Miriam Makeba (studio album) by Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba by Miriam Makeba
Year: 1960
Overall rank: 5,293rd   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
71/100 (from 74 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1960 (13th)
Award Top albums of the 1960s (427th)
Award Best albums of all time (5,293rd)
Product Details
Availability

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Miriam Makeba, Miriam Makeba, (LP, Album, Ind), NM or M-, 3614747355
Condition: Used


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Miriam Makeba Makeba! Reprise RS-6310 Soul Jazz Record Album Record Very Nice
Condition: Used


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SOMI Zenile: The Reimagination of Miriam Makeba 2LP Gatefold New Sealed Vinyl
Condition: New


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Miriam Makeba bestography

Miriam Makeba is ranked as the best album by Miriam Makeba.

Miriam Makeba album bestography « Higher ranked (5,293rd) This album (5,293rd) Lower ranked (23,264th) »
Miriam MakebaMiriam MakebaPata Pata

Upcoming concerts

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27
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20:00
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The Foundry, Philadelphia, United States. United States
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Jun
07
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20:00
Sheryl Crow
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, United States. United States
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Miriam Makeba track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 79 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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2.
Rating: 80 (16 votes)Comments: 0
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3.
Rating: 81 (18 votes)Comments: 0
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4.
Rating: 76 (14 votes)Comments: 0
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5.
Rating: 77 (16 votes)Comments: 0
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6.
Rating: 78 (16 votes)Comments: 0
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7.
Rating: 79 (17 votes)Comments: 0
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10.
Rating: 78 (16 votes)Comments: 0
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12.
Rating: 78 (16 votes)Comments: 0
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13.
Rating: 76 (16 votes)Comments: 0
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14.
Rating: 78 (17 votes)Comments: 0
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Miriam Makeba rankings

Miriam Makeba collection

Miriam Makeba ratings

Average Rating: 
71/100 (from 74 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 74 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 Report rating
04/28/2025 13:51 fabm0  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 6,44659/100
 
65/100
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03/20/2025 03:16 BurndenAce  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 78478/100
 
65/100
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03/12/2025 16:56 Elauqsapid  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,57864/100
 
85/100
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02/16/2025 21:06 davidleewrong  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,31981/100
 
75/100
 Report rating
11/25/2024 10:17 Hyggevinyl  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,61273/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 71.5/100, a mean average of 69.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 71.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.5.

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Miriam Makeba favourites

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Miriam Makeba comments

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Rating:  
65/100
From 03/20/2025 03:16
Miriam Makeba’s self-titled debut is a wonderful introduction to South African music. Drawing inspiration from vocal jazz (and no doubt collaborator Harry Belafonte’s music), she effortlessly combines lyrics in Xhosa with traditional western standards. That’s a very difficult thing to do, but despite over half the album being in a language I don’t speak, I feel just as at home in Saduva as I do listening to The Naughty Little Flea. Her voice is gentle and graceful and Perry Lopez does a fantastic job keeping the rhythm on the guitar to the point that I barely noticed a lack of percussion on most tracks. While there are definitely a few weak points (the a capella Umhome and the satirical One More Dance), the album doesn’t overstay its welcome, even if the songs do keep to a similar formula. The standout track however is The Click Song, which moves at a tempo that no other song does on this album. Overall, a pleasant, if somewhat basic listening experience.

Overall: 3.11/5
Highlights - The Click Song, House of the Rising Sun, Saduva
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/08/2023 16:52
Canto imortal e eterno.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
55/100
From 01/21/2021 21:51
Africa
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 12/08/2020 17:37
Makeba was a South African singer who had a difficult early life, but her strong and attractive singing voice got her attention. She blended African and Western music to great effect. She toured with several singing groups in the 1950s, and on gaining international attention she moved to America in 1960 as a solo artist. She became a spokesperson for civil rights in America and South Africa, her home, where she was banned until the end of apartheid. For a while she was also banned from certain Western countries, such as France, and with South Africa refusing her a passport, she had to rely on the goodwill of other African nations in granting her diplomatic papers so she could travel. He main musical output was the 1960s and early 1970s, though she continued to record and perform throughout her life, including touring with Paul Simon on the controversial Graceland tour. She died on stage in 2008. This was her first Western album. Though not the immediate commercial success that RCA had hoped for, the album is widely seen as her best.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1960
1. Giant Steps by John Coltrane
2. Sketches Of Spain by Miles Davis
3. At Last! by Etta James
4. Blues & Roots by Charles Mingus
5. Elvis Is Back! by Elvis Presley
6. Joan Baez by Joan Baez
7. We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite by Max Roach
8. Muddy Waters At Newport 1960 by Muddy Waters
9. Soul Station by Hank Mobley
10. The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery by Wes Montgomery
11. Portrait In Jazz by Bill Evans Trio
12. A Date With The Everly Brothers by The Everly Brothers
13. Miriam Makeba by Miriam Makeba
14. Ella In Berlin by Ella Fitzgerald
15. Presents Charles Mingus by Charles Mingus
16. Drums Of Passion by Olatunji
17. Walk Don't Run by The Ventures
18. The Big Beat by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
19. Rockin' At The Hops by Chuck Berry
20. Open Sesame by Freddie Hubbard
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