In 1972, Neil Diamond was on the verge of superstardom. Having just scored his first top 10 album with Moods, Diamond had successfully made the transition from tunesmith for others to pop music star. All that was missing to take that next leap to what would one day become an iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career was the defining moment, a signature accomplishment that would differentiate Diamond from the many other singer/songwriters out there. HOT AUGUST NIGHT, recorded August 24, 1972, during Diamonds sold-out ten-night stand at L.A.s Greek Theatre, was that moment. The album hit number five on the Billboard Top 200 and went double platinum. In Australia it became the most successful album of the 1970s, spending 29 weeks at No. 1 and still charting in the top 10 in 1976, a full four years after it's release. But the impact of HOT AUGUST NIGHT was much greater than just sales. Called "the ultimate Diamond record" by All Music Guides Stephen Erlewine, it became a franchise, with two sequels, HOT AUGUST NIGHT II in 1987 and HOT AUGUST NIGHT/NYC in 2009.