His 12 Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Neil Diamond, issued in 1974 on the MCA record label. As the title suggests, it contains twelve songs from Neil's catalogue.
| His 12 Greatest Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1968–1972 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 44:03 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Various | |||
| Neil Diamond chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The album contains songs from his tenure with Uni Records, from 1968 to 1972. After Neil had returned to Columbia Records, his earlier works were reissued on MCA Records, which was the parent company of Uni Records which had folded in the early 1970s.
Track listing
editAll songs written and composed by Neil Diamond.
Side one
- "Sweet Caroline" (Live, from the Hot August Night album) - 4:15
- "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" - 3:26
- "Shilo" (1970 remake on the re-released Velvet Gloves and Spit album) - 2:59
- "Holly Holy" (Live, from the Hot August Night album) - 5:40
- "Brooklyn Roads" - 3:39
- "Cracklin' Rosie" - 3:00
Side two
- "Play Me" - 3:49
- "Done Too Soon" - 2:45
- "Stones" - 3:03
- "Song Sung Blue" - 3:15
- "Soolaimon" - 4:33
- "I Am...I Said" - 3:32
© 1974 MCA Records
Alternate versions
editOf the album's twelve songs, only ten were presented in their original studio versions. "Holly Holy" and "Sweet Caroline" were live recordings, taken from the live album Hot August Night. On the 1985 CD release of His 12 Greatest Hits, the studio versions appeared instead (but both songs were remixed and "Holly Holy" was a different version with a different vocal for a good part of the song), but a later reissue in 1993 reinstated the live versions of these two tracks.
Follow up
editIn 1982, Columbia Records released 12 Greatest Hits, Volume II, a follow-up to this album. It contains songs from the years 1973-1981.
Charts & Certifications
editThe album reached number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2] It was certified gold by the RIAA in 1974 and earned quadruple platinum status in 1993 for sales of four million units in the US.[3]
Album
edit| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[2] | 29 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[4] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[3] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Ruhlmann, William. Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Neil Diamond Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "American album certifications – Neil Diamond – His 12 Greatest Hits". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ "British album certifications – Neil Diamond – His 12 Greatest Hits". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 23, 2022.