There are great moments in this collection. There's the fun "Forever In Blue Jeans", "September Morn", the duet with Barbra Streisand: "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", the rousing "America", "Longfellow Serenade", "Love On The Rocks". And if all you want of Neil Diamond are the super hits, then yes, this along with the "Neil Diamond" collection are what you want. The two make a good set of samplers.

However, IMHO, Neil Diamond is one artist who just can not be captured on "Greatest Hits" CDs. You need the albums to really appreciate him. The one boxed set that really does him justice is "In My Lifetime", which includes the songs that started it all.

If your interest in the performer is strictly peripheral, this is fine. But to gain a greater appreciation, check out his other cds.

A pretty good CD, I originally got it because I wanted a copy of America, which is truly a great song, but as I continued to listen I realized that I also liked many of the other songs. Of course now I have to go get Vol. 1 so I can get Sweet Caroline and all those great hits as well. I remember many of these songs as my mom used to play them to me on an old 8-track and it surprised how many of them I still knew.

I love Neil Diamond's voice and can never tire of hearing it. He is also a brilliant songwriter...every song here he either wrote or co-wrote. "Be" from the 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull Suite' is a wonderful ballad. As with a lot of his songs, they tell a story..."If you know what I mean" for example is a song about the loss of innocent dreams. This is a really good album, and for those of us who lived through the 70's, they stir up a lot of memories. At least, they do for me.

Neil Diamond's career has been a metamorphosis of sorts. He was born when he became known for tunes like "Solitary Man" and "Cherry Cherry".Then he started growing when he moved to MCA Records with "Brooklyn Roads" up to "Morningside".By the time he recorded for Columbia, he had matured with songs like "Be" and "If You Know What I Mean".This album shows his first decade with Columbia wasn't too shabby.It also beacme a turning point because after this collection, he only had hits sporadically. But by then, his place in history was secure.

This is not as good as some of his other GH packages. It's one sliver of Diamond's career. It does have a half dozen excellent tracks. They are mostly late seventies and early eighties cuts. If you are a fan of that part of Diamond's career, you will love this album.