ts in mid-single: "Did you ever hear about a frog who dreamed of 
EXTD=being a king/And then became one?/Well except for the names and a
EXTD= few of the changes/When you talk about me/The story's the same o
EXTD=ne." The song goes beyond where the single faded out and leaves N
EXTD=eil shrieking "I am!" juxtaposed against a flourishing string sec
EXTD=tion. It is as touching as the single itself.\n\nHopefully this e
EXTD=ffort of Neil's represents a mere sabbatical from recording album
EXTD=s of his own material. It's not that his effort on Stones is repr
EXTD=ehensible in any way, it's just unnecessary. The record world alr
EXTD=eady has enough "Suzanne's" and more than enough "If You Go Away'
EXTD=s." (RS 100 - Jan 20, 1972)  -- PAUL GAMBACCINI
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