10/17/2013

A Neil Diamond Cover Band Has Some Wonderful Songs From Which To Choose

By Catalina Nielsen


Neil Diamond remains one of the most successful and famous songwriters and singers of all time, so it is not surprising that many bands still cover his work. Hiring a Neil diamond cover band is a great idea to mark a celebration of some kind, such as a birthday or wedding. The range of songs which a group of this type can include in their sets is huge, and very high quality.

As a performer, Neil Diamond has sold over 125 million records across the world, a total only exceeded in his genre of adult contemporary music by Barbara Streisand and British star Elton John. If you are in a group looking for songs of his to perform, then this gives you a great deal of choice. As with any kind of set list, choosing the the right songs for the right event is crucial.

Many covers groups end up playing at wedding receptions, for example, an environment where people love to hear music that they know well. The audience does not expect to be challenged with less well-known songs. This means that the group should be looking to choose some of the singer's biggest hits.

Not that that really narrows down the options, with the singer having enjoyed a long career which began in the early 1960s. It is songs from the late 1960s which many people know, hits such as 'Sweet Caroline' helping to catapult Diamond to international stardom at this stage of his career. Songs such as this hit will be well known, and even people unfamiliar with the titles will recognize the tunes.

The songwriter's career really began to surge in the early 1970s, and bands looking for material should always listen to the live album 'Hot August Night'. There are many classic songs on this LP which are great for bands to perform in their own set lists. 'Song Sung Blue' remains one of Diamond's best known songs from this era.

Bands should also take a look at the kind of material which the singer released in the 1970s, as they peruse his repertoire for potential covers. This was an era when the singer achieved massive stardom, and a song like 'I'm a Believer', previously a hit for The Monkees, was recast and re-released. 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' is another hit from the era, and was covered by Barbara Streisand at the time.

Strangely, perhaps, one of the singer's best known songs is actually famous for being performed by reggae artists. 'Red Red Wine' was made famous by British reggae band UB40 in the 1980s, but had previously been covered by Jamaican artist Tony Tribe. It is one of those songs which almost everyone seems to know, but very few people actually know who wrote it originally.

Anyone who is playing in a Neil Diamond cover band has plenty of great material from which they can build some killer set lists. The key to making the most of the singer-songwriter's stunning musical legacy is to make sure that the material matches the mood of the event at which the band are playing. Thankfully, there is no shortage of superb songs, which can played in a range of generic styles, to be included.




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