Neil Diamond has been a integral part of my life since I was around 12 years, at the time of writing this I'm in my 40's, after discovering "Johnathan Livingstone Seagull", I found "Serenade" and after all these years and all the great Diamond albums, I still come back to 33 minutes of good soul searching sound which I consider the best, I recently discovered the "Quadraphonic" version of this recording and was pleasently enlightened by the subtle differences, it would be nice to see a special "edition" release of the "Quadraphonic" recording on CD.

All my love to you Neil...

C.J

Even though this album received very mixed reactions, I still regard it as one of Neil Diamond's best efforts. Yes, it is over-produced, and yes, the lyrics are over-the-top and sung with a very awkward British accent, but all eight tracks are timeless classics. Beautiful orchestral arrangements, a brilliant sound and Diamond's voice sounding better than ever. I have owned two vinyl releases prior to replacing them with the CD version in the Mid-Eighties, and I still play the album frequently. The first four tracks are among the best work Neil Diamond has ever put to tape, and the soaring chorus of "Lady Magedelene" still gives me shivers after 26 years. 33 minutes of music is not much, but I agree with the reviewer who said that in this case quality really comes before quantity.

I love this album. In the 70's it was unusual because it stood by itself - Neil's record company was really bad for issuing songs 2 or 3 times over across various albums; but they didn't do that with "Serenade", which in itself makes it quite special. Recently I've learned that at least one track ("I've Been This Way Before") was an out-take from "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", and once I knew that, "Serenade" made a lot more sense. Not that it was ever nonsensical in the first place, but it did have this deep-seated spirituality that was not so completely present on his other albums. It is a marvellously uplifting but at the same time soothing album,it is embued with a kind of other-wordly spirit that is tremendously calming. For anyone whose only impression of Neil is the orchestra and the lurex jumpsuits of the early-mid 80's, I would strongly recommend this album. Rather like the latest "12 Songs" which has been so well-reviewed, this seems to be Neil peeled back to basics, in touch with his inner spirituality, and, with the possible exception of "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, it stands alone as a classic amongst a slightly varied catalogue of albums which, in the 80's, seemed to have degenerated into easy listening and the middle-aged housewife's dream. Those of us who have listened to and loved Neil since the 60's know that this was merely a passing phase, but too many people took on board that this was all that Neil Diamond consisted of. One listen to this album will convince you that this was really far from the case.

This CD and Moods are in my opinion the best Neil Diamond albums. We had this one on 8 track when I was growing up. I am glad to have this in my CD collection. An exceptional record!

Neil Diamond is a master of setting all moods. This beautiful collection has songs that do much to set a romantic tone. There is no doubt that Neil Diamond is an extraordinary performer. He is a real talent and this is proven time and again in his recordings.

I have seen him in concert twice. Each concert was well worth attending and I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT! I REALLY THOUGHT MY EARS HAD DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN! I certainly hope Neil Diamond will make another stop in town and in the meantime people like me who love his music will be praying that he'll do more nice collections like this again.