Maps of Music

Stones (1971)

Where the lyrics of Stones take you, and where it was really made.

The cover was styled as an envelope that opened from the top, a format later dropped for a standard side-opening sleeve.

Key places

Cover photo location at Luxford House (1971)

Album cover Luxford House — The cover photo was taken at Luxford House in Crowborough, East Sussex. The house was owned at the time by rock music manager Tony Stratton Smith. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Stones is the seventh studio album by Neil Diamond
• Recorded and released in 1971
• It is one of the biggest hit recordings of Diamond's career
• Conductors and arrangers were Lee Holdridge, Marty Paich and Larry Muhoberac
• The album was released by Uni Records, per the Spanish-language page
• The cover photo was taken at Luxford House, Crowborough, East Sussex

Background

• The title track "I Am...I Said" grew out of a failed screen test for a film about rebel comic Lenny Bruce
• The song is described as the single most challenging and time-consuming song Diamond ever wrote
• Writing it was a daily struggle that took four months of work every day
• Diamond called the finished song one of the most satisfying songs he had ever written

Cover

• The house at Luxford House was owned at the time by rock music manager Tony Stratton Smith
• Early copies of the LP had a picture label
• Early copies also used a unique cover with a grommet-string style closure on the back
• The cover was styled as an envelope that opened from the top
• This design was later abandoned and replaced with a standard side-opening sleeve

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• American singer-songwriter born January 24, 1941, in Brooklyn, New York City, to a Jewish family.
• Began as a staff songwriter at Sunbeam Music Publishing and worked in the Brill Building in the 1960s.
• Wrote hits for others, including "I'm a Believer" and "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" recorded by the Monkees.
• Solo breakthrough with "Sweet Caroline" (1969), followed by "Cracklin' Rosie" and "Song Sung Blue", both No. 1 on the Hot 100.
• Live album Hot August Night (1972) recorded at the Greek Theater, Los Angeles.
• Starred in the 1980 remake The Jazz Singer and won a Razzie for Worst Actor.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
• Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and stopped touring in 2018.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Record World said that the title track showed Diamond had not lost his knack for writing intelligent pop-oriented material
• Cash Box said that the striking image-laden ballad, in fine Diamond fashion, sparkled with immediate top 40 success
• Billboard called it exceptional ballad material with a performance to match

Records

• Stones reached number 11 on the Billboard 200
• The album is described as one of the biggest hit recordings of Diamond's career
• The title track drew praise from three trade publications on release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Lenny Bruce film project that failed at the screen test is the origin of the title track
• Writing the title track took four months of daily work
• Early copies used a picture label and a grommet-string closure on the back of the cover
• The Discogs entry notes the album was formerly released as UNI 93106
• The cover photo house was owned by rock manager Tony Stratton Smith

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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