The Best of Neil Diamond [MCA]

The Best Of from Universal UK was originally released in 1996 on MCA as The Best of Neil Diamond, and as far as "greatest-hits" collections go, it's in the upper echelon. There are no insufferable stretches of mid-'80s material like "Heartlight" or "Headed for the Future"; rather, the compilers chose to focus on the pop/rock legend's prolific late-'60s/'70s period. While by no means exhaustive, classic Diamond gems like "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," "Sweet Caroline," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," and "Shilo" sound as good as ever, making this 21-track anthology as good a place as any to begin your journey down the sequined streets of Diamondtown. ~ James Christopher Monger