Barry Manilow or Neil Diamond [Archive] - AudioKarma.org Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums

VinylHanger

12-22-2006, 04:50 PM

Just wondering which side of the fence you come down on. Figuratively speaking that is.

Crap, forgot the poll.

Gordy Smiff

12-22-2006, 04:56 PM

I took the precaution of bringing a pole with me, I just can't decide which of the two I'd rather see impaled on it, although I'm leaning toward Manilow, at least Diamond wrote tunes for The Monkees. Lesser of two evils and all that.

fropiler

12-22-2006, 05:02 PM

Just wondering which side of the fence you come down on. Figuratively speaking that is.

Crap, forgot the poll.

Don't belong in the same sentence.

Have a listen to "Hot August Night" on MFSL vinyl. You 'll get it.

rickon66

12-22-2006, 05:04 PM

Neil was cool at one time long ago, Barry never was.

jonman

12-22-2006, 05:07 PM

Neil

wajobu

12-22-2006, 05:10 PM

Yup, Neil.

luvvinvinyl

12-22-2006, 05:12 PM

I guarantee you that a reversal of gender demographics, in the survey sample, would result in a reversal of opinions.

luvvinvinyl

12-22-2006, 05:13 PM

<Thanks, wajobu.>

Celt

12-22-2006, 05:34 PM

Neil was cool at one time long ago, Barry never was.
Exactly.

luvvinvinyl

12-22-2006, 05:38 PM

tentoze

12-22-2006, 05:40 PM

And Ernie isn't. Honest.

Andyman

12-22-2006, 05:42 PM

Don't belong in the same sentence.

Have a listen to "Hot August Night" on MFSL vinyl. You 'll get it.

Yepper.

Compare "Cherry, Cherry", "Brother Love's", and "Kentucky Woman" to "Mandy", "I Write the Songs" and that Copa song and you'll know what I mean. I'll listen to some stuff from Neil and like it. Can't say that about Barry; heck, I don't even think I can name or recognize 5 of his songs if you included the Coke jingle :lmao:

Heck, Deep Purple didn't cover any of Manilows' songs, now did they.........

Andyman

12-22-2006, 05:45 PM

Notwithstanding that he is not MY cup of tea, Barry is selling out the Las Vegas Hilton (The Elvis Theatre), five nights a week, at $100/seat, and more, week after week, and is booked through the end of 2007.

Not bad money for someone who was never cool. Oh, and packing the audience with women of all ages. Check out one of the concert DVD's if you don't believe me. (My wife is the fan.)

Neil was doing much the same at one time, or so I thought. At least Neil appeals to both sexes, where as Barry seems to get only ladies attention.

Scorpion8

12-22-2006, 05:49 PM

Both, for different reasons. They each have their place and purpose.

Chip - HP

12-22-2006, 06:28 PM

Early Neil :thmbsp: ... the Bang material ...

RichPA

12-22-2006, 06:33 PM

No, thank you.

luvvinvinyl

12-22-2006, 06:43 PM

Now you're talking, Rich.

Sandy G

12-22-2006, 07:14 PM

Neil. Barry might be a fine, upstanding fellow, but he's just a tad too "Eeeeeeuuuuuuuwwww!" for me.

Acoustic

12-22-2006, 07:52 PM

Neil is the lesser of these two evils to me.

Twenty20Man

12-22-2006, 08:12 PM

Neil livingston Diamond of course

kcollins4

12-22-2006, 08:20 PM

I'm gonna have to go with Barry. I like Neil, but in 1975 when I was parked with a young lady on a late, wintery evening, Barry helped me get all the way home. Thanks, Barry :D

Dusty Chalk

12-22-2006, 09:31 PM

Neil Diamond. Inasmuch as I'm near the fence. Heck, I don't think I'm in the right neighborhood, much less the right yard.

jeffn

12-23-2006, 04:22 AM

Neil by a L O N G way. Just listened to Hot August Night.....

Barry's equivalent would be "God its hot... whats wrong with the air conditioning?"

Sandy G

12-23-2006, 06:28 AM

Barry had a couple of decent ones- "Weekend in New England", & "Can't Smile Without You" come to mind, but on the debit side, we have the way-too-flamboyant "Copa", the cloying "Mandy", and the just-plain-awful "I Write the Songs"..

uofmtiger

12-23-2006, 08:28 AM

Neil's early stuff (Solitary Man being my fav). :thmbsp:

AudioKeith

12-23-2006, 12:16 PM

Neil is the lesser of these two evils to me.

What he said.

avguytx

12-23-2006, 12:21 PM

Can I take the sharp stick in the eye option, Alex? lol

Divotdog

12-23-2006, 12:23 PM

Neil, without a doubt, the above mentioned Hot August Nights. :yes:

Jack Lord

12-23-2006, 12:29 PM

Well, Manilow has some talent, but he is just not my cup of tea. Problem was he could not decide whether he was Tony Bennet or Tom Jones and having Top 40 singles in the 70s brought him into direct clash with the R&R crowd, whom I guess is us.

Now...as for Neil Diamond, I gotta throw him a bone, at least as a songwriter. Wrote Red, Red Wine done well by UB40 as well as Girl You'll be a Woman Soon done superbly by Urge Overkill in Pulp Fiction. And who does not like hearing old Neil singing Sweet Caroline or Solitary Man?

Whatever we think, they both are crying all the way to the bank.

vegaman9

12-23-2006, 01:30 PM

fropiler

12-23-2006, 02:21 PM

i mean come on if you were a woman who would you rather sleep with? this is a nobrainer neil diamond is way cooler thand manilow ever was. and i think we all need to check neil's latest disc "12 songs" all acoustic with rick rubin producing. it has to be l least half ass good right?

vegaman

I haven't heard it, but have heard it is quite good.

On that note, I'm off to spend Christmas Skiing with the wife & kids. Hope Y'all have a merry one.

bentpencil

12-23-2006, 02:59 PM

Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, in a concert with a whole herd of likker'd up women.............could have possibilities!

I think Johnny Mathis had the same effect for some of us old farts.

simplynuts

12-23-2006, 04:37 PM

Neil Diamond. Can't stand Barry. But like the early Diamond better. Going downstairs to throw on Beautiful Noise lp.

Zinker

12-28-2006, 09:19 PM

Alright I listened to both "back in the day". Now however just seems a little strange listening to " jump shout boogie".... hey, I'm old...might even be a little grumpy....

However PEACE and LOVE to ALL:banana: :banana: :banana:

And those bananas still killl me......

pioneervato

12-29-2006, 08:01 AM

Neil!

Bigerik

12-29-2006, 09:43 AM

I really never could stand Neil DIamond, so if I had to choose, it would be Barry....

Toasted Almond

12-29-2006, 04:27 PM

They're both horrible, but Barry wrote the American Bandstand Theme, which kicks major ass, and Neil managed to get himself invited to "The Last Waltz". I have just offered the sonic highlight of both their careers.

cubdog

12-29-2006, 05:20 PM

I can't believe this thread is on it's third page! What'samatter with you guys!

cubdog

Andyman

12-29-2006, 06:49 PM

and i think we all need to check neil's latest disc "12 songs" all acoustic with rick rubin producing. it has to be l least half ass good right?

vegaman

Well, I bit and picked it up from the library. It's quite similar in overall production to the Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash in that it's a bit sparse and lean, but unlike the JC LP, it overall really didn't do a lot for me.

FWIW, I like "Cherry, Cherry" and Kentucky Woman" better, but YMMV :dunno:

markus

12-30-2006, 07:30 AM

Cracklin Rose . . say no more :D

he's like Brry Manilow's cooler 2nd cousin

pmsummer

03-26-2007, 03:15 PM

Dentist or proctologist?

FoolForARadio

03-26-2007, 03:27 PM

Neil - there are not many better pop songs than "I'm a Believer." But I had a dream about riding somewhere in a convertible with Barry!

KeninDC

03-26-2007, 03:37 PM

Neil Diamond. He's the Jewish Elvis.

onepixel

03-26-2007, 10:29 PM

I remember a hot August Night in the back seat of my friend's car with a girl named Mandy back in '76. Fortunately the Fleetwood Mac song Warm Ways was playing.

I always liked the idea of "Forever in Blue Jeans" so it it's Neil for me.

Mark B

03-27-2007, 12:10 AM

Neil of course. This really isn't a fair poll, since Neil was actually talented and Barry was just a good jingle writer. A better poll would be Barry Manilow vs Eric Carmen.

Arkay

03-27-2007, 02:06 AM

I share the thing about teenage memories of Barry playing on the car stereo when with a girl... but that's just because it was my Dad's Cadillac that came with a freebie 8-track (dates things, doesn't it? :D ) of Manilo Music.

My memories of Neil Diamond are less "amorously graphic", but in any case for listening these days, I'll take Neil any day. Probably would have back then, too, except that I didn't have any 8-tracks of Neil, just vinyl, and the car didn't have a turntable! :D

2DualsNotEnough

03-27-2007, 02:37 AM

Jock itch or athletes foot?

Retro Stereo

03-29-2007, 02:01 PM

Notwithstanding that he is not MY cup of tea, Barry is selling out the Las Vegas Hilton (The Elvis Theatre), five nights a week, at $100/seat, and more, week after week, and is booked through the end of 2007.

Not bad money for someone who was never cool. Oh, and packing the audience with women of all ages. Check out one of the concert DVD's if you don't believe me. (My wife is the fan.)

You can say the same thing about Wayne Newton too, but I'm not a fan of his either. :thumbsdn:

To be honest, out in Las Vegas, you could have just about anyone who's ever had a top ten record filling the place up every night, as long as they have some sort of showmanship.

Retro

jim w.

04-01-2007, 08:48 PM

neither of them sry.... id rather listen to a bald girl singing shave me baby one more time !!!!!!!

6thumbs

04-01-2007, 09:46 PM

Manilow is a tool

nickrobotron

04-01-2007, 10:12 PM

okay, this HAS to be an april fool's joke...

stereodctr

04-01-2007, 10:12 PM

Have to go with Neil. In her younger days my wife used to play Barry's Greatest Hits CD with Copa Cabana set to repeat continuously. After hearing that song a few hundred times I would rather listen to two cats in heat growling than anything by Barry.

tankdonovan

05-18-2007, 06:27 PM

Neil Diamond! Has not everyone heard "Hot August Nights"?

Both were great song writers but on stage Neil was the best of the two.

TankDonovan

NeedForSpeed

05-18-2007, 11:58 PM

Not outta my speakers.

shelby1420

05-23-2007, 08:32 AM

Neil fer sure!

Jovinyl

05-25-2007, 03:51 PM

Sweet Caroline :scratch2: Mandy :scratch2: :dunno: Can't remember last time I listened to either one. I remember Caroline, I remember Mandy:D

Jovinyl

05-25-2007, 03:54 PM

Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, in a concert with a whole herd of likker'd up women.............could have possibilities!

I think Johnny Mathis had the same effect for some of us old farts.

Lot of Caroline's and Mandy's in that crowd

cableguy2

05-25-2007, 04:20 PM

Funny, I was in the Goodwill store and found a perfect BM album, so I bought it figuring I could sell it on e-bay. I played the album, and Weekend in New England was on it, and it brought back a memory of a girl I met while going to Plattsburgh State in 1977. She was visiting a friend for the weekend, and we started to hang out.

I was out of meals though on the meal plan and couldn't eat again until Monday, and I had no money either. This woman went out and bought me a steak and a can of corn so I could eat. I will NEVER forget that random act of kindness.

So if anybody knows Joan Hannafy of Long Island and Elmont NY, you tell her I owe her dinner.

Barry, and for that memory.

EchoWars

05-25-2007, 04:22 PM

Herpes or syphilis.

OK...not fair. I have 'Hot August Night' taped on cassette somewhere, and I think I may have even listened to it sometime in the last two decades. So if that's a vote for Neil, there ya go.