Graceland

The music itself is creative for its time. I don’t care for Paul Simon’s voice. You can call me Al is ok tho

Decent album but nothing necessarily playlist worthy

#352. Like all of Paul Simon's work, this is just bland. 2/5: meh

You all know the rants against it. But two points for Al.

Even if I could get past the culture vulture nonsense at the heart of this album, there's something just utterly milquetoast about this - like the people who enjoy this also enjoy the Beach Boys 'Kokomo.'

Very messy tracks call me al best song by a mile. But he tried something with all the African inspiration.

The African guest artists are interesting to me, Paul Simon absolutely is not. This album also sounds very dated for 1986.

I often fall short of loving Paul Simon's work, but I do enjoy about half of S&G's albums, as well as his first few solo records. Other white musicians have been inspired by African music. This isn't a bad thing. Talking Heads took inspiration from afrobeat and turned it into post-punk masterpieces that have aged like fine wine. This, however, feels different but bad. The shitty synth sounds, the muddled layering of indigenous-sounding choral tracks underneath obnoxiously cluttered lyrics, the poor-man's-Jaco bass tone, the schlocky/smarmy/saccharine lyrical content... it's all so try-hard. And I probably wouldn't even like Call Me Al if the music video didn't make me like it in the 90s.

Бесхребетная музыка

1. bubble - 1 2. graceland - 1 3. knouu - 0 4. gumbootz - 1 5. diamondz - 1.5 6. call me- 1.5 7. african zkiez - 1 8. homelezz - 1.5 9. crazy love - 1.5 10. mother - 1 11. uuorld - 1

Det er godt nok et mærkelig sammensat album. Det stikker i alle mulige retninger. Og ikke på den gode måde. Hittet er egentlig et ret sjovt nummer, desværre formår resten af albummet ikke at ramme det samme.

Not a bad album, but not one that I was interested in. Some African stuff in there which sounded cool. Not keen to why this is historical. I liked the one song I knew, which was You Can Call Me Al. Can’t put a pin in why this didn’t mesh with me. Standouts: Gumboots and You Can Call Me Al.

MORE paul simon whatevvvveerrrrr just f off im over it theres so much other music i would rather listen to

You Can Call Me Al generated

if I was a bookworm whimsical woman living on my own in a bustling city that never sleeps, I mightve given this a 4

What was this Didn't like it - instruments going wild, screeching backing vocals, some sort of talking over the songs? Bad It got an extra star purely because of You Can Call Me Al and the nostalgia it brought me 2 ⭐️

Man you can tell he went on vacation for this one with the African paul simon shit haha

This album is super weak. Every time I hear Paul Simon's solo stuff I always think how much better he was with Garfunkel. He was a great songwriter for the most part but whatever Garfunkel contributed to the music really made it stand out for me. I'm kind of surprised that this is the second of his solo albums I've had so far on this list and I'm not even 20% of the way in. Surely we could have just had one or two S&G records and called this box checked. I saw another review that called this album something like 'sanitized world music for white people' and I think that's really the best description. I won't be coming back to this one. 2/5

My parents listened to this album a lot when I was a kid and I hated it. Come to find out it’s considered one of the greatest albums of all time, critically acclaimed, blah blah blah. So I was excited to come back to it as an adult with new perspective. Sadly, still no dice for me. The biggest thing I can’t get over on this album is that I know Paul Simon can sing (see bridge over troubled water) but for some reason this whole album is mostly weird half singing/talking randomness. Even though I typically love a good brass section, it just really doesn’t do it for me here either. You can call me, unsatisfied.

When it's nice it's nice, however for all the talk of world influences present on the album, none of them really amount to anything beyond occasional bleached backdrop for this signature white people music.

Eh sounds like an 80s soundtrack

I had a coworker put me onto this album before, but it didn't really sink in then. I appreciated how different it was from his other work with Garf.

Zydeco? At least it had call me Al

Een klassieker in één van de meest cringy muziekgenres: Worldbeat. Wereldmuziek in het algemeen kent een dubieuze titel, die de verhoudingen tussen het Westen en 'de rest' op scherp zet. Maar dat is een ander verhaal, eentje voor tijdens een hoorcollege Sociale Geografie. Op dit album pakt het wel goed uit, en lijkt Paul Simon de lingua franca der muziek wel te verstaan. Het oliet op de meeste nummers erg goed met de uiteenlopende sessiemuzikanten, vooral afkomstig uit Afrikaanse uithoeken. Maar - net als bij het meeste solowerk van de man - zie ik er niet veel meer in dan gewoon goede popmuziek. Het album begint voortvarend met een drietal puike songs, dat aan het einde van de rit nog steeds bestempeld kunnen worden als hoogtepunt. Het middenstuk met vintage 80s 'You Can Call Me Al' is ook wel behapbaar, maar daarna keldert het album de afgrond in. Het wordt daarna wel heel plat en carnaval-esque, wat de toch al problematisch genretitel niet ten goede komt. Een beetje een vervelende nasmaak geeft het wel. Desalniettemin, 'gewoon goede popmuziek'. 6,5/10 Highlights: The Boy in the Bubble Graceland I Know What I Know

Meh. It’s alright, quite like how it’s different to a lot of other pop records of the time. Call me Al obviously a total classic (imagine how buzzing you’d be if you were dicking about on a keyboard and come up with that tune?!), quite liked Under African Skies too. Most songs here are decent and forgettable. Painfully beige at times.

Didn't realise Paul Simon was the Simon in Simon and Garfunkel..... Didn't particularly like this, it's very twee and found it pretty irritating in parts. This weird faux conversations he describes in some tracks. Diamonds in the soles of her shoes for example. Call me Al is obviously pretty iconic, although I'm not sure how much I actually like that song. Probably the best thing here though 2

Not feeling this one. I just don't like his voice. A lot of the songs also sound dated and cheesy in a bad way. I would give this a 3 but I'm subtracting a star for the apartheid stuff.

White guy"discovers"African music. Paul Simon is the least interesting musician on this album

Interesting inclusion as I thought the consensus was this this is where Simon had started to lose his way. Listening to it suggests the consensus was right. Utterly confused by this - is it meant to be delta blues inspired by Elvis? If so what’s with all the township singing? Baffled.

Pauls gone to a bit too far with this. If it was purely the Chevy Chase collaboration " You can call me al " it would be 5 but the rest is worse than Sting.

не могу особенно ничего сказать. под данные работы меня качало. было весело, но не более. под конец композиции наскучили

La única pieza que me gustó fue Homeless, que presenta voces a capella que armonizan en estilo africano, lo cual se explica por el hecho de que buena parte de este álbum fue grabado en Sudáfrica. El resto de los temas son planos, carentes de dinámica, y Simon falla en transmitir emoción alguna en su voz. Supongo que ese es su estilo, pero a mi no me gusta. You Can Call Me Al se rescata simplemente por los recuerdos que evoca de mi infancia.

Pretty meh.

Da hat also Paul Simon seine kreative Krise mit Hilfe afrikanischer Musik und Musiker:(innen?) überwunden. Der Erfolg sei ihm gegönnt. Ich kann mich noch gut an die damaligen Lobeshymnen der Kritiker erinnern, dazu kam eine hohe Radiopräsenz. Nur leider kann ich damit so gar nichts anfangen.

Heard it before. No need to listen again.

Sounds good, but not really my style. Sometimes it sounds like Christian rock

30 odd years on this album feels like a white guy stole a bunch of African music and tried to pass it off as his own. If you’re a Paul Simon fan it has everything that makes him a unique artist - I just feel like age has not been kind to it.

- Hmm - Ich finde diesen weltmusikalischen Einschlag dieses Album eigentlich total cool, aber am Ende gings mir dann doch leider etwas auf die Nerven. Wenns mir nicht auf die Nerven ging, wars mir dann etwas zu langweilig. - Selbst der absolute megahit You Can Call Me Al lässt mich leider kalt - Insgesamt leider eine Enttäuschung, auch dadurch, dass ich irgendwie davon ausgegangen bin, dass ich dieses Album gut finde. 2/5

- ganz entspannt - driftet aber auch in Langeweile ab zwischendurch

"Dated" is a good word for the sound of this LP. Not in its politics - though it sounds as though Simon did act rather callously by some of his fellow musicians and advice-givers - but in its slappy, caged drums, "bwah" bass, prose-like lyrics. Some tracks are stronger than others, like the hymnal sounds of "Homeless" but overall, this is super 80s. Let the South Africans send a message instead of singing crappy poetry over them.

I can appreciate what he was trying to do given the state of pop music in 1986. But personally I would go straight to Ladysmith Black Mambazo for this style. Make a new plan, Stan...

I'm not really into world music

As i listen I’m feeling quite under the weather so may be feeling less charitable than usual. I did not enjoy this album at all.

This my dads music. I can’t stand the instrumentation for large portions of this album, but I do enjoy all of the vocals

Meh

An ok album

не моё

It's not bad, but I feel like I have to live in the south and be married to my cousin to truly understand the essence of Paul Simon. 2/5

This album just makes me miss Simon and Garfunkel. This genre/style isn't doing Paul Simon's voice any favors. You Can Call Me Al definitely exists and Graceland is good, but this album is mostly a miss for me.

Aside from “You Can Call Me Al” being about five minutes longer than mostly anyone remembers (except me, since C and her dad danced to that at our wedding), I’m afraid I don’t see the hype. Nor do I hear it. Maybe I’m just a little too young? I feel bad. I just don’t like it.

I really struggled with this one. On the one hand, I think Paul Simon absolutely has a time and place (and deserves a spot on this list of course), but at the same time this feels like so much a product of the time and absent Garfunkel, Simon's penchant for frankly weird lyrics isn't tempered. It's very good on tracks like You Can Call Me Al, but it just doesn't hit for me most of the time.

Most of it was kinda boring. Homeless was good though

Wow some of that was truly terrible.

I never liked his music without Garfunkel's voice.

Good world-genre production. I've never been a fan of Paul Simon's singing though.

Simon and Garfunkel were a staple soundtrack to car journeys when I was a kid. So their voices have a special place in my head. This album? It’s quite apt that it accompanied me on a long train journey. It’s nice enough. Quite sweet, really. But I don’t think it will be on a regular rotation.

The song "Homeless" is a masterfully made piece of shit

I like Paul Simon's folk stuff. The 80's pop aspects really weaken this one for me, and while I think the varied influences being brought in are interesting I'm not sure all of it is really executed in a way that adds to the music for me. In the end, for all the different things it is doing it had a big time generic 80's pop feel. Cultural Appropriation and other issues aside, this is musically inoffensive to me but also doesn't stand out really. It just..is.

Enjoyed listening to this again. There are other Paul Simon albums I like more though.

okayyyy

Don't give cocaine to bards. Honk!

2/5. Not a bad album from Paul Simon. I liked the title track, but the rest failed to connect with me.

Undeniably interesting and eclectic, however, Simon's unambitious, meandering vocals are outshined by all the other musicians around him. It captures an early 80's vibe that's similar to, and yet "safer" and more boring than, The Police's work of the same era (albeit better produced).

It was ok, but not a great album for me

It was chill and happy, but not my cot

I didn't like it very much, except for 1 or 2 songs.

I'm not a big fan of it, honestly. it's well made but not something i'd listen to if it weren't on this list

Mäßig bis auf einzelne bekannte Lieder. Teils langweilig.

In recent months I’ve really tried to give fresh chances to artists I’ve had it out for, Paul Simon included. There are times on this record where guest musicians are really getting into it, going somewhere, and then Paul Simon starts singing again and I snap back to reality. These are still Paul Simon songs. It’s not gonna happen for me.

Not a fan of this one. Paul Simon seems to like to write songs about conversations he's had with various people and the lyrics read like a bad story. "I said to her/him" and "he/she said to me" all over the place. I do appreciate the use of of the accordion on the album as you don't often hear an instrument like that but all in all this is a 2 out of 5.

I astounded by all the 5 stars on this album. Bass playing is good but the tone is outrageously bad. I’ve never heard LBM but I’m certain they are so much better when Paul Simon isn’t involved. 2.18 average per track.

Bad and probably racist

Not exactly my Genre. A bit too mellow and unexciting for me.

Thoughts: Starting with accordion is a brave choice... particularly given the history of this album coming after such a commercial "failure" This is inoffensive but I'm not particularly connecting with anything here. It's fine This continues to be my impression. Nothing that I would say I hate, but nothing above 3 stars personally. I'm still not a fan of the prevalence of the accordion in this album.

пол симон пол симон

Defo not my type of music but its very well written for sure.

It was ok but both ng I will come back too

Nonce

Did not care for this. I didn’t really understand what he was going on about and I really don’t like the musical arrangements overall, it just annoyed me in general. Not for me at all 2 stars

Lummó og gamaldags. World music vibe sem ég er ekki að fíla. Graceland stendur upp úr, kannski bara af því að ég hef heyrt það áður.

No es mi album favorito, en especial porque no soy fan del genero folk, pero puedo apreciar los sonidos y ritmos exóticos. Aparte, es algo definitivamente diferente así que como mínimo eso me mantiene expectativo de las canciones. me gustan los ritmos bailables, hacen la escucha más amena

I did not like it despite the fact that the album was: *Winner of the Grammy for Best Album. * Voted the best album of the year in The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics poll. * In 1998, Q magazine readers voted it the 56th greatest album of all time. * It was also ranked #84 in a 2005 survey held by British television's Channel 4 to determine the 100 greatest albums of all time. * In 1989, it was rated #5 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the '80s. * It is #81 on the list of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. * The song "Graceland" was voted #485 in the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. * According to AcclaimedMusic.net, a site which combines hundreds of best-of lists from critics and musicians from around the world, Graceland is ranked at #66 on the greatest albums of all time. It is also ranked #13 for albums released in the 1980s, and it is the second-highest ranking album of 1986, behind The Smiths' The Queen Is Dead). * In 2002, Pitchfork Media named it the 85th best album of the 1980s. * In 2006, Time named it one of the All-Time 100 Greatest Albums.

Not my cup of tea, nothing I specifically took issue with it just really isn’t a style I enjoy.

I appreciate that this album was out there but eh not my thing

Not really my style, it’s all very much the same. Still I did save two songs into my playlist.

Please don't call me Al. It's just as cringy and unnoteworthy as the rest of this album.

C The Boy In the Bubble 3 Graceland 2 I Know What I Know 3 Gumboots 2 Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes 3 You Can Call Me Al 3 Under African Skies 2 Homeless 3 Crazy Love, Vol. II 2 That Was Your Mother 2 All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints 3 Paul Simon, I never liked your f***in voice you twat. My middle school music teacher was obsessed with you and forced us to sing Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes and You Can Call Me Al at our concerts. I despised both songs, but I despised pretty much every song we had to sing in chorus. It took me a decade to begin liking Come Together thanks to you, MR. STACK. MR. COLIN STACK.

Niet goed / niet slecht. Ik werd er niet lastig van. Soms zelfs leuk.

Nice mix of different kind of music styles. But not for my ears.

I should like this but find it grates a bit, always has. Love African music but this is too diluted / polluted. Sounds dated now, I won’t listen again

Nah, for political and musical reasons. There was a cultural boycott of SA at the time.

Eh. Whatever.

Okay. A little too slow for me

👍🏻 6.5/10

Nah

To be honest, I heard this album decades ago when it came out. Although it is well-regarded by many, I see it as derivative and almost a plagiarized sound that is more a copy than an original work. I won't bother to listen again. Two stars for the historic value, but that's it.

Damn dit laat me koud… leuk om te weten dat You can call me Al hiervan is, maar de rest van zijn nummers zijn gewoon niet zo heel erg spannend. Ben dan ook blij dat het album over is…

growing up, i distinctly remember gimmicky songs from the era: “got my mind set on you” by george harrison; “don’t worry, be happy” by bobby mcferrin; and “you can call me al” by paul simon… and i thought they all sucked. having said that, in my opinion the album graceland exemplifies much of that same hokey essence. tis odd and quirky and annoyingly so. it contains four(!) songs that inexplicably have an accordion? and i realize that mr. simon has a huge fan base as he has been in the music business for decades, but i just don’t get this album. there is something about his voice that i can’t stand.

I love Diamond on the souls of her shoes and you can call me Al. Everything else is just meh.

Still sounds exactly like what it is: a Lizzy Mercier des loud rip-off

Somewhere someone is saying that Paul Simon is a great lyricist but it seems like incoherent ramblings to me. Also dude would get slammed for some heavy cultural appropriation nowadays. Too much accordion but Call Me Al is a banger.

I was 14 when this came out and listen to mostly metal at the time, so obviously didn't like it then. Over the years I would put this on numerous times and honestly I still don't like it much even though I like Paul Simon's 60/70s work. Normally when I don't like an album I disagree that it should not be on the list but in this case I do agree it should be on.

It has that song, and it's mindless. But I just really don't like Paul Simon.

I honestly don't know what this is, or what it's trying to be... The only song I know/liked really was 'You Can Call Me Al'. Beside this it's just not my type of music at all.

Like kje You Can Call Me Al

A soft 2 from me. Didn't enjoy the overall themes of this album as a whole. Just not my thing I think. The first half was a lot better than the second for me. Won't be listening to again

It's like they know I hate Paul Simon and did this on purpose. What a trite lil load of shit. Recognised one song. 2/5.

Less african-sounding than was led to believe based on reading the wiki. Has a classic 80s cheese present throughout. * Homeless

mid

Mish mosh

Cool to try and incorporate a lot of different sounds/instruments, but Paul sounds so bored the whole time I just start to tune out. Every song goes on a bit longer than I'd want it to, so even the fun ones ("Call Me Al") outstay their welcome. Truly an achievement to make me dislike a random accordion backup.

I was bored af, maybe i will try it again but when im older. Some songs seemed enjoyable

Definitely wouldn't listen to this on my own but it is good background music while working. I do appreciate the basslines, though. Overall alright but I wouldn't go back. Really nice album cover. Fave track: Crazy Love, Vol. II

Well, I quickly discovered that there is a limit to how much of Paul Simon I can bear, solo or with Garfunkel, no difference. This is now third album with him on this list, after his self-titled debut and "The Spices" album with Art. And I know this is entirely unfair, but I feel like every song is exactly the same - quirky melody, interesting and evocative lyrics, and soft voice by Simon, with his talking/singing style, very similar on each track on this album. Even his greatest hit, "You Can Call Me Al" seems like came out of the same mould, just coincidentally they added here a very catchy melody and chorus, which made the song stand out. This is sixth album in Paul Simon's career, but I don't really see too much progress between this and his debut, which in turn makes me very hesitant to listen to the four records in-between. To sum it up, in vacuum this album is pretty good, entertaining and thoughtful. But looking at it from my perspective, with what I've heard so far, it is just another identical piece of puzzle in collection.

I know this is a well regarded album but for me it just feels so ordinary

https://open.spotify.com/album/1DIr8JMRBnm1cZMYIGKb8t This is the link to the compilation album that inspired Paul Simon to make Graceland. Give it a listen, it's quite good. As for Graceland, there are some very strong arrangements, but Simon's wishy-washy vocals and 'poetry' don't add much, and in most cases detract from the music. 2 metaphorical blood diamonds plucked from the shoes of a South African musician. 💎💎

I appreciate what he is trying to do here but it is just not for me

Graceland is the last place I think this album should be compared to. It felt medieval at times and also tribal at others. I'm not sure what Paul was trying to go for but if I was his agent, I would have told him to retire. Though, the opening drums of the first song were really cool. I also wonder if this was one of those instances where the industry should have been elevating other cultures voices instead of letting this white guy just attempt to do African music.

I avoided this at the time of its release, as it seemed to be everywhere, but actually enjoyed this more than I expected, but another one that I got a bit sidetracked with by about halfway through. It starts off well with Boy In The Bubble, but I couldn’t really tell you what happened by the end. Pleasant enough, but I felt the more personal lyrics didn’t speak to me so much.

It’s good. But got my full dose when it first came out.

The complications of this involving going to Sth Africa during Apartheid and appropriating music of an at that time very oppressed people just makes this stick in my throat. That said musically it's inspired, but I can't give this anymore than a 2.

It's objectively decent but none of it resonates with me or have any personal historical connection really. Same for all Simon and Garfunkel stuff.

I don't get it. You Can Call Me Al is a banger though

World music for white bourgeoisie

I miss Garfunkel.

J’aurais probablement abandonné avant la fin si ce n’était pas Paul Simon. Ça vieilli très mal. Je pense que ce n’est pas inintéressant par contre, une fois qu’on arrive à faire abstraction de l’instrumentation.

Not so good album, linear and without great songs

probably wont revisit

It seems harsh giving this renowned classic two stars but I honestly recoil when I listen to it. Diamonds and Al are good songs though.

Uh

Pop rock tepidness

Some fun tracks, nothing to write home about. S/o to Vampire Weekend for making a whole career out of ripping off this record.

2/5 pretty forgetable.

One for the yuppies and highly problematic at the time. A couple of stand out tracks - but even they are limpid and uninteresting. Overall it's over-filled with instrumentation and rhythms.

The amalgamation of different sounds and styles, which I thought I wouldn’t like, works well, though I’m still not a fan of his voice or lyrics. They sound contrived. For example, I can’t picture him saying “hey senorita” to anyone – Bob Dylan or Neil Young or Tom Waits could pull it off, but not Paul Simon, who seems more upper east side. Overall, he’s too soft and radio-friendly for me.

I managed to listen to the entire album and I confirmed that I'm just not a fan of Paul Simon's brand of folk/pop/rock. Something about his voice and his style just doesn't work for me.

Eh, I’ve tried to get into him. This wasn’t it

Post colonial appropriation at its best. Paul Simon takes fine musicians and mumbles some bullshit over them. An incoherent and messy album with no real ideas beyond hey I really like 'their' stuff. The best song being homeless untill Paul jumps in at the end and screws it up.

While familiar with Simon & Garfunkel as a group, I have never listened to Paul's solo stuff. I wasn't quite sure what to expect after reading a little bit about the making of this record, but it did make me a bit more curious about it. I found myself wanting to like this album more than I actually did. It's a bit cheesy at times, like Disney soundtrack cheesy. Even though I appreciate this album, it irritates the shit out of me for being so damn happy.

Lame

Not really a big fan of this although it was pretty diverse musically. 1.5/5

I do not like Simon's voice or the style in which he sings. Some cool instrumentals, but this isn't for me.

Meh. Decent enough background music.

Was okay

America, 80s, Folk rock/pop + Warm = Male, - Folk, Alike, Boring, Oldish, NFM {0/12} [2/5]

Questo disco ha dei problemi, non si capisce bene quale fosse l’idea di Paul Simon, molti pezzi richiamano sonorità africane mentre verso la fine del disco si va verso una sonorità country vecchio stile mentre il primo pezzo è una specie di folk ritmato. La copertina invece ha un cavaliere in una raffigurazione medievale non si capisce bene il perché. Non credo ci sia un problema nel tentare di contaminare la propria musica ma come viene fatto in questo disco non mi convince affatto. Sembra come se Simon abbia preso delle cose che non gli appartengono culturalmente senza capirle realmente e si ha l’idea che i musicisti, che sembrano di qualità, vengano danneggiati da questa mancanza di scambio. Musicalmente penso che uno dei problemi maggiori sia sulla ritmica perché i pezzi sono scritti imponendo una visione occidentale di essa e questo finisce per appiattire molte delle performance degli ospiti.

I've heard this album before. I'm familiar with a few of the songs but didn't really enjoy it.

Would have given it a 1 but you can call me al makes up for it. Rest of the songs are brutal

I sensed a connection to Jah Wobble, went back, and realized that my reaction to this type of impresario project is largely the same. Except with less affection in this case. Slight, uneven melding of musical material (feels like halves). Doesn't have a standout track. Not offensively bad.

increasingly got more “ok I really don’t like this, why is this guitar making me so irritated”

🎵🎵🎵 Under the sea 🎵🎵🎵

What I Did on My Summer Vacation After My Divorce, by Paul Simon: "Visited Africa; took their music. Bought several accordions, too many accordions. Made even more money." I kind of feel bad for favoring the singles I've already heard on a lot of these albums so far, but You Can Call Me Al is not only a guilty pleasure bop, but also likely the best collection of Simon's thoughts on getting old as well as his deluxe cultural appropriation getaway in Apartheid-era South Africa. There are other moments where his ruminations feel inspired, but they're outnumbered by the hokey and upstaged by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Key Tracks: You Can Call Me Al, Homeless, Crazy Love, Vol. II

I do not like Paul Simon. But there’s some good songs on here. I’m solely basing my review on the singles. Graceland. Solid. You Can Call Me Al. Chevy Chase endorsed. Really solid. The rest? Never will listen.

This album is great really only for one thing: its percussion. It was the feature I enjoyed the most in this album as all other parts were annoying. His "say-singing" is not good, and the backing music generally was just odd. It's just "world music" which wasn't that enjoyable to listen to all in all. Favorite track: The Boy in the Bubble

IF YOU BE MY BODYGUARD!!!!

I appreciate who PS is but it’s boring

Meh

I am not a Paul Simon fan. And I am not a fan of this album. This one gets 2 stars because I know it's important.

Nicht so legendär.

Just fine, nothing particularly interesting.

Terrible synth.

I skipped it after a few tracks. Not for me

Didn’t grab my attention. Expected to get more from it. South African sound was nice to hear.

Meh

Eclectic and folky. Not really my style but it gives off a certain feeling. Maybe a relisten at some time. Not bad, just not my style. Some new wave in there too. It's like a salad with a dressing I'm not a fan of.

Smug. He stole songs from Los Lobos, and he broke the cultural boycott on South Africa, giving comfort to the apartheid state. One star, but only because that is the lowest rating I can give.

Not my type of music...

Bad

No wonder I've never had the taste to give this a listen. Putrid is the only word I have for this pap. Honestly, this is crap: earnest bullshit that of course the masses buy into it. Embarrassingly bad. I hated that I finally listened to this POS album. 1 "I don't have words how much I hate this kind of earnest I love the world shit" star.

Interesting, but not for me. Don't really like it.

No va

Definitely not for me.

Non me gustou.

Entrando a este trabajo, ya sé que Paul Simon es una "leyenda de la música" y que se ganó en el lugar de los más grandes junto a Garfunkel. Sin embargo, no puedo evitar sentir que este trabajo se escucha demasiado como una cápsula del tiempo; los sonidos elegidos son demasiado de los '80s, en ocasiones sonando sospechosamente parecido a The Smiths (Meat is Murder), trabajo que se estrenó un año antes. Las ideas de las canciones pueden ser buenas, pero la producción es demasiado anticuada como para disfrutar el trabajo. Hay canciones que son de plano difíciles de escuchar por las razones incorrectas (como en la tercera pista del LP que pareciera que Mickey Mouse está atentando contra mis sentidos a través mi audífono derecho). Como latino, Gumboots me ofende, claramente siendo un corrido mexicano hecho lo menos interesante posible y dejando de lado toda la pasión que acompaña a la música. Ni siquiera es un homenaje respetuoso como Calexico. No sé qué opinarán las comunidades afroamericanas sobre el descarado uso de sonidos afro y afrodescendientes. Claramente este sonido se sienten como un desesperado intento de colgarse del éxito del post-punk inspirado en la composición africana de Talking heads, no logrando un resultado tan bueno como los que logran Byrne y compañía. Pistas destacadas Graceland Peores pistas I Know What I Know Gumboots

N gostei

i didnt listen to itt, but i dont like old music so 1-2

Found it to be really bland tbh

parecia que eu tava escutando a trilha sonora de rei leão

I don't like this era of old head artist doing new wave pop all that much.

fav songs: diamonds on the soles of her shoes you can call me al lightweight, low-stakes, pop 20/100

I've come to the conclusion I do not enjoy Paul Simon

yawn yawn yawny yawn

When I opened the website to see my listen today, My first thought was "it's probably just another white man that made music in the 20th century." And to my surprise, guess what? It's just another white man that made music in the 20th Century. I did listen to "SEVEN PSALMS" as well. I'd get that on vinyl, so I can listen to only once in a while. I must say, In My Professional Opinion, I'm no more satisfied than Paul Simon is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know the website pulls recommendations out of thin air with no regards for taste, but that doesn't mean I don't have taste buds.

Only a fan of Paul in 60s and 70s

This was okay. I will not re-listen to it. Most songs blended into each other 2/10

isso aqui ter uma nota alta é um atestado de como o usuário médio desse site é um animalzinho sem gosto concordo que tá na beirada da apropriação cultural, mas porra, que trem chato, dodói, sem graça, cansativo vsf paul simon

Linda Ronstadt elevates Under African Skies; it's the first song that perked my ears up while listening to this album. Unfortunately the lyric "Joseph's face was black as night" opens the song, a lazy racial metaphor particularly egregious on an album where Simon extracts from African styles. Violating a boycott of South Africa during apartheid is a clear-as-day abhorrent maneuver. The most upvoted review on here is incredibly racist in its dismissiveness of such an objectionable choice. Fuck Paul Simon.

Não gostei muito do álbum, pois não é o meu estilo de música mas valeu apena ouvir!!🫶

the up beat notes were good, however, the album was not for me.

Sucks. White American dad folk music.

13th album with group. After a relisten, I’ve decided that I hate Paul Simon. Art Garfunkel has long been overhated. Good Songs - Nothing. Bad Songs - The Boy in the Bubble, Graceland, I Know What I Know, Gumboots, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, Under African Skies, Homeless, Crazy Love, Vol. II, That was Your Mother, and All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints.

dnf

Hated it

This is #day486 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… how do you tell the difference between terrible and mediocre? Well, you listen to your second Paul Simon album because it walks a fine line. And then, you realize there's the third one that you'd have to hear eventually. I've read that around this period he was going through some personal and creative decline… and honestly, I think he should've stuck to the decline. As if three Simon & Garfunkel records aren't enough to hear before you die. Fortunately, there are no Garfunkel solo albums on this list. This is a 1 out of 5. Looking forward to day #487.

Naja…

Semihirveetä kamaa. Tämmöstä jotenkin teennäistä hyvepaskaa. En kestänyt kuunnella edes koko levyä läpi. Ahdisti.

I so want to give this 1 star...Paul Simon sucks so bad and I've had to listen to 3 of his boring albums now, with more to come. Music for elevators. EDIT - I'm going too easy on albums that piss me off. This album pisses me off. 1 star.

misericórdia, espero nunca mais ter que ouvir isso na vida

This list doesn't need the entire catalogue of the combined Garfunkel and/or Simon. Christ.

bleh

I really didn't like this. Simon and Garfunkel have their moment in time. They have a nice folk sound (well, as nice as I'll enjoy), they have a few catchy songs. This stinks. It really does. His soft folky voice just grates on me. I really don't like it. I also hate the drum sound. I don't really care for much of it. There were some pretty poor placed lyric lines. I didn't find many redeeming features. My wife even told me to turn it off. "We don't want to suffer with you." she said. Probably a little unfair, but 1 star. Patch things up with Garfunkel, it will make you suck less! 1 Star.

holy balls this was so buns literally listened to it and did not find a single bit interesting

Nope. Hate it.

Kan inte förstå valet av gitarr sound och bassound. Det är kränkande dåligt och förstör den mediokra musiken. Låter som musik till disneyfilmer eller något liknande. Inte min grej

I know what i know is probably one of the most annoying songs ive heard in recent memory

not my cuppa

Best Song: You Can Call Me Al Worst Song: Diamond on the Soles of Her Shoes Added: 2/11

Lo tuve que sacar, malardo

Eeeeeee no me gustó. Quisiera saber que consumió antes de componerlo nomás

Recording this album got Paul Simon put straight on the top of AZAPO’s assassination list. Not worth it I reckon.

Always feel bored listening to this guy, I don't care how much raving goes on for him. I used to say the same about Dylan too, but now I love him. Maybe one day this'll click.

Oh dear... This is truly horrible album. I tried to listen to this unprejudiced. I guess I was in my first year of gymnasium when this album came out and I really hated the singles of it. No I listened to the entirety of it and I really hated it. I do really appreciate the singer-songwriter Paul Simon. Just look at my appreciation of 'Bookends'. Bur this is... let's say: appalling. It's an attempt to blend African music with modern popmusic, but it doesn't work. They remain two world apart and the results are ridiculous. I mea, just listen to 'I know what I know'. This can't be serious? 'That was your mother' is not much better, with a totally fucked up accordeon and the ugliest sax solo ever. What on earth were they thinking? Yes, I know it's not really fair to listen to mid eighties music and its horrible production with nowadays ears but this is not just production. This is pop music at its worst.

Nothing cool about Paul Simon

Least favorite style of music along with 70s hair band

Awful derivative, white man trying to add African shit to his album so bad

This shit is just not my thing

tacky

Utterly soulless. So devoid of soul that listening evokes a mild terror, even

Paul ran out of English folk music to hack and had to move continents I guess. Bassist is cool, but that's about it. 0/10

Total cack

Disgraceland more like This annoyed me more than I would have liked it Maybe it's the voice? Maybe it's the lyrics? Just annoying

I skipped forward more songs on this album than I think any I've listened to so far. I really don't like Paul Simon's voice and nothing in any of these tracks makes up for that

This is the 64th album I’m rating. I’ve great things about the album but I know nothing about him except for That 70’s Show. Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Not Adding to my Playlist - The Boy in the Bubble, Graceland, I Know What I Know, Gumboots, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, You Can Call Me Al, Under African Skies, Homeless, Crazy Love, Vol. II, That Was Your Mother, and All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints. All in all I liked 0/11 songs. This is boring and not that good. Why did Paul Simon do this? I need to listen to some Fiona Apple.

This was a VERY hard listen. Not my style AT ALL

Really not my type of thing, I don't care for the voice nor anything that is going on, it doesn't reek of the 80's but frankly its rubbish. 'I Know What I Know' I found particularly annoying and could well have been heard playing at the New Inn, 'You Can Call Me Al' was recognisable and okay but I'm hesitant to add it to the top tracks as it's not saying much considering I didn't like a single other track. Folk music is uninspiring to me so I was unlikely to ever like this but I'm unsure how Mr Young, deep within the 1980s, makes music which sounds all the same. How 'The Queen is Dead' and this {Graceland} were made in the same year is beyond me, the backdrop of Apartheid is certainly interesting but in no way makes this album listenable to me. In no way will I ever listen to this again. 1/10 flat and dull. Top Tracks -> You Can Call Me Al

Yeah…not a big Paul Simon fan it turns out.

Generic sounds from the early 90s. Story telling, not singing. Kinda racist in some parts. I sometimes feel like on a folks festival. City Pop / Rock ?

1/5 its not that itd put me to sleep but like if i was sleeping and someone played this id wake up fr. its bad. i dont like the lyrics. its giving stuck on a roadtrip with your uncle who hates you. and his friends too.

Probably the perfect example of what the '80s had the worst to offer. Production is horrible; I only hope they were experimenting with digital, which might be the only acceptable excuse for this completely flat sound. For the rest, blatant cultural appropriation by a middle-aged folk singer who doesn't know if he should try to put an effort into singing some tunes or just do some white man slam. Lyrics are dull as hell, nothing to save here, just move along, folks.

fucking hell nicholas adams is here, bog off

God this is terrible. I wonder if people listen to similar solo artists defected from their bands and say, "ugh this sounds like a Paul Simon album"

1/5 veldig irriterende

I was really excited for Graceland, obviously it’s an iconic album but I’ve never heard it. It is easily the biggest disappointment in my project so far out of almost 400 albums. I guess in 1986 no one in a North America had ever heard anything from Africa. But just throwing in African sounds hasn’t aged well, it’s borderline offensive. 3.7/10

You can call me Al and some other songs...

Boring

I made it through three and a half songs before sending it back. Off to a terrible start with some sort of accordion static noise, it never got better. It made me think that Vampire Weekend listened to Graceland and thought 'we could do this so much better'.

huh

Bland

No. I don't like most Simon and Garfunkel stuff. Them separately are way worse. Stop.

Boring

Liked Song You Can Call Me Al

I don't get it, but then again, I don't get Simon and Garfunkel either. This is the sort of record that makes me want to scream at baby boomers like "THIS is what you think is an alltime record?" while throwing an endless stream of vinyl copies across the room. Chevy Chase was the best part of "You Can Call me Al" and given how he has become known as one of the biggest tools in show business, even that carries very little water.

first listen. i tried really hard but i didnt like this album at all. it just went from boring to annoying. i prefer Simon and Garfunkel together

Sounds like shit dumbass

Didnt know rock could be gentrified but yeah, here it is. I try really hard to not be a music snob but I draw the line at Paul Simon. This guy saw 80s folk rock and decided to strip it of all its meaning and essence to market it to a bigger audience with a horrible "world music" vibe. Usually when that happens I try to focus less on the message and more on just the music itself but even them idk what happens but it sounds like shit. The recording sucks, the instruments sucks, his voice sucks, the whole thing mashed together sucks. fuck off

If this was a piece of tragic performance art illustrating the mundane and tedious reflections of a middle aged white man’s descent into mediocrity and irrelevance it would be a masterpiece. However, this meandering pap seems to be a serious effort and it seems to have been well received at the time by other, presumably, quite boring people. As I listened to Graceland disjointedly jangling along I longed for yesterday’s funner offering (Sister Sledge). Soon Graceland faded meaninglessly into the background as it is simply too dull to cut above other noises and I started thinking about today’s polarised world that seems fuelled by perpetually outraged old people. A thought then occurred to me; Boomers were young once - they listened to Sister Sledge and Sunday’s far more progressive musical offering from the Rolling Stones. Then they listened to Graceland and I wonder if it was then that they began their own descent into middle aged dissatisfaction, vindictive entitlement and a comfort zone of victimhood. I think what I’m trying to say is that Graceland is to music what Boris Johnson is to politics; an offensive but inexplicably popular mediocrity.

Not for me.

Not for me. A bit too ‘country’ but I tried

One of the worst. Not sure how anyone likes this or thinks it is influential. Painful.

when it's not boring it's annoying. no thanks

music for vampires. hated. (⌐■_■)

Solo Paul Simon is not my jam. Its a weird mix of older folk-rock sounds with very produced 60s synth sounds. Not my favorite combo. Simon and Garfunkel is my preference

Not really a fan of Paul Simon, so this will be an interesting listen. After listening, my feelings about him haven’t changed. Not a fan.

fuck off

Not my cup of tea. Boring

I really tried to like it, but just couldn't get into it at all. Sorry Paul, but seems like a world/folk music ain't my jam

1-2

Totally not my music. (But bonus point for "You Can Call Me Al".

I did not like it.

I guess it’s trying to be worldly, but it just sounds 80s blah.

à chier

You’re a chode Paul!

Nah. No. I don’t think this needs to be heard by anyone. The word that comes to mind is Fartknocker. It’s fartknocker music. Sorry Paul Simon.

Should I mark this as “did not listen”? I made it through the first 10-15 seconds of each song. Not for me.

Annoying. Every song feels forced and each sound is disjointed and random. Concept "world" album with no thought to song writing. Just a bunch of world "musicians" jamming in a studio. Can't finish this.

sadly not my favorite. just so not my style.

It must be seen as a "classic" but I didn't feel that vibe.

I don't think this aged GRACEfully. It sounds like a commercial for an organic breakfast cereal targeted at kids.

Three songs in and this is an incredibly irritating sounding album. Oh God please end. Like fingernails down a blackboard. Yawn. Thank God its finished. I hated it and will never listen to it again.

The same thing over and over and over. Got boring real fast. 2/10 1/5

Душная хуита!

Dai, alla fine ci siamo divertiti!

Penso che l'unico modo per definire questo album è: una baracconata. Simon ha fatto praticamente "La mia africa" di Boris, ha preso vari musicisti africani e non, tutti generalmente talentuosi, e gli ha fatto fare un album al posto suo senza probabilmente andare oltre una comprensione superficiale. In certi casi è veramente troppo palese, tipo "Homeless", dove Simon esce dal bagno durante gli ultimi 20 secondi di registrazione per dire le sue due cosette in modo da firmare il pezzo. E comunque è meglio così, perché quando Simon è più presente nei pezzi il risultato è a dir poco discutibile e più di una volta m'ha strappato una risata che non credo fosse l'effetto sperato da Simon. Un'altra nota che non possono non fare: ma che c'entra la copertina? Comunque per me sto album è tipo un 2, e volevo dare 2, però poi me so reso conto che c'è il suo nome sulla copertina e sto votando la parte sua dell'album e quindi è 1.

Me rehuso a escuchar este disco. Perdón. Le doy una estrella.

Sé que Paul Simon es así como una leyenda de la música, pero simplemente este tipo de música no es mi tipo. Me pareció extremadamente aburrido... -_-zZzZz