| Jonathan Livingston Seagull | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | October 19, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 43:29 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Tom Catalano | |||
| Neil Diamond chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed)[1] |
Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a soundtrack album by American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, released in 1973 by Columbia Records. Produced by Tom Catalano, it is the soundtrack to the 1973 film of the same name. The album marked Diamond's return to Columbia and grossed more than the film itself. It won the 1974 Grammy for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.[3]
Diamond often included a Jonathan Livingston Seagull suite in his live performances, as he did in his 1976 Love at the Greek concert—comprising "Be", "Dear Father", "Lonely Looking Sky", "Sanctus", "Skybird" and "Be (Encore)"—and his show in Las Vegas that same year.[4][better source needed] A studio version of the suite—comprising "Prologue", "Lonely Looking Sky", "Skybird", "Dear Father (Rebuked)" and "Be"—was presented on Diamond's 1996 box set In My Lifetime.[5]
Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Diamond's subsequent album Serenade (1974) have earned a combined 27 gold discs in Australia.[6] As of September 1976, the soundtrack was a bigger financial success than the film, grossing 12 million dollars, while the film itself had grossed 2 million.[7]
Irvine Herald reviewer Willie Freckleton observed that "Be" was "classical Diamond singing a very powerful ballad."[8] In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Shawn M. Haney found the album to be "compelling and rich in texture and melody" and praised Catalano's direction, Holdridge's orchestral arrangements and Diamond's occasional vocals, concluding that the album "fits the piece of the puzzle the motion picture needed so perfectly."[2]
All tracks are written by Neil Diamond.
| No. | Title | Liner notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prologue" | And here begins our story – the sky, the sea, the flock. | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Be" | Introduction of Jonathan – his flight and fall. | 6:28 |
| 3. | "Flight of the Gull" | Jonathan is carried to the heights of ambition, and to near catastrophe. | 2:23 |
| 4. | "Dear Father" | Battered, and near death, Jonathan asks for reasons. | 5:12 |
| 5. | "Skybird" | Returning home to show what he has learned, his acrobatics only serve to anger the flock elders. He is put on trial, and forever…outcast. | 1:12 |
| 6. | "Lonely Looking Sky" | Alone and adrift. | 3:12 |
| No. | Title | Liner notes | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Odyssey: Be/Lonely Looking Sky/Dear Father" | And so begins a journey, an odyssey, a test of the spirit. | 9:28 |
| 2. | "Anthem" | "Transcend, purify, glorious." | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Be" | Jonathan returns to teach the flock. | 1:06 |
| 4. | "Skybird" | The lesson | 2:18 |
| 5. | "Dear Father" | Rebuked again by the elders, Jonathan attempts to rally the flock. | 1:14 |
| 6. | "Be" | Recapitulation and farewell to Fletcher | 3:26 |
Credits adapted from LP liner notes.[9]
Musicians
Bob Mitchell's Singing Boys
Technical
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 20,000^ |
| Belgium | — | 200,000[26] |
| Canada (Music Canada)[27] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| France (SNEP)[28] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[29] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[30] | Gold | 10,000* |
| Netherlands (NVPI)[31] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[32] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[33] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
