Diamond in
the rough
Singer Neil Diamond
plans a world tour
in 2008 to promote
his new CD, Home
Before Dark.
Home Before Dark
showcases musician’s
back-to-basics sound
PHOTODISC
By Stephanie E. Ponder
SINGER-SONGWRITER Neil Diamond
has been recording and performing
music for more than 40 years. His hits
include “Sweet Caroline,” “Song Sung
Blue” and “Love on the Rocks.” He’s
written songs that have been covered by
artists such as the Monkees, Elvis Presley
and Johnny Cash.
After years of making music with a multilayered sound, Diamond worked with music
producer Rick Rubin to create his 2005 success,
12 Songs. The disc featured a stripped-down sound, with Diamond singing and
playing guitar—the first time since the 1960s
that he played guitar on one of his CDs. The
reviews were immediate and positive: Critics
and fans loved it.
For his latest effort, Home Before Dark,
Diamond and Rubin have once again joined
forces for another CD of pared-down, back-to-basics songs. Diamond wrote all of the
songs, aside from the two bonus tracks. Still
in the studio in late March, Diamond took a
few minutes from recording to speak with
The Connection.
desk. I noticed it the
next day, and just those
words sprang out at
me for some reason.
There was an image
there, and I started to
think about it. It was
more than just traveling
instructions, it was something deeper. … I wrote
those three words down and
let them slosh around in my
brain. I started to work on
something, and it came very
fast—in a matter of days. It turned out to be
one of my favorite songs on the album.
SONY BMG
“This would be wonderful to have a woman
singing with me.” When I finished the song I
mentioned it to Rick. He said Natalie’s a great
singer and we should send it over to her, which
we did. She loved it. And before she had completed listening to the entire song, she had
called her manager and said, “I’ll do it.” So we
ended up in the studio together a couple of
weeks later … and it was a lot of fun.
Costco Connection: What do you
like about working with Rick Rubin that made
you return to him to produce your new CD?
Neil Diamond: He did a great job on
the
12 Songs album, so naturally as a recording artist I want to make the best possible
records. I thought Rick could do exactly that.
He works with a very light hand in the studio,
and it’s good for the musicians and myself.
We respect him.
CC: Of all the songs on your CD, how did
“Home Before Dark” become the title track?
ND: I had made pretty much the entire
album, but I needed one more song. I had
made a note to myself to get my lady friend
home. She was out of town and [I needed] to
get her a plane reservation and get her home
before dark. I wrote it down and I left it on my
CC: “Home Before Dark” was inspired by
a reminder note; where else do you find inspiration for your songs?
ND: I think almost everything I write
reflects something in my life. I haven’t analyzed all of it. It just comes out, and it rings
some kind of bell inside of me that causes me
to pursue it and explore it further and let the
idea take me on its journey. [“Home Before
Dark”], for some reason, kind of came out of
the blue. It ended up kind of being the anchor
for the album. It was the last song written, and
it’s the last song on the album. It feels right,
and it kind of summed up the entire album
for me.
CC: What drew you to record a song with
Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks?
ND: The song is called “Another Day Lost
in Time,” and I heard a girl’s voice on it almost
from the minute I started writing it. I thought,
Costco Connection
The deluxe version of Home Before Dark,
which includes a bonus DVD, will be available in most Costco warehouses and on
costco.com on May 6.
CC: Is this CD something you wanted to
do for yourself or for your fans?
ND: It’s not for me. It’s for an interested
listener. It’s for the people who have made my
life possible. That’s why I keep digging inside
of myself to find something of meaning to
reflect through the music. It’s for the fan, it’s
for the casual listener, it’s for somebody who
wants to take the journey with me. C
