Friday 13th May 2005:
Neil sings two songs (each song loads separately) and chats on the Today show in New York, May 2005. There is a Toyota commercial first. Neil's appearance follows directly after. The link, compliments of Dutch FOND (Many thanks to Marijke, of Fond Holland)
Neil Diamond short video interview (4 minutes) in Australia, Neil talks of Rachel and his love for Australia. The link, compliments of Dutch FOND (Many thanks to Marijke, of Fond Holland)
John Laws did a phone interview with Neil. Through the link you can listen to it, it lasts about 20 minutes. Interview - Neil Diamond - John Laws - Australia
This link, songtitles and an article with the compliments of
Carla&Marijke Dutch FOND. (Many thanks ladies,
JB) These are songtitles which Neil recently copyrighted. It remains a question if they are all going to be on the new album: What's it gonna be?, Evermore, Men are so easy, Shine on, Man o' God, Can't have it all, Create me, Something blue, I'm on to you , Oh Mary, We, Ooo do I want to be yours, First time, Save me a Saturday night, You're my favorite song, Show it down
This is an article from “The Courier Mail”. There is a part about the new album which is shown in red below.
Diamond lustre 12th March 2005 Singing superstar Neil Diamond has a special place in his heart for Australian fans, and tells Cameron Adams why he is content to let his music do the talking. The music industry has a theory that the more records you sell, the more licence you have to indulge in rock-star behaviour, such as tantrums and diva demands. Neil Diamond proves that theory wrong. He's sold more records than J-Lo could ever imagine: 115 million at last count. Yet no one has a bad word to say about him, especially those who work with him. "I try to let the music do the talking," Diamond says. "Otherwise I just keep my mouth shut and mind my own business." And business is good, on all fronts. This is the man who fell in love with a Brisbane woman – Rae Farley – who was working on his merchandise stand during a 1996 Australian tour. Most A-list rock stars wouldn't even make eye contact with people that low on the touring food chain. And, of course, this is the man who had one of the biggest – but least painful – divorces in Hollywood history: his ex-wife Marcia got $150 million in 1996. "I am happy to do it," Diamond is famously quoted as saying at the time. "She's been with me through thick and thin. She deserves half my fortune. I wish her all the happiness $150 million can bring." These days Diamond, 63, is loved-up again. Farley, 30 years his junior, has been with Neil for almost 10 years. It's due to her influence that an "Aussie room" is part of his recording studio in his Los Angeles house. Diamond is doing this interview via speaker phone from his plush studio – the one that 115 million albums sales built. He can see the Australian room from where he is. "It's filled with all kinds of mementos and knick-knacks from my tours of Australia," Diamond says. "There's a huge boomerang on one wall and plenty of awards I've received from down there. It's a special place to me. I'm kept up to date with what's going on in Australia pretty regularly." That'd be Farley. She's converted Diamond to being a Brisbane Lions fan and he's extended an invitation for the players to attend his Queensland shows as part of his latest Australian tour. "I'm a Brisbane Lions fan because my lady is a Brissie girl," Diamond says. "She makes me watch every game they play." But football is a distraction compared with his real passion: music. It's been almost five years since his last release, Three Chord Opera. Since then there's been a handful of compilations showcasing his incredible career – trademark songs such as Solitary Man, Cherry Cherry, Sweet Caroline, America, Beautiful Noise, Song Sung Blue and songs (Red Red Wine, Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon) made famous by others. His new album ("I want to get it out this year, that's my goal") is half-finished. It has, he says, a back-to-basics approach, inspired by the producer, whose identity he is keeping a secret. "I'm enjoying every minute of it. I think the fans will really enjoy it," Diamond says. "The producer kinda forced me into that position. He wanted to go back to the songwriter, he wanted me to take another look at my songs over the past years and to really focus in on that. I was really focusing in on the songs, making sure each held up no matter how stripped back the productions were. "That's the bottom line. I was concentrating on making the songs work." It's been Diamond's modus operandi since he started his career as a professional songwriter in 1966. That first recording session spawned Solitary Man. "It's still a mystery where the songs come from," Diamond says. "The initial inspiration comes quickly, after that comes the tremendous amount of work you do to get the song sounding how you imagined it the first time it started to come out of you." Diamond says his new album has the "same old themes". "Relationships between people, a certain amount of spirituality, a certain amount of wonder and amazement at the world in general . . . happy to be here . . . my songs are usually optimistic," he says. "There isn't a hopeless one among the bunch. Same themes, just a more mature writer and therefore a more mature perspective on them." Diamond's latest Australian visit is the start of another world tour. Unlike many performers, he won't insist you sit through 10 new songs. It's all about the hits, the songs people pay to hear, just as they remember them. "There's no way I could do a show without doing Sweet Caroline or Love on the Rocks or Cracklin' Rosie," Diamond says. "These songs are part of what I do, they're part of me at this point and I'm very happy to do them. These songs are part of my persona. Maybe we do them a little different, just have fun with them. But the ones I do in concert are my favourites, otherwise I wouldn't do them. "They have to hold up and be exciting to me over a long period. I have to have some enthusiasm for them." Even diehard fans will note some changes on the latest Diamond tour. For the first time he's using visuals ("to heighten the experience of a particular song"), has new band members (horns and three backing singers), and a stage with "all kinds of bells and whistles". The set list will also have some surprises. As well as the hits, Diamond has dug up some of his less famous songs. There's also a special surprise for Australian fans. "The opening number harks back to the Hot August Night period. I'm opening with Crunchy Granola Suite. I'm doing that again on this tour to touch base with my earlier days as a performer," he says. "And I know how beautifully Hot August Night was received in Australia, so I wanted to put this one in right at the top for my Australian audiences. I think they will all know it and enjoy the version of it we have. "I'm excited about the show. We just want to make beautiful noises, create a thoroughly entertaining evening." And one that won't break the budget. Diamond is the superstar who really puts his money where his famous mouth is. Whereas the best seats to see the Eagles cost $550 and tickets to Cher cost up to $300, Diamond's top ticket price is $99.50. Diamond's local tour promoter Paul Dainty insists it's the star's idea to keep the price low. The singer could quite easily charge more. "Neil is the biggest seller of tickets of any international artist," Dainty said when Diamond sold out his first two Melbourne shows in 20 minutes last September. "Neil has always gone out of his way to provide affordable ticket prices. Even at the height of his success here in Australia with Hot August Night he insisted on low ticket prices." While the Eagles and Cher sell tickets playing the "farewell" card, Diamond has no such plans of retirement. "Just when I think I've run out of ideas, there always seems to be new music to do. I've recorded 400 or 500 songs in my career. That's a lot to choose from and there's a lot I still want to do. It's a good feeling," he says. "And I still love touring. It's the most fun of anything I do, it's hardly work at all. The preparation is a tremendous amount of work but once you start touring and doing shows, that's the fun part of this job. I'm thrilled to be able to do it still." So no plans to stop? "I keep my ear to the ground. As long as I'm healthy and enthusiastic and love what I'm doing, I'm going to keep doing it. "My audience will tell me when it's time to say farewell – and they haven't indicated that yet."
A Hot August night coming TUESDAY , 10 AUGUST 2004 By ROBYN MCLEAN Wellingtonians can look forward to a hot August night – next February. Singer Neil Diamond is set to rock Westpac Stadium for a one-off show. It will be the first time Diamond has played the capital. It is understood promoters will announce the concert next week. A show is also planned for Christchurch. Speculation has been rife on who the stadium's next big act would be after the David Bowie concert last February. The official Neil Diamond website states the singer has no concerts planned this year, but he expects a world tour early next year.
Diamond has a huge number of fans in New Zealand. Sales
for his 1996 Auckland concert broke records when 40,000 tickets sold in nine
hours, with Wellington fans sleeping outside the Opera House to secure theirs.
(Many thanks to Arlette Barzilay for sending in the information)
Neil Diamond on Larry King Show TV show, You can read the transcript to know what Neil had to say on that show, by clicking on the Web Address Below. I am not sure how long it will be available, so I would suggest that you do not hesitate.There is also a video that you can get of the interview, details when you click onto the site. http://us.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0309/29/lkl.00.html
Information for visiting the above site is kindly
supplied by
Here you can read some comments from Neil himself THREE CHORD OPERA Song-by-song commentary by Neil Diamond:
I Haven't Played this Song In Years:
Don't Look Down:
I Believe In Happy Endings:
At The Movies: Midnight Dream: "The song talks about what happens when you blow a relationship that could have been very special. It's a reflection that trying to put something back together like that is a dream, something that's never going to happen, as much as I can sit and hope for it." You Are The Best Part Of Me: "A very simple, direct statement of devotion and honesty. I couldn't say it any clearer. Every one of these songs is tied to something in my life. Not only does the singer realize this statement is true, he's very willing to say it to the other person. I think it's easier for me to say these things in a song because I can hide behind the art of it." Baby Let's Drive: "A very, very common thread in rock songs is to say, 'Let's get the heck out of here and find another place because this is not where we belong." My Special Someone: "Very direct, unadorned, honest and stark, pretty much the way my better songs are because of the way I sing. There are no tricks. This is what it is and what I am and I hope you like it. I was going for the truth as I see it today. It's the kind of song I write pretty naturally." A Mission Of Love: "I just can't resist this kind of song. It was harder to write than I thought because the chorus spells out the word 'l-o-v-e' alongside these sort of 'scat' sounds and it was tricky getting it all to fit together. I wanted to make it work and feel good, too, and I'm very happy with the final result." Elijah's Song: "I knew I wanted to write something for my new grandson, Elijah, and this is a melody I had kicking around for a number of years. The words just came out as a lullaby to him. He loves it. But now I've set a precedent in my family because I have two other grandchildren. Guess I'll just have to leave the title blank and fill in their names." Leave A Little Room For God: "God has always been an important part of my music. I've always believed He is a part of your life in the here and now. The title came from a sign over the entrance of a friend's recording studio. And I thought it had more applications. The song kind of made people look at me a little weird, especially at the record label. I'm not a particularly religious person, but I have always been very spiritual and a true believer in some kind of higher authority, which is reflected in the songs. Whether it was commercial or not was irrelevant to me. It was truthful and that was the most important thing." Turn Down The Lights: "It's kind of a good-night song. I thought of it in terms of something I might play at the end of a concert after the audience came down from the emotional highs, the sound, the lights, the whole thing. It somehow all comes down to the two of us being in that moment of togetherness. And that's basically what I tried to express with it." ND
How about this fantastic strip of photos then?
And below, photos taken during the commercial break
NEW YORK WEEKEND, BY LINDA POLLARD. JULY 2001. My New York City weekend really began once I arrived at the hotel that was three blocks from Rockefeller Plaza, where Neil would be performing for the Today Show's summer concert series the following morning. I had traveled there with several New England fans, and had plans to meet up with many other fans who were staying at the same hotel. Once we all got checked into our hotel, many of us headed to the area the show would be held the following day. We noticed some people were starting to hang around the site of where the stage would be erected, so we figured we should start thinking about beginning our all-night wait to ensure a decent place to stand for Neil's performance. We had thought we would be arriving around midnight, but seeing others there already made us change our plans. After a quick dinner at an Irish Pub, and a trip to the hotel for comfortable clothes and our signs and our survival kits, we were on the streets at 6:30 Thursday evening to stake our spot in line for the following morning's show. Little by little, about 100 other rabid fans showed up, so it was a sidewalk party. People brought snacks, and visited up and down the long line. We were told by an NBC guard to form a line on the sidewalk beyond the staging area, to leave the area clear for the equipment necessary to construct the stage. He told us that once the stage was built, we would be escorted in groups of 25 to the various "corrals" they would be erecting. The press would have a corral, there would be two for VIP's, and the fans would fill the others. At 2:00 a.m. the stage had been constructed, and we were led to our standing areas. A small group of us stood at the side of the stage, half way back, right next to where Hadley would be standing. The wait after 2:00 went pretty fast, since there was so much activity going on. The stage was a basic three-tier metal stage, that was transformed into a work of art, thanks to black carpeting, black vinyl sheeting and press-on lettering. It had "Neil Diamond (in white) and Three Chord Opera" (in yellow) in large letters, and orange squares pressed onto shiny black vinyl across the area where Neil would be performing. The band was on the two elevated sections behind him. Only Linda and Doug were on the same level as Neil. With the addition of the four horns and four strings, it made for a very crowded stage. Finally 5:15 am arrived, and time for rehearsal. It was still quite dark, and spotlights placed on the building next door illuminated the stage. Hadley stood directly in front of us, separated by about 6-8 feet of space for the cameraman to walk around the stage for footage of the band and audience. Everyone in the band looked great. It was so nice to see them, but bitter-sweet, because of Vince not being there. The band had come out first, and warmed up a bit, then out came Neil, dressed in olive colored cargo pants, a dark top and a New YorkYankees baseball cap. He looked great, and seemed so pleased to see so many people gathered at such an early hour. He sang, "I'm A Believer", followed by "You Are The Best Part Of Me" (from the new album), then "Cracklin' Rosie", and "Sweet Caroline" He then sang "I'm A Believer" again. How strange it was to see him perform in casual clothes, and outside, in the dark! By the time rehearsal was over, it was nearly 6:00, and the live broadcast started at 7:00. A very large crowd filled all the stage area, and across the street as well. There were at least 100 signs, which is the traditional thing to do for these shows. Mine had "You 'R' MY SPECIAL SOMEONE" on one side, and "HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARLA A." on the other side. (It was Carla Aangenendt's birthday that very day) Around 8:30, there was a 4-5 minute lead-in, showing clips taken from the recent VH-1 "Behind The Music" hour show. While that was airing, Neil came out and sat on one of two tall directors chairs, placed on the stage. The hostess, Katie Couric, followed a short time later, and sat in the other chair. She conducted a 5-minute interview. It was mostly a repeat the same stories we've heard over and over again, but they seemed new and interesting to Katie. I think Katie has taken a real liking to Neil. After a commercial break, Neil performed "I'm A Believer", then "You Are The Best Part Of Me," "Cracklin Rosie" and ended with "Sweet Caroline." He was dressed in black slacks, and a black shirt, but the entire front of the shirt was fabric made of bright blue metalized dots. The crowd was very good and Neil and the band seemed to really appreciate their reception. Neil was so pumped. It was so wonderful to see all of them again. The band was dressed up beautifully. Tom was wearing a wild suit with an animal theme, and Hadley wore an awesome purple suit. Wow, they all looked great, and they were all wearing the blue commemorative ribbons for Vince. It was an idea that a local fan had initiated. We all wore them, and so did they--even Neil. Despite how wonderful it was, it was still so sad because our Vince was not there. Vince would have loved this show out on the street. It was like a carnival. The show broke up at 9:00am. A group of us had breakfast, then headed to our hotel rooms for a few hours of sleep. We re-grouped and took taxis to just beyond Union Square (near Greenwich Village) for dinner at our favorite Irish Pub. Then we went to The Bitter End for tee shirts, and returned to our hotel for a full night's sleep. Saturday morning, we joined about 10 other fans, for a walking tour of the city, conducted by Richard Vicek. Afterwards, we went to Madison Square Garden, hoping to find some flyers or anything relating to Neil. Madonna was at MSG all week, so everything was focused on her. No Neil-goodies there. After a nice meal on 9th Ave, we got in line at Sony Studios on 54th. and 10th. This was the site of A&E's Live By Request. The process of seating took quite a while, but eventually we were seated, about 15 minutes before the show would go live at 9:00. Neil was dressed in black, and looking calm and in control. As the name of the show implies, Neil took several song requests from lucky fans via live phone calls, others from e-mail and even two very special requests arriving in the form of letters from Barbra Streisand (You Don't Bring Me Flowers) and Mohammed Ali (America.) Between the various songs, Neil and the show's host, Mark McEwen spoke about Neil's career, the history behind certain songs, etc. The show was fabulous, but flew by far too fast. It had appeared as a live show from 9:00-11:00, but was scheduled for it's first repeat just two hours later. So a group of us gathered in the hotel rooms to watch the rebroadcast. What fun to be able to watch just two hours after seeing it live! And what added to the fun was that earlier in the evening while cueing outside of the studio, Mark McEwen had recorded some commercials for the program that included many of us singing "Sweet Caroline" and "Cracklin' Rosie." We got to see "our" commercial before the second airing of the show. Somehow we were able to get a few hours of sleep before parting company the following morning. We had to get our rest, because Monday morning was our second round of buying concert tickets, which is not an easy task. Linda Pollard
Information from: Neil Diamond Tribute Advertisement in Billboard Magazine: Mr Diamond's 26 year relationship with Columbia Records now continues until the year 2010.
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Copyright © Jean & Tony Bovis
2003