# Hot August Night - Neil Diamond | Album Review & Ranking: Episode 258 (Connor's Pick)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/spin-it-the-record-ranking-podcast-6684949/hot-august-night-neil-diamond-album-review-ranking-episode-258-connor-s-pick
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/spin-it-the-record-ranking-podcast-6684949/hot-august-night-neil-diamond-album-review-ranking-episode-258-connor-s-pick.md
Podcast: [Spin It! The Record Ranking Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/spin-it-the-record-ranking-podcast-6684949)
Published: 2026-06-19T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/spinit/episodes/hotaugustnight-neildiamond
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/63613a3a0759420012e3e0a8/e/6a34be8ff1612f1c6984f816/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/spin-it-the-record-ranking-podcast-6684949/episodes/hot-august-night-neil-diamond-album-review-ranking-episode-258-connor-s-pick
Duration seconds: 5958

## Resource

Good times never seemed so good this week! We're taking it back to a Hot August Night in 1971, when Neil Diamond delivered an iconic performance at LA's Greek Theatre! The show produced a live double album packed with his early career's greatest hits, from the pining Red Red Wine to the powerful I Am... I Said (and of course, a prerequisite dose of Sweet Caroline). We'll learn how his pre-med career evolved from the Brill Building to the stage and find out what made him such a compelling arranger and performer. Can Connor's gamble rise above James' previous ranking of Stones? We'll dwell on previous Diamond experience, explore the jukebox musical centered around his life, and lament an expensive divorce or two. The Mixtaper (a Solitary Man) keeps Connor en garde with facts on swordplay, birdsmithing, and bad actors during Fact Or Spin! Then we focus in on a handful of the 29 tracks on this massive record, from Crunchy Granola Suite to Holly Holy Holly (... Holy) and beyond. Find out if this Easy Listening artist can live up to his genre, and see if this clean collection of live hits can bolster his standing in our official rankings! What do YOU think is going on with that cover photo? Is this album "live" enough for you? And can you even IMAGINE this guy winning fencing championships? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and on socials! Like and follow for more next week! Keep Spinning at www.SpinItPod.com! Thanks for listening! 0:00 Intro 4:37 About Neil Diamond 8:56 About Hot August Night 20:54 Fact Or Spin 24:18 Neil Diamond Is An Award-Winning Actor 30:03 He Became A Birdsmith 36:23 An Interlude 38:15 He's An Award-Winning Fencer 42:33 He Made An Interesting Cameo 48:14 Album Art 49:54 Prologue 51:01 Crunchy Granola Suite 53:25 Done Too Soon 54:42 Dialogue 56:…

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