Do It!
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Album Summary
Neil Diamond's 'Do It!' came rolling out in 1971 on Bang Records, and baby, the circumstances behind this one are just as interesting as the music itself. By the time this record hit the shelves, Diamond had long since packed his bags and moved on over to Uni Records, where he was busy crafting the bigger, bolder sound that would define his superstardom. Bang Records, holding onto those earlier masters like a treasure chest, saw Diamond's name rising high on the marquee and made the business decision to release this collection of recordings from his mid-1960s tenure with the label. The result was a raw, unvarnished snapshot of a younger Diamond — leaner productions, scrappier arrangements, and the kind of hungry pop-rock energy that was his calling card before the orchestras and the sold-out arenas came calling. It was not a project Diamond himself shepherded into the world, but what it captured was real, and what it captured was special.
Reception
- The album posted modest chart numbers, riding the wave of Diamond's surging commercial profile in the early 1970s rather than any dedicated promotional campaign behind the release itself.
- Critics of the day largely understood 'Do It!' for what it was — a back-catalog excavation rather than a fresh artistic statement — and treated it accordingly, with measured acknowledgment rather than major critical fanfare.
- Among Diamond's devoted fanbase, the record carved out its own warm corner, drawing in listeners who had a taste for his earlier, grittier pop sensibility that stood apart from the more polished records he was making in the contemporary moment.
Significance
- Few records tell the story of Neil Diamond's origins quite like 'Do It!' — it stands as a living document of his Bang Records years, preserving the lean, streetwise pop-rock craftsmanship that first put his name on the map before his sound grew into something far more grandiose.
- The release of this album threw a spotlight on one of the more compelling artist-label battles of the early 1970s, with the tension between Diamond and Bang Records becoming a cautionary tale that echoed across the music industry about the long arm of early recording contracts.
- Taken together, the tracks on 'Do It!' mark a pivotal crossroads in Diamond's evolution — the moment frozen in time between a scrappy, instinctive pop songwriter hustling for hits and the full-blown mainstream icon he was in the process of becoming.
Samples
- Red Red Wine — later made internationally famous by UB40, Diamond's original version from this period is the source composition that launched one of the most recognized reggae-pop recordings of the 1980s.
- I'm A Believer — written by Diamond and recorded here in his own hand, this track carries a storied legacy as one of his most-covered compositions, most famously taken to number one by The Monkees.
- Solitary Man — one of Diamond's earliest signature compositions, represented on this album as part of the Bang-era catalog that established his identity as a songwriter of uncommon emotional directness.
Tracklist
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A1 Do It 107
1:53
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A2 Solitary Man 79
2:36
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A3 Red Red Wine 88
2:40
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A4 I'll Come Running 121
3:02
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A5 Love To Love 133
2:20
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A6 Some Day Baby 127
2:19
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B1 Shot Down 127
2:36
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B2 Crooked Street 99
2:26
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B3 The Boat That I Row 167
2:48
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B4 I'm A Believer 81
2:48
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B5 You'll Forget 124
2:50
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B6 The Long Way Home 136
2:30
Artist Details
Neil Diamond is a Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter who stepped onto the scene in the 1960s and just kept on giving, crafting that unmistakable blend of pop, folk, and orchestral soul that made him one of the best-selling artists of all time — the man wrote "I'm a Believer" for the Monkees before going solo and proving he was the real deal himself. His voice, rich and velvet-smooth, carried anthems like "Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," and "Holly Holy" straight into the hearts of a generation, making him a fixture on both the pop charts and the concert stage through the 70s and beyond. Neil Diamond stands as a towering figure in American popular music, a songwriter's songwriter who bridged the Brill Building era with arena rock showmanship, earning his rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the permanent soundtrack of American life.
