Neil Diamond Rick Quotations

Kind of unspoken, we both agreed to continue working and to get to the next stage, ... which was to have me write songs that Rick felt were right for me.

He was a rap producer, and then he was producing rock with some alternative bands. I just didn't understand how I fit into that thing. But Bob Dylan's manager, who I know, called me and said, 'I know Rick very well. You should talk to him. He has no agenda. He just loves your stuff.'

I stayed away from it for years, thinking that there were many, many better guitar players than I and that I should stick to what I do best, the writing and singing, ... Rick didn't want to budge, and we argued about it almost every day in the studio. I played on every track, which means I lost every battle.

the recordings became bigger than the songs, which I came to understand is a backwards way of doing it. The songs have to come first and inspire everything else. If Rick did anything for me, he did that. He brought my focus back to the songs and made me feel comfortable about not worrying about how the recording of that particular song would be.

All of which I agreed to, with the exception of playing on the songs while singing, ... We butted heads as far as that one was concerned -- I complained about it every day. Fortunately, Rick stuck to his guns because the result is really some kind of magical recording.

I'd heard of Rick for a number of years, ... He's kind of a pioneer in the music business, and he's produced so many different types of music and artists that you can't help but know about him. And you wonder, 'What the heck is this guy going to do next?' without realizing that you were what he was going to do next! I found out quickly I was comfortable with him and liked what his ideas were. It was a no-brainer: Let's give it a try and have fun . . . and tell me where to stand.