Neil Sedaka "A Medley to Brighten Up Your Day"

[pmp]

Neil + parrot(!) have posted this on Twitter today. Considering there's no mic etc, he sure doesn't sound bad for eighty.

[Mister Mike]

Thanks! That certainly put a smile on my face. Here's another he made:

[lovin' EP]

Thanks, PMP and Mister Mike. Always liked Neil's music.

Linda

[pmp]

He's doing these every day. Bless him. Today's one has a very out of tune piano - not sure what happened since the last one!

[Mister Mike]

Again, thank you Shane (and Neil!) for a daily smile. Neil still sounds so good. Didn't notice anything off with the piano but if there was, I blame the bird .

[keninlincs]

Definatly puts a smile on a persons face,thanks for sharing

[jurasic1968]

Thanks a lot, Mike. Very good medley.

[Hobbes]

This is very sweet.

[pmp]

He's back again. It's a good job that he's written 500 songs at this rate, considering he's planning on doing this every day! Love the fact it's all done in one take, cracked notes and all - he's finally paying the price on The Immigrant for writing melodies with huge ranges that most of us never stood a chance of singing!!! On to some more obscure songs today!

[pmp]

He's back again. It's a good job that he's written 500 songs at this rate, considering he's planning on doing this every day! Love the fact it's all done in one take, cracked notes and all - he's finally paying the price on The Immigrant for writing melodies with huge ranges that most of us never stood a chance of singing!!! On to some more obscure songs today!

It’s really great how artists of Neil’s generation - and even before - have learned and embraced the value of social media, although Tony Bennett, for example, who is very active on Twitter is no doubt being guided by his wife. Which is fine, because he’s involved and he’s raising his profile, keeping in touch with his audience, and seems to be enjoying what these platforms offer. It was great to see Neil Diamond singing again quite recently, too.

Yes. Sedaka has a radio show on Sirius, too, although I have not heard it. His touring schedule is much curtailed now - down to about twenty shows a year at most, and none of them outside North America. He said his UK dates in 2017 were the last ones he would play here as he found the travelling tiring and wanted to retire gracefully while he was still in good form. And he was still in very good form - about 100 minutes on stage with just him and piano. He didn't actually retire in the end, but seems to have found a happy medium for himself where he can take things easy and do shows as and when he wants. There was a health scare last Autumn for him too, but it was never made public as to what it was as far as I'm aware, but his voice seems a bit weaker now than it was before it. That said, he appears to be doing these recordings in the mornings, and not many people are in their best voice in the morning without warm-ups etc. He seems to be having fun with them, too, and he is clearly very proud of the songs he has written. And so he should be.

[pmp]

He's back!

[pmp]

Today's effort. These are becoming even more interesting now that he is reviving songs he hasn't done in concert for years (if at all). Warning: you'll need a box of tissues today.

[YDKM]

Excellent really cheered me up!

[pmp]

Today, Sedaka looks like he's enjoying himself resurrecting these songs. Nice to hear Tin Pan Alley from his album produced by George Martin - which really is yearning for a digital and/or CD release. There's a whole decade's worth of Sedaka albums that have never been re-released on CD, which is a great shame.

[Mister Mike]

Includes the great Laughter In The Rain.

[YDKM]

This is superb.... but i wish he could get his piano tuned!

[pmp]

This is superb.... but i wish he could get his piano tuned!

I know. It's suffering a bit, poor thing. Sadly he has put up on Twitter that there was no mini-concert today due to technical difficulties.

[pmp]

Includes the great Laughter In The Rain.

The highlight for me on this one was the Yiddish song. The album he refers to, Brighton Beach Memories from 2003, is quite hard to get hold of, but it really is quite beautiful. It finds Sedaka in a somewhat different setting to normal with a little chamber group, and I've always found something moving about these songs. He had recorded some of these songs in the mid-sixties, but they weren't widely released. But these re-recordings from 2003 are really superb.



And, in lieu of a video today, here's a bit from the concert at the Royal Albert Hall that I was at in 2017.

[Mister Mike]

Neil is back. Maybe the Covid lockdown is preventing him from having someone coming over to tune his piano....

[pmp]

Neil is back. Maybe the Covid lockdown is preventing him from having someone coming over to tune his piano....

That piano is shameful. He seemed to be struggling a bit today, it has to be said, but again it's nice to hear a couple of songs that he doesn't perform very often. It's difficult to think that Emergence (where Cardboard California comes from), the first wonderful album of his comeback, is fifty years old next year. And it's not even on CD in the States.

[pmp]

A shorter effort from Neil today - perhaps lunch was waiting!

[YDKM]

Haha excellent and i liked the way Basil walked out at just the right time and show me the way to Amarillo was a nice finish! Cheered me up after a killer time with severe gastro - thanks Neil

[pmp]

Neil has moved to Los Angeles, which means we get a tuned piano - but no Basel! Great to hear him resurrect You Mean Everything to Me, it's such a lovely song. Superbird makes me cry, alas, although th full version does at least have a happy ending.

[YDKM]

Wonderful. I guess maybe he noved west because its safer!?

[mike edwards66]

The move did him good, he's sounding better. Such a talented fella. He's not sang my favourite yet.