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| Home Before Dark (CD & DVD) | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 7
Category: Music
Artist: Neil Diamond
Publisher: Columbia
Studio: Columbia
Manufacturer: Columbia
Label: Columbia
Format: Cd
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 728078
UPC: 886972807829
EAN: 0886972807829
ASIN: B0015D3Z3U
Release Date: May 12, 2008 (New: This Week)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
Disc 1
| • | If I Don't See You Again | | • | Pretty Amazing Grace | | • | Don't Go There | | • | Another Day That Time Forgot (featuring Natalie Maines) | | • | One More Bite Of The Apple | | • | Forgotten | | • | Act Like A Man | | • | Whose Hands Are These | | • | No Words | | • | The Power Of Two | | • | Slow It Down | | • | Home Before dark | | • | Without Her | | • | Make You Feel My Love |
Disc 2
| • | Pretty Amazing Grace | | • | If I Don't See You Again | | • | Forgotten | | • | The Boxer (bonus track, not on the CD) |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Different Shades of Dark May 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As I review this I note that Neil Diamond has just entered the Billboard 100 at number 1 for the first time in his career. This is an amazing turnaround for such an established artist. Not that many years ago he was perceived as someone who was decidedly showbiz and the purveyor of cheesy overblown extravaganza.
For true fans this was something that hurt, although there was certainly more than a grain of truth in the assessment. It has been said many times in previous reviews, a lot of them mine, that he peaked in the mid 70s, by which time he had written and recorded a catalogue of classic material.
Where did that man go? Well it seems that he simply took the easy option of treating his craft as something that could be turned on every now and then and ignore the critics...........and fans, as long as he still sold out every time he toured.
Why has he returned? Quite simply Rick Rubin! If it had been Diamond who had been chasing Rubin you might have thought that suddenly he had woken up and decided to redress the balance of credibility that had eroded the last 30 years of his career. But no.........it was Rubin who hounded Diamond.......thank goodness.
Diamond was like a man who had been in a deluded bubble for too long until Rubin stuck a pin in the inflated ego that "yes men" had helped to build up. Fortunately this bubble didn't just burst, it burst with such a bang it shook the very foundations of Diamond's comfort zone and woke him up to the reason why so many loyal fans kept sticking with him, even though the quality was dropping. Inside, everyone hoped or dreamt that one day he would produce the kind of material that could happily stand alongside his earlier classics..........you know what they are.
12 Songs made him work harder than he had done in a long time on writing quality songs that would bring him praise around the world for what he had originated and not regurgitated. Why? Because Rick Rubin had a first class reputation within the industry and wasn't going to put out anything that would embarrass him. Suddenly Diamond wasn't looking at pleasing the bosses in the music industry who promote and distribute CDs, now he had to satisfy Rubin and from that moment he started to write music that meant something to him. Just like when he had to crack the market in the early 60s, he had to have something that other people didn't............talent! He always had it, but he had to rediscover it.
The good news is that having found it again on 12 Songs, he has nurtured it even more on this album.
Musically it is far more melodic and interesting than his previous one. It is dark and self searching, but you get the feeling that everyone is far more comfortable this time around.
Personal favourites after a few listens are:
If I don't see you again...........a classic in the making that will be around for a long time
Pretty Amazing Grace.............melodic and a welcome change in mood
Don't go there............opens a little like Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" and morphs into a latter day Leonard Cohen, complete with Cohen signature female backing singers. Dark and humorous, a terrific track.
Forgotten...............great bluesy acoustic guitar accompaniment with a lovely organ sound in the background
Whose hands are these................good track with nice changes
No Words.......................First rate
It's a very good album and one that will inevitably get better after more listens. Like the last album, it is not easy listening first time around. But like all quality albums they grow and stay with you.
I hope that he records again with Rubin but doesn't try to do a third stark album again. I think in the hands of Rubin there is room for lighter material to creep in every now and again. A mix between this and Serenade and Moods would be terrific.
As for the DVD, I liked it. I think that he can forget about covering Paul Simon material in future, The Boxer was not a good cover. However I enjoyed watching him and the musicians playing their understated stuff in the studio.
Of the bonus tracks, Without Her and Make you feel my love are OK, but not show stopping. Lulu did a better version of the first and Bryan Ferry nailed the other one on his recent Dylanesque CD.
The Power Of Simple May 14, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
It cannot be denied that Neil Diamond is a damned fine songwriter and possessed of a striking baritone voice that make his melodies and lyrics even stronger. But too much of his work has been shadowed by chronic over production; a glitzy, Hollywood style from a man in a sequinned jumpsuit more suited to, well anyone, but not to a man capable of writing and performing such compelling songs and who performed with The Band in The Last Waltz.
Enter Rick Rubin with 12 Songs who cut the arrangements to the bare bones just as he'd done with Johnny Cash. The effect was startling as the stark emotion in Diamond's voice was allowed to take centre stage. It is understandable then that Neil Diamond would want to reprise this partnership in the hope of receiving more critical acclaim than he could have otherwise expected. Since Rick Rubin must share much of the credit for this re-invention of Diamond into an icon for serious rock fans, it is strange that in the candid liner notes Diamond makes only passing acknowledgements to him.
He doesn't disappoint with "Home Before Dark" an album with much the same group of musicians who played on "12 Songs". But it is not quite as bare bones as the first album. It has a richer, more intense sound without detracting from the "bare emotional statement" of the songs.
In the liner notes, Diamond observes that that since there were no music charts, only his lyrics and chords, the musicians would have to improvise. That they'd started to do so, on many songs, before he'd finished his first run through, irritated him. Then he realised that they were doing so out of enthusiasm for the music. So, a 67 year old man baring his soul to the enthusiastic approval of seasoned session musicians and the enthusiasm shines through. It is not a cynical re-enactment for commercial purposes but a beautifully crafted testament to the abilities of the participants: Singer/songwriter, producer, musicians and engineers.
Neil's own enthusiasm manifested itself with his no holds barred technique on his Martin guitar. He earned himself the nickname, Basher!
 Very disappointed May 14, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have been a Neil Diamond fan since the 1970s and, until 12 Songs, liked just about everything he produced.
Unfortunately, I think "HOME BEFORE DARK" is a very sad reflection on what Neil has become: dated and jaded. There are times when I can hear old motifs (intended?) in certain tracks. There's no pleasing everyone, and that's a good thing; but this album has been on my played around 6 or 7 times since it arrived yesterday and it's STILL not doing anything for me.
I bought the DeLuxe version, and watching the DVD i was almost embarrassed.
It's not his age, it's his lack of energy. Willie Nelson is 75, but he performed in London this week and is stil ahead of Neil in his presence.
Sorry, Neil, I love you; but I DON"T love the new CD
Fine cut Diamond May 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As the years slow down with age, many things - and many people - mature.
This latest offering shows Neil Diamond has matured, but he hasn't forgotten where he came from. This is his return to his musical roots, just him, his voice and lyrics, and a guitar. Nothing else needed, this is grown-up Diamond - as he says "Even Einstein reclined doing his theory". This is easy-listening at the highest point of acheivement, a marriage of music and lyrics that hasn't been over-polished. Neil's throaty voice excels when accompanied by just a guitar, and as always he produces some musical gems. I liked the evocative Home Before Dark, and adored Whose Hands Are These. Quite simply I can't find anything detrimental to say, and this album will be in my cars player whenever I drive - and I'm hoping for some long rides. The Bonus tracks on the special edition DVD are also wonderful for a quiet night by the fireside with a glass of wine and someone special!
A Deeper Cut May 13, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Deep, profound, intelligent and mature. Diamond has never been better under the laser gaze of producer Rick Rubin. A 5 star treat for the ear and the emotions...
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