Graceland (Paul Simon)

Great album, one of may all-time favorites.  The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and Graceland are my favorites.  There are notable contributions by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Linda Ronstadt.  Catchy melodies fuse seemlessly with Simon's fine lyrics.

1. A dog barking all night. 2. A horn honking for hours. 3. A room full of crying babies. 4. A drill at the dentist office. 5. A thousand fingernails scraping on a chalkboard. These are all things I would prefer to hear more than this album.

I'm not sure I'd call it a Classic Rock Album, in the Tom Petty/Bob Seger sense of the term Classic Rock. But the album was great non the less. It revitalized Paul Simon's career and jumpstarted American interest in World Music. It featured some stellar songwriting from Paul. Particularly fresh were some of the vocal dominated pieces like Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes and Homeless, which featured Ladysmith Black Mombazzo. It should be noted that Paul Simon had long been an an advocate of open ears and acceptance of music from aroud the world. Think of Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Mother and Child Reunion and even El Candor Pasa from his Simon and Garfunkel days. Paul Simon was a way ahead of the curve as far as world music goes.

Sorry, never liked this guy on his own.

The inclusion of African/world music was well done and possibly prolonged Simon's career.

The blend of rock with African music is intriguing, and I always enjoy listening to this.

Not only Simon's greatest work, but possibly the best any modern musician has yet done -

Released in 1986, Graceland was one of the best releases of the 1980s and won a well deserved grammy for best release for that year. The South African influenced sound was unique and varied from track one until track eleven, experimenting with both mbaqanga and zydeco fusion. The release includes some of Simon's most well known singles (Graceland, Diamonds In The Soles Of Her Shoes, and You Can Call Me Al); however, my personal favorite track from this release remains All Around The World.

o-v-e-r r-a-t-e-d

I can't find many albums where I like every song. This is definitly one of the best albums of all time.

For three years I walked around with Graceland in my CD player. This CD is abssolutely amazing. Devoted to letting the world know about the terror and misery that was being caused by apartheid in South Africa, this CD touched my heart, especially with the song "The Boy in the Bubble". As told perfectly by ellajedlicka21, "All Around the World" or "The Myth of Fingerprints" is an amazing song, my favorite on the whole album. Especially the line, "He says there's no doubt about it; it was the myth of fingerprints, I've seen 'em all and man they're all the same." I think that song has much more meaning than it appears to. "Under African Skies" is my second favorite. Paul Simon AND Linda Ronstadt were terrific. In "Homeless", Joseph Shabalala and the rest of the African gang---their perfomance cannot be described by mere words. If I remember enough of my South African, the words "zio yami" mean something along the lines of "help us". So touching! "You Can Call Me Al" is a great ... Read more

There is so much that you can say about this wicked album. It goes beyond the distinction of just being an album that I can't even conjure up superlatives to describe it, it is a cultural accomplishment. Simon composed it after taking a trip to Africa and insisted on allowing them to take part in the production of the album. The Boy in the Bubble sets the tone for the entire album: These are the days of miracle and wonder, this is the long distance call, the way the camera follows us in slow-mo. Then the title track Graceland is really a catchy song that you can listen to many times: We are going to Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee. The next song is great to sing along to with I Know What I Know: don't I know you from the cinematographer's party? (and then a great line) Who am I to blow against the wind? Then is Paul Simon's favorite, Gumboots: I was having this discussion on a taxi heading downtown. The next song is, in my view, the best from the album, Diamonds on the Soles... Read more

best album ever made!

I find a lot of Paul Simon's songs to be terribly trite and maudlin, so that I can't get swept away in his pretty melodies without putting it in the 'guilty pleasure' category. But the entire Graceland album is absolutely remarkable -- from the inspired musicianship (this is the album where South African artists appear on most of the tracks and then Los Lobos on another two) and unlikely song hooks, to his intimate vocals and fascinating lyrics. The words often use tiny details ("As if I'd never noticed the way the brushed her hair from her forehead") to illuminate a character or situation that's just uncommon in most pop music. You need to have closed yourself off intentionally -- in allegiance to an alternative aesthetic -- to not be seduced by the Graceland album.

This is just great! I love it!

Perhaps the greatest Cd of Paul Simon's remarkable career. Almost certainly the best of his solo career. All of his albums have had their strengths and 1970's "Paul Simon" is a personal favorite but only Still Crazy After All Years really comes close to this one. And while Simon and Garfunkle produced several stellar recordings, it's hard to think of one this consistently brilliant. From beginning to end Graceland is as fresh and creative as it is masterful. An excellent recording.