Thursday, October 10, 2013

How A Neil Diamond Cover Band Can Shape A Successful Set List

By Catalina Nielsen


Neil Diamond remains one of the most successful and famous songwriters and singers of all time, so it is not surprising that many bands still cover his work. Hiring a Neil diamond cover band is a great idea to mark a celebration of some kind, such as a birthday or wedding. The range of songs which a group of this type can include in their sets is huge, and very high quality.

With Diamond having sold over 125 million records across the globe, any group which wants to use his material as the basis for their act has plenty of choice of songs. Not many artists have written and sung so many successful numbers as this Brooklyn-born musician. This makes choosing the right numbers to include in a set list can be a tricky process for musicians.

At a wedding, for example, people are there to enjoy themselves; they do not necessarily want to be made to think too much. They are also much more likely to enjoy material with which they have some familiarity. For this reason, it is best to choose some of the absolute classics from the great singer's repertoire of material.

That still leaves a huge range of options for musicians, though, as the singer's career began in the early 1960s. It was not until later in that decade that the singer really made a huge impact, however, when, in 1969, 'Sweet Caroline' was released. This remains one of the singer's best known numbers, and it continues to go down well with audiences when covered by wedding bands and other performers.

The 1970s marked a massive upsurge in the singer's popularity, and the 1972 hit 'Song Sung Blue' remains one of his better known works. Any group looking for material for their set list should also make sure that they listen to the live album 'Hot August Night', which captures the singer at the peak of his powers. There are a number of great songs on the album which would make great inclusions.

The 1970s was when this wonderful singer-songwriter really found huge fame, however, and this decade is a rich source of material for bands who perform covers. The singer himself recorded a new version of his 60s song 'I'm a Believer', a number which The Monkees made very famous indeed. Barbara Streisand covered another of his well-known songs, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' during this era too.

Strangely, perhaps, one of the singer's best known songs is actually famous for being performed by reggae artists. 'Red Red Wine' was made famous by British reggae band UB40 in the 1980s, but had previously been covered by Jamaican artist Tony Tribe. It is one of those songs which almost everyone seems to know, but very few people actually know who wrote it originally.

Anyone who is playing in a Neil Diamond cover band has plenty of great material from which they can build some killer set lists. The key to making the most of the singer-songwriter's stunning musical legacy is to make sure that the material matches the mood of the event at which the band are playing. Thankfully, there is no shortage of superb songs, which can played in a range of generic styles, to be included.




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