Serenade (Neil Diamond album)

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Serenade
Serenade album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Neil Diamond
ReleasedSeptember 27, 1974
Recorded1974
GenreRock, soft rock
Length32:45
LabelColumbia
ProducerTom Catalano[1]
Neil Diamond chronology
His 12 Greatest Hits
(1974) 		Serenade
(1974) 		Beautiful Noise
(1976)
Singles from Serenade
  1. "Longfellow Serenade"
    Released: 1974 (US)
  2. "I've Been This Way Before"
    Released: 1975
  3. "The Last Picasso"
    Released: 1975
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2/5 stars[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music3/5 stars[3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide2/5 stars[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide1/5 stars[5]

Serenade is the ninth studio album by Neil Diamond, released in 1974.[6][7] It was his second album for Columbia Records.[3]

Three singles were lifted from the album: "Longfellow Serenade" (#5), "I've Been This Way Before" (#34) and "The Last Picasso". Serenade was Diamond's third consecutive platinum album.[8] It was also issued as a quadraphonic LP with some songs as alternate takes.

Production[]

"I've Been This Way Before" was originally meant to be the closing number on Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but Diamond was unable to finish it in time.[9] Serenade was the last album for which Diamond wrote all the songs until 2001's Three Chord Opera.[10]

Critical reception[]

The Morning Call wrote that the songs "seemed overblown, self-important and banal - pale imitations . . . rewrites, if you will, of songs Diamond already had recorded," and praised Beautiful Noise as a righting of the ship.[11]

Track listing[]

All tracks written by Neil Diamond.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."I've Been This Way Before"3:45
2."Rosemary's Wine"2:41
3."Lady Magdelene"6:58
4."The Last Picasso"4:24
Side two
No.TitleLength
5."Longfellow Serenade"3:50
6."Yes I Will"4:35
7."Reggae Strut"3:35
8."The Gift of Song"2:22

Personnel[]

Chart positions[]

Year Chart Position
1974 Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart 1
1975

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1974) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 14
Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 24

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[14] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[16] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 5, 1974 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Serenade at AllMusic
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 2: MUZE. p. 885.CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 335.
  5. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 194.
  6. ^ "Neil Diamond | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  7. ^ Stein, Sadie (February 27, 2015). "The Universal Language of Mankind".
  8. ^ Sakamoto, John (27 Sep 2014). "Eight late-career resurrections, or last gasps?". Toronto Star: E4.
  9. ^ Jackson, Laura (April 3, 2005). "Neil Diamond: His Life, His Music, His Passion". ECW Press – via Google Books.
  10. ^ "Smooth Diamond is showing rough edge". Herald Sun: 30. 25 July 2001.
  11. ^ WILLISTEIN, PAUL. "NEIL DIAMOND CAPTURES MANY EMOTIONS IN A SONG REVIEW". mcall.com.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 426. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 427. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Neil Diamond; 'Serenade')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  15. ^ "British album certifications – Neil Diamond – Serenade". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 7 March 2019.Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Serenade in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  16. ^ "American album certifications – Neil Diamond – Serenade". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
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