Neil Diamond: The Jazz Singer

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.

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.

You need to be a Neil Diamond fan to appreciate this 1980 movie release. The movie is filled with needless angst and stereotypes, and Diamond is anything but an actor. Other than money, one can't help but wonder why a legendary actor such as Laurence Olivier would agree to be in this farce. As a songwriter and performer, Diamond's career has been brilliant, but you wouldn't know it from the songs he wrote and performed in this movie. Several songs are gushy and over the top, while others seem totally unrelated to the film. By the way, what does a Jewish cantor (Diamond's profession) have to do with becoming a "Jazz Singer," since none of the songs have anything to do with jazz?? The soundtrack is better if you have never seen the movie:))

Good cd.

Serious memories listening to this CD, my mom used to play it on Saturday's while we cleaned the house.

Love love love!

I think this is Neil Diamonds best ever, but all of his music is awesome.

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing this movie again. Great music Neil Diamond.

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.

I bought this as I enjoy Neil Diamond, and had seen the movie again on TV recently. This made me look for the CD, and bought it, good to sing along to in the car, as long of course if you know the songs.

"The Jazz Singer" CD is simply a collection of the original songs from the film of the same name, starring Neil Diamond and Laurence Olivier. If you have seen the film then this CD needs no introduction.If you haven't then it will not matter - if you like Neil Diamond you will love the collection of songs that tell the story of the Jewish family settling in America. Of the young cantor in the synagogue, trying to do what is expected of a Jewish boy, but also wanting to follow his dream to be a singer. Of falling in love, being cast out by his strict Jewish father and of it all being all right in the end.It is beautiful.

If you've seen the film this is the CD for it. It's only a pity that the film isn't released on blu-ray. What you don't get on the CD is Cracklin Rose and Sweet Caroline - they weren't in the film.

the music on this cd is some of my all time favourites i did have an old cassette but well worn so love the cd. Have been a fan of Neil Diamond for years and this version was when he was at his best. I have used this seller before and the service is brilliant. Thankyou so much.