Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week’s edition of Music Monday.

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The Feel of Neil Diamond – his debut album – was released 60 years ago on August 12, 1966. The man who would go on to have 13 Top Ten hits & three #1 songs in his career started his reign as one of America’s most beloved singer-songwriters with this record.

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His seventh album, Stones, was released 55 years ago in November 1971. Six of the ten tracks were covers including Joni Mitchell’s “Chelsea Morning”, Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” and Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going To Rain Today”, which has a particularly lovely orchestral arrangement. And 50 years ago, Diamond released his 10th album, Beautiful Noise, on June 11,1976. Stand out tracks include “If You Know What I Mean” and “Home Is a Wounded Heart”.

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

(Image found online.  Original source unknown.)

Rod Stewart’s third solo album, Every Picture Tells a Story, was released 55 years ago on May 28, 1971. The nine track collection proved to be his breakthrough as a solo artist after his tenure as a member of The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces. And Stewart’s bandmate in the latter group, Ronnie Wood, contributed guitar & bass parts as well as being the co-writer of the title track along with Stewart. The album’s first single was written by Tim Hardin and I wrote about Stewart’s use of the song in my March 23, 2026 blog post:

“One of Tim Hardin’s songs, “Reason To Believe”, was the first single from Rod Stewart’s 1971 breakthrough album, Every Picture Tells A Story. When the B-side, “Maggie May”, started receiving more air play, it catapulted the double-sided single to the #1 spot in the country for five consecutive weeks in the fall of 1971. Over two decades later, Stewart included “Reason” as part of his MTV “Unplugged” performance and the song became a hit again, reaching the Top 20 in October 1993″.

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Eric Carmen released his debut self-titled album in 1975. By March 1976, the first single peaked at the #2 spot in the country. A month later, the second single was released and that reached #11 in July 1976. Both songs list Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff in the credits as the first song draws from his Piano Concerto No. 2 while the second is based on his Symphony No. 2 in E minor.

After his first album Carmen did not hit the Top Ten again for over a decade. Then in 1988 he had two songs reach it, first in February with “Hungry Eyes”, which peaked at #4 and then in August with “Make Me Lose Control” reaching the #8 position.  

Carmen, who was previously the lead singer of the 1970’s pop group, The Raspberries, released his final album, “I Was Born to Love You“, in 1998. It has a fabulous cover of “Walk Away Renée”, originally released 60 years ago in July 1966 by The Left Banke.

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Neil Diamond: “Solitary Man” (1966, written by Neil Diamond).

Neil Diamond: “La Bamba” (1966, written by Ritchie Valens).

Neil Diamond: “Cherry Cherry” (1966, written by Neil Diamond).

Neil Diamond: “I Am I Said” (1971, written by Neil Diamond).

Rod Stewart: “Every Picture Tells A Story” (1971, written by Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood).

Rod Stewart: “Maggie May” (1971, written by Martin Quittenton and Rod Stewart).

Rod Stewart: “Mandolin Wind” (1971, written by Rod Stewart).

Rod Stewart: “Reason To Believe” (1971, written by Tim Hardin).

Eric Carmen: “All By Myself” (1975, written by Eric Carmen and Sergei Rachmaninoff).

Eric Carmen: “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again” (1975, written by Eric Carmen and Sergei Rachmaninoff).

Stay safe & well.