And a Happy Birthday to Mr. Neil Diamond!

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1. Tweets that mention And a Happy Birthday to Mr. Neil Diamond! : Lawyers, Guns & Money -- Topsy.com says:

   January 24, 2011 at 11:38 am

   [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Robert Farley, LG&M. LG&M said: And a Happy 70th Birthday to Mr. Neil Diamond! http://bit.ly/hjGO3R [...]

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2. efgoldman says:

   January 24, 2011 at 1:42 pm

   One of the most undeservedly overrated artists in the history of pop music.

   And Barry Manilow makes two (although he was a pretty good songwriter).

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   • Scott Lemieux says:

     January 24, 2011 at 2:39 pm

     Manilow is terrible, but is he actually overrated?

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     • efgoldman says:

       January 24, 2011 at 8:17 pm

       If you listened to AM pop radio in the 70s and early 80s, you’d say so.

       I’m an old fart.

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       • jazzbumpa says:

         January 24, 2011 at 11:58 pm

         Hey, c’mon guys. Manilow is a decent pianist.

         But god, I hate his music.

         Diamond personifies middle of the road mediocrity. But his fans absolutely adore him – male, female, young and old – it is an awesome thing to witness.

         JzB

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3. BKN says:

   January 24, 2011 at 3:10 pm

   Neil Diamond isn’t even as good as Paul Anka. And that’s saying a lot.

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4. Ralph Hitchens says:

   January 24, 2011 at 3:18 pm

   Oh, how depressing to see such negativity re. Neil Diamond. He’s not Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, or maybe even Paul Simon, but he’s created a fine body of work over many decades (e.g., are there any better “roots” songs than “Brooklyn Roads?”), and the genuine devotion of millions of fans across class boundaries is no small thing.

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   • elm says:

     January 24, 2011 at 4:34 pm

     Gonna agree with this one. He’s far from great, but he ain’t bad either. I wonder how much of the Neil Diamond hate developed after the Red Sox started to play “Hands” all the time.

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     • efgoldman says:

       January 24, 2011 at 8:20 pm

       As a baseball fan, I’m conflicted as to whether Sweet Caroline at Fenway or God Bless America in the 7th-inning stretch is more pull-out-what-little-hair-I-have-left irritating!

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5. Lancelot Link says:

   January 24, 2011 at 5:42 pm

   If he had overdosed on heroin in the 70s, everyone here would be talking about what a genius he was.

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   • rea says:

     January 24, 2011 at 6:23 pm

     If he had overdosed on heroin in the 70s, his body of work would look a lot better.

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     • efgoldman says:

       January 24, 2011 at 8:23 pm

       Maybe its just that the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer is one of the most unforgivable musical dreckages ever committed to celluloid.

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     • John says:

       January 25, 2011 at 1:38 pm

       Of what musical figure of his generation could this not be said?

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6. Gary the Bass Player says:

   January 24, 2011 at 11:58 pm

   I’ve heard that he’s fueled creatively by his massive hated of immigrants. Plus, he once killed a drifter to get an erection.

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7. Threescore and Ten, just before the R&R Hall of Fame induction | Bear Market Investments says:

   January 25, 2011 at 11:55 am

   [...] 25, 2011 by admin  Rob Farley of Lawyers, Guns, and Money beat me to the short one, so there is [...]

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