This is a great album oops CD! If you have or have seen the movie this is a great go along Accompaniment. If you haven't seen the movie do so.

I've always loved his music. This CD is everything I expected. It was delivered quickly and in perfect condition.

Neil Diamond at his best. The Jazz Singer is one that I never tire of. It is a classic Neil Diamond.

NEIL DIAMOND IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITES.THE JAZZ SINGER IS GREAT BUT I DO LIKE HIS GREATEST HITS MORE.

This was one of the most successful movie soundtracks in that it remained on Billboard's top 100 albums for nearly 3 years. It produced 3 #1 songs, Love on the Rocks, America, and Hello Again, a personal favorite as it's my wedding song. This is not Diamond's only musical appearance in films. He also wrote the famous song "Be" for the film "Jonathan Livingston Seagull."

Neil Diamond has legions of fans and it is well-deserved recognition. The CD is excellent in regards to Diamond's work, but the quality of the CD is rough in some places where you can hear an annoying hiss sound when the volume is pumped up and for his rock songs you certainly want to do that, but with ballads on high volume you can here the hiss more. Other than that, this soundtrack remains ageless as does most of Diamond's music.

I wrote a review for the film that covers how I feel about that work so you can check there to read that, but for brevity's sake here I'll just recommend that you buy or rent the film. It is so much better than the critics who ripped into it both then and now. Of course, being a Diamond fan helps, but Lucie Arnez and Laurence Olivier also make the film very watchable.

This is excellent: Just as I had remembered from years ago, Brought back a lot of nice memories. ***** Five Star all the way.
Thanks

One time, the remake was better than the original. Neal Diamond is wonderful, wonder why he didnt take up acting, his only movie??

This is my favorite album of all time, if I was in a coma just play Coming to America and I would come right out so I could rock out. I will never tire of this. I became a fan after seeing the movie The Jazz Singer and have been hooked ever since.

neil diamond is not an actor ,but the man can sing.the story is a little predictable but the music is great.it shows how religion and real life must co-exist for everyone to be happy.enjoyed this flick.

I only wish the versions of the songs in the movie were included on the CD. Summerlove, hey louise, hello again, america, and amzed and confused were well produced and delivered with very a strong voice, great percussion, and awesome intensity. Here, Neil shows his great vocal range and musical strength

This CD was great. I saw the movie several years ago and listening to this CD brought it all back to me. Love Neil Diamond and everything he does.

My mom had this cassette when I was a kid, and I don't know if it's nostalgia or what, but I love this soundtrack. Neil is *not* my normal kind of music, but there are days when the Jazz Singer just hits the spot for me. "On the Robert E. Lee" is just about one of my favorite perky good-mood songs. I can sing practically the entire album from memory.

So, yes, I don't know if I can recommend this album, I just wanted to say that I love it for personal reasons.

(and I once had "THAT AIN'T NO BROTHER! THAT'S A WHITE BOY!" on my answering machine)

I became a fan to Neil Diamond instantly since picking up the soundtrack to the movie "The Jazz Singer" which I have on VHS (since 1997). That's how it all laid out. That's when I became known as a trumpet player since right after watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack. I briefly wore out the LP quite a bit but not much but I day I'll have it out on CD 2 go. Yep as to say this one of my all-time favorite movies and soundtracks,'Nuff said. 'Cuz a lot of ya'll Neil fans can't go wrong on this. This is out for all the nay-sayers/haters who disagrees with this album, nor the movie, I think you shouldn't be proud if u would've rated it higher or else just give it just 1 shot by downloading or getting it a used music store or something. And for agreers/reviewers that agree with the soundtrack and movie nor the soundtrack instead of the movie nor the movie instead of the soundtrack or whatever. I agree with you 100%. I don't care whethere they like it or not. Either hate it or love it like 50 Cent and the Game say on the hit single "Hate It or Love It". This is familar to those who are fans to Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, the Big Bands, and all of that stuff, y'feel me? This is a must for those that listen to gospel instead of secular music or else listen to secular/mainstream music nor listen to jazz, are involved in the gospel choir and band (which I'm in), are in the music business (gospel, Christian or secular) or whatever. This is definitely the movie you must-have in your collection if you love Neil Diamond or else never even love jazz or never even know him in general, etc. I guarantee you 100% you won't be dissappointed. I luv every song that's on the album and it's still good. Period.

"America' should have won the Oscar for the best song of 1980! Actually the year 1980 was a great one for pop music in the movies, unlike the stark crops of recent years. The official nominees included "Fame" and "Out There On My Own," both from FAME, "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson, and "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton. There was also one dud, "People Alone," from THE COMPETITION which hasn't stood the test of time.

If you ask me, "America" should have been nominated and could have won, even under such stiff competition. And I know some of you will say the same of "Hello Again" and "Love on the Rocks" two of Neil's softer tunes.

However, XANADU fans are still smarting over the total lack of Oscar recognition for the many great tracks in the movie--"Suddenly," "Magic," "Xanadu," "All Over the World" and "Suspended in Time." As for which soundtrack LP is the better bargain, I call it a draw!

PS, by the way, the award went to FAME which isn't a disgrace.

This is one of Neil's all-time best. There are not many artists whose voices are so infectious that they can transcend over pop ballads, rock songs and traditional hymns as Neil so fluently does throughout this album. "Songs Of Life" is one of the most beautiful ballads ever written, and were it not for the classics "Hello Again" and "Love On The Rocks" it probably would have been released as a single and climbed the charts on its own merit. The inspirational rockers "Amazed And Confused" and "Hey Louise" are great sing-alongs, and "Summerlove" is a wonderful smooth jazz number. To anyone who has ever listened to Neil, this is the most important to own.

The album you throw at anyone who says he was only a singles artist, the Jazz Singer is a terrible movie and the best piece of work he ever did. You Baby and My Louise could and should have been hits, Acapulco and Summer Love are wonderful charming songs, and with the exception of the one terrible cut Diamond puts on every cd to make sure you appreciate the good stuff (Songs of Life) this was and is a superior cd. Only Tennessee Moon has given it any competition in the last 20 years.

The decision to make a modern version of Al Jolson's "Jazz Singer" in 1980 is one of the more dubious ideas to come out of Hollywood. Putting singer Neil Diamond in the Jolson role opposite Laurence Olivier as his cantor father and Lucy Arnaz as the woman he loves had only one sure upside in that Diamond also did the music for the film. If your choice is between watching the film or listening to the soundtrack, then listen to the soundtrack.

Diamond was inspired by the immigrant element of the story to honor the national melting pot in the opening song "America," along with one of his better ballads from that part of his career "Hello Again." The songs also play to Diamond's strength in that several of them would be done "live" in the context of the film, and anyone who has listened to "Hot August Night" or any other concert album by Diamond knows he is a lot better live than he is in the studio. In retrospect that is clearly the point in Diamond's career where the hard rock and gospel influences went away and he began a soft rock/pop artist where songs like "Love on the Rocks" and "Summerlove" became the norm. His early songs are arguably his best, but it was not until his 1976 album "Beautiful Noise" that Diamond ever had an album go platinum.

To his credit Diamond does come up with songs that meet the narrative needs of the film, not that this is a reason to watch the movie, so do not accuse me of advocating you do that. There is no reason for you to see that "You Baby" is part of an awkward homage, for lack of a better word, to Jolson in black face. Also worked into the mix are some traditional Jewish songs, "Adon Olom" and "Kol Nidre/My Name Is Yussel," and Diamond makes an earnest attempt to do them right. The resulting mix might be uneven, but there are enough solid songs here to make this an above average Neil Diamond album.

Starting with September Morn, all of his CDs have been very uneven and this is one of the worst. This has a couple of good songs on it (you know what they are) but the rest is REALLY BAD!!! I wish they would put out Greatest Hits Vol. 3 with all of his great songs since September Morn that aren't on Vol. 2 including That Kind, The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, On The Way To The Sky, Right By You, The Drifter, First You Have to Say You Love Me, Front Page Story, Heartlight, In Ensanada, Turn Around, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Sleep With Me Tonight, The Man You Need, Story of My Life, It Should Have Been Me, (I'll See You On The Radio) Laura, Me Beside You, Best Years of Our Lives, This Time, If I Couldn't See You Again, If There Were No Dreams, Don't Turn Around, Hooked On The Memory of You and a couple from Tennesse Moon and Three Chord Opera. Now that would be an AWESOME CD and you wouldn't have to waste your hard-earned money on awful CDs like this with only 3 or 4 good songs!!!!

I'm extremely happy with the CD, "The Soundtrack from The Jazz Singer". His music in this CD is all new and very uplifting. It's got to be one of Diamond's best!! The sound is premium quality. I just want to listen to it over and over again, and it inspires me to purchase the other of his CD's that I now have on old 33 rpm albums. Received it in two days after ordering. I'm completely satisfied with the purchase.

Neil has been able to create strong songs on this one, and happely for him this was neccessary cause the move wasnt really a smash hit, as the story was weak as i can remember, cause i was still very young at that time...but anyways...the music is great, strong songs with 'america' one of his everlasting new classics, the touching "hello again" , the joyfull 'acapulco' and so many others, real neil diamond gems to be enjoyed with a great glass of old red wine, on a hot summer night in yr beautiful garden...

Having seen the original Jolson version, then Diamond's you must learn to appreciate both. If you choose, you can look at them from the aspect of different time periods. Diamond's is a much more modernized portrayal of The Jazz Singer, especially with the music, hehe. The story is different to a sense, and it involves the likes of a rock star over Jolson's Broadway character. We must also remember that "The Jazz Singer" was the first film of all-time... being silent, per se it would be incomparable to this. If you have seen the Diamond film this album might be heavily valuable to you... if you haven't then it is only good music.

This semi decent soundtrack is good as long as you haven't seen the movie... otherwise the schlock of the movie will make this CD of work a bitter pill to swallow, and your thoughts will be filled with terrible, terrible acting by Lucy Arnaz and Lawrence Olivier. I would suggest buying another Neil Diamond CD made before this one. The Diamond CDs only get worse as the years go on, and the Jazz Singer Soundtrack is the last listenable thing made by Neil Diamond. "America", "Love on the Rocks", "Songs of Life" and "Summerlove" are pretty good tunes. Those tunes make the disc worth owning for a hardcore fan.. However, "You Baby", "Hey Louise", "Acapulco", "On The Robert E Lee" and "Jerusalem" are utter garbage. "Amazed and Confused" is unlistenable. "Adon Olom" and "Kol Nidre/My Name Is Yussel" are just things put on the album to take up space. I would suggest Stones, Moods, or Greatest Hits over this..they are money well spent.. the Jazz Singer is not.

Lets face it, Neil is not the best actor in the world - but when he sings, it is PURE MAGIC. This 'soundtrack' album holds some of his best work ever, including the classic 'Love on the rocks' and 'America', amidst at least a half a dozen others. I have to hold a candle to this man, who is still drawing in major crowds at age 60+...and has not had a real major top 10 CD in years!

This is the inspiration that is Neil Diamond...and sticking to the subject of this CD, he truly shines in all ways on this one. There are some rockers, fun stuff, blues, totally mellow and the classical ND commercial stuff - and all done with soul and passion. Unlike a lot of his work that surrounded this one, this really had a lot of Neil's heart and soul, and not a lot of some studio producer telling him 'what was next'.

What can I say - I thought the movie was great (not a classic mind you), and I admired Neil for giving the old Hollywood thing a go (don't think he has done it since!) - and the bottom line is that despite the shortcomings of this movie, we as fans got to enjoy some of his finest work ever!

I love this album!!! The movie was okay, but the music is sensational!!! My favorite song is "Love on the Rocks".

For some reason, Neil Diamonds's peers have not held him in the same high esteem his fans have. The fans are rigght and his peers are wrong. This CD has three top ten tunes in it, "America," "Hello Again," and "Love on the Rocks." All are great songs and all were hits 20 years ago. There were additional great rockers like "You Baby Baby" on this CD. Inexplicably the academy did not even so much as nominate the movie "The Jazz Singer" for the best score nor did any of the three mega hits get a nomination for best song. This was an unconscionable dump on a great star and songwriter. He deserved an Oscar and did not even get a nomination!

I recommend both the cd and a video of the movie. The cd has great studio versions of the songs whereas the movie has some great, energetic live performances, particularly of "You Baby," and "Amazed and Confused." This cd is abslolutely classic and as of the writing of this review, "America" is particularly uplifting so soon after the terrorist attack on New York & the Pentagon. Indeed, the night before this review was written, I saw Neil Diamond in concert at Madison Square Garden & he had the crowd on it's feet with "America." This is a cd that we as fans know is great regardless of what his peers may have thought. I hope in the future, some justice will be done and he will be inducted into the Rock n roll Hall of Fame.

Over the years I have heard and read most of the rather nasty reviews of this recording and of the film. I am pleased to see that the majority of the reviewers agree with my feelings. If Neil Diamond made one mistake in doing this film,it was calling it "The Jazz Singer" since it was NOT a remake of the classic Jolson film. So lighten up, sit back and enjoy one of the most memorable scores to come along in many years,and really has not been matched since in a film of this type. And yes, I really did enjoy the movie as well.

This is an album of pop/rock tunes. It is not jazz, as the name erroneously implies. Yet it is a very good album with plenty of well written songs. Even though "Sweet Caroline/Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" will always be my favourite album by Neil and probably his definitive one, "The Jazz Singer" is certainly a worthy effort also. Probably one of Neil's better albums.

It is always risky to say an album is a classic but I will take that chance happily here because this one is. It contains the highlights everyone knows - "Love on the Rocks" and the even stronger "Hello Again" which must rate as one of his best songs ever. The strength comes from the quality of the other songs - "America" with it's message of hope and infectious beat, "You Baby" and "Hey Louise" adding good up tempo backing, and the under rated "Amazed and Confused". It contains a couple of lesser tracks which set the scene for the film, otherwise it is pure Diamond at his best, writing and singing his songs like no one else can.

Neil Diamond is a mega talent, plain and simple. He is able to create a wide range of music from the simplistic, catchy, "you baby" to "America," "Hello, Again," and so many others. He is a gifted composer, singer and performer. I love Neil Diamond! Neil Diamond has a place of honor in my CDs for the car! "America" is a wonderful welcoming song for all citizens and this collection of songs is a cultural enrichment. IT IS EXCELLENT! I have seen him in concert twice and each time he put on a spectacular show! I hope to hear him live again soon. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION! How can anyone not like it?

of this soundtrack! Beginning with the opening title song of "America" and going through "Love On The Rocks", "Songs Of Life", and "Hello Again" this soundtrack is one of the finest collections of music I have ever heard. Some of the songs are somewhat haunting, and others so inspiring that you can't help but get "jacked-up" each time you hear them. This is one you will find yourself playing over and over again. Just a great CD!

A very good piece of work. It's obvious that the music fan from Clive, Iowa who posted a message on September 24, 1999 was unable to get tickets to his concert. America is one of his best recordings !

This cd is excellent from track one all the way through. By comparing its sound quality to other Neil discs, I'm assuming it has been remastered. (although the cd doesn't specify this) My only complaint is that there is a great deal of "hiss" heard in many of the tracks. Other than that, this is a very enjoyable album. Who could possibly dislike "Hello Again?"

At least Neil Diamond had the good sense (or was it the audience response?) not to pursue his film career after this effort, but the soundtrack is a solid effort. Possibly his last essential album.

"America" is quite the phenomenom. It collects so many of the hallmarks of a horrible song into such a concise package. We have a wonderfully insincere patriotic message, a marvelously cheesy pseudo-heavy guitar part, a woefully synthesized orchestra, a flat spoken word section, and a terrifically horrendous choir of everyday people containing some sort of message about democracy, I think. Few songs reach a peak of sheer banality this high. After this monumental opener there's not too many other places the album can go. There's no way it could possibly get worse, but that doesn't mean that it gets that much better. All in all, a spectacular achievement in the annals of horrible music!

From the energetic sounds of America, to the smooth strains of Summerlove, music doesn't get any better than this! If you are a fan of Neil Diamond, or a fan of beautiful, powerful, and fun music, look no further! This album is for you!