Shaka Zulu

This just makes me really happy. I really like a cappella music; it reminds me of doing barbershop quartet and barbershop choral music in high school. This is really good. The vocals are *locked in* to the point where you could convince me that it's actually a keyboard with like a vocal setting or something. It does get a little "same-y", but each song does have some unique things to themselves that make them stand out enough, that even if you're not paying close attention, you know you're listening to a different song. Favorite Song(s): Hello My Baby, Lomhlaba Kawunoni

What was your first experience of Ladysmith Back Mambazo? Was it on Graceland by Paul Simon? Or maybe on the Lion King soundtrack (I think that was them, right…)? Well mine was when my family suddenly got super into them when I was in school. I didn’t really get it at the time, because I was far more interested in 5ive and Britney Spears. Listening now, it’s such a nice, calming sound. The harmonies are frankly delightful, and the lack of instruments really lets the beauty of the vocals shine through. This was a nice album to have on while working today.

Other than the fact Shaka Zulu can't be found on Spotify, I have no complaints. I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed Paul Simon's Graceland (which is where Ladysmith Black Mambazo came into the public eye) and it was a very pleasant sounding album. I tend to not like vocals-only music, mostly because Pentatonix has ruined it for me by sucking all the soul out of songs. I don't always know what they are saying but the songs are good and the vocals are impeccable. The tracks I enjoyed the most are: Unomathemba Hello my Baby Lomhlaba Kawunoni How Long Yibo Labo Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain Wawusho Kubani I am glad I was exposed to this one.

Their music is so beautiful. The only thing that knocks it down a bit for me is that the songs start to blur together for me after awhile.

This is why I'm still doing this challenge. Please, less hard rock and UK punk from the 70s and more of hidden gems like this one. Yeah its repetitive, but its truly an outstanding piece of music from a far away culture. I play it to my newborn to make him fall asleep, it's perfect!

I didn't understand a word, but it got me humming.

Pretty good African music. Reminds me of Lion King. It's pretty good, the band did some work with Paul Simon. I'm guessing that catapulted them to stardom. Great album, very different kind of music. Great harmonies.

Absolutely beautiful singing and maybe the most relaxing album I've come across, now 925+ albums deep. Funny enough, first thing I thought of was the singing at the start of Coming to America. 8/10.

Something about African music is really soothing, you can really feel the passion coming out of all the chants and vocals they put on all these songs

Very pleasantly surprised how much this got me in the feels. Rain, Rain, Beatiful Rain multiple times today. Feels good

Really amazing listening experience. The entire time I thought I was such an ignorant listener thinking that it sounded like Graceland (my only foothold in African inspired music) and then I read the wiki....

Very cool!!! I loved it!

I have enjoyed this album in the past. A nice refresher as it is part of my collection. Very beautiful and moved me. Always fun to hear music/vocals from other cultures as it helps us expand our horizons. Very enjoyable listen for me.

Interesting, unique, good and something I would have never of heard of without this project. The exact reason why I wanted to do it in the first place. 8/10

LBM is a great group. This was a a good album

I felt like I was at the most accepting and soothing religious service I have ever attended and the weight of the world was being removed from my shoulders.

Really lovely and virtuosic, comforting, sounds great.

Pretty sure I've listened to this before since I listened to their most popular work after hearing Paul Simon's Graceland for the first time as an adult. I really like almost everything they put down.

This is what I came here from. I wouldn’t normally listen to this sort of music, probably won’t listen again but really enjoyed it

4.1/5

lovely and relaxing

The World Music scene really hit its stride in the 80s. It's a strange genre as it's essentially a catch all term for most kinds of traditional non-Western styles, which is a pretty massive generalization. But for most Western audiences, the category does make sense as a way into different cultures. The backing of more familiar artists, like Paul Simon (who both collaborated with the group and produced this album) helps to make it feel more accessible. Then it's up to the power of the artists themselves to hold our attention. Ladysmith Black Mambazo certainly did manage to make some beautiful with this opportunity. Their harmonizing produces some great sonic depth for these songs. It's also quite refreshing to hear an a cappella album on this list. It might not be one I'd turn to often, but I hope to remember this album one day when I'm craving a change from my usual Spotify rotation.

Very beautiful soothing stunning work. Only reason it doesn’t get 5 stars is that I have a hard time listening to it all at once without getting a little bored. Still awesome and a must listen #60

Not sure what it is about this music, but it's eerily reminiscent of some horror movie that I saw... I wish I could remember what it was. I'm trying to place it but can't remember ... Something about school kids singing before a school shooter opens fire and someone running for his / her life scared through a ghetto. Passersby stop and shoot video with their phones and there's burning rubbish amid rundown Toyotas while black people dance. Ugggghhhh.. it's driving me crazy. I know I've heard this before. It's a horror movie, I think ... Found it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY

These guys were the highlight of Paul Simon’s Graceland. Their a cappella is intoxicatingly beautiful.

4.4 Really liked it, but will I listen to it again, dunno. Will I check out more LBM, probably.

Heard the 30th anniversary reissue, sounds better with then non-English tracks,

It was nice

This is nice if not a little repetitive. Graceland works better for me because the pop songs break things up

Technically listening to this in the province of the Western Cape, not Kwa-Zulu Natal—really hits nonetheless.

Lovely to listen too. Very smooth and unique and cleverly assembled. Not something I would ordinarily listen to but this is a work of art for sure

I love this music. Reminds me of being in Africa. So delightful. Also oddly fun to run to.

That Paul Simon comment is hilarious and fair. However, there is a reason why he and Peter Gabriel sampled and seemed to understand this tribal-roots music. That is because is hauntingly beautiful and other people needed to be exposed to it. On its own it is immersive and grand. True beauty a cappella.

My mum had this on vinyl so listening again after 30 ish years I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it

Hey, the really good part of that Paul Simon album. Fun stuff. As I'm only 5 albums away from completing the list, I wish there were more stuff like this. It's just interesting music. There has got to be more like it out there. If the authors could find hundreds of generic boring albums from the UK, they could have at least got them from Africa. That would be interesting. 3.5/5

Very Good,

4/5. This is a very beautiful album, with some grand voices that truly elevate the feeling of gospel. I am not a religious person, but this singing could make me believe. There are some songs that overstay their welcome, and the downside of speaking a different language, makes the experience not quite a masterpiece for me. I'm sure if I knew what they were saying, this could be perfect. Either way, I'm sure this is someone's 5/5 and I would have no notes. A great album to find in here. Best Song: Unomathemba, Hello My Baby, Yibo Labo

These dudes used to be on Sesame Street all the time when I was a kid. Loved them then, love them now. Simply beautiful music, absolutely washes over you with an overpowering sense of serenity

Lovely. Gorgeous vocals. A stunning album that really transported me on my usually dull commute.

Really enjoyable! Just set it running and fall down a canyon of harmonies.

Beautiful. Like water flowing over a stone or the wind blowing through tall grass. Enjoyed this. 4/5 Will listen again

Didn't listen to the whole thing but what I did hear was pretty good.

This is a lovely album. I see some reviews on this site saying that the singing wasn't in English, but to my ears much of it is. Anyway these are the singers who made Graceland. I'm not sure how much of an international profile they have, presumably since the group was founded in 1960 there is a turnover in members over the years. A nice album, but not something I see myself playing often.

Schön, sehr melodisch, A capella Chor.

African Wise Guys

Absolutely beautiful. Incredible use of the human voice, def worth the listen

9/30 never even heard of this. Immaculate vibes

I didn't understand most of what was said, but that didn't matter. This is impressive. I wish it had a little more "edge" to it, but enjoyed this regardless.

Such an unbelievable act, great to see them here.

I want a Lifesaver real bad. No instruments, but who needs instruments when you have voices like this? Brrrrrrrrrrrt!

This album was killer. Nothing at all sounds like Ladysmith Black Mambazo. They always bring a smile to my face. To my knowledge the Xhosa and Zulu are two of the dominant erhnicities in South Africa. Its my understanding also that the Xhosa (along with aboriginal people of Australia) have some of the oldest DNA among homo sapiens in the world. I can't imagine that the Zulu would be too far behind. Listening to this stuff I just imagined that this type of music probably goes back to ancient times and may be some of the oldest musical stylings within music. I dug it all.

This is so cool. Of course I know and love the Paul Simon song featuring them but had never listened to a full album. This is peaceful and harmonic, I could easily listen again.

Wonderful African Acapella.

Crisp and clear acapella voices with lush reverb, beautiful and uplifting tunes, a must listen album.

I wouldn't normally seek out a capella music, but I knew them from Graceland so had some frame of reference. Despite the lack of instruments, I found this really engaging. Some of the vocals they make are so unusual and inventive, it actually often sounds like instruments. The recording quality is fantastic as well. Quite a soothing listen overall.

Nice and peaceful

African "Mbube" music. Basically it is a male choir singing a cappella. The delivery is groups of people singing homophonically in rhythmic unison, and they use these layers of singing to create intricate harmonies. Kinda like an "asked and answered" kind of singing. It is fantastic. These guys got their big break when Paul Simon included them in a song (Homeless) on his record, Graceland. Favourite songs: "Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain", Uomathemba, How Long?, Yibi Labo - These Are The Guys, Lomhlaba Kawunoni - The Earth Never Gets Fat, King of Kings Least favourite songs: none 4/5

All male African Choir from Paul Simon's Graceland

An interesting listening experience. I've never listened to this kind of music before.

This is a beautiful and at times fun album. I listened to it on the way to the gym and then surprised myself by leaving it on as I warmed up. Usually I listen to more energetic music there but I couldn't turn this off. I really love the percussive vocalizations and various mouth sounds that are used as additional little textures throughout. They really stood out to me and contrasted the pretty and more typical sounding singing. I liked the final track and wanted more like that in there though. 4/5, and a cool album cover too.

Why does this record need to be so hard to get the full stream of? Paul Simon are you messing with Ladysmith Black Mambazo after all these years? A cappella music can be compelling when done well. This record (cobbled together from Spotify and Youtube) sounds convincing. There's also a 30 years revisiting of the record on Spotify which might not have the same spark but gives you a good outline of it too. Not my usual music of choice. I'm not reaching for an a cappella record in ninety-nine out of a hundred listens, but on that one where I'm feeling like something out of my usual habits I might pull this or something like it out.

CAILLOUPOWER finds sehr funny und auno sehr beruhigend iwie vill dezue z sege hani nöd aber bin froh dass wiedermal es nödwestlichs album debii isch rain, rain hani easy schön gfunde es isch gad würkli perfekt für en mentig morge ja also ebe vill hani nöd dezue z sege aber ich fühl mich es 4i will es isch huere beruhigendi und schöni musig gsi au wenn ich das jz in zuekunft nöd wird 24/7 lose hahaha

Loved the harmonies and vibes on this one 4/5

Ironically, I’ve been listening to the Joy for weeks. Good album.

“We sing covers of songs, but we do it without any instruments. It's all from our mouths!” -Pitch Perfect “I thoroughly enjoyed this album.” -me

I, like Cady Haron, love Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I listened to this in optimal conditions, a pleasant sunny summers evening. Even then it didn’t hit the heights I was hoping for. I still loved it though, the walking baseline in How Long? Was cool and I liked Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain.

Woah. What a great album. It’s so great to step out of traditional western music genres once in a while and appreciate the harmonies and beats in albums like Shaka Zulu. I could definitely put this on a playlist or two

Thought listening to a full album of acapella Zulu chants would get tiresome after a while, but it turns out there were enough interesting variations in the songs to keep me engaged until the very last seconds. Reading the Wikipedia blurb about this project, I found out that a very large part of it comprises new recordings of "hits" the vocal group had sprinkled throughout the many records they had already released in South Africa in the 15 years that preceded this one (if you want to have a little fun, check out the artwork of those albums, it's an endearing festival of kitschy pictures 🙂). So it doesn't come up as a surprise that *Shaka Zulu* is so accessible, because it looks like group leader and songwriter Joseph Shabalala has selected the cream of the cake here (beside the fact that around half of those tunes are sung in English). And it is absolutely not surprising either that those sessions were produced by Paul Simon, who had already used the band's impressive vocal skills on a few cuts from *Graceland*, released the year before. So much for the accusations that Simon bypassed the cultural embargo against apartheid... He was pivotal in getting Ladysmith Black Mambazo--and also Zulu culture at large--become a little more famous outside South African borders. It was *another* smart way to fight apartheid, I guess, even if it felt polemical at the time... Those (admittedly subtle) musical variations I've referred to up there are what makes the album the artistic success that it is, between the cutesy kiss sounds in the chorus of "Hello My Baby", the solemn, evangelical / biblical overtones of "Golgotha" and "King Of Kings", the equally solemn, but also elegiac "Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain", the wink to old American rock'n'roll basslines at the start of "How Long"--which then mutates into something totally mesmerizing with a 100% African character--, or the hypnotic stomping of feet during the conclusion of closer ""Wawusho Kubani?". Hope there'll be some room left for this record in my own list of 1001 "essential" albums. When you manage to convey so many ideas with such a quote-unquote "restricted" canvas, and when your art is bound to convey political awareness--because of the historical context that presided its birth--that means that you are artists who deserve to be noticed and remembered. 3.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 4. 8.5/10 for more general purposes (5+3.5) Number of albums left to review: 100 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 388 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 227 (including this one -- cultural blindspots and musical conditioning probably explain why I can't put *Shaka Zulu in my own list right away, but I guess that's unavoidable when you're making a subjective list of "essential" records with a finite number of them...) Albums from the list I certainly won't include in mine: 285

enjoyed this a lot more than i was expecting, really cool acapella album

Hard to go wrong with Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Always entertaining.

Very interesting and unique. Hard to rate those because of that. But I enjoyed it.

What if you took the BEST part of the BEST Paul Simon album, and you made THAT into its own album?

To call Shaka Zulu beautiful isn't descriptive enough. This a cappella group has some of the most amazing harmonies I've ever heard. Even when I don't understand the lyrics, it doesn't matter, because it's too easy just to focus on the vocals. "This Little Light of Mine" wasn't part of the original track listing but showcases how beautiful their rendition of a well-known American song can be when they only use their voices. What a wonderful inclusion Ladysmith Black Mambazo is.

It is great to see the development of a unique style and how it is blended across the world with other music.

¡Qué alegría escuchar este disco! me ha parecido una belleza de principio a fin. Me dejó una sensación de calma, de paz. Sobre todo me alegró escuchar Nomathemba, que la conocía de antes gracias a Putumayo.

A very cool changeup with this one! I really liked it. I went back and relistened to a few songs that stood out. I couldn't do an entire genre of it, but it's a great mix up from the plethora of British Rock on this list.

Interesting a cappella album

While I couldn't understand (most of) the lyrics, there was beautiful harmonization of the vocals with engaging music. It got a little repetitive, but again, maybe that is due to not being able to understand the lyrics. Overall enjoyable and exposure to a genre I would have never been exposed to.

Beautiful. I probably won't listen to this often, but I feel better having heard it and knowing it's there.

I love this album. I was one of my first ever vinyl purchases!! It’s so beautiful and relaxing, natural and grounded. Each track has the most amazing voices and harmonies. I'm hope they are singing about beautiful things, but I wouldn't know. I listened to it on repeat for a few hours during a pretty intense and stressful situation at work, and it helped keep me totally chilled!

I loved this! We had a Ladysmith Black Mambazo album on high rotation in my youth, but I’m not sure which one it was, I’ll have to track it down! Certainly Paul Simon got lots of airtime so I have a deep fondness for the tracks they collaborated on together. I loved that this album made the list - I wish there was more like it!

This reminded me of the Sesame Street alphabet song by these guys. Amazing stuff. Probably not coming back to it anytime soon but it’s good to have in the back pocket.

Kunnolla erilaista tällä listalla! Kesti pari biisiä ajatella, että tämähän on tosiaan a capellaa. Pidin melodioista ja rytmeistä.

Extremely enjoyable. Will definitely be in my rotation moving forward.

You don't need to understand the lyrics to resonate with the impact of this one. If you're ready to accept it, this album wants to embrace you with open arms and remind you that there's still some beauty in the world. But where's Paul?! I need my Paul!

There's a clear backstory to every non-anglo-centric album on this list; the author's decision to include it is invariably due to that artist's association with a white artist (today it's Paul Simon), or some other general acceptance by the anglo mainstream (the shorthand I use and see often here is 'you'd find this in the starbucks checkout'). Everyone has their proclivities, very few of us make the effort to plumb the musical depths of specific cultures/countries/continents, but this book was a collaboration, and the list is ostensibly the result of a group effort to craft a broad, definitive list. So it's kinda nuts that this album is likely the only piece of music from South Africa to break through; that's a .1% slice of the pie.

It's beautiful but not my usual taste. I also suspect the songs are way more religious than I usually play (just going by titles I can read).

4.

Lovely

listening this was absolutely beautiful. I love the harmonies and the rhythms of the vocals.

Lovely and meditative, but feels pretty background-y. One's glad world music gives us such experiences as this one and I’ll listen again (after 3x today) but one has no real way of knowing just how powerful this is as art, though one feels relatively sure the world would be a better place if we all listened to this lot more frequently.

I love Graceland a lot, easily one of my favorite albums of the 80’s (even though it doesn’t sound very 80’s to me). I had never listened to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but it took all of 3 seconds to recognize their voices from their contributions to Graceland. Shaka Zulu was a fantastic listen. I could listen to this all day. A wonderful album that I’ll be sure to revisit.

What's one thing we humans all have in common, regardless of nation, race, age, etc. etc. etc.? This album answers that question for me. Had to buy it because not on streaming, and I wanted to own this anyway. Certainly glad I did. Fantastic soundtrack for a hike. Timeless. Beautiful.

Very left of centre but chill and interesting in terms of origin not being western based. Saved on Spotify

pretty cool for a drive - great melodies and harmonies. not an everyday album though.

Just a fantastic album. Why so short though? I’ve only known this group as the background for Paul Simon on Graceland, but I was glad to finally hear them on their own.

Whoa! No instruments! This all-vocal album is an infectious treat, especially if you enjoy harmonization (this practically brings it to its logical end). Listened to: walking in prospect park. Favorite track: Unomathemba

So lovely. Close your eyes and sink into it. Or listen to it while on a train, like I did, and peacefully watch the landscape roll by.

Surely no accident to get this on May 2nd, 30 years from the day of Nelson Mandela's election in South Africa's first democratic election after the end of apartheid. Paradoxically, because of breaking the cultural boycott with Paul Simon, LBM became the sound of South Africa's freedom struggle in the Western imaginary in the late 1980s. They also became one of the first big groups in the emergent 'world music' genre - bringing a touch of exotic flavor to western record collections. Rooted in traditional Zulu harmony and genre, refracted through gospel choir traditions, the album sounds incredible: it's a recording that captures the depth, subtlety, range, and expressive capacity of the voice and a set of virtuosic performances that manifest the power of collectivity, collaboration and intradependence. I think this is the element of this music that made it rise to its occasion and endure since - the peaceful power and collectively rooted strength that's the foundation of harmony and that provides the platform for individual soloists and melodies to shine.

It's like ear bleach - lovely vibes for the right mood.

Always great to get something different on 1001 albums. I liked this, though it got a bit repetitive at times. Still enjoyable!

this was pretty cool and unique for this list. the harmonies and arrangements sound great, even if the songs all feel pretty similar. love that these guys are world-renowned at this point, with highlights to me personally being paul simon's graceland, the lion king 2 soundtrack, and a mention in Mean Girls. the english songs here were pretty heavy on the Christianity which didn't do much for me but still solid stuff. favorites: hello my baby, yibo labo, wawusho kubani, this little light of mine (bonus track)

It's amazing what human voices can do when they are THE instrument. You can feel the pride of Africa through the rhythmic "oooo's" and "mmmm's". I also wasn't aware that this was the group heard within Paul Simon's "Graceland", so perhaps I'll be seeing (or hearing) these guys again real soon!

beautiful

Loved it!!! so many good songs! the best vibes! 4stars cause i didnt really know what they were saying! would love to see them live.

soooo peaceful and gorgeous, i really enjoyed it

Lovely sounds, very soothing

Música africana. Shooting to fame as the vocal group on Paul Simon's classic album Graceland.

Initial instinct upon seeing this was that I wasn't going to be in the mood for it ... which turned out to be the best feeling because how can you not smile listening to this. Unadorned and clear, almost a gospel sound to it. I've really found that I enjoy non-English albums far more than I'd expected - no focusing on the lyrics and just the rhythm and melodies of the vocals themselves and how they fit with the music. An excellent surprise, and an amazing segue from yesterday's Slayer. 8/10 4 stars.

Beautiful a cappella compositions infusing traditional call and response with barber shop and doo-wop. This is exactly the kind of record for which this list was made. I probably never would have listened to it otherwise but am very glad I did!

Good recognition for a lovely collection of music.

I'm sure there are a hundred albums like this but as I don't know them I'm just gonna have to say it's very good.

World Music from 1987 Standouts: Rain Rain Beautiful Rain, How Long, Unomathemba, Beautiful harmonies. 4/5

Interesting. Very mellow and great harmonies. This little light of mine was my favorite.

Really, really enjoyed this!

A nice peaceful album. Sounds great, not much else to say.

Was not available but found a couple of songs of theirs and I love them

Beautiful vocal work. Worth the listen but will never listen to this again. 8/10 succeeds in exactly what they set out to dom

You love Ladysmith Black Mambazo! Funny because I've had Mean Girls on my mind this week. Shoutout to Stevie for finding this on Apple music for me because I couldn't. Apparently Apple has some organizational issues. This was great, and reminded me a lot of the singers on The Power of One soundtrack. Almost felt like church music too.

Wow, blown away by this one. Don't think I've heard them before, aside from their contributions to Paul Simon's Graceland, which we did get on here. We grew up on the Power of One soundtrack, and that's where my mind went first with this, but here the music is entirely a capella, no instruments at all. It's genuinely insane how much music this group is able to create with just their voices, the rhythms and bass lines are incredible. I found myself less interested in the English songs, but again, everything here is impressive at the very least. This is exactly the kind of album I wanted to find on a list like this, what a world. If you don't see the power and beauty in this, take a hike. Favorite tracks: Unomathemba, Hello My Baby, Golgotha, Lomhlaba Kawunoni, How Long, Ikhaya Lamaqhawe, Wawusho Kubani. Album art: Grey background, some lightly colored icons framed in the center. It's polished, it's clean, and it really doesn't give away the power of this at all. The version I found on Apple Music is a 30th anniversary with a water buffalo in the middle and the icons spread to the four corners. That works too. 4.5/5

Very interesting, thanks, was a great listen

They were the best part of the Paul Simon album too. Such a beautiful sound.

There is something truly special hearing musicians give full throttle expression to their art and creating something magical. Ladysmith Black Mambazo are extraordinarily gifted and the music is transporting.

On Spotify I can only access three songs. They were as good as I remember.

Listened to this while cooking and it was v relaxing and nice

Beautiful and interesting acapella, harmonious and simple.

I don't know why this album is on here, but I like it.

It's pretty hard to evaluate this one, but receiving the different kinds of stuff on the 1001 list is very interesting. It's like a cleaning session from the amount of "same album" from the 80s that sometimes runs the list.

Actually loved this, listen to it whilst driving back from Olly’s place. The weather was wild, very very windy and rainy. Was a great vibe when driving over the Severn Bridge to Wales

Good and relaxing. I read this is the same group that worked with Paul Simon on Graceland; nice to hear more of that sound!

Highlights: Unomathemba, Rain Rain Beautiful Rain, King of Kings. In a nutshell: meditative and joyful. This the kind of acapella album you can get behind - it comes from the heart. The harmonies remind me of gospel, spiritual or church choir music, but they're not preachy. I think these performances were an embodiment of hope in such horrible times. Overall: 7/10

3.8/5 Best Track: Lomhlaba Kawunoni - The Earth Never Gets Fat

Despite having no idea what they're singing about, it must be uplifting and happy because the music sure is. They can definitely sing and the rhythms and beats are smooth, so it was an easy listen, not too challenging or complicated. Many feel LBM wouldn't have become internationally popular without their contribution to Paul Simon's album, Graceland, but the same could be said back as they helped revitalized Simon's stagnant career back in the 80's. On their own right they are a mighty fine talented group.

One of my favorite parts of this generator is being able to get introduced to beautiful world music like this. A very enjoyable listen!

Great stuff, love these guys.

Such beautiful voices. Fantastic album.

Rich, beautiful choral music. Makes amazing background music, but it’s worth sitting and intentionally listening to as well.

Great choral/acapella music, peaceful and uplifting.

Really enjoyed it! I don’t often listen to this type of music. It was very soothing. Obviously a talented group of singers. Good background music when working too.

The original link for this is missing tracks, at least on Spotify. Listen to the 30th Anniversary Celebration album instead. Beautiful a capella!

Beautiful work

Really nice album, amazing harmonies.

You know how people bang on about vinyl having analogue warmth? This has that, except for choirs. Zulu appears to be the vinyl of choir voices. Like luxuriating in a warm bath of sound. Do you occasionally expect Paul Simon to pop up? Yeah, a wee bit, but you're not actually disappointed when he doesn't, and that is very impressive!

Beautiful composition. Very relaxing and moving.

A very pleasant morning listen. Hopefully the little man didn't steal too much of the profits - though I wouldn't count on it ...

Soweto sleepy-time tunes.

OBAFGKMN

Génial ! Je connaissais déjà certains sons mais l’album a une ambiance unique. Pas fan de certains sons où les paroles se répètent mais le reste compense bien

What harmonies! You can’t listen to this without coming away feeling peaceful and relaxed.

Very awesome.

Simple beautiful. The voices. The harmonies. The melodies. The acapella rhythm.

Super relaxing African beats… I could definitely chill to this sound 4 of 5

Really appreciate African music more and more as I listen to it

4.0 YouTube

Beautiful harmonies. I, like so many other people of my generation were inundated with "world" music through things like The Lion King; I never really appreciated it as a kid and had basically written it off (unjustly) because of how omnipresent it was. For all this lists faults, I will always appreciate it for opening me up to rediscovering African music and learning to truly love it. I know I'm barely scratching the surface, but it's exciting to know how much is out there to explore

Had to be in the mood but very soothing enjoyed a lot. 3.8

Amazing work by an amazing group!! I love these sounds they create, I'm so impressed by how they work together like one musical instrument and make the sounds blend. It's magic! I only discovered this group after the album Graceland which I LOVE and this is like taking some of the best bits of that album and making it its own thing (I guess it is literally that) so it's great and I enjoy it very much.

I had a very strange experience with this album. This very Tuesday morning I was listening to recordings of the Fijian rugby players singing and was incredibly taken by it. I read comments that there is lots of similarities to south African music. I had made a mental not to listen to more south African and Fijian choral singing. Later that day I look up album du jour and it was this one! Delightful. I listened twice. Owing to one being quite a drunken listen on the way back from London having seen BCNR with Will and Benji. I think it's such warm magical music and I'm so impressed by the layers of harmonising. Wonderful. I think they have sung lion king songs, must research more

I loved this. Really nice and just what I needed on a Monday morning at work. When it started I thought 'this sounds like Paul Simon's Graceland' then I thought 'wow, you hear one South African band and you straight away think it's the one off of Graceland, aren't you awful' Anyway, turns out, it is the band off of Graceland.

De voornaamste bijdrage van dit gezelschap aan de popmuziek lijkt me hun medewerking aan het album Graceland van Paul Simon. Want het zijn onmiskenbaar dezelfde heren. Wel aardig voor een keer, maar ten opzichte van wat we al bij ome Paul gehoord hadden, brengt dit album weinig nieuws.

Maailmanmusiikista taitaa filtteri olla sen verran kova, ettei tälle listalle oo päätynyt kuin hyviä levyjä siitä genrestä. Tykkäsin tästäkin siis, 4/5

I can't believe the first time I heard of Ladysmith Black Mambazo it was because they were mentioned in Mean Girls. I didn't have a huge preference for any particular song. I just love vocal harmonies in general.

The harmonies and style are amazing. I feel bad that I can't understand it. Wonderful music but it's just too much for me to fully grasp.

makana kävely wibas....historia hymyilee minulle, kun olen tuhonnut sinun kaltaisesi ja muut ympärilläni olevat tuholaiset (sota julistettu)...war music...hell music... unomathemba

Given a complete and total lack of context for this style of music I am really unsure how to approach a review. I suppose my main takeaway is that for what this is it sounds absolutely beautiful. The production is remarkably clean and it is awe inspiring what this group of men are able to do with their voices alone. The supporting harmonies are incredibly rich and often heartwarming (not dissimilar to a nice cup of cocoa on a cold day). The coordination is impressive as the groups move fluidly and interact with one another. For the 40 minutes this was on I was filled with a certain sort of bliss and that can't be discounted. That said, despite the positivity throughout the listen this isn't an album I can imagine myself reaching for again. Thankful for this one pass if nothing else. Solid to high 4.

The album is a bit one note, but it's a beautiful note, at least. Not something I'm going to be in the mood for every day, but I can't deny that I enjoyed what I heard.

I love listening to music from around the world, it is one of my favorite aspects of this project!

I remember hearing their name dropped in Mean Girls and realizing it was the name of a musical group, then looking them up and realizing I've already known some of their work. If I had been Cady Herring though, I would've gone with my parents to the concert.

The music seems ancient as if pulled from deep within the earth.

12th July 2023 Listened a day late in the morning while doing chores. Spent yesterday “working” and watching mission impossible 3. Did a tour of Glos hosp with Alice in the evening. This was like listening to one long upbeat prayer.

grande trabalho vocal a capela, interessante

If there's a more beautiful album on this list, I'm going to be very surprised.

Wonderful world music - if that's still there right term. Nothing but voices, but absolutely beautiful and uplifting.

This was really cool to listen to. Not something I would ever thing to check out but I'm really glad this was on the list.

This isn’t music I typically lean to however the harmonies mixed with the rhythmic qualities are really, really solid.

Very enjoyable but it's hard to tell where one track ends and another begins. Fave tracks Hello My Baby and Rain, Rain Beautiful Rain.

Very pleasant listening, though perhaps a bit one note. Fave track - "Shaka Zulu (King of Kings) - love the clicking! Also enjoyed the ululations on "Homeless" though I think that's a bonus track...

What does Shaka Zulu eat for breakfast? Lamb chops

Huh. An acapella South African band? A very good record? Yep.

Epic chil…

Nice african acapella music, harmonious and spacy I hope calling it acapella is appropriate

Supa chill

Obviously not getting anything out of the mostly non-English lyrics, but nothing to fault with the music, top tier for tight vocal harmony.

I am a big fan of this, although I do wish there was maybe a bit more rhythm like that of the last track.

This album is recorded so well that it feels like the listener is surrounded by the singers. The vocals are warm, inviting, and most importantly, incredibly well done. The singers in Ladysmith Black Mambazo show on this album that they are not merely background singers for western artists, but are serious artists in their own right. The gospel like melodies make this album accessible to western ears, but for me, the honesty and beauty in the voices resonate with me, even if I cannot understand most of what is being sung. That emotional connection without understanding is what makes this album great.

really fun! good vibes I doubt I’d ever give this a second listen but it’s certainly fun enough to hear once 8/10

first listen absolutely beautiful and a shame they only became known because of Paul Simon

Really gorgeous. Warm, joyous, uplifting. I'm pretty sure I added a day to my life listening to this. Fave Songs: King of Kings, Golgotha, Lomhlaba Kawunoni, Unomathemba, Wawusho Kubani?

Spiritual, minimal, beautiful

enjoyed this

Enjoyed

Really amazing album. I've never listened to this one in full and it was great music to have on while working. It flows from song to song really well and just has a great vibe. I could definitely continue to revisit this one. Standout Tracks: this is difficult because it flowed very naturally through the album, so I didn't always clock the specific songs. It's really nice as a whole piece.

This was good, but the songs sounded the same and kind of blended together.

Very pleasant, soothing, cozy even. No edges on these harmonies just a pretty, thick blanket of song. I especially dig the lower range voices which are so resonant on this recording. Lovely.

I love this!

Relaxing african a capella gospel music. Puts you in a good mood during the work day!

So random, and equally good.

This has been a really important album to me that I’ve listened to be fore and I’ll listen to again, but on this listen through I didn’t find it as engaging as a I have in the past

Omg. I expected not to like this album. Boy was i ever wrong. I love it. It's relaxing and it will definitely get an add in my shuffle

"But you love Ladysmith Black Mambazo!" A lot of people know this group from that classic Mean Girls reference. And while Cady (the REAL Cady, not the Plastics Cady) has great taste, that's actually not where I first heard about them. I heard them in a song many years ago on a Josh Groban album on a song called "Lullaby". It's worth a listen, you should look it up. But regardless of where you first heard about them, they're great. Their sound is relaxing and mellow but without putting you to sleep. I can't tell you how many albums on this list are just DULL, or so mellow that they're basically rocked me to sleep. This album's a nice middle ground that way. Fave track: "How Long?" Harmonies are killer.

Liked it way more than I thought I would. Good stuff.

If I was to describe this album in a single word it would be "evocative". Spectacularly recorded and produced by Paul SImon, you can see why this album was a global smash. Unlike most crossovers though, this one feels like it keeps most of its spirit without falling into the trap of diluting the sound to appeal to a western audience

A great argument to listen to more foreign language music

Just not qualified to judge this but I enjoyed hearing it and I will listen again. I get the links to doo-wop and gospel, though I have no clue how innovative or subtle, etc. this might be. One is glad that world music, a mockable trend, did offer benefits such as introductions to bands such as this.

Great! I’ve never listened to this album before but I enjoyed it immensely!

They are probably the most iconic inclusion on the Graceland album, and what made me fall in love then is on full display here. They demonstrate how little is needed to make beauty and emotion in music.

Chilled, melodic and beautiful, just lacking intensity and variety.

Loved this music. Will be exploring more of their catalogue. Had obviously know that Paul Simon worked with a South African group for Graceland but didn't know they had so many albums of their own. 4/5

great album

O takie picki wlasnie nic nie robilem, powiew swiezosci prosto z afryki, moze tak prosto, bo plyta prawdopodobnie byla nagrywana w tym samym studio co Graceland Paula Simona, nie jest to bez znaczenia, bo tak jak ladysmith black mambazo mial swoj udzial w nagraniach materialow u Simona, tak Simon jest obecny na tym krazku jako osoba odpowiedzialna za produkcje i miedzynarodowy sukces tego zespolu z Ladysmith RPA, Shaka Zulu to 36 minutowy album zawierajacy jedynie wokale, wiec w zachodnim okresleniu gatunku bylby to album a cappella, ale w afryce na taka forme muzyki mowi sie isicathamiya, oznacza on tradycyjna muzyke ludu Zulusow, ktora bialy czlek rozpozna zwlaszcza po klikaczowych dzwiekach ktore spiewacy potrafia z siebie wydawac, juz wczesniej pojawila sie na liscie podobna pozycja od Pani Miriam Makeba, ktora podeszla do tematu bardziej w stylu muzyki popularnej, natomiast panowie z black mambazo daja bardziej kaplicowego viba, dodatkowo idealnie zbalansowana jest ilosc utworow w jezyku angielskim i zulu, czlowiek slucha czegos z czego slowa nie rozumie zeby plynnie przejsc do czegos rownie egzotycznego, ale juz z slowami ktore potrafi rozszyfrowac, rownie ciekawe jest jak jeden sukces potrafi zbudowac inny, gdyby pana Simona nigdy nie wywialo do afryki i akurat do tamtych rejonow, to o kapeli pewnie nikt poza rodzinnym krajem sie nie dowiedzial, a tak po sukcesie gracelanda udalo im sie sprzedac tak unikalne brzmienie szerszemu gronu sluchaczy i prawie 40 lat pozniej zespol nadal funkcjonuje, prowadzi fundacje majaca promowac kulture i muzyke zulu i nadal jest sluchany, jak nawet na urodzinach u krolowej z buckingham grali w 2k18, z 10 kawalkow na plejke rzuce po jednym z obu jezykow, zulusowm pickiem bedzie otwierajacy unomathemba, z angielskiego natomiast deszczowy song, zupelnie inne zabarwienie emocjonalne ma deszcz jesli jest spiewany przez kogos z czarnego kontynentu, wiec rain, rain, beautiful rain

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Wasn't expecting this! What a pleasant surprise! It's not really in their full power but very clean and light. There should be more African a capella music out there!

This was my first time hearing a full album from Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I have heard many songs from them and I have seen them in concert. "Rain, Rain Beautiful Rain” was the only track that seemed familiar to me. The rest was new, but in the familiar Ladysmith Black Mambazo style. "Unomathemba" was my favorite track and a great way to open the album as the deeper voices began filling in behind the lead vocals. Not a lot stood out from this album, but because I know that I enjoyed this listen, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a group that I like, I might be back for a second listen in the future.

an incredibly serene album. the harmonies are beautifully done. listening to this album was calming and immersive, even with how simple it was! i thoroughly enjoyed listening to this :) the mouth sounds (e.g. clicking, hissing) were an interesting and lovely addition to the singing. it adds another level to the a capella. i really appreciate this diverse recommendation and would love to hear more like it!

Listen to this album at full volume. This album neeeeeds its full dynamic range. I listened to the first half in class. I had it about half volume so I could still hear the lecture. I didn’t reallly care about what was going on in the album. I was kinda bored and wanted it to end. During passing period I turned it all the way up and BAM it was beautiful. I noticed the difference right away so I restarted the album. It’s so smooth. The harmonies are like butter. I feel like I’m being sung a lullaby. It is a very very serene album.

Falleg plata, dásamlegar raddir og harmoníur.

It was good until it jumped into some sort of fusión electrónica but then I realized Spotify just jumped to something else. So, it was quite enjoyable

really really cool listen

They are fantastic, this album is transcendental.

At last, something different! Beautiful. To those who think Paul Simon exploited them, note that they had been together since the 1960s and recording from 1973 - yet no-one knew who they were outside of South Africa, until he brought them to worldwide attention practically overnight. Ask how exploited they feel about that.

Prekrasno. Slušala sam album ujutro u krevetu sa slušalicama i 30 minuta nisam o ničemu razmišljala

Lovely

For sure worked with Paul Simon. It's the spine of some of later work and you can hear it's influence over the last 35 years.

Really good introduction to their sound and very relaxing to listen to. Without knowing the lyrics, a whole album almost felt like listening to Gregorian chants or renaissance choral works.

Eens iets anders dan ik gewoon ben. Ik zou hier op bijvoorbeeld 'Festival Dranouter' ongetwijfeld zeer hard van kunnen genieten. Het heeft iets gospelachtig, maar tegelijk wel dromerig. Maar ik ben niet compleet overdonderd

Relaxing, joyous, blissful human voices in perfect harmony.

Beautiful harmonies!

Probably the most unique thing on this list so far. From the Graceland album. This was really badass but it’s definitely not something I could listen to every day. Fave tracks: “How Long”

Ótima revelação de música africana.

Really great. Didn’t realise they’d been going for that long but just a great sound.

This is another band I came across quite randomly when searching for something different. I went to browse the foreign section of a record store and picked the one LBM LP they had (it wasn't the one 1001 sent us) since, based on the cover photo, they didn't look like they would be playing the same crap the radio stations were force feeding us. The picture sung a thousand words! Their singing is beautiful and they create lovely melodies without instruments. My personal music culture makes it tough to listen to an entire album of a capella. In the late 90s they put out an album that had Dolly Parton on lead vocals. On that LP they had instruments on the DP song and some other songs which mixed it up nicely.

Something different on the list. A great sound, really calming and relaxing

Un disco muy muy chulo. La verdad en parte de eso siento que se trata el discos que "debes" escuchar, también es el punto de conocer y adentrarte en estilos musicales tradicionales que normalmente se pasan por alto. De todas las cosas con sonido africano que nos ha tocado esta es la más sencilla, auténtica y tradicional, aparte de ser un estilo de canto que me agrada mucho. Me hace pensar que me encantaría que hubiera algun disco por ejemplo de cantos de tuvan mongol, o canto tibetano, un disco de una obra de kabuki, hay muchos estilos musicales que cuadrarían perfecto en el punto de cosas que "debes" escuchar al menos una vez, dudo mucho que llegue a esos puntos la lista pero al menos esta entrada es agradable de ver. Punto interesante (y esperaría que no fuera la única razón por la que hubieran caido aquí o no habrá más cosas de este tipo) es que el grupo cantó con Paul Simon en el disco de Graceland y de ahí fue que se dieron un poco a conocer.

Por un lado, qué bonitos y bien cuidados arreglos vocales. Creo que es el primer disco 100% a capella que nos ha tocado y me parece que es un gran ejemplo de algo que debes oír, aunque sea por abrir horizontes. Por otro lado, creo que todo lo no-occidental que hemos oído es africano, y quizá haya un tanto de sesgo en ese sentido. Eso, obviamente no le quita calificación a este disco.

Very pleasant and almost hypnotic sound. I can imagine that when this was first released it was groundbreaking.

Great harmonies. Very soothing.

“Oh yeah, those guys from that Paul Simon album. Whatever happened to them…?” These guys are great. Always enjoy hearing them. A capella music is always so refreshing to listen to, and this one I know none of the songs. Nice palate cleanser.

Really enjoyed the album, even that guy that kept making that clicking noise. Relaxing and beautiful.

Very very relaxing, Enya vibes. Not my thing but a good listen

Familiar sounds reminiscent of Paul Simon's Graceland Album - As it should...

I really enjoyed this album. Went and listened to Graceland by Paul Simon afterwards

Beautiful sounds and use of voices

Listening to this while walking through the Bird Sanctuary was like a religious experience.

Really enjoyed this

South African a cappella band, I liked it more than I expected.

Great harmonies, good music for cooking or working

Vibes. A little repetitive

Such nice vocal music. I listened to it while at work and it was just the right amount of relaxing.

Good background music to work to

I liked it!! Different than my usual sounds, but :)

vibez

I liked it.

Beautiful and soothing. A much appreciated sojourn.

Great discovery!!!

Música africana. Shooting to fame as the vocal group on Paul Simon's classic album Graceland,

So peaceful and soothing.

La verdad está muy chingón. "A surprise to be sure but a welcome one"

Cool album of beautiful a capella and amazing harmonies.

Definitely an album worth listening to. A unique sound and a joy to listen to. Yes, I just wrote that.

Another good album I never would have known

Good shit. Calm, beautiful, peaceful

Very calming, healing album. Goes great on a park stroll to just clear your head and energy. A lot of it blends together, language barrier issue but it smoothly transitions all the way through. Standout Tracks: Golgotha, Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain, Wausho Kubani? (Who Were You Talking To?)

It's a relaxing listen, but I'm not sure if there'd ever be a moment in my life again when I'd go "I wanna relisten to Shaka Zulu!" The album has a pretty interesting background though, and is produced by Paul Simon, so I'm not opposed to it being on the list. It's just that it doesn't really hit me on a musical enjoyment levels as much as it hits me on the musical intrigue levels.

It’s nice as first but gets a bit repetitive. Needs a bit of drums, guitar, keyboard etc to flesh it out and break the monotony

I’m a big fan of Graceland and obviously plenty of similar vibes with this one. Enjoyable enough listen but probably wouldn’t get on my regular listening rotation.

Kind of amazing the grandiose feel these guys can get with only vocals. Favorite track: Hello My Baby

Unique good losten

We listened to this music in the car. After 20 minutes I asked my girlfriend: how do you like this album? Her response: ah, this is not still the first song? That pretty much sums it up. Yes, significant music, and I don’t dislike it, it is just very similar to me. No strong emotions. Three stars.

nice enough, but you kept wanting to hear Paul Simon jump outta there

Its making me want to listen to Graceland (that must be on here, right)

tiene valores de producción pero hay que estar de humor y más metido en el género para escuchar algo así 3.0

Beautiful, entrancing voices. No idea on the subject matter but I'm sure it's as pure as the driven snow.

Vond het heel vet maar wel het gevoel dat ik na 5 minuten al heel het album heb gehoord

2.5

Uh, it's OK? Obviously talented, kinda cool to hear the acapella, but all the tongue clicking mouth noise stuff got kind of old after awhile. I'm aware it's a language, but it's also on my nerves. Like German.

youtube.com/watch?v=CCcMPFu4pD4

Great craft and talent but not something that I'm likely to listen to again. Hard to separate it in my mind from the Paul Simon thing.

Slipped into the background a bit but it's an album I will listen to again.

Not sure if it’s a bad thing or a good thing that I couldn’t get the Broadway version of the Lion King out of my head when I listened to this.

I only knew Ladysmith Black Mambazo from Paul Simon and was happy to be immersed in this album. Ultimately, despite the quality and consistency of this sound, a whole album was a bit too much. I would dip in again but not really able to identify a particular track that stands out.

Se han ganado a capela tres estrellas

Nice but meh

Decent

Muy entretenido, hermosas voces armónicas

They're good at what they do and this makes for a pleasant listen. Lacking variety, though.

I have an uncomfortable response to this. I want to be embracing it for just what it is, but it’s difficult to disassociate it from Graceland. It is totally listenable but while I’d like to be connecting with it on an emotional level, instead it feels more like an enjoyable familiar texture, rather than a strong artistic statement, particularly on the tracks with a language barrier. I know this on me, but it’s my review. I’m pretty sure Paul Simon did them dirty. The cool thing would have been to let Ladysmith have a spotlight and humbly stand behind them safe in the knowledge you’d written your best songs in 10 years. He’s had a lot of arrogance about him though, and I trust Steven Van Zandt on issues regarding music and apartheid and SVZ says the collaboration shouldn’t have happened. The rights and wrongs put aside for a moment, Ladysmith did get a massive boost by featuring on Graceland. I can’t believe this album would have been in the 1001 otherwise. It is a solid album of the thing that it is, but it doesn’t get my attention. Feels background-y when it should probably be more than that.

Not my thing

You know what? This is kinda nice. Not great, not bad. Feels like optimism.

Pretty good music to chill to. Halford’s Golgotha is much better though.

Finally, after nearly 100 albums, one from the "Global South". LBM are an excellent group, and this is a fine collection of songs showcasing their immense skill. Despite this being purely a capella it does feel a little overproduced (quite an artifical timbre?) and is merely a collection of good tunes rather than a considered "album", as such. Would be interesting to check out some older cuts...

Pleasing as background music. You really do get a sense of the culture, the clicks in the language, and the singers are talented. Paul Simon wouldn’t settle for less, I’m sure, and this was produced at a very important time in South African history. That being said, there is a heavy use of cheese here. It’s practically a broccoli casserole. They’re singing with kissy sounds, they do a whole rendition of This Little Light of Mine- yeah, that’s a bit much. There are nice vibes here. It’s definitely a ‘feel good’ piece. But it can get so sappy it’s soggy.

I didn't mind it, it was relaxing chill and a good vibe. Was very spiritual and heartwarming. Not sure I would go back to it though, just isn't anytime music. Also each song was rather repetitive and very one note.

This was cool vibes, but it was too slow and repetitive and chanty for anything to really draw me in.

Ok for an occasional listen but not my fav.

The African tribes run through me!

Beautiful harmonies for sure, but there isn’t much else here.

Enjoyable

Completely neutral on this.

A nice little detour to Africa. I probably won’t come back to it but respect what they’re going for and love how it can transport you to a different continent. Rating: 2.7

Curioso, fue divertido escucharlo

album #48 When I started this project/challenge with my partner, this is moreso what I was expecting! Music that you wouldn't necessarily hear in the mainstream as often, but is worth hearing before you die. I think this list definitely suffers from too much Western (specifically UK/US) influence, and oft tries to offset this in a terribly unsubtle way. You shouldn't have 500 Morrissey albums and then such a small amount of music from any country that doesn't speak English...! Just saying lol. It's a difficult undertaking, to make a list such as this, but sometimes it feels a touch sloppy and lacking in diversity (from a genre, language, year, and country perspective). It well displays the systemic exclusion of non-white, LGBTQ+, and non-western music which is sad. Maybe they should have renamed the list, I don't know. Again, I respect it's a hard balance and I'm enjoying the project and that it's exposing me to music I haven't heard before (such as this album!), but I think it's also important to explore the issues with this list and what could be improved upon. We need to stop giving white men the microphone on music opinions LMAO. Either way, I'm glad the list exists because it means i can partake in this fun little project and also because it allows for these conversations! :) ꩜ average track rating: 2.4/5 ꩜ favourite track(s): yibo labo, unomathemba ꩜ least favourite track(s): hello my baby ꩜ album rating: ★★⯪☆☆ ꩜ number of albums left to review: 1,041 ꩜ number of albums from the list that i agree with being on the list: 29 (+1 Shaka Zulu) ꩜ albums from the list that I would consider on my list: 11 ꩜ albums from the list I won't include on my list: 37