![]() That album received rave reviews and has become a classic.Īfter that tour, and a series of live performances on Broadway, Neil took some time off from touring. One of those concerts was released as a live double album called Hot August Night. ![]() And beginning in 1971, Neil started playing a series of concerts at LA’s Greek Theater. He hit it big with songs like Sweet Caroline, Cracklin’ Rosie and Song Sung Blue. It took Neil a couple of years and a dip in his career to resolve his situation with Bang Records, but in 1968 he signed a contract with what is now Universal Records.Īnd then Diamond was off and running. The song lopes along at a stately pace, and the audience sings along at various points. Neil performs this with a backing group that includes a full chorus. This was from a concert in Birmingham, England in June 2011. Here is a live performance by Neil Diamond of Red Red Wine. Although he assumed he would recover from this loss, it continues to haunt him, and only copious amounts of “red red wine” can soothe his “blue blue heart.” The singer is devastated by thoughts of a lost love. The theme of Red Red Wine is quite straightforward. However, over the years it has become a big favorite, especially after the cover of this song by UB40 hit #1 on the Billboard charts in 1983. The song was pretty much a flop, reaching only #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. And he also re-recorded Diamond’s songs, adding material not present on the original records.įor example, on the Red Red Wine single, Bang Records added a background choir without Neil’s knowledge or permission. However, producer Bert Berns continued to release singles from the Just For You album even after Neil’s departure. Shortly after the release of this album, Neil Diamond left Bang Records. The song Red Red Wine was included in Neil Diamond’s second album, the 1967 release Just For You. When Diamond attempted to leave Bang Records, a series of lawsuits ensued. Diamond wanted to write deeper, more introspective songs while Berns was interested in catchy pop tunes. Embed from Getty ImagesĮventually, Diamond and Berns clashed over his musical direction. There, he hit paydirt as a singer with tunes such as Solitary Man, Cherry, Cherry and Kentucky Woman.īelow is a photo of Neil Diamond performing in 1970. On the basis of his songwriting success, Neil Diamond signed a record contract with Bert Berns’ Bang Records in 1966. In late 1965 he wrote a hit song that Jay and the Americans released, followed by “I’m a Believer” and several other hits for The Monkees. Neil took the job and dropped out of college.Īpparently Diamond’s early years were fairly rough he reports that at one time, his food budget was 35 cents per day! However, despite the fact that he was quite literally a “starving artist,” he managed to write a number of songs during that period.ĭiamond’s first big splash in the music business was as a songwriter. In his senior year at NYU, he was offered a 16-week job at $50/week to write songs for Sunbeam Music Publishing. ![]() However, Diamond began cutting pre-med classes to hang out at the Brill Building, where he attempted to sell his pop songs. He was a very talented fencer, and his team won the NCAA men’s national championship in 1960. Neil enrolled in New York University on a fencing scholarship. This inspired Diamond to buy a guitar and become a songwriter. While he was in high school, Neil attended a summer camp in the Catskills where he experienced a concert by legendary folksinger Pete Seeger. He attended Erasmus High School in Brooklyn, where he was a member of the school’s Chorus and Choral Club along with classmate Barbra Streisand. Neil Diamond was born in Brooklyn in 1941, the son of Polish and Russian immigrants. His records have sold over 135 million copies over a 50-year career, and he has won a series of major awards for his accomplishments. Neil Diamond is a pop singer-songwriter superstar. We will review the original song by Neil Diamond we will then discuss covers by Jimmy James & the Vagabonds, and by UB40. This is an interesting pop song composed by Neil Diamond. ![]() Hello there! This week’s blog entry is Red Red Wine.
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