Stones (1971)

Voor iemand die doorbrak als songschrijver voor o.a The Monkees ("I'm A Believer") en die nu bekend is om een lange reeks zelfgeschreven hits, bevat dit album uit 1971 (vlak voor het ultieme Diamond-album "Hot August Night") opmerkelijk veel covers: zes van de 9 songs! "Driven by the hit singles "I Am...I Said" and "Crunchy Granola Suite," "Stones" is a stronger album than most of Neil Diamond's late-'60s records. Instead of padding the album with mediocre originals, Diamond picked several fine covers to fill out the remainder of the album, including Roger Miller's "Husbands and Wives," Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning," Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne," Randy Newman's "I Think It's Gonna Rain," Jacques Brel's "If You Go Away," and Tom Paxton's "The Last Thing on My Mind." There are still a few weak patches on Stones, but the record remains an engaging collection of mainstream pop." (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic)