Classics: The Early Years is a
compilation album by American musician
Neil Diamond released in 1983 featuring the early recordings he made for
Bang Records in 1966 and 1967. After
CBS acquired the Bang Records catalogue, the twelve best recordings were reissued on this album. Columbia gave Diamond control of the Bang masters of his recordings. The original copyright notice of this album read "(C) and (P)1983 Neil Diamond and
CBS Inc." This compilation has a different track lineup compared to the 1968 Bang compilation album titled Neil Diamond's Greatest Hits which contains two
cover songs. All the songs in this album are original Diamond compositions and substitutes "
I'm A Believer" (which
The Monkees covered) and "
Shilo" in place of the
Gary U.S. Bonds hit "
New Orleans" and the
Tommy James and the Shondells hit "
Hanky Panky."
Only a few tracks are in true stereo. Later Neil Diamond compilations contained the mono versions, which makes this album the only source for the stereo versions of his Bang Records releases. The only true stereo version of "Kentucky Woman" was released in 1978 by Frog King records on the album Early Classics.
Cash Box said of the single "I Got the Feelin' (Oh No, No)" that "the gutsy sound of the infectious track backs Diamond’s multi-level, emotion-packed vocal."[2]
