Jonathan Livingston Seagull (album)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Soundtrack album by Neil Diamond
Released 1973
Recorded 1973
Genre Film Soundtrack
Length 43:29
Label Columbia
Producer Tom Catalano
Neil Diamond chronology

Hot August Night
(1972)		 Jonathan Livingston Seagull
(1973)		 Serenade
(1974)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Rolling Stone (mixed)[1]
Allmusic [2]

Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the Grammy Award winning soundtrack album to the 1973 American film Jonathan Livingston Seagull, recorded by singer-songwriter Neil Diamond and produced by Tom Catalano. The album was released on Columbia Records. The album grossed more than the film itself. It was Diamond's ninth studio album, and his first album after his successful 1972 live album Hot August Night. It won the 1974 Grammy as Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special.

Track listing

Side one
No. TitleLine 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
Side two
No. TitleLine 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

Charts and certifications

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1974 Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart 1
US Pop Albums Chart 2

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[3] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[4] Platinum 400,000*
Germany (BVMI)[5] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[7] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Personnel

Orchestra

References

  1. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  2. ↑ Allmusic review
  3. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Neil Diamond – Jonathan Livingston Seagull". Music Canada.
  4. ↑ "French album certifications – Neil Diamond – Jonathan Livingston Seagull (B.O.F.)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  5. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Neil Diamond; 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  6. ↑ "British album certifications – Neil Diamond – Jonathan Livingston Seagull". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Jonathan Livingston Seagull in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  7. ↑ "American album certifications – Diamond, Neil – Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Soundtrack)". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
Preceded by
Goats Head Soup by The Rolling Stones		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
January 28 - February 24, 1974 		Succeeded by
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John