The Jazz Singer - Original Songs From The Motion Picture

Recently, I purchased a new copy of The Jazz Singer 1980 motion picture soundtrack. The music on this CD has been in my ears since my year of birth (the same year as the film). Being less than a year old when it came out, it was one of the first records my parents exposed me to, likely the first one by Neil Diamond.My memory goes back to age three if not earlier, and the music from The Jazz Singer and Neil's solo follow-up, On the Way to the Sky were already engrained pretty firmly into my conscience. (Subsequently, I was exposed to Heartlight, the Love at the Greek concert album, I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight, and His 12 Greatest Hits I & II. What initially slipped by me for a few years was that The Jazz Singer was actually a soundtrack album. Sometime when I was probably four years old, my parents tuned into Home Box Office, and we watched part of the film. I remember going into a saloon in Lake George, NY with my family that summer and fearing that a fight would break out like the one in the nightclub scene.It wasn't until I was ten or eleven years of age when my father rented the film for me on VHS. I watched it obsessively, which is a habit I haven't managed to break to this day. I got a real kick out of Neil's contrastic performance of "Love on the Rocks" against the Keith Lennox character. The most moving parts were the hitch-hiking montage ("Songs of Life"), the reunion scene between Jess Rabinovich and Molly Bell ("Hello Again") and the magnificent reconciliation moment between Jess and his father ("My Name is Yussel"). Being born into a Jewish family and considering many choices I've made in life, the conflicts of interest between Jess and his father hit truly close to home. (Even before I came of age, I fostered a silent fear that my own father would one day disown me the way Cantor Rabinovich disowned Jess.) And, from what I've learned about Neil's life, the Jess character could only have been better portrayed by someone like Michael Landon. His acting is hardly wooden; he barely needed to act.As a college-educated adult, I eventually came to re-embrace Neil's music with more of an analytical mind. Aside from learning to recognize the Guild guitars he played in the film (and the Ovation guitars he used during the 70's), I also made an effort to study the keyboard rigs used by Alan Lindgren and Tom Hensley. (I've long been interested to know which instruments they used during Love at the Greek; sounds like a Steinway piano, Fender Rhodes, two organs, Mellatron and an Oberheim synthesizer to me.)Aside from their prowess as keyboard players, I was also quick to identify Alan and Tom's prowess as orchestral arrangers, especially Alan. The orchestration for "America" falls easily in line with Leonard Bernstein's renditions of Aaron Copeland compositions like "Hoedown" and "Fanfare for the Common Man." And, his composition with Neil, "Hello Again" establishes Alan as a composer/arranger on par with contemporaries like James Newton-Howard. As much as I'd love to meet Neil Damond himself, I'd also like to meet Alan Lindgren, Tom Hensley and guitarists Richard Bennett & Doug Rhone.Okay, I'll bite. As much as I love the film and its music, I've got one point of hindsight criticism. When The Jazz Singer was filmed, Neil Diamond was thirty-nine years of age. As far as I could tell, no effort was made to make the Jess Rabinovich character seem younger. In the real world of showbiz, a thirty-nine-year-old Jess Rabinovich would probably have been crucified for trying to become a star that late in life.

When I was a child, one of my favorite things to do was to pop in a cassette tape and just soak in the music, letting my imagination come up with scenarios to fit the music. (Does that date me or what?) While many of these tapes were children's songs, I was also able to get my hands on a lot of my parents' music, and so developed an appreciation for many kinds of music. One of my favorite tapes was the soundtrack to Neil Diamond's "The Jazz Singer," and while I hadn't seen the movie it comes from, I fell in love with the songs and listened to them so many times that I committed many of them to memory... and ended up breaking the tape. Sorry, Mom...Now, as an adult, I've seen the movie, and have to admit that the best part of it is the songs... but they're great songs, and it'll be wonderful to have them in a CD format, where they'll hopefully last longer.By far the three most popular songs from this album seem to be "America," "Hello Again," and "Love On the Rocks." Each has proven to be a big hit outside of the film that originated them, and I must admit that they're three of my favorite songs from the album. "America" is an enthusiastic and patriotic number, "Hello Again" an easy-going and uplifting song about missing a loved one and hoping to be reunited with them, and "Love On the Rocks" is a melancholy but beautiful ballad.There are other great songs on this album aside from those three, however, and all are worth a listen. "Robert E. Lee" is a playful, folksy tune, and "Songs of Life" is a slow but lovely ballad, while "Amazed and Confused," "Hey Louise," and "Jerusalem" are upbeat and energetic numbers. "You Baby" is another upbeat number, but it ends on a chaotic note, seeing as the song ends with a raging barfight in the film itself. The other pop numbers -- "Summerlove," "Acapulco," and the reprise of "America" -- are okay but forgettable, and the traditional Jewish numbers -- "Adon Olom" and "Kol Nidre/My Name is Yussel" -- make more sense when heard in the context of the film but sound rather jarring amid the rest of the pop numbers.All in all, though, this is a great album, especially if you're a Diamond fan, and arguably the best part of the movie.

The Jazz singer with Neil Diamond in it is a great movie and the soundtrack is awesome.

Every artist has that one song that is forever associated with their name. Neil Diamond has many hits but Coming to America will always make me think of him every time it plays. This is the movie version, and it eliminates so much of the background noise you hear in other versions. Totally moving! For me, well worth it!

We recently watched the movie. Just had to get the CD! We watched and listened to this years ago when it first came out. And we've seen Neil in concert, too.

My album was packaged with care and was in excellent condition.

I have always lived his music-- and also his Movie "Jazz Singer"

Brings up some old memories.

Had this album many years ago on vinyl and started to jump on certain tracks. So pleased to be able to replace it at last. Great music from a true legend. Good film too

Es una gozada escuchar este disco yo creo que es uno de los mejores

Decided to go for this reissue despite lacklustre information about it. The embossed cover (like the proper original) is slightly more Matt than my original version and the artwork on the gatefold is slightly clearer but the same info and layout.The record itself is heavier and plays with higher treble than the original I have. It seems to have been remastered though this is not claimed anywhere as can see on th packaging.Such a great album, on a good record player this shines. There's no remastered download with this though and I'm disappointed the reissue has not taken advantage of the retro market by doing anything extra above what many fans will already have.The Jazz Singer album itself is wonderful and well-produced anyway, with a good variety of songs that lifted Neil's late 70s/early 80s output and stands above that other stuff.If you do not own this standout album, or wore out your original, then now's your chance.I would love a proper remastered cd version though, as I like physical copies rather than hi res downloads.4 stars merely because I think the record company could have made it feel more like the anniversary reissue they are supposedly claiming. This is one of those albums I think should be in everybody's record collection.Finally, how come all the reviews for this as I write seem mixed up and include those for obvious pirate DVD copies of th film. The film is a different product and this soundtrack album is a 5 star perfection as far as music goes.

Bring back beautiful memories, played this on my recent holiday.

Such a great album. Had this when it came out and have owned it on record,tape, CD , and needed it again in record. This remastering on 180 gram is perfect. Just buy it.