Year: 1986.
Country:
Overall rank: 122
Decade rank: 16
Year rank: 3
Discography rank: 1 (out of 29 albums on BEA)
Average rating: 81/100 (from 1349 votes).
Tracks:
1. The Boy In The Bubble
2. Graceland
3. I Know What I Know
4. Gumboots
5. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
6. You Can Call Me Al
7. Under African Skies
8. Homeless
9. Crazy Love Vol. II
10. That Was Your Mother
11. All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints
indicates a top-rated track.
Top voted comments:
"Not just a wondrous fusion of South African and World music, but truly some of the best song writing ever. There's a certain magic to this album - I'm not exactly sure where it comes from, perhaps from Simon's voice, the gentle and bright sound of the album, or perhaps just the warmth that seems to emanate from every track on the album. If you ever need an album to accompany a summer's evening or set a chilled, laid back move, this is the album that'll do it.
I should spend some time covering just what an incredible achievement this album was back in its day - the fact that South African culture was being featured on an American release was quite something, and the exposure it gave to these artists and attention it brought to South African culture was huge. Not only is Graceland a excellent album musically, it's excellent for what it achieved.
You could, as I have, spend a long time analysing the many fascinating lyrics found throughout the album, but somehow, I don't think that's the point. This albums real power is the warmth of its sound and its incredible ability to relax you and captivate you. It elicits perhaps the most positive emotional response of any piece of music I've ever heard. Every song seems only to build and build on this feeling, and the result is a genuinely magical record.
Undoubtedly one of the best albums ever released, perhaps simply for its emotional power, but more so for its wonderful fusion of sounds, feelings and words."
- DeusExMackia
________________________________________________________
"Graceland, IS Paul Simon's greatest album. It's a stunning fusion of pop/rock and African grooves and sounds. It's a stunning record. It's amazing to think now just how much flak and criticism Simon got at the time for making this album during the apartheid years, I suppose it's understandable, but in some small way it did help to break some of those barriers down. As for the music, it's as good as any of his classic records. In fact, Simon had always employed world music on his LP's, even in his Garfunkel years, on stuff like, el condor pasa. There are at least four genuine Paul Simon masterpieces on here. The boy in the bubble, you can call me Al, diamonds on the soles of her shoes, and the title track, are all moments of pop genius, stunning lyrics, and with, the boy in the bubble, still relevant today. Elsewhere, there are other great songs in, I know what I know, gumboots, under African skies, and, crazy love vol:2(about his break up with Carrie Fisher), are all excellent. Homeless, is a beautiful acapella track featuring, ladysmith black mambazo, and, that was your mother, is a great jiving song. Closing track, all around the world, is probably the least of the African influenced songs, but again, very good. It's a superb album, a classic for all time."
- garycottier
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Without doubt Graceland is Paul Simon's greatest solo album, and i love it BUT........
It's very hard to separate the politics of the time from this recording and "organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid (who I believe have a better handle on this subject than I do) criticized Simon for breaking the cultural boycott on South Africa imposed for its policy of apartheid, while others accused him of appropriating the music of another culture.
Simon responded that Graceland was a political statement that showcased collaboration between black and white people and raised international awareness of apartheid. Some praised him for helping popularize African music in the west."
Have the years dulled the controversy, yes. Has it gone away for me, no.
I own the album so am i a hypocrite, absolutely. Do I feel buyers guilt when playing it, sometimes, yes. This is therefore a hard listen for me but I do get it off the shelves and play it from time to time, after all, it's a great album
Without doubt Graceland is Paul Simon's greatest solo album, and i love it BUT........
It's very hard to separate the politics of the time from this recording and "organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid (who I believe have a better handle on this subject than I do) criticized Simon for breaking the cultural boycott on South Africa imposed for its policy of apartheid, while others accused him of appropriating the music of another culture.
Simon responded that Graceland was a political statement that showcased collaboration between black and white people and raised international awareness of apartheid. Some praised him for helping popularize African music in the west."
Have the years dulled the controversy, yes. Has it gone away for me, no.
I own the album so am i a hypocrite, absolutely. Do I feel buyers guilt when playing it, sometimes, yes. This is therefore a hard listen for me but I do get it off the shelves and play it from time to time, after all, it's a great album
My partner is South African, so this is an album fairly close to my heart and I often still listen to it. I also enjoy the Graceland: The African Concert video. Paul Simon did a lot to raise awareness of the political issues and brought certain styles of African music to a massive new audience. Definitely an album with a fascinating backstory.
I remember long ago saying good things about this album on BEA and getting a good amount of crap for it. Here's what I think. Still.
Paul Simon is a human being. He's a musician. Do I expect people who make music to make the absolute best decisions 100% of the time? No, because I'm realistic about it. It's not Paul Simon's job to make great political decisions...his job is to make music. After all is said and done...from 40 YEARS AGO...Graceland is a great album. Is Simon a shitty human for what he did 40 years ago? I think some people need to get over certain things and maybe be a bit less judgmental, especially after 40 years. Do we believe that our own selves should be held in contempt for mistakes we made 40 years ago?
Graceland is an album of black and white musicians from culturally opposite ends of the earth making music together. Could he have handled the cultural boycott differently? Sure, he could have. I also think that because of that, the criticism at the time against Simon snowballed into things that should not have mattered so much. And really...how much do those things change the fact that at the bottom of it all, a talented artist made a great album? Yes, he could have handled quite a few things differently. Does that mean that 40 years after the fact, this album should be thought of as less than worthy of its praise?
Linda Ronstadt made mistakes in this area at the time as well...sorry. I'm not burning my Linda albums. Or anyone else's. Am I going to ditch my Beatles albums because John Lennon was an asshole? Do I ignore the amazing songwriting of Ryan Adams? Should I condemn the early years of rock & roll because Jerry Lee & Chuck Berry were not the greatest humans on the planet? I'm not gonna do that. Hell...I personally think that Ted Nugent is a heap of garbage as a human being. But to this day, when "Stranglehold" or "Free For All" comes on the radio, I might just turn them up because they're great freaking songs.
Paul Simon is not perfect. Well. neither am I, and neither are the rest of us. Graceland is a great album by a man who made questionable decisions 4 decades ago. If people want to hang onto that, their call. I'm not doing it.
Also...the phrasing on "The Boy In The Bubble" is beyond amazing, and is the inspiration behind my proudest achievement as a songwriter. Graceland is Simon at his very best musically. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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