Neil Diamond Top Ten: Soolaimón (#7)

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Along with songs that have “diamond” in the title I’m celebrating the great Neil Diamond with a countdown of my ten favorite songs of his. A couple of days ago I said there’d be a connection of sorts with Paul Simon’s so-called “earth-shaking album” and Diamond. Well, here it is. #7: Soolaimón You see, some sixteen years BEFORE Paul Simon did Graceland Neil Diamond was exploring world music with the “African Trilogy” that encompassed side two of his daring album Tap Root Manuscript. This song became the focal point of side two of the album (which the Rolling Stone critic said “I wouldn’t recommend you blowing your dope money on it” in reviewing it ). That experimentation paid off and paved the way for the likes of Fear of Music and Remain in Light by Talking Heads, several Peter Gabriel numbers (including “Biko” and “In Your Eyes”)....and yes, Graceland. And nobody ever thanked Neil for blazing the trail. PS: If you’re interested, “Soolaimón” is a word like aloha or shalom, meaning hi, bye, peace, best wishes, etc. Soolaimón Written by Neil Diamond From Tap Root Manuscript, 1970 Bring home my name (an absolutely SMOKING live version):