As far as I am concerned, no one had a better record collection than my mother. Filled with the light rock standards of Christopher Cross, the Carpenters and John Denver, the one touchstone that absolutely changed my life was Neil Diamond. Even when I was trying so hard to be punk in high school, that Maxell-120 cassette case labeled Punk Anarchy Mix ‘95, actually contained Hot August Night and Love at the Greek, both high-speed dubbed from sticky old tapes borrowed from the Belle Isle Library.
If you haven’t seen Diamond live yet—and why haven’t you?—don’t miss out, but, until then, I highly recommend the sterling Neil Diamond tribute group Super Diamond—the only tribute band that Diamond himself has performed with—who will be rocking in the New Year at Bricktown NYE 2016, the Metro’s premier New Year’s Eve bash, at the Chevy Bricktown Event Center this December 31st. It's the only New Year's Eve celebration where you can yell "So Good! So Good!" at the top of your lungs while wearing a black big and tall rhinestoned poet’s blouse and not be sent to jail.