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Home Before Dark | 
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| Artist: Neil Diamond
Label: Columbia
Category: Music
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £5.19
You Save: £11.80 (69%)
New (61) Used (14) from £5.19
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 97
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 4.8 x 0.4
MPN: 715465
UPC: 886971546521
EAN: 0886971546521
ASIN: B0015D3Z3A
Release Date: May 12, 2008
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new item! We deliver internationally! All items dispatched locally. Orders only take 3-8 days!
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| Tracks:
| • | 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 |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Remarkably Home Before Dark is the first US chart topping album of Neil Diamond's forty year career. It appears to repeat the formula behind 2006's acclaimed 12 Songs--relatively understated arrangements and a subtle Rick Rubin production. But Diamond, though sixty-seven years old and the oldest recipient of a Number One so far, is no Johnny Cash, turning his unique voice to some well chosen contemporary material. Instead Home Before Dark is a collection of new Diamond songs, and though they might not match the boomers in his back catalogue they are hardly stripped back. These are songs designed to fill large venues alongside the showstoppers in Diamond's still energetic live show. "Pretty Amazing Grace" is in the great tradition of Diamond songs that defy their corniness with sheer catchiness, as is "One More Bite of the Apple" while "Don't Go There" features bracing backing vocals and a delightfully dated wobbly guitar hook. The duet with Natalie Maines, "Another Day (That Time Forgot)", would fit comfortably on American country radio while "The Power of Two" sounds like another hit in waiting. In fact this is more a conventional Diamond collection than a Rick Rubin production, dominated by lightly understated country rock arrangements played by a crack team including Smokey Hormel, Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell and the usually experimental Matt Sweeney. This is a charming and consistently solid set, though Home Before Dark does lack the unexpected intensity that made 12 Songs stand out so. -—Steve Jelbert
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Diamond Gold August 20, 2008
J. A. Harvey (Lincolnshire, UK)
It is not hard to see why Neil stopped making music for so many years, I mean let's face it, any new material he puts out will be compared with his humungous back catalogue of popular songs. The previous offereing '12 Songs' for instance was nice enough, but after playing it quite a bit at first, there wasn't anything to keep me coming back for more, so it's been collecting dust for the last year or so.
'Home Before Dark' however, is quite a different proposition. The album was being promoted with 'Pretty Amazing Grace', a wholesome and instantly appealing God song, that prompted my wife, (who likes that sort of thing) to chuck a copy in the shopping trolly; I'm so glad she did - even though I'd have saved a couple of quid at Amazon - because I may not have bothered this time. Like all great albums this takes a few plays before you can fully appreciate it, but it's worth the effort.
What emerges here is an artist desperate to remain relevant and make music that people will still want to hear. Listen to 'If I Don't See You Again', a clear message to his fans, as is 'One More Bite of the Apple'. And listen also to the words of 'Forgotten'; it tells the tale of where I put '12 Songs', "high on a shelf all by myself, under a sign that reads forgotten".
But it is the enchanting title track that really rakes up the dirt. 'Home Before Dark' uses darkness at the end of the day as a metaphor for the end of relevance, stardom, whatever. It is about the fear of death in the artistic sense. On this track, as with many tracks on the album, Neil bares his soul and reveals a depth of desperation and honesty rarely known among the breed, I felt almost privilaged to listen.
Unlike most of his contemporaries, Neil's voice sounds the same as it ever did, but then he sounded sixty when he was twenty seven. I can't wait for the next album but if this turns out to be his swansong, it will never be forgotten in my house.
 Nothing like as strong as 12 Songs July 12, 2008
Dyspeptic Spirit (Sunny Berkshire)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Another new release, another raft (?) of 5 star Amazon customer reviews.
Is it only me that feels that the majority of reviews on Amazon are given by die-hard fans who would give a 5 star review for a CD of their beloved artist breaking wind for 2 hours. The trouble is that this makes a mockery of the whole review process and ends up hindering rather than helping the average purchaser separating the Tom Waits CDs from the Robbie Williams CDs. The only solution I find is to look at all reviews by a given person before taking any notice of a given rating in an attempt to see if they have good taste, well, similar taste to yourself anyway.
Anyway, back to the new CD. I thought 12 Songs was a phenomenal album, a stark, emotional affair full of powerful, melodic songs. By contrast the music on Home Before Dark is more laid back, rhythmic and ephemeral; something to have on quietly in the background while you work. The exception is the opening track If I Don't See You Again which would have felt quite at home in 12 Songs. From that point on the music loses it's intensity and edge and becomes, well, for me anyway, largely unremarkable; an easy listening experience. Too add to this many of the songs feel overlong and outstay their welcome lacking the brevity and tightness that made 12 Songs so good. This is not to say that Home Before Dark is a bad album, it isn't, it's just a little bit, well, of a let down compared to the previous CD.
It's also extremely annoying to find that the CD/DVD contains two bonus songs (a fact I missed until after I had purchased the regular CD) one of which, Without Her, is one of the strongest tracks on the album in my opinion. Hey ho.
Abolutely brilliant July 12, 2008
Geoff (Cornwall)
Words you can actually hear and sentiments you can appreciate.
Unlike most performers of Neil Diamond's age and beyond, who constantly, it seems, have a wish to show just how far past their 'sell-by-date' they are, this is as good as it gets.
Anyone who saw his performance at this years Glastonbury Festival, live if they were lucky, will agree that he still has what it takes - in spades.
I'm a rebel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! July 4, 2008
B. Elliott (uk)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm going to ruin the end of this cd for everybody without a care in the world... The last track is called ''Home Before dark''. There I did it. Oh no he didn't, oh yes he did.
Diamond Stories June 23, 2008
Stewart Baxter (London)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was going to start with the cliche "a return to form", but frankly this offering is so far beyond Neil Diamond's previous achievements for a studio album that the phrase doesn't fit. A collection of lyrical, thoughtful, poignant songs musing on life, lost love, faith, hope and fear, it well deserves its number 1 slots. None of the real anthems of the past, in favour of solid vocals and sharp backings, with a few melodic gems including "Pretty Amazing Grace" and "Don't Go There", these songs have stories to tell and do so beautifully. Far from being too long, the six minute opener "If I Don't See You Again" is worth every second. "Act Like a Man", "The Power of Two" are other highlights and the superb title track, "Home Before Dark" is one to make you want to start all over again. Have a glass or two of Mr Diamond's red wine and let these beautiful songs wash over you...
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