NEIL DIAMOND Velvet Gloves And Spit (2008 issue UK 11-track digitally remastered CD album - 'Velvet Gloves And Spit' was recorded in New York before Diamond had perfected the Memphis-helmed sound of his subsequent hits and appeared in 1968 tolittle acclaim; however, following the single success of 'Shilo' in 1970, the song was tacked onto the album and was reissued in a new sleeve; stylistically, the album covers the whole spectrum of contemporary sounds from romantic ballads to tongue-in-cheek social commentary to brash pop gems not unlike his mid-'60s Brill Building output).