Neil Diamond - Barry Manilow

Luc Timperman

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Jun 4, 2012, 2:00:10 AM6/4/12

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Barry Manilow is probably a good performer but Neil Diamond is a far
better singer-songwriter. He's one of the finest song craftsmen in the
history of popular music and is recognized as such. There's not one
single serious pop or rock critic who'll rate Manilow higher than
Diamond in that respect.

denise....@gmail.com

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Jun 4, 2012, 4:31:09 AM6/4/12

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Is it just that being a Diamond fan is more acceptable in some circles than being a Manilow fan? I know it would be amongst my friends. Not keen on Diamond myself.

starn...@earthlink.net

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Jun 4, 2012, 11:28:52 AM6/4/12

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I just love sweeping generalizations without any supporting facts!! Can you quote any "serious" critics who have put their "ratings" in print? Or is this just a Diamond fan's wishful thinking?

marvin

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Jun 4, 2012, 3:42:16 PM6/4/12

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Marvin: Luc, I think both Barry and Neil have their strengths and
weaknesses. Barry is good at arranging the right musical instruments
to go with the melody and works well with many collaborators. Barry is
honed from the piano and his songs sound more theatrical. Neil works
better alone and many of his songs could be either ballads or rock n
roll because they are guitar based. I think Barry expresses happy,
upbeat songs better and is more animated on stage than Neil. I think
Neil expresses anger and more philosophical songs than Barry does and
perhaps Neil's lower baritone voice adds to his songs sounding angry
and solidarity, as if Neil is alone in the wold. So, it all depends on
what kind of music one likes- but I don't really think that I would
rate one higher than the other, just that Barry and Neil handle being
singer/songwriters and performers in different ways..
That being said, both Barry and Neil had their share of
critics hating their music and as the years rolled along, more music
writers see the positive on what they both do well. Also, both Barry
and Neil have mostly women in the audience and, from the concerts of
both I attended, I've met people at their concerts that like both
Barry and Neil. So, it is very natural to compare both of them.

Kittenmommy

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Jun 4, 2012, 8:52:33 PM6/4/12

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Kittendaddy likes Diamond far, far more than he likes Barry. Me? I
really don't know enough about either singer's catalogue to make a
judgement. I do like individual songs of both artists, so... *shrug*

Everyone likes different things. What a boring world it would be
otherwise!

Brenda M

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Jun 4, 2012, 10:39:08 PM6/4/12

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On Jun 4, 2:00 am, Luc Timperman <l.timper...@telenet.be> wrote:

I agree that Neil has an edge when it comes to writing lyrics. He's a
poet, plain and simple. He's written unbelievably stunning lyrics
("Be" is one of the most beautifully written songs ever).

But I think Barry is a superior arranger and, currently, the better
singer.

As for their performances ... I just don't think you can really
compare them (and I've seen them both). It's like trying to decide
what's better, broiled lobster tail or filet mignon. Everybody has a
preference. Just because I prefer the lobster doesn't mean the filet
sucks.

Brenda

Kittenmommy

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Jun 4, 2012, 11:58:18 PM6/4/12

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On Jun 4, 10:39 pm, Brenda M <bmesku...@aol.com> wrote:

> As for their performances ... I just don't think you can really
> compare them (and I've seen them both). It's like trying to decide
> what's better, broiled lobster tail or filet mignon. Everybody has a
> preference. Just because I prefer the lobster doesn't mean the filet
> sucks.

Filet mignon all the way!!!

LOL

Luc Timperman

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Jun 5, 2012, 2:34:35 AM6/5/12

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I concur with everything you said here, Brenda. As far as their
singing qualities are concerned, Barry is undoubtedly the better
singer technically. I read in another thread that people are amazed at
how long Barry can hold notes. He surely can hold them longer than
Neil, but that's not what makes him a better singer. Whitney Houston
was one of the greatest female singers but she butchered Dolly
Parton's I Will Always Love You at the end because she wanted so badly
to show how great a singer she was and ruined the song by doing so (at
least for me). Neil Diamond is not the greatest singer but he sings
great and his voice has matured beautifully. This is mentioned in
almost every review you read about Neil Diamond - whether it be a
concert review or a cd review. For the rest, although Barry is rarely
if ever mentioned as one of the best (singer-)songwriters in the
history of modern music as opposed to Neil, comparing singers is
indeed of little avail.