September Morn (Remastered) Neil Diamond

• 1September Morn03:53
• 2Mama Don't Know03:56
• 3That Kind03:21
• 4Jazz Time03:31
• 5The Good Lord Loves You04:45
• 6Dancing In The Street04:12
• 7The Shelter Of Your Arms04:08
• 8I'm A Believer02:25
• 9The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine03:41
• 10Stagger Lee04:08
• Total Runtime38:00

Info for September Morn (Remastered)

Released at the dawn of the 1980s, „September Morn“ is very much an update of Neil Diamond's 1960s roots, with a (perhaps ill-advised) disco version of the Motown classic "Dancing in the Street" and a remake of his own "I'm a Believer," heard here complete with faux-reggae rhythm and synthesized steel drums. The album also looks to the past in cuts like producer Bob Gaudio's timeless "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and the vintage blues song "Stagger Lee." But Diamond shows he's still a master of sentimental balladry in his delivery of songs like the title track and "The Shelter of Your Arms," with an almost chanson-like delivery that blends classic Tin Pan Alley schmaltz with French-style romance.

Neil Diamond, vocals, guitar
Tom Hensley, piano, keyboards
Bob Gaudio, piano
Alan Lindgren, piano, synthesizers
Reinie Press, bass
Doug Rhone, guitar
Richard Bennett, guitar
Dennis St. John, drums
King Errisson, percussion
Vince Charles, percussion
Lou McCreary, horn
Arthur Maebe, horn
Dennis Smith, horn
Graham Young, horn
Henry Sigismonte, horn
Jerry Hey, horn
Lloyd Ulyate, horn
Tommy Johnson, horn
Vince De Rosa, horn
Warren Luning, horn
Charles Findley, horn
Dick "Slyde" Hyde, horn
Ernie Watts, horn
Pete Christlieb, horn
Steve Madaio, horn
Sid Sharp, concertmaster
Linda Press, background vocals
Becky Lopez Lewis, background vocals
Julia Tillman Waters, background vocals
Maxine Willard Waters, background vocals
Sherlie Matthews, background vocals
Venetta Fields, background vocals

Recorded at A&M Records; Arc Angel Studios, L.A.; Cherokee studios; Dawnbreaker Studios; Indigo Ranch; Sunset Sound
Engineered by Ron Hitchcock, Andy Bloch, Rick Ruggieri
Mixed by Dave Evans, Ron Hitchcock, Bill Schnee
Produced by Bob Gaudio

Digitally remastered

Neil Diamond
For Neil Diamond, it’s always started with a song. Over the course of his astonishing career, Neil has sold more than 128 million albums worldwide. He’s charted 56 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including 12 top 10 hits, and has released 16 Top 10 albums. He’s a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2011, he was honored by the Kennedy Center for his lifetime of contributions to American culture. Neil has been nominated for three Golden Globes, 13 Grammys, and was named NARAS’ MusiCares Person of the Year in 2009. His 2008 album, Home Before Dark, debuted in the US and UK at #1, and his songs have been covered by artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Andrea Boccelli. But he never would have reached the world, from sold-out concerts to seventh-inning stretches, without his love for songwriting.

In June, after more than forty years as a Columbia recording artist, Neil signed with Capitol Records and moved his back catalogue to Universal, Capitol’s parent company. He has history with both: his earliest hits were on Bang, a Universal imprint, and Capitol released the multi-platinum soundtrack for The Jazz Singerin 1980, which earned Neil three Top 10 singles. Melody Road, his first new original studio album since Home Before Dark, is Neil’s debut as a Capitol artist, and while it represents a new chapter for him, it also reconnects him with his past.

Neil describes Melody Road as a homecoming. It brings him back to the start of his musical journey and the early influence of artists like the Weavers and Woody Guthrie. The songs on the album reflect his lifelong love of folk music. The vocals were recorded live, in much the same way they would have been if the album had been created decades ago, and while the instrumentation is lush, the arrangements are traditional. Like the best folk songs, each of the album’s tracks tells a story, most pointedly on “Seongah and Jimmy,” a song about Neil’s American brother-in-law and Korean sister-in-law, who met and fell in love before they had learned to speak each other’s languages. Despite the specificity of the song, it addresses a universal theme. Melody Road is largely autobiographical, but the stories Neil tells are not his alone.

Neil began working on Melody Road with several new songs, as well as a few that he’d struggled to complete for more than ten years. He couldn’t find the motivation, or the willingness to address the subject matter that initially inspired them, or – in Neil’s words – they weren’t yet ready to be born. With an emotional assist from his wife Katie, he completed those tracks. By the time he was ready to record he had an album’s worth of songs ready to go. The record unfolds story by story, and song by song – the final sequence is exactly the same as the order of Neil’s original demos for the album.

Co-Produced by Don Was (who’s worked with Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones) and Jacknife Lee (R.E.M., U2), Melody Road was made with a masterful group of musicians, including pedal steel player Greg Liesz, keyboardist Benmont Tench, guitarist Smoky Hormel, and vocalists the Waters Family. Built on guitars, it’s true to the origin of folk, but it’s not defined by it; it was recorded with keyboards, flutes, horns, and, on “Seongah and Jimmy,” “The Art of Love,” and “Nothing But A Heartache,” a full string section. Yet, for all of its expansiveness and rich production, Melody Road is ultimately all about the songs. Neil’s come full circle. He’s brought five decades of extraordinary craftsmanship with him, but he’s returned to where he started, propelled by the simple joy of translating life into song.

This album contains no booklet.