What About Bob question

That was me.

I like "Sweet Caroline" and "Cracklin' Rose", but I can't remember any of his other songs at the moment. Is that enough to vote "Yes! I do like Neil Diamond!"? Ahhh, what the heck...I'll vote Yes! anyway.

Dunno which way to vote, because I'm torn as badly on Neil as on any other musical artist. I don't know what happened to him...

I really like pre-1970 Neil Diamond. "Solitary Man" is a favorite. It's short, just verse-chorus-verse-chorus, but IMHO it's a great little song.

He had success as a pop songwriter even before his first hit as a singer, writing many songs that were covered and made into hits by others, most notable The Monkees:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Diamond#1960s

With "Song Sung Blue" [here comes the criticism, stop reading if you're a fan...] he changed from a potential rock icon to a lounge singer, and NONE of his output afterward (that I've heard) can be called rock and roll. There, I said it.

I guess I kinda...outgrew him. He was somebody my mother listened to and I remember thinking he's pretty meh but when I started buying my own records, I really didn't see any point in buying any of his, not even ironically, whatever THAT's supposed to mean. Kids these days.

I love Neil Diamond.

And I know there is at least one AW member who feels exactly the same way.

Sophia said:

Where's the option for, "I thought this thread was about the Bill Murray film! Which I like a lot!"

I like Song Sung Blue and Sweet Caroline. Did he do a song called Coming to America, as well? I think I'd recognise and like several of his songs upon hearing them.

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HAHAH i thought the exact same thing.

LOVE Neil Diamond!

Sophia said:

Where's the option for, "I thought this thread was about the Bill Murray film! Which I like a lot!"

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Rags99 said:

HAHAH i thought the exact same thing.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFtDTJ89Xyw

Sophia said:

Where's the option for, "I thought this thread was about the Bill Murray film!

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Me too, though I can't say I like the film a lot. I was just wondering what question the film might've engendered.

As for the Neil Diamond poll: I'd need a "take him or leave him" or "meh" option. I generally won't turn his music off if it comes on the radio, but I don't go out of my way to find it. Though I do give him credit for professionally performing a filk song (Turn on Your Heartlight), it wasn't one of my favorites.

DeleyanLee said:

Me too, though I can't say I like the film a lot. I was just wondering what question the film might've engendered.

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From the scene I linked to above:

Dr. Leo Marvin: Are you married?
Bob Wiley: I'm divorced.
Dr. Leo Marvin: Would you like to talk about that?
Bob Wiley: There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't. My ex-wife loves him.

robeiae said:

And I know there is at least one AW member who feels exactly the same way.

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You are rotten, Robovowels. Rotten. But your voice doesn't irritate me as much as Neil Diamond's. So, you have that going for you

robeiae said:

From the scene I linked to above:

Dr. Leo Marvin: Are you married?
Bob Wiley: I'm divorced.
Dr. Leo Marvin: Would you like to talk about that?
Bob Wiley: There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't. My ex-wife loves him.

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Ah, thanks. I totally forgot about that.

robeiae said:

From the scene I linked to above:

Dr. Leo Marvin: Are you married?
Bob Wiley: I'm divorced.
Dr. Leo Marvin: Would you like to talk about that?
Bob Wiley: There are two types of people in this world: Those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't. My ex-wife loves him.

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Until I opened this thread last night, I had mistakenly thought that Bill's famous lines about Neil Diamond were in "Stripes", not "What About Bob".

But then I realized that I got it confused with the scene about Tito Puente, in "Stripes". Just got 'em mixed up for a few minutes, for some reason.

Here's Bill talking about Tito Puente, and much else, in "Stripes"...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbVaisNPgh4

C.bronco said:

Some folks here need to watch Saving Silverman and know the joys of Neil Diamond's Hot August Night, I suppose. I will wait this one out. It will come around.

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YES! I loved Saving Silverman...in large part due to its homage to Diamond. (-:

I was in a restaurant once when the entire fully packed restaurant burst into song...one person, then three, then seven, then forty...until there were about 100 of us singing. The song? Sweet Caroline. It was heaven!!!

Neil Diamond, funny line in WOB, a definite laugh out loud movie. Not sure what it is about Neil, but we could say he is what? Eh, divisive? There is something a bit over-the-top about some of his stuff. What was that one, "... next time you're out there, walkin' in a storm..." I donno, he's a good singer, a good songwriter, never one of my favorite or least favorite, but a couple of his songs I do really like, "I am, I said" is one.

DeleyanLee said:

Me too, though I can't say I like the film a lot. I was just wondering what question the film might've engendered.

As for the Neil Diamond poll: I'd need a "take him or leave him" or "meh" option. I generally won't turn his music off if it comes on the radio, but I don't go out of my way to find it. Though I do give him credit for professionally performing a filk song (Turn on Your Heartlight), it wasn't one of my favorites.

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^^^ This. I'm old enough to remember him from his start in Top 40 radio songs to ... wherever he is now. I always wondered who thought it would be a savvy move to include him the final concert (and brilliant Scorsese film) by The Band, The Last Waltz.

I mean, sharing the stage with the group you had Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Doctor John the Night Tripper, and scads of others ... and Neil Diamond.

One of these things is not like the others.

Gravity said:

^^^ This. I'm old enough to remember him from his start in Top 40 radio songs to ... wherever he is now. I always wondered who thought it would be a savvy move to include him the final concert (and brilliant Scorsese film) by The Band, The Last Waltz.

I mean, sharing the stage with the group you had Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Doctor John the Night Tripper, and scads of others ... and Neil Diamond.

One of these things is not like the others.

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I know...Neil Diamond really doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the Last Waltz guests. I'm not sure how far Neil and the members of The Band "go back", but I do know that Robbie Robertson produced Neil's album "Beautiful Noise", which was released somewhere around the time of the Last Waltz show. That album includes the song Neil performed in the movie, "Dry Your Eyes", which he co-wrote with Robbie. Robbie plays guitar on the album, too.

FWIW, I don't mind "Dry Your Eyes" in the movie. Makes me want to put on a tutu and do an interpretive dance in my living room.

Neil Diamond--circa the time of The Last Waltz--was a legen(wait for it!)dary performer. I don't mean hit song-wise, I'm mean stage presence-wise. He could--and did--open for pretty much anyone in those days. That's something he has in common with the people on the list. It's not a list of people with top forty hits, it's a list of awesome live performers.

And his early stuff--Solitary Man, Kentucky Woman, etc.--fits right in with The Band, Neil young, and company. Hell, Deep Purple covered Kentucky Woman.

You guys are pissin' me off!