After listening to Neil Diamond's stunning new CD (actually the digi-pak version) '12 Songs', it's absolutely easy to reach the conclusion that this album is a masterpiece, easily the best release Diamond has issued in decades. Better yet, it's so good that '12 Songs' stands with or above virtually any of the very best contemporary pop recordings release this year. It's that great, and I'm only a casual Neil Diamond listener and by no means a hard-core fan. As with the late Johnny Cash through the 1990's, Rick Rubin has done his wonderful producing magic yet again.

That's the good news.

The bad news is of course the vile rootkit technology that Sony decided to use in their digital rights management strategy that others here have previously alerted website visitors to, which if you're a Windows PC computer user means VERY bad things in the long term (and not-so-long term, given recent announcements in the past day or so).

Rootkits are simply put, bad news. This one that Sony chose to use embeds itself into Windows so deeply that even Windows is powerless to track its operation. You don't and won't know that it's operating, period. That in and of itself is bad enough, because it allows Sony to track and monitor whatever it wants. By allowing this to install on your Windows PC (and to play '12 Songs' on your PC, you HAVE TO allow it to install), you've given Sony that priveledge by clicking 'yes' on the end-user licensing agreement that you DIDN'T read and just automatically glossed over.

Virus and malware writers are now grinning ear to ear because Sony, in their own zealous anti-piracy foolishness has released to the world cloaking technology that when hacked will allow the evil doers of the internet to get their trojans, worms and viruses to reside on your Windows computer, to open your machine to WHATEVER THEY want your computer to do, without the user ever being the wiser. Sony's little spyware foray just got REALLY bad.

Online banking? The invisible trojan will simply log all your keystrokes and phone home with the data...and you and your firewall, anti-virus and spyware software will NEVER have known. Turn your machine into a spamming zombie? Again, thanks to Sony's clandestine rootkit, you will never know, at least until your internet provider turns off your service because your computer has become one of the worst porn and conterfeit Viagra junk mailers on the Web. Thanks to Sony and their partner, First 4 Internet (the creators of this rootkit), if you use 12 Songs on your computer, you've just opened the door to the worst that the internet has to offer.

And as of November 10, 2005, that door has been swung WIDE open. Symantec, the makers of Norton Anti-Virus, as well as other AV companies, have reported the first 'bot' trojans and viruses are now live and living on the internet, taking full advantage of this rootkit's stealth technology. But with this first batch of malware, ONLY those people who have played SonyBMG CDs like 12 Songs or Carlos Santana's latest are vulnerable. I feel your pain, or more accurately, your pain to come. To date, there are few precious measures that will allow you to simply remove this hole from your computer (though it sounds like Computer Associates may now have a tool available soon); Sony's OWN procedure to remove this involves emailing their customer service division to get specific instructions; how EASY those instructions are I don't know...I'm so far rootkit-free (and plan on staying this way).

If you're intent on buying the 12 Songs CD (and musically, it's DEFINITELY worth it), please save yourself some agony and use this disc ONLY in stand-alone CD players, or on Apple Mac and Linux-based PCs (rootkits have not been released for those formats...at least yet). Or buy a download version, like from iTunes Music Store. If you're as upset with Sony as I am, you might consider not buying this collection at all, as a form of boycott protest over Sony's own foolishness and hand in giving virus writers an open avenue to your computer; but that's up to your own conscience and whether you mind that by buying this and similar infested CDs Sony will profit from your future infection misery.

Musically, this is INDEED one great album, something that DESERVES to be listened to and enjoyed for years to come. It's a crying shame that Sony chose to forever tarnish its luster by releasing this disc with such foolhardy security holes. I still rate this music a 5, but the disc and its malware a BIG FAT ZERO.

Well, at least when the Bank of America, GM, Citigroup, your power company, etc., get crippled with viruses and trojans courtesy of this cloaking rootkit, you will know and understand WHY Sony will have gone out of business under the mountain of lawsuits it was buried under as a result. And here I was looking forward to the PS3...

In response to the reviewer who called us idiots because we are appalled at Sony for it's DRM fiasco, if we're idiots, apparently Microsoft is too. They have announced that in keeping with their policies on malware, they are removing the Sony rootkit that is installed with this CD. Viruses using the rootkit to take over users computers are already surfacing and some corporate network administrators are considering restricting employees from listening to CDs at work because of the potential harm that could come from this kind of software. Lawsuits are already in the works to stop Sony from using this rootkit. This is not a minor problem. Do two minutes of research on the web about Sony's rootkit before you buy any copy protected CD from them.

Better yet, boycott ALL Sony products until they remove this malware, apologize for hijacking users computers, and promise never to do anything like this again.

This is an excellent CD. It's possibly the best that Diamond has ever done.

Don't buy it until after Sony removes the rootkit. Perhaps you shouldn't buy it even then.

Two of my favorite artists have put out brand new "critically acclaimed" albums. To my surprise I real love them both! Deep Purple's "Rapture of the Deep" and Neil Diamond's "12 Songs". Deep Purple's immense and clever brand of rock gets me through those long commutes, while Neil settles me down for the night. These two powerful albums really need to be played a number of times in order to reap the benefits. Both albums are strong statements that evoke a different kind of musical energy. So powerful, very ying and yang, you might say.

As you may have noticed, we are having troubles with SONY. Beware of entering this disc into your computer. Sony, Sony, Sony...Boooooooooooo!

Welcome back Neil and bravo Deep Purple!

12 SONGS = 5 stars (SONY = O star)
Rapture of the Deep = 5 stars

This product contains a rootkit that infects Windows computers. If you insert this CD into a Windows computer, it will install malicious code onto your computer that allows viruses to execute without detection by any anti-virus programs. Viruses using the Sony/BMG rootkit contained on this CD are already present in the wild.

This product is classified as computer malware by anti-virus companies and by Microsoft.