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Play Me: The Complete Uni Studio Recordings...Plus!
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0008811282424
Format: Box set
Label: Mca
Manufacturer: Mca
MPN: 112824
Number Of Discs: 3
Publisher: Mca
Release Date: March 26, 2002
Studio: Mca
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Editorial Review:
The seven studio albums Neil Diamond recorded for Uni Records between 1968 and 1972 are all collected on the three-disc collection Play Me: The Complete Uni Studio Recordings. And it's quite a revelation to listen to them front to back in succession like this, as these records highlight the most dramatic artistic evolution in Diamond's career. Diamond was no neophyte when he signed with Uni in '68; he'd already penned million-sellers like "I'm a Believer" and "Cherry Cherry." But he was still coming into his own as a solo artist, and albums like Velvet Gloves and Spit and Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show are wildly erratic, even for an artist renown for producing uneven albums. That said, there are countless life-affirming, goose-bump-inducing, campy, and brilliant songs on this collection. And one could easily make the argument that they're somehow made more likable--more human, in a way--when heard in their original context, bookended by unsuccessful experiments such as "The Pot Smoker's Song" and "I Am the Lion." This may not be the single Neil Diamond collection to get, but it surely should be the second or third one you buy. --Mike McGonigal
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Should have been a winner
I love each of Neil's six Uni studio albums tremendously and this set could have been great but alas it was not meant to be.
The sound quality is harsh and super compressed. There is no space at all to let the music breathe. These albums were very dynamic and warm to begin with and much of that is lost on the Play Me set.
Sequencing - the ideal sequencing would have been to place two complete albums on each disc, with the leftover space to be used for the single mixes that ... Read More
Rating:  - play me
Take a close look at the specific titles,many of his newer stuff is not there or is done in a not so good live version. Lots of little known tunes,was a little disapointed,i thought i had all his good stuff.
Rating:  - just a data point regarding the 'Stones' intro
One reviewer mentioned that the intro to 'Stones' "is abbreviated by a couple of bars of guitar". I noticed that also when playing the CD on a portable CD player. However if I instead insert the disc into my Apple PowerBook, and play the CD in iTunes, these "missing" bars are actually there and play perfectly. Ditto if I drag the 'Stones' track onto the PowerBook's "Desktop" and play it (the AIFF file) using QuickTime. :):):):)
Rating:  - Uni/MCA done right... almost.
Every now and then, unfortunately more often than not, there's a release that's so close to being done right and yet falls short due to obvious consumer ploys, leaving one with that dirty frustrating anticlimactic feeling. "Play Me" falls into this category I'm afraid. The upside of this release is that it contains all of Neil's Uni/MCA studio records on three handy cds. The downside is the layout of the records across the discs. A seemingly obvious way to do a release like this correctly would ... Read More
Rating: - The mystery of Neil Diamond
It all comes down to a song called Captain Sunshine. The words are so dumb, but the melody is so nice, and the singing is so heart felt that in spite of myself I find myself enjoying it. Why his record company wouldn't insist on someone to edit his lyrics and protect his voice (Diamond was the biggest selling artist on the planet during the time this was recorded, and a heavy heavy smoker) is beyond me. But listen to Captain Sunshine, see if it hooks you, and if it does, there are lots of non hit gems ... Read More
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