Neil Diamond has shared a digital deluxe edition of his 2005 album 12 Songs. Arriving nearly two decades after the original album, this version delivers 15 new bonus tracks to streaming and download, some for the very first time. The new offerings include demos, early take, alternate takes, and alternate mixes of beloved Diamond tracks like “Oh Mary,” “Delirious Love,” and “Save Me a Saturday Night.”
Diamond offered insight into the album’s creation on his Instagram: “All I wanted in 2003 was to rest, relax and sit outside with the sun on my face doing as little work as possible. I surprised myself when after just a few short days of quiet bliss, new words and melodies began to creep into my head. I tried to resist, but it was impossible…”
12 Songs was a follow-up to 2001’s Three Chord Opera, which was Diamond’s first album since 1974 to consist of original material written solely by Diamond. The record was produced by Rick Rubin, who had been working with Johnny Cash on the American Recordings series. “After the first few meetings, I realized [Rick] loved music in the same way I did,” Diamond wrote in his original liner notes to 12 Songs. “For both of us it was visceral, passionate and could even be an elevating experience. It turned out that we served the same mistress—music, and that was to become our first real connection.”
Rubin persuaded Diamond to record acoustically, which he had not done since the 1960s, resulting in a barebones, back-to-basics sound. “Most of the songs were recorded with Neil playing and singing at the same time,” Rubin revealed in a 2005 Rolling Stone article, “And it’s a different animal. It’s taking him back to being more of a singer-songwriter. He really blows me away.”
For the sessions, Rubin gathered some of the musicians that performed on the Cash recordings including Tom Petty guitarist Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. The sessions marked the final performance by organ player Billy Preston, who died in 2006.
12 Songs went on to become one of Diamond’s most successful and acclaimed studio albums, debuting at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Listen to the deluxe edition of Neil Diamond’s 12 Songs now.