A&E

Neil Diamond stepped away from the pop-flavored music that made him a superstar to take a stripped-down approach for his past two albums, recorded with innovative producer Rick Rubin.

This year's solid Home Before Dark finds the singer-songwriter in an introspective mood at 67, with restrained backing and no drums. It's the same formula that Rubin used to expose Johnny Cash's masterful songwriting to a younger audience in the country legend's waning years.

But that doesn't mean that the fans who have filled arenas since the '70s won't hear such favorites as Sweet Caroline, Cherry Cherry, I Am, I Said and I'm a Believer when Diamond brings his current concert tour to Glendale on Friday.

The Brooklyn-born Diamond and his 14-piece band are touching on all phases of a career that started on New York's Tin Pan Alley in the '60s and morphed into a catalog of songs covered by scores of artists, from Elvis Presley to Frank Sinatra to Waylon Jennings to Glen Campbell to Patti LaBelle.

Diamond talked about his songwriting, performing and the sequined shirts he's famous for.

Question: Rick Rubin tends to concentrate on distilling the essence of the artists he works with. How did the process work between you two?

Answer: We got in (the studio) with a very small ensemble, not knowing what would happen. Rick may have wanted to hearken back to simpler days of my career, when I worked with a five-piece group. I'm not sure, we never discussed that. . . . (Rick) was more of an objective observer, and it was very helpful for everybody.

Q: Throughout the years, you've come close to getting a Number 1 album, but Home Before Dark is the first chart-topper of your career. What are your thoughts on taking so long to get there?

A: Frankly, it came as a surprise when I was told that this was my first Number 1. I thought I had one or two before this, so it's nice to have that little milestone. Even more important, I was very pleased with the way the album came out.

Q: With all the success you've had with these past two albums, how much of a role do they play in your current set list?

A: We're doing three songs from the Home Before Dark album, and they're working very well. It's always difficult to introduce brand-new material to an audience. There is the tendency to (want to) hear something you know and are familiar with. . . . I took two from 12 Songs (2005). So we've got five relatively new songs in a set that I've never done before on any tour.

Q: What motivates you to keep hitting the road after all this time?

A: It's a good antidote to the writing, because the writing is very, very introspective. You're constantly digging, and it's a hard process and an exclusive process because you're excluding contact with a lot of people. I sequester myself often and do the writing, and sometimes it's a year or a year and a half.

Q: Where do you get the energy in your 60s for these global tours?

A: I try my darndest to keep myself in good shape and in good health. I am very aware of my diet. I do some working out . . . and I just take as good care of myself as I possibly can physically. Mentally, that's up to the audience. I'm constantly working on the show, making adjustments to it . . . looking for that perfect chemistry.

Q: With your latest CD and tour, are you trying to attract younger people?

A: I think people just will hear something, they like it, they're attracted to it and they come. I'm not aware of going out of my way to find a younger audience. . . . I'm just happy to have an audience at all and . . . over the years (it) has become younger, and maybe there's a reason that I don't understand.

Q: Is there anyone else you'd like to work with or any style of music you'd like to explore?

A: I love music in general, and I'll try anything. . . . I don't have any plans to do anything else. It all springs from the songs. So if I happen to wake up one day and find that I'm only writing reggae music, I will have to look in that direction and find musicians and a producer that really understand that kind of music.

Q: Sweet Caroline has taken on a life of its own since 1969. What has it been like to watch that happen?

A: It's a little amazing, because . . . I don't know how you plan something like that. It's just one of those songs that everybody can sing and will sing at the drop of a hat, and it has a little life of its own. It has been recorded by so many artists, everybody from Elvis to Frank Sinatra to Waylon Jennings. I even got a version of it from Bob Dylan, who recorded it during one of his rehearsals and for a tour.

Q: You have a flashy fashion style that's unusual. Do you pick out your own clothes, and are clothes important to you?

A: I did for years. I wore a very specific style. I wanted it to be fun, I wanted the shows to be fun. Rock and roll has always been a bit of a circus to me, and I never hesitated to make the costumes reflect that. But I guess now I'm kind of toning things down a little bit.

Q: The last few songs on your new disc give a sense of things winding down. Are you going to do a farewell tour at some point?

A: Well, maybe in 20 years, but not right now. This is what I do. . . . Somebody gave me this job when I was a kid, when I was a teenager, and I've been doing it ever since. Every night is different, every song is different. And I couldn't think of a more exciting way to spend my life.

Reach the reporter at larry.rodgers@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8043.