Some dubious live acts, unfortunately...

Review Score: (8/10)
At first glance this compilation is a sure winner. What the cover doesn't state, however, is that many of the tracks are live recordings. Although many of Neil Diamond's songs benefit from a live performance, for instance, Brooklyn Roads and Cracklin' Rosie, others are seriously unpalatable, having the unfortunate effect of severely marring my impression of Diamond.

I will never comprehend why the original Song Sung Blue was jettisoned in favour of a gruff, raspy update that is an insult to the original. In addition, Diamond has a tendency to overpower the material during live acts, dragging and drawling all over the place. An example of which is the badly burnt 'Play Me'. The relative restraint shown in the studio recordings work far better.

For all that, however, I can't say this 2-CD set was a poor purchase, but it could have been improved with more careful screening during the song selection process.

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