Graceland

It's ok

Decent. Really dig You Can Call Me Al

Very good album this one, I remember it coming out, so cool

Really like Paul Simon. Need to listen to some Simon and Garfunkel. Music education starting here.

Low 5 for me.

Easy 5 star ⭐

Classic

One of the cool and interesting facts that I often share about myself is that my favourite Paul Simon album is actually his self titled LP. Yes (gasp!) not Gracelands like most people! You can only imagine my surprise and disappointment this afternoon when I discovered Gracelands is the best thing Paul Simon has ever written. In one day it's gone from being my fourth most played of his albums to being my most played after incessantly spinning on the record player for hours. It's a totally fluid, carefree record which is full of hilarious one liners delivered with such effortlessness that you could easily miss them, lost in the beauty of his voice, guitar and the integration of South African influences which I until now I apparently didn’t much care for. Well done consensus - you win again.

Listening to Graceland has always been and always will be a joy, solid 5

7/10

There’s lots to enjoy about this album - the poetic lyricism, it’s infectious instrumentals and the collaboration with African artists really gave the record a vibrance that was super fun to listen to. A few songs did fall a bit flat for me though when compared against some of the more upbeat tracks.

The soundtrack to all my parents parties they threw while I was growing up

Very fun from front to back. The bass player was ripping through this whole thing

An album that is not without controversy in this era of cultural appropriation, it is nevertheless, an album that shone a light to the South African scene and which by itself, offers a great perspective (though Westernalized) on their culture and sounds. In a list that offers such a narrow view of the world, this is album becomes yet more necessary, and an easy 10/10. 10/10 [KEEP]

I feel like his heart was in the right place.

didn't do much to me, but it's not necessarily bad

This is the first album I knew in advance was going to be five stars for me.

This is a really solid album, I enjoyed the variety it brings by featuring a couple of different artists, a lot of the songs feel unique, it misses out on 5 stars because I’ve heard You Can Call Me Al so many times I find it quite an annoying track now

3.5/5

I don't remember much from this album and I don't want to go back to it to rate it accurately. I think that this statement in itself means it must be a 2.

Always been a big fan of this album. Still enjoy listening to it, never tire. Particularly love the album title track.

Interesting, but not really my thing. This album also combines different genres and styles, most proeminently the African influence, but there is what seems like counrty and even disco at parts. You Can Call Me Al is at least a 4 star song and goes in the playlist. In the rest I didn't really feel it. Now I made the somewhat problematic habit of reading comments to learn more and don't go on what it sounds like to me alone. And about the 'culture appropations' comments, I hope that things have tempered down since the years they were made. I discovered and love too many black artists on this site to let this bs treat them like some alien species. The hypocrisy as always. Plus, there worked genuine African artists so... I would give higher rate just in spite, but as I said I didn't really feel it and that's more important to me, otherwise I would be just like the one star hypocrites.

Perfect fucking album.

Blind listen. Love the opening track. it reeks of a kind of hope that doesn’t exist during our day and age. kind of got really sad listening. Graceland is so beautiful. It’s so cute and sweet and soft. I’m enjoying the blend of different sounds and cultures. It’s working well. African Skies is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. —POEM— The Boy In Graceland Knows Boys On Their Soles On Call Under Homeless Skies A Crazy Love, All That Myth

An artist I know next-to-nothing about, what little I do know I don't care for, and yet his reputation demands a fair shake & I suspect I'm about to be won over. Sure enough. That's brilliant. Amazing range, fantastic guests, incredible tunes. Guess I'll be taking a PS deep dive whenever I find the time

This album is a slow burn. At first I didn't understand what all the acclaim is about, but it grew on me over time. Is it an all time great? Not for me at least, but I'd consider this a strong album. 4/5

Beautiful and well written and performed songs, probably one of the most popular world music heavy albums in existence.

A lovely album that's engaging and accomplished throughout. Great bass, great guests. No dud tracks, just not the highest rate of notable faves for me personally, though I had a smile on my face from the first weird accordion honk of The Boy in the Bubble.

Some more good tunes on this album. Widely regarded as his best but only about half of it appeals to me. The first half mainly. Enough tracks on here to keep me interested but several I would skip if I heard it through again..

We must truly be in the favour of the album generator gods who have provided two Paul Simon records one after the other. It is steeped in contraversy and I don’t think all of this is completely unfounded. However, not to be dismissive but this is not what this challenge is about for me. I LOVE this album - it’s pure perfection. There are literally zero weak tracks and they all just make me feel so happy. Is there anything better than going on a road trip with someone you love and putting Graceland on - I think not.

I just love this album, and yes I am a super white boy loser cos this WAS my gateway into listening to African music, so fucking sue me. Whilst I completely get why some people have a problem with it, luckily for me these songs got in my head before I had any context (and even WITH context I don't think the 'issue's' here are clear cut enough, and I will never buy the 'no one benefited from it other than Simon' line - this record + Peter Gabriel basically invented 'world music' as a saleable commodity (which I'm pretty sure every artist on this record benefited from) - what happened from there (and the evolving concept of what that term means) is not Simon's fault etc. etc.) Anywaaaayyy I love his lyrics, I love the instrumentation, pretty much every song is catchy enough to be a hit. The only knock against it really is the production is kinda flat and '80s and gross, but even that isn't a problem because there's so much nostalgia tied up in those big honking synth blasts. Is there a better guitar line than .57 seconds into 'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes'? No, there isn't. It's a wonderful, joyous, beautiful record that I will happily listen to on loop. 5/5, 10/10, all-time banger. (ps Rhythm of the Saints should also be on this list, 'The Obvious Child' is better than anything on Graceland)

God hygge, men heller ikke noget specielt. Lidt pop-folk amerikansk? Mindede mig lidt om REM. Det har heller aldrig rigtigt fanget mig.

I'm sorry I do not get it I hate it actually - would rather listen to authentic African music than this weird shit. i fucking can't stand this at all. holy fuck.

It was very sweet, i liked the album

Listen to this twice in a row, somehow feel that is enough to give it 5 stars

Love it

2 Simons op korte tijd is beetje teveel van het goede. Toch een objectieve 3 sterren.

All the hits :-D...

high-key chill

Obviously, well crafted I think the best thing about it is just the laid-back nature of his vocal delivery is so cool and he plays around with the rhythm a lot on the bad side, the world Best craziness is a bit annoying and a little cultural appropriation Ish, but I still more or less enjoyed this.

Folk rock.

splendid

Очень зажигательная музыка хаха! Слушая её не могла перестать двигаться то туда, то сюда. В общем хорошоо

Pop Rock/Worldbeat Favorite Songs: The Boy in the Bubble, Graceland, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, You Can Call Me Al, Crazy Love, Vol. II Least Favorite Song: I Know What I Know Another pleasant surprise from this website. I was going in without really any expectations, and here I am blown away from this album. The inclusion of using African Music in this album works for the most part as it’s used as a celebration of African Music. Even with some of the Pop Rock stuff like ‘You Can Call Me Al’ is a really nice touch that doesn’t break any of the flow at all. Overall, I like this album to where I would recommend it to other people. EDIT as of 08/29/26: ...oh dear...so...I've done some research on the album and the artist in question...he's...not a good person I would say. So, the main reason why I'm deciding to change the score now was because I'm currently making a video of some of my favorite albums that I've ended up loving throughout my listening journey, even albums that aren't from this website. There's a big controversial part of the album that I didn't realize until just typing this edited portion of the review. https://medium.com/the-riff/paul-simons-graceland-turns-40-i-wish-i-hadn-t-researched-it-40ee0556e0a9 I suggest those to read this article as it details everything about how Paul Simon was acting extremely scummy, but the short version of it was how not only did he broke laws recording in a place in South Africa, but also he didn't even credited the people that helped worked the album with the exception of performance. There's also Heidi Berg who was being mentored by Simon, and when she wanted to give him *her* idea of *her* (Pause...reflect...I do mean by *******HER*******) album, Simon decided to take the concept and ended up making it his own. Frankly, I think this guy's a bit of a jerk. He might be a very good influential folk singer, but I don't think that I can support this kind of controversy he presented himself with. As such, I originally made the score as an 8/10 with four stars. However, because of this, I have to dock a point for the unprofessionalism that he made. 7/10, and I'm also rating this three stars. It's still a good album, but I don't think that I can justify liking it anymore.

Decent album. Features one of Paul Simon’s most famous solo songs “You Can Call Me Al” along with a fair amount of inspiration and direct involvement from Ladysmith Black Mombazo. There are plenty of techniques that became standard in a lot of different music and heavily influenced bands like Vampire Weekend. Though, there are some mixing options that became obsolete later on.

7/10

4.1/5

This was awesome I had so much fun Playlist add: "You Can Call Me Al" obviously

From start to finish this album is amazing. You will have so much of it stuck in your head, and that head will bop along. Put it on, loud, and dance away like no one’s watching!!!

Love this album - pinnacle middle aged divorced Dad album

It was good, I liked his music. The different ideas of songs made it interesting to listen to

Good

This song really makes me want to take a vacation. Don't know what rating that translates to, thinking a good-hearted melodic 3.

sounds like playing trombone champ

Feels like White Lotus

Todo bien con Paul pero no. 2/5

carino, mi piace

One of my favourite albums of all time. ‘Losing love is like a window on your heart, everybody sees your blown apart…

Solid.

It's an interesting piece! I appreciate it, but I don't know if I'll seek it out again.

Paul Simon already knew how to craft a song before he got turbocharged by African music. The result is delightful, even if it sometimes over-reaches it's genre borrowing and leaves the seams showing, an amalgam of funky, folksy tunes with emotive, analytical lyrics. I get that this album would be labelled as cultural appropriation nowadays. But I was a teenager in the 80s when this came out, and the routes to promote international artists simply didn't exist. Simon collaborating with them on a major album release from a western publisher was probably the best thing he could do to bring them to wider attention.

It took losing Carrie Fisher to write this album, and I don't know if that is worth the trade

Really chill old school vibe with some funny lyrics.

Brings back memories from my childhood - not really to my taste, but my mum listened to it a lot

Great album. No weak tracks and something interesting at every turn. Some of this has been done before but never with so much commercial success. I had always assumed this was an artist at a commercial peak taking a risk, but reading about it, this was a low point and a real last roll of the dice. Going for something like this that could very easily have fallen flat was a brave choice

Ehhh... digo, el cuate es una leyenda, pero hay mucha producción que no me dejó disfrutar su poesía.

This is so good.

good I really liked the first song

L’écoute de l’album ne sonnait pas comme un 2, plutôt un 3 ou 4, mais le plus gros bémol de l’album était pour moi Paul Simon lui même. Je ne vois pas comment je pourrais mettre une meilleure note que cela. Par contre, cet album m’a permis de m’intéresser aux groupes et musiciens qu’il a invité et je suis ravi de ces découvertes! Bref un album sympathique mais gâché par son « auteur ».

Pas ce que j'aime mais je dirais pas horrible

entretenido, me gustaron mucho las melodiad que tienen las canciones

I told a friend once that I can't stand this album. His reply was, "What about all the good music on it?" I asked where that was. I stand by my answer.

I was familiar with Graceland (the song) and You Can Call Me Al, but I am pretty sure I had never heard this album before. There is a lot of 80s we are the world vibe to it that.owes to its era. The album is catchy, but sometimes it feels a little forced as well. Overall, it's not a hard album to listen to, and I'd consider it re-listenable.

de cover lijkt op king of england muziek het is wel vibey! diamonds on the soles of her shoes owa owa! ik dacht dat een titel you can call me AI is maar t is AL HIJ HOORT BIJ SIMON EN GARFUNKEL no wonder het is good

mid muziek maar z’n stem s de redeeming factor hier

der simon von garfunkel, ganz nice

This is a great album. I listened to it a lot when it first came back and was surprised I still knew it well. The song Graceland is an earworm for me that's hard to dislodge (and writing this review started it again. LOL) The combination of upbeat south african music with Paul Simon's lyrics and songwriting works really well.

No skips.

Maximal production, minimal enjoyment

Pleasently surprised by the African Choral sound, which is definitely THE highlight of the album. I'm in no position to comment on the political discourse and controversy surrounding the album, but I can at least tell that it's a nice blend of multiple genres such as folk, pop, afrobeat and r&b. Favorites: The Boy In the Bubble, Graceland, You Can Call Me Al, I Know What I Know (with General M.D. Shirinda & the Gaza Sisters), Homeless (with Ladysmith Black Mambazo), All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints (with Los Lobos)

A hugely successful album for Simon, an eclectic mix of South African musicianship with western songwriting and guest artist including Linda Ronstadt and the Everley Brothers. The album spawned a number of big hit singles, including You Can Call Me Al with the memorable Chevy Chase video. It was surrounded by a whole lot of political debate about whether he should have gone to South Africa during the time of apartheid and whether he should have tackled South Africa's problems in the songwriting. But I'm not getting into that here. It remains a memorable album with classic hooks and Bakithi Kumalo's bubbling bass, especially on You Can Call Me Al, is fantastic.

A pleasant listen but probably my least favourite Paul Simon / Simon & Garfunkel album I’ve had come up on the generator so far. I liked the African influence though.

nope

A perfect example of a five star album. Although Justin Townes Earl’s cover of the title track is immaculate

Absolutely lovely album, loved the African influence! My favorites were "I Know What I Know", "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes" and "Homeless"

the cultural significance of this album is pretty much the only thing that makes this album worth a listen. other than that, this is pretty unremarkable and paul simon's music remains unstomachable to me.

Det er virkelig fint, og fedt med den her sammensmeltning af stilarter. Og så er der jo bare den mest catchy sang i verden, med Call me Al, som jeg bare virkelig elsker meget!!

Not my thing. Too much world/African influence. I’m happy that other people enjoy it.

Whompy af 80s bass, synths, Soukous guitars and rhythms, Southern African gospel harmonies, Cajun accordions, a touch of country twang, jazzy sax, and a gentle mellow conversational vocal tying it all together - a wild mix that all comes together perfectly for an easy listening masterpiece. Turns out it's the logic of assembly rather than the nature of the elements that makes something coherent.

didn’t expect to like folklore rock, kinda never knew there was such a thing like that genre but it was reaaaally good

Não gostei de nenhuma

Started strong, got weird real quick

Graceland is maybe a perfect song. Amazing album, amazing story behind it. Love the South African influence/collaborations.

I'm not a massive Paul Simon fan, but I do appreciate some of his music, most of which appears on this album! This album projected me down the rabbit hole of Ladysmith Black Mambazo (incidentally, one of the first LPs I bought myself (thats pretty woke for a 15-year-old!)). Almost a 5. Some timeless bangers on this one.

I'll be the first to admit that this rating and review is heavily influenced by nostalgia, I adore this album. My dad made me a mixtape when I was about 5, most of this album was on it (and strangely a few tracks from Phantom of the Opera? Weird choice?). I listened to this album on a several months long family holiday across Scotland, England, France and Canada - I only remember snippets of the trip, but the music has always stuck with me. It's also probably the album I have the most misheard lyrics from, including "billionaires and baby bears" (my version is better) I guess along with lots of albums on this list, time, society and culture shifts change the way we view things, but reading about the cultural appropriation issues some have with this album, I'm not sure if I agree or not. The musicians were paid industry rates and royalties to make music on the album and then had a strong careers following it, sounds like both profited, and although there was a boycott by the west due to apartheid at the time, surely supporting black musicians and providing a platform was a good thing? I don't know enough about it, maybe I'm ignorant to the complexities, but it certainly started a long love of world music for me.

Solid listen, honed sound

Excellent Will wrote proper review later but love it Favourite track: the boy in the bubble

5 stars. Next

Muy lindo álbum, me levantó mucho el ánimo, y es que los ritmos y sonidos que se usan generan eso, Paul Simon decidió mirar a la cuna de la humanidad y explorar su música y cultura para enriquecer su sonido occidental, mezclando el pop con el afro y dándonos canciones llenas de historias y ritmo. Destaco el trabajo increíble del Bajo freatless y la guitarra que hace ritmos hermosos, el único detalle malo que le veo es que a partir de la 9na canción pincha un poco el álbum, pero sigue siendo ameno.

Very back loaded with Paul Simon but they have been increasingly great. I’ve enjoyed this the most and will look to pick up a hard copy so I’ll go 5/5

Deuxieme est bonne

What a great album introducing new music from another continent as well as merging this to old tradtitional stuff from the west (if you are from the west of course)...

not really my thing

Feels like a different time different vibe. Weird. Ok after 2 or 3 songs I’m enjoying it. The album opens up after the first 3 songs or maybe I just got used to the sound. I liked it. Maybe 3 stars?

Mixed feelings on this one - You Can Call Me Al is amazing and an instant classic. Graceland, Diamonds and Boy in the Bubble are very good; the collaborations are weak and some of the songs belong on the Lion King Soundtrack - not here. Paul’s voice is in fine form and I’m happy to get a taste of his genius here.

I couldn't escape this for more than a year. Now it's like deja vu.

I don't generally rate Paul Simon's solo efforts too highly, but I appreciate the artistry behind this one. Some of it hasn't aged all that well (like a lot of the 80s albums on this list) but I'll give props for the few songs that have stood the test of time.

A classic

This is how "world music" influence is done right! Much as I still hate that term, and wish that musicians from non-Western regions were still appreciated on their own merits and not commodified as such. However, if it's gonna be done, then Paul Simon does it right. Unlike Malcolm McLaren's album Duck Rock, which we got a few weeks ago in this challenge, it credits its musicians! Moreover, it isn't stealing credit while purporting to respect the music it's stealing - it's just a solid 80s pop rock album with prominent influence from zydeco, mbaqanga, and other regional styles of music, mostly African. And in that capacity, it does wonders - solid 9/10! With his musicians credited, it also gives me a starting point to explore those genres properly. The Boyoyo Boys and Ladysmith Black Mambazo seem particularly intriguing...

At the very least, this was interesting. Something for everyone here, even some zydeco! Fun call, though I don’t think I’d listen again

My interest peaked whenever the African influences came up. Those were the highlights for me! As for the rest, it feels like I haven’t unlocked the right context to appreciate his music. Don’t get me wrong, there’s clearly a lot of talent on display, but I’d be lying if I said his songs moved me in the way I feel like they’re supposed to. Standouts: Gumboots • Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes • Homeless

All time one of my favorite albums. The way Paul Simon brings so many musicians together and explores so many styles on this album is nothing short of miraculous. His lyrics and songwriting chops are on full display here. Hearing the song Graceland always chokes me up a little bit. Homeless is a high point of his catalog. It's so peak.

Tråkigt

Det er sgu bare magisk - man kan kun blive glad i låget.

*59 Fantastisk vokal. Gode indslag fra Sydafrika og Senegal. Det er simpelthen dog alt for happy go lucky. Man bliver lidt kuk.

Jeg synes det er udemærket, men jeg er heller ikke helt oppe at dinge

Den der afrikanske indflydelse er ikke lige min kop te, og når han samtidig selv lyder relativt uinspireret og halvkedelig på de fleste numre, så glider jeg ud hurtigere, end du kan sige Garfunkel. Det bliver lidt klovnet 2.3

Jeg ELSKER det her album. Måske er det fordi jeg er vokset op med at min far spillede det. Omvendt har min far spillet meget jeg ikke har forelsket mig i... Der bare et eller andet her, der fangede mig fra første sekund, selvom jeg først rigtig opdagede albummet i sin helhed da jeg var blevet voksen. Der er umiddelbarhed, humor og musikalitet, der gør det meget svært (for mig) ikke at blive fænget, selv på de få par numre der fungerer lige knap så godt. Og så er You can call me Al - ud over et fantastisk nummer - en perfekt tidskapsel for den periode. Med musikvideoen blæsende ud på MTV i stuen. Som en perfekt destillering af 1987 - og måske firserne i det hele taget.

Enjoyed a majority of it nearly against my will. Man could write a hook.

Listened to before? No Context? Paul Simon’s comeback album after losing cultural and monetary relevance; helped introduce South African music to mainstream Western audiences, though it drew some criticism in the process. Before I tear into this album, I want to be clear: I do not think it was cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is copying part of a culture in an offensive, unappreciative, or ignorant manner. I don’t think that Simon hearing a cassette of a South African band, loving their music, and going to collaborate with them in their hometown is doing that—especially because songwriting credits and acknowledgements were given. While there is something to be said about Simon being the one who brings it to the mainstream, and how that does reflect prejudice on the consumer’s part to only appreciate it when done by a white person, it would be insane to say that Simon shouldn’t have pursued an artistic collaboration solely because of a systematic issue outside of his control that doesn’t even make the collaboration itself inherently problematic. I’m not saying that he handled the situation perfectly (for example, he oscillates between describing the collaboration as a political statement, and saying he doesn’t think it’s political), but the collaboration and release of the album was not appropriation. There’s also the issue of breaking the embargo on South Africa, but honestly that’s an issue I don’t think I have the knowledge or information to speak on properly. I say all that because I do have grievances with this album, and people who don’t enjoy this album tend to dislike it because they believe it’s cultural appropriation. I just want to make it clear that I am not one of those people. Graceland is sickeningly happy. Despite having its serious moments, the tunes remain relentlessly upbeat. As Paul Simon described it, “Harmonically, African music consists of three major chords—that’s why it sounds so happy—so I could write any melody I wanted in a major scale.” I don’t dislike happy songs, but there’s something about these that are bothersome. Simon’s vocals weigh the songs down in a way that makes them feel oddly exhausted. I’m sure the intent was to feel calm and homely, and that effect comes across well in songs such as “Graceland”, but for a vast majority of the songs it makes the otherwise-exciting tunes clash. This is best exemplified in “I Know What I Know,” where Simon sings “I know what I know/I’ll sing what I’ve said/We come and we go/That’s a thing that I keep in the back of my head,” while the South African group General M.D. Shirinda & the Gaza Sisters sing in Shangaan in the background. Simon arranged their vocals to be purposefully higher-pitched and slightly out of tune to contrast with his rhythmic lines. This works for the first chorus, and arguably even for the second, but by the ending it’s quite grating. The contrast in energy between the two vocal parts becomes unintentionally discordant. Even if it was meant to be juxtaposed, the execution just wasn’t the best. It’s like a Bob Dylan harmonica solo in that way (sorry, Bob.) The way he sings the melody on the verse also makes it sound incredibly forced, with the part that goes “paaarTY,” “fuuuNNY,” et cetera. It doesn’t help that he keeps repeating the phrase “I/she said” beforehand. I want to like this song, because it has some interesting moments in the guitar and lyricism, but it’s just…irritating. There’s also some vocal issues on “You Can Call Me Al,” which is the big hit from Graceland. And it’s an amazing song, between the synths, lyrics, melody, background humming, and percussion. BUT. His voice sounds horribly thin when he reaches for the high notes on the “call me Al” segment. It almost ruins the entire song for me. Simon’s voice is good for folk music. Singing with a folk music vocal style over the South African musical styles he employed just doesn’t work very well. As for the positives, Paul Simon is known for making sophisticated music. He can write a damn good song, with some clean chords, a bait-and-hook melody, and tasteful arrangements. And that is still true here, despite my grievances. I actually went back and re-listened to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (which I gave a 5 on here!) to see what similarities I could find between it and Graceland. And there are many. On top of that, Graceland isn’t just repeating what Paul Simon had done in the past—whether it be solo or with Art Garfunkle—as it adds in a very new sonic palette through using South African musical styles such as isicathamiya and mbaqanga, as well as African-American music styles such as zydeco. The album’s opening track, “Boy In the Bubble”, is excellent in the way it combines images of war with that of opulence. It also uses some great rhyming and alliteration, such as in the line “There was a bright light, a shattering of shop windows/The bomb in the baby carriage was wired to the radio.” It’s probably the best song on the album. Sonically, it features Bakithi Kumalo’s iconic fretless bass playing, which plays an ornamental, octave-hopping bassline during the verse, and a more tasteful, functional bassline during the chorus. It’s impeccably written. My favorite bass parts occur a few seconds before each chorus, and I’d tab it out here except the formatting would get messed up. It also has accordion played by Forere Motloheloa, which is used to create the foreboding intro that’s cut with booming drum beats to kick off the album. As the song continues, the accordion is used to craft the sense of unease that reflects the themes of the song. Simon’s folk voice fits well into the song. He even noted that the song sounded like American folk music, to which guitarist Ray Phiri told him that he’d used a relative minor chord to make the song sound more like American music. The second song and titular track digs even deeper into the album’s messages of optimism and solace through painful things. It describes a man traveling alongside companions who he describes as “ghosts and empty sockets,” yet he still believes they’ll be "received in Graceland.” Due to the bittersweet tone, Simon’s voice fits better here than it does on any other song on the album. He has a voice very well suited for bittersweet music. After the previously-discussed “I Know What I Know,” there’s “Gumboots,” which is performed with the Boyoyo Boys. It uses a narrative lyrical style to describe the narrator running into various characters, and features some amazing accordion bits. It’s a good song, but the lazy and sudden fade out mars it. “Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes” begins with an excellent intro, with Simon singing about a rich girl who, well, wears diamonds on the soles of her shoes. Unlike on “I Know What I Know,” it has pleasant backing vocals. The pleasantness continues throughout the song, with a calming jangly guitar riff and a syncopated, shuffling beat that feels like ocean waves. Then, of course, there’s “You Can Call Me Al.” This is the most pop song on the album, with the bright, celebratory synths and relentlessly catchy melody. Despite my grievances with the vocal performance, and the fact that Simon’s almost drowned out by the synths during the chorus, I do like this song. It has some extremely clever lyrics, and it’s just plain fun. “Under African Skies” is…fine. It’s a little too white boy. Toto-esque, if you will. Simon’s vocals also sound thin. That said, it’s catchy, and the guitar is excellent. The eighth track, “Homeless,” notably lacks Simon for about two-thirds of the song, as it features the group Ladysmith Black Mambazo singing for the first 2 and a half minutes. It’s a haunting, beautiful moment of quiet. When Simon does join, he manages to meld with them quite well, turning the song into call-and-response. It’s almost more of an interlude than a song. “Crazy Love, Vol II” is fantastic. The lyrics are absolutely incredible, with the story of Fat Charlie the Archangel and his nihilism. It’s one of my favorites on the whole album—though it does have some issues with that vocal thinness towards the end. “That Was Your Mother” is a fun song in a lot of ways, though it has some…questionable lyrics. It’s a real dance number, with an energetic pulse and melody. It uses some great accordion and washboard as well. In terms of the album sequence, it’s a great final moment of fun before the album launches itself into its finale. “All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints” has a blistering, stadium rock intro that’s like ice cold water after the folkiness of the rest of the album. The opening drums inexplicably remind me of the song “Vampire Money” by My Chemical Romance. If Paul Simon wrote a song like “Vampire Money,” the world would literally explode. The rest of the song, however, doesn’t sound much like the intro. The instrumentals quiet down when Simon starts to sing the verse. That’s sort of a pet peeve of mine in a lot of songs: making this big intro to hook the listener, and then immediately dialing back on the noise and energy. I also really don’t like how the song fades out. Fade outs aren’t inherently bad if done right, but ending a whole album on one feels lazy. I realize it was probably intentional to leave an open-ended, looping feel given the themes of the song, but it just isn’t executed well. It does have some great lyrics, however—even if they are nonsensical and cryptic at times. Simon uses imagery really well. The melodies are also infectious. It’s the perfect happy note to end the album on. Whatever you or I think of this album, it can’t be denied that it’s an important, influential work. It may be a pop record, but it experimented and pushed Simon out of his comfort zone. While it has quite a few flaws, ultimately, the skill of the instrumentalists (particularly in bass and accordion), Simon’s lyricisms, the compelling grooves, and the relentlessly catchy melodies make it hard to hate.

I think I get why do people praise this album - it's refreshing and full of new sounds. Unfortunately, the overall texture and sound of this album annoyed me for some reason.

An appalling example of cultural appropriation. He basically recorded a bunch of South African musicians, made up lyrics over their music, and passed it off as his own. The end result is often pretty silly, but it’s very occasionally sublime. I’m just not sure who to credit for any of that though.

Cultural appropriation at its best! I like this album more for the African musicians than for Simon’s overdubs. Despite some late 80s production pitfalls, Graceland is a solid and enjoyable record and my favorite Paul Simon album.

nice. some good ones. call me Al honestly wasn't even the best on the album

Before this only really heard You Can Call Me Al. This was a great album with different styles on various tracks.

I am friends with the guy who hooked Paul Simon with the zydeco musicians who played on this, in fact heard him regale the story this weekend. So my view is colored by that but beyond that, the album is impeccible. Paul Simon bypasses any notion of cultural appropriation with his blatant love for the music and musicians integrated in this amazing brace of songs.

I know people like to dismiss this as cultural appropriation, but from what I’ve read about the project Simon treated the musicians well and made sure they got their credit and money, which is a real solid to people living under the iron fist of Apartheid. And hey — it introduced white people like me to South African township music. Musically, these songs still hold up, though the production veers into late-80s overgloss territory at times. But Paul Simon revived his flagging career with an ambitious act of cross-cultural musical ambassadorship, and we should all be grateful.

Man, there are maybe three albums I remember my parents playing growing up, and (shocker) this was one of them. I have no complaints, it's a beauty, the songs on this listen brought me to tears more than once.

I ignored this when it was new because I thought it seemed middle of the road and watered down rather than an innovative fusion of styles. Right call, teenage me. If you want to listen to zydeco, there's plenty out there without having to sully it with Paul Simon vocals.

Enjoyed it to start. Did some interesting things with spoken word and music. But became a little too the same by the end

I never thought this would be such a polarizing album. Oh well, I'm clearly on the "masterpiece" end of the spectrum. I didn't discover this until my 30s, and I'm about as old as the album itself. Instantly became a favorite of mine. The whole thing shines from start to finish, with eclectic sounds and brilliant song-storytelling. Yes, the album borrowz heavily from African music, but who cares? Graceland also features a lot of zydeco-esque sounds but people don't get up in arms about that. Artists find inspiration from everywhere. No one really gave the Beatles crap for going to India and suddenly featuring the sitar on their albums...ok maybe people didn't love the sound, but they hardly got accused of cultural appropriation. This is one of the few albums on here where I don't feel 5 stars is high enough. Sorry haters.

As close to perfect as an album can get.

weird

Libs try not to victimize black people who willingly collaborate with white people: impossible

Four things: * Is this cultural appropriation? I'm inclined to say no, it's collaboration and highlighting, though I understand the arguments of those who feel otherwise. * Was it OK for Simon to break the cultural boycott? No, I don't think it was. * Did Simon rip off Los Lobos for a songwriting credit? Probably, but who knows the truth. * Is this a great record anyway? Absolutely. Five stars without a doubt.

This is one of the greatest LPs of all time!

WHEEEE happy happy smiles and joy

Non me gustou.

I don’t want to listen to it on the regular but I enjoy it when I happen to listen to it.

A very enjoyable album, blending South African sounds with pop rock. It’s no surprise that this was so appreciated at the time of release as a very listenable and innovative sound quite different to the fake electronic sounds of much ‘80s music. As a Vampire Weekend fan, the resemblance is remarkably clear! However, I don’t think I quite enjoyed it enough for 5, and the circumstances of its creation did sully it somewhat. For one, Simon broke the global boycott of apartheid South Africa to record there. I get that most black South African musicians of the time welcomed him, but he didn’t really need to undermine global solidarity (given that most came to New York anyway). Simon defends it by saying that he showed the power of interracial cooperation and brought African music to the world, but those things don’t mean that it made any positive contribution to the end of apartheid. He also basically stole the idea from Heidi Berg, apparently. Anyway, nice album overall.

This album has some brilliant songs on it, namely ‘You Can Call Me Al’ which always gets stuck in my head whenever I listen to it, ‘Graceland’ and ‘Crazy Love, Vol. II’. The instrumentation is great, and the blend of pop and South African musical styles is tastefully done. Overall I didn’t enjoy it quite enough for a 5, but still a strong 4.

This is an excellent album, but I don’t think it quite reaches the 5-star level. Side one probably does, though: ‘Graceland’ and ‘Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes’ are my two favourite tracks from the whole album, and the rest of the side is really strong as well. On side two, ‘You Can Call Me Al’ is of course an all-time classic pop song, and ‘Crazy Love, Vol. II’ is great too, but then the rest of them I really like rather than love. But the performances are fantastic throughout, especially the vocalists and the incredible fretless bass playing!

Hoy arrancamos más tarde de lo habitual pero arrancamos. Hoy, con Paul Simon, artista que también ha tocado en éste reto y del que sólo ubico muy por arriba por Simon & Garfunkel. Quizás es por la época en la que estamos en la que estas músicas suenan anacrónicas, quizás es porque es un artista que no me llama la atención, pero el disco no me pareció tan célebre como describe en la reseña. Algunas canciones me suenan de haberlas escuchado por la radio de niño, pero nada más. Hasta mañana, genchi.

Definitely the best thing I've heard from Paul Simon, some real cool African rhythms on here and the first couple of songs are quite great

You can call me al is a wonderful classic. The rest of the album sounds similar but not as good. So the album as a whole is just ok.

Not my fav Paul Simon but it’s not bad

Loved how different this album was. So many varied tracks but the different styles just blended well together. Diamond in Her Shoes and You Can Call Me Al are definitely the standouts.

💎👟

Controversial one. I think the cultural appropriation arguments are stupid. Breaching the boycott is a different story. Rating this album solely on what I heard and there's some great stuff here. That bass is special. You can call me Al is iconic. Under African Skies was a bit cringey though. 4/5.

I own this album on vinyl and had probably heard it about 3 times before today. I remember liking it, and that it was recorded mainly in South Africa, that there was a lot of controversy about whether its recording supported apartheid, and that it had Call Me Al and Under African Skies (two tracks I love). I listened to it twice today and really enjoyed it, but I don't know... there's just something that's somehow unrecognizable about it to where I didn't get a whole lot of familiar moments on the second listen. I do still like it (and I really want to like it), but it's just not as good as some others on this site. Four stars.

6/10, not really my style, had some groovy tracks though

ok

A masterclass album!

Got a little weird after African Skies. This is a take it or leave it album for me. Very much a 3. 3/5

Classic Paulie

Just a solid, expansive album with solid creativity all over it. Going from the muddy production of The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators to the crystal clear production of this album was such a whiplash.

7.5/10

Although it may now seem hackneyed, then the use of South African music was so fresh and exciting. Paul Simon’s music dovetailed so well with it and his voice also. So many beautiful and fun songs

It’s a great album - one of Simon’s best albums - which is saying a lot. I especially enjoyed All Around the World.

I am shocked at the love for this album, to be honest. I like Paul Simon but this isn't it man. I don't even think it's problematic. Just lame. Nothing grips me here, and even when it starts to, Paul's sweet soft soothing voice pulls the teeth out of anything and everything getting built. I like hearing world music. I like genre-mixing. But 80s pop can only ever make things worse. Fave tracks: - Graceland - You Can Call Me Al

amazing album!!!!

Oh man, here we go. The album which contains arguably the worst song of all time. I say arguably, because there's always one dick who will be all like 'but it is very well recorded and produced, with sublime if quirky lyrics and ear-opening instrumentation'. No no - it's just shit. But maybe the rest of the album is good? Well, who am I to say what's good? Objectively sure, there's good stuff here. Culturally, it seems you can fall into two camps - foul appropriation which he should be shamed for, or shining a spotlight on artistry which he should be praised for. Me? I don't care. I can admit that musicically, lyrically, vocally it is 'good' . But musically, lyrically, vocally, it was mostly painful for me. I don't like Simon's vocal approach, his intonation and the repetitive talky rhythm which rarely changes from song to song. It evokes an absense of feeling and a lack of melody. The African singers...I've never understood the appeal. Every time I've heard that group perform I don't understand the worship and applause they receive. The bass sound is terrible - Call Me Al is not the exception. Lyrically, it's the usual storytelling malarkey which is fine but goes in one ear and out the other for me. Musically, there is plenty packed in but it still all comes out sounding like Call Me Al. Several songs follow a suspiciously similar set of chords and root notes. But the band plays well and you know it's a talented bunch. Outside of a couple of songs though, all of that talent doesn't add up to anything on a personal level. I'm bewildered that the album sold so well more than the fact that it is still held in such high regard. I get that Boomers eat this sort of thing up and that it was an important album by an important dude. It's more interesting than his debut, but the style and the vocals don't do it for me.

"You Can Call Me Al" is the most famous track from this album, but Ladysmith Black Mambazo stole the show for me. I really liked the South African influence in this album. "Under African Skies" is a lot of fun. The vocal harmonies on "Homeless" elevated the listening experience dramatically for me.

Liked it but did not love it. Enjoyable but not quite great.

11 songs Added to liked: -The Boy In the Bubble (knew the song) -You Can Call Me Al (knew the song)

Awin mawe awin mawe awin mawe awin mawe Me agarro medio en contramano la verdad, se me hace admirable la mezcla de folk anglogermánico con el sudáfricano. Dicho esto no me veo escuchándolo. No queda guardado pero awin mawe awin mawe

Yuck. Dated, boring and cringey. I'm all for giving African artists more representation on the list, but this is just an old man trying to resurrect his career with borrowed exoticism - sanitized African music for people who are afraid of actual African music, with the added insult of cheesy synth sounds and terrible lyrics. I'd rather listen to Johnny Clegg, who at least was a true militant and went full Zulu. The country / folk approach interests me even less, especially since I can't stand Paul Simon's voice. Despite a couple of reasonably pleasant moments, I almost couldn't finish. 2/10

i’ve been excited for this. one of my friend’s favorite album. i liked it enough.

Good music, would have loved to hear Hedi Bergs original version

Immaculate top to bottom. The funnest funs, the somberest sombers, the chillest chills. Good job Paul. Highlights: "Graceland", "I Know What I Know", "Gumboots"

Havent fully listened

parecía música d animación de pixar por partes

More than any other album on this list I grew up with this, on cassette, with my parents playing it all the time in my formative years. Soft spot for miles here

I've grown up with this since it came out and never stopped listening to it, and every time I hear something new and wonderful

I knew this was on the list as it would be unjust were this to be left off in favor of almost any other album. This has been one of my favorites since I first heard it when I was 8 years old thanks to MTV and FM radio. This is an easy 5. A master songwriter traversing multiple styles and genres aided by other master musicians. I still have over 600 albums left before I get to the end of the list (barring revisions from the forthcoming new edition of the book) but this will be in consideration for my top album.

😍😍 This album is on heavy vinyl rotation in our house - glad to get a chance to listen to it!

really enjoyed the guitar of it all, i guess i need some more time with it!

I love this album. I grew up listening to it. I think the music is beautiful. I love how collaborative it is and how all the different collaborations lead to an album that feels varied but coherent. There isn't a song on here that I would skip. Obviously my review is super biased, there's no way for me to listen to this album and not remember singing along to it with my family in the car. I like to think that I'd love it even if I was hearing it for the first time now. There's such a good mix of warmth and emotion. Fav song: You Can Call Me Al - this one has been my fav since I was a kid. Graceland is the one I haven't been able to stop singing since listening this time. Least fav: Gumboots

Fantastic album. Such an easy listen while having bangers on it. Was worried he might go too heavy into the African influence in a weird way but it was very tasteful. Less bangers towards the end, gets a bit polka. Specific rating - 4.4 Fav song - you can call me al Least fav - Gumboots

Putting into words the way I feel about this album isn't easy. I think it's musically gorgeous with beautiful vocals and incredible storytelling. But mostly I think it's impossible to separate this album from all my memories of it. There was a year or so my parents were traveling full time and Homeless was my dad's anthem (always sang incredibly overly dramatically). When I turned 21 my flatmate put You Can Call Me Al on the party playlist because he knew how much I liked it and I remember feeling so loved and seen and surrounded by my favourite people as it played. And there are the countless memories of singing along to Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes and Graceland on long car rides with my family. Favourite song: You Can Call Me Al Least: I Know What I Know (but I love the whole album really)

One of my all time favorites!

Graceland is a great album, but there are some hitches that weaken it marginally.

A couple of good songs, some duff ones

Overraskende pent.

Listened to on my Apple AirPods Max. You know, this album is quite a challenge for me to describe in terms of my feelings. There is certainly appreciation to be held in Paul Simon's songwriting, and in the exploration in fusing his American pop/folk ideas with South African musical ideas, but this album on the whole just sounds grating to my ears. Throughout the album, I was really turned off by the drums, which has this 80s trademark gated reverb thing going on that makes them sound stadium ready and fake as hell, totally at odds with this kinda "man with guitar" kinda music, even in it's expanded band sense like this album presents. I also didn't find myself connecting to a lot of the storytelling by Simon. There are moments, like the title track 'Graceland', in which a heartfelt tale of lost love and moving on is sung in a way where the lyrics and delivery come together for something great, but I so often found myself annoyed by both of those aspects. It's that singing by Paul combined with a lot of the instrumentation, whether it be the instrument itself (like the several accordion passages) or the engineering on the sound that makes the thing sound tacky and synthetic--it's all these forces coming together in ways that feel totally at odds with my ears. It isn't impossible for me to see how this album reached the heights of success that it did, but I just personally do not like much of what the album has to offer. Whether that be the vocal delivery or the clashing fusion of South African music with overwrought studio-pop sound, it's just not for me. The album art's nice, though.

This is good! 4

I enjoy it a lot

Good, nice energy and interesting themes - but felt somewhat twee and samey after a while.

It's like when a reggae fan wants to do reggae music. It sometimes slaps though

Rv

Pretty close to perfect.

always pretty

This album feels of it’s time now. I imagine it was cutting edge in terms of musical style at the time, certainly in terms of the mainstream. I like the lyrics and blend of African music

Sometimes I feel bad for rating some of these 90’s rock bands poorly, and then I hear something like this and think, "Oh, right, this is what good music sounds like.”

cool music al

Ahhhh serenity. My second Paul Simon album on this list and probably my favourite. Puts me in a good mood. Some songs I didn’t recognise and others I hadn’t listened to in a while. From the mix of different sounds, instruments, moods, vocals, everything sounds harmonic and well thought out. Making a song like Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes is talent enough, but putting it alongside other greats like You can call me Al, I know what I know and Graceland? Top tier.

Why is there so much Paul Simon, I get that he is a talented musician but holy shit i have gotten him like 4 times and I'm doing this for about two months. Although it was a decent album, o expected worse from his 80s stuff

This album was pretty fun. I like hearing all the different styles.

Day 266 Lovely album to float away to. Highlights You can call me Al Crazy love That was your mother ii

Afrikkalaista perinnemusiikkia yhdistettynä länsimaalaiseen folkkiin ja poppiin. Ja muutama muu johonkin haitarimusiikkiim sekoitettu biisi. Taas yllättäen (eli ei) hyväntuulista. Parhaat: Graceland, You Can Call Me Al

it's good. obviously i've heard a lot of these songs a million times but hearing them in the context and sequence of the album makes me appreciate how vast the african styles are that he explored on this album. listening to Koffi Olomide the day after this album really contextualized a lot of the musical choices here too and made me appreciate how unique these songs are when held against both african and american music. there's a lightness or bounciness to a lot of african music, but the themes of this record are not light and his vocals sort of inherently contain a seriousness regardless of the style he's singing. That in addition to some unmistakably american 80s flourishes ("Crazy Love, Vol. II" and "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints for example") make for an interesting combination. i think some of the songs later in the album are less interesting so the momentum fades for me by the end but overall i think this is still a pretty solid album. i appreciate this for how different it is from any of his other work and still stands out as a pretty innovative record in that sense. without getting into the extremely expansive lore or politics of this album and its surrounding controversies (including but not limited to steve van zandt thrwarting guerrilla anti-apartheid activist plans to assassinate paul), i am deigning to say based on my arsenal of paul simon knowledge that i think his appreciation of the african influences and contributors here is genuine and long lasting. i can see the validity of the more pessimistic view of this album as a representation of his career-long reliance on other cultures to spice up his work, but i prefer to think of this as indicative of his global curiosity. there's a quote where he explains that throughout his career he has always dabbled in whatever music interested him at a given moment, and sometimes that has lined up with public interests and sometimes it hasn't, but that will always be the primary driver of his musical choices. if you believe in viewing his work through that lens, which i do, then i think he provides a successful model for appreciating and collaborating with other cultures in a way that honors and uplifts their roots, making this album an indelible part of music history. Fav tracks: Graceland; I Know What I Know; You Can Call Me Al; Under African Skies

An all time favourite of mine, literally seeing him live tomorrow. Remember the first time I listened to homeless on vinyl - genuine perfection. Diamond on the souls of her shoes is beautiful, you can call me Al is obviously such a banger and the title track is also. This album has no skips for me.

I really enjoyed the instrumentation on this album. However, while I think Paul Simon's voice is great, and it's not exactly like I expect a lot of bombast there, it feels like the voice and the instrumentation are disconnected from each other. Still, a decent enough listen.

Graceland (song) is one of my all time favorites. I love this album, and definitely a seminal work by one of the best songwriters ever. So poignant, introspective, and an amazing listen. Some songs that I haven't latched on to quite as much though.

Almost great.

You mentioned yesterday that there is a great pleasure in writing a negative review. It is easier to articulate and challenge the mistakes than it is to isolate and garland the achievements. It is a hard to describe art. Clearly, then there is a potentially greater pleasure in making a moral argument against something that you find aesthetically displeasing: more and bigger mistakes, less messy nuance. Grand dismissal is theatrically more satisfying than the snide, detailed takedown. It eats into your time less as well. You can get on about your day. When the target is an 80s, multi-hit mega-seller that everyone likes, the pleasure is even more immense. And, so, I know what I'll be doing when we generate Thriller by predatory paedophile, Michael Jackson. I like Graceland. The songs are all sweet and catchy. The collaborations are clearly successful on record, if not elsewhere. Paul Simon remains as oblique as Bob Dylan, but with a bit more effort. 3.5 These are very pretty songs with nice Paul Simony lyrics. What else is there to say? 2.5/5

The Talking Heads influence is extremely welcome here. And also it’s funny just how much of Vampire Weekend’s entire deal comes from this album, I had no idea. I could have done with less synth but it’s by no means bad. I’m really glad this is on the list- it’s the surprise I’ve been hoping to come upon the whole time. Maybe it’s silly that I managed to get this far without actually listening to Paul Simon but at least I have now!

Knew some of the songs but never listened to the full album. Really enjoyed it front to back. You Can Call Me Al is the obvious standout, but I also really enjoyed Under a African Skies.

The music was great, especially the Afrobeat and Zydeco tracks. I just kinda hate his voice. If he'd shut up it would have been a better album.

Who doesn't like Paul Simon? He's just a happy little man making happy little songs. This album has to be his magnum opus. The African influence is chef's kiss perfect. Plus Call Me Al? Absolutely everyone should listen to this before they die. And every time you're in a bad move.

Do you like cultural appropriation? Do you like your world music sanitised by having it's heart ripped out? Do you like the clash of farty bass, tinny synths and milquetoast vocals? Then you'll love this!

All in all it's not bad but not my vibe, not my style.

This is an all timer for me. So musical, so catchy, never fails to deliver good vibes for me.

It would be difficult to overstate how big this album was when ot was forst released. Bolstered by MTV, and not that long after Simon and Garfunkel had a big success with their concert in Central Park, this album was massive, opening Paul to a completely new audience. This album is great, top to bottom. My personal favorite is the duet with Linda Ronstadt, Under African Skies. Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes is also fantastic. Great poece of misic history in this release.

good mood, on se croit dans un film mdrrr

146. no

Fine

Some songs carry the album more than others. More enjoyable blended genre than I expected.

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

Pretty good, LOTS of variety. Might give the band some more listens because of that. The more I listen the better it gets. Probably the best album on here so far. Will listen to this album more.

Muy folk. Usa mucho coro como instrumento casi. Está bueno, pero it's not my cup of tea

Destacados del album: 1- The boy in the bubble: linda letra y abre de forma muy linda el album. Aborda temas como la violencia la decepcion ante los impulsos, la embriaguez y la violencia de la crianza que caracterizaban esos años ". 2-All around the world or the myth of fingerprints: Lo pongo como destacado ya que contiene referencias de un tema de charly garcia y ademas la letra esta buena señalando a las camaras, presentadores de television y haciendo un juego de palabras nombrando a brad pit implicitamente, "on the black pit town". Resumen del álbum: Claramente es un álbum atravesado por la cultura africana, como se puede ver en "homeless" y otros albums. Contiene artistas compañeros de allá mismo también y varias frases en idioma suajili por lo que pude averiguar. Me parece lindo el concepto y lo que representa pero siento que no se ha exprimido la idea al máximo de lo que podría haber dado. Hay temas que son de aquellos los cuales uno ya parece haber escuchado alguna vez, obvio son de los 80s así que mas o menos la mayoría mantiene esa acústica y efectos tanto en guitarras y voz. Observaciones: "All around the world or the myth of fingerprints" repite ritmo y cierta melodia de "no me dejan salir" de Charly garcia. No se bien si se conocen estos dos musicos o paul simon era su oyente o algo asi pero se hace un dato extravagante de oir. En sintesis: A este album le doy un 6, disfrute escucharlo pero no lo volveria a escuchar completo

wowwww the song graceland is just stuck in my head now hahahaaa.

I have so many stories about this album and songs from this album, and it was never going to get anything less than 5 stars from me. But this was one of my mom’s favorite albums, if not her very favorite, and she always told me that she listened to this all the time when she was pregnant with me. She died in November 2024, and I miss her every day. Listening to this album makes me feel closer to her, and in the end, that’s the only story about this album that matters to me. Love you, mom.

How is Simon so good? Ladysmith helps but the dude is tremendously talented. Makes Dylan sound overrated . . .

Fire. Feel like I need to listen to it again already!

I thought this album was really chill, like something for a beach day. Also supernatural and a great start to this list.

Not my cup of tea

Good

Great album I love the first half

Love it

Pretentious as hell. Not awful, but not as impressive as it thinks it is. The worst part is that I typically like Simon? Oh well.

eh, not really for me honestly

One of the greatest works of artistry of all time. Every single song is a great. In my opinion this album is the magnum opus of one of the best musicians of all time. I don't know that I can enjoy an album more than I enjoy this one.

Upbeat, happy and not bad at all

Look, Paul managed to lock into a pure vibe state with a panoply of zydeco, African choral music, desert blues, and incredible synth work for a classic album that only suffers toward the end. It's almost all bangers and it's almost perfect, so no surprise it gets a 4.

The best

GIGA-POSITIVE start of my saturday morning!

Beautiful record through and through. Culturally important, a delicate and balanced mix of influences.

This album sounds great with headphones on

No está mal parece un poco reggae

This was an unexpected but interesting vibe, I did enjoy it but I don’t know if I’ll put it on again. 3.5/5

Likely his best solo album.

Not my type of album but great lyrics

I actually wrote a decent review for once, but then the site fucking died. Alas, the album was actually not too bad and somewhat enjoyable until we started hitting the middle of the album where the Lion King/breathing bullshit starts.

Im surprised that I liked this more than his other albums on this list.. but he still sounds like raisins in potato salad

Liked the first half of the album more than the second.

I know it's a classic, but it's kind of boring for me. It does have one of my top 10 all-time favorite songs though (the song Graceland). I appreciate the album for what it is, but I would never intentionally sit down and just listen to the entire album.

Love so many songs on this album, a classic for me

The second Paul Simon five in this project, and the one he’d been building toward. Where the 1972 debut felt effortless and warm — a songwriter wandering through genres with natural curiosity — Graceland feels like a full artistic commitment. Simon didn’t dip into South African music. He went there, lived inside it, and came back with something that sounds completely inevitable in retrospect and was genuinely courageous in context. The apartheid-era controversy around the recording is worth acknowledging honestly. At the time, cultural boycotts of South Africa were the political consensus, and Simon’s decision to record there with Black South African musicians was genuinely contested. In hindsight the integration argument holds — these collaborations brought Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the township jive musicians of Johannesburg to a global audience in a way that honored rather than exploited the source. Courage in art doesn’t always look obvious while it’s happening. The music makes the case beyond any political argument. “The Boy in the Bubble,” “You Can Call Me Al,” “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes” — each one a different entry point into the same joyful, rhythmically alive world Simon had discovered. “Homeless” with Ladysmith Black Mambazo carries the album to its emotional peak without quite being the peak itself — because the record stays remarkably high throughout, which is its defining quality.

6/5 love you paul

N gostei

I like the choice of instruments

funky, folk/country tyylinen levy. haitari kuulostaa hyvältä ensimmäisessä biisissä. miksaus kuulostaa selkeältä. kolmanessa kappalessa on hyvät choir/tribal voksut jotka ovat kertosäkeen päällä. Taustakuorosta ei oikeen saa selvää. neljännessä kappaleessa harmonikan kyytiin tulee myös saksofoni. tässä kappalessa voisi lisätä vocalseihin lisää kaikua. tulee myös bob dylan fiilis vocalsien rytmityksestä. vitosbiisissä hyvä maailmanmusiikki fiilis 6 biisi vaihtuu suoraan 80 luvulle ja se kuuluu taustalla soivista syntheistä.. mikä vittu tää on tää snare tässä vikassa biisissä???

Love the African and texmex vibes

Number: 108 Date: 04/20/2026 Artist: Paul Simon Album: Graceland Year: 1986 Genre: Soft World Pop Rock Familiarity: Moderate (3) Rating: 4 Before: ======= Paul Simon is way down on my list of favorite artists. Probably would be somewhere between top 150 - 200. During: ======= 4 The Boy In The Bubble 4 Graceland 4 I Know What I Know 4 Gumboots 4 Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes 4 You Can Call Me Al 4 Under African Skies 4 Homeless 3 Crazy Love, Vol. II 4 That Was Your Mother 4 All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints ----------------------------------------------------- 3.90 WEIGHTED AVERAGE (accounts for song lengths) After : ======= Overall, I think the album is really good. I could not care less if it's "cultural appropriation". All music and all culture is appropriation of some sort. 4 my personal rating 5 suitability for this list 3 impact ----------------------------------------------- 4 composite rating

Ritmos tribales, muy rítmico, creo que lo habia escuchado en su dia, pero es alegre y con motivación

Graceland would be such a good soundtrack title for Project Hail Mary. The boy in the bubble vs the girl in the bubble. 4/5. Favourite song: Graceland

So I love Paul Simon, even though I find his writing a bit pretentious. For 1986, I think it's kind of brave to try an African themed album mixed with folk/pop. I think Graceland is a masterpiece of writing in my opinion and carries the entire album. I do find the rest of the album overrated and somewhat annoying. Again, another album with incredible musicianship. Especially the bass. I dig the African vibe though in small doses.

A five for me. The lyric “cinematographer’s party” brings me a lot of joy. A classic. Chevy Chase’s best performance.

Ouf... Where to even start. The highs are high but the lows are just beyond more low. I don't care about the lack of credit Paul Simon have to the South African artists (I do but not in the context of how I feel about the music), I don't think it's cultural appropriation, and I don't think it was wrong of him to record in Johannesburg during the apartheid embargo. His voice is just so muted and soft and kind of twee. The mid range is really muffled. I have good memories wrapped up in this album and it was hard to decide if this were a 3 or a 4. Either way, it just doesn't resonate like it used to.

I'm not gonna ding it for cultural appropriation or whatever. Paul can do what he wants, we have freewill. Outside of the singles I just find it boring.

One of those albums that seemed to be everywhere in the mid 80s. The music is cool. I just don’t think Paul’s weak voice fits the music. It’s jarring. 2

First listen I was thinking a high 4 but after the second go it’s 5 all day long. Brilliant album

Cute for a rode trip but i dont think ive have achieved this level of happiness and joy in my heart quite yet

Not the biggest fan of American music. Had a couple good songs

Was ait

80s rockers had a strange but common symptom of a midlife crisis: they began drawing inspiration for new songs from Africa. Paul Simon even went so far as to dig so deep that he actually went to South Africa to record with local artists, prompting a howl from the leftist morality police, because of apartheid. This howl continues to this day, this time on the topic of "cultural appropriation" (which, by the way, doesn't exist), which doesn't prevent the album from being quite positive and danceable. But what does Africa have to do with it? No, there are some of their folk music here, but it starts around the middle of the album and are expressed through bongos and folk chants. There's a much stronger influence of country, rockabilly, and classic rock 'n' roll here, and the African theme was explored long before this album's release by Talking Heads, and not long ago by Peter Gabriel. And they did a much better job.

I couldn’t care less about supposed cultural appropriation. This is just a boring album. It’s not bad, just not very good either.

Sounds like a response to Phil Collins at times, and a mess at others. Technically sound, but all over the place. I guess after 20 years of performing, Paul said “idc anymore”. ⭐️⭐️

Dette sammensuriumet burde ikke funke, men gjør det uproblematisk. Energisk og inspirert. Trekker for en litt glætt 80-tallsproduksjon til tider.

Paul e kongen!

👌 Dritbra

Går tom for ideer på tampen, men såpass mye bra her at fireren er sikret.

I knew this would be a 5/5 before I started listening. I never ceases to delight me from beginning to end. I added “The Myth of Fingerprints” to my playlist but I love every single track.

it was ok i suppose, not to the level of the other album though

Sophie - ehhhhhhhhh

Absolute classic. Couple songs dont do it for me, but overall a masterpiece.

This record had a very poppy feel to it. Very easy to listen to and unoffensive. Favourite Track(s): Gumboots, That Was Your Mother Least Favourite Track(s): Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes

Recognized one song, the rest was new to me. Wasn't crazy about it

I really enjoyed this album. I liked all the African and German influences on it. This album really used all the features well. I also think that the time period can really be herd on Graceland because of the 80 system production. I'll give it a 5 or6.

Bien.

a few good songs, nothing spectacular.

Well. New Ick unlocked. 60’s/70’s singer songwriters entering the 80’s. The lore behind Paul Simon and his African influences is cool and all, but this shit does not land at all for me. Idk, maybe I’m a hater but his song writing does not jive with the production for me. Also his voice.. I can’t see him doing anything other than earthy folk music. You can call me Al is clearly the most palatable song here, but that can’t even save it for me. Sorry Paul.

Emily Jumpscare again I like this I like hearing some pop rock from the 80s Paul Simon has such a jumpy and happy rhythm to him I have such a hard time listening to the lyrics cause I’m so excited and his voice is like another instrument another layer in these layered tracks! It’s too good man. His singing voice is actually good I find a lot of artsy vocalist of this era can’t sing that well but this album has Africa written all over it wearing the influence on all sides. I also like the multi instrumentals you never get bored cause it gets so unique gumboots is unlike anything I’ve heard. Paul Simon knows how to make a good tune so when I heard that was your mother I wasn’t too upset I think it’s minimal to the highs of the rest of the album.

'You Can Call Me Al' is objectively the greatest song of all time

The whitest man who ever whited taking “inspiration” from African music to make an absolute fortune? A story as old as Elvis. At least Paul Simon doesn’t touch kids.

Hands done one of the best albums ever. My favorite road trip album for over 20 years.

One of the first CDs I purchased in 1986. Great album full of interesting rhythms.

Incredibly well produced and nicely performed. Every song sounds the same to me.

Meh: it’s like sad Paul Simon was able to neuter the joy out of everything. And I would be okay if I never heard You Can Call Me Al again.

80s folk rock. Features eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga. South African influence. His most successful album. Style does not do it for me, couple of hits.

I say... something weird! She says... arbitrary crap! He says... hemisphere!

the simon with no garfunkel. this one is weird. simultaneously i have a lot of thoughts on it but am struggling for things to say about it. the songs are like, fine? there's a lot of good sounds in em but they're honestly a little samey and as there's not really much of a structure to the album as a whole i have trouble telling the songs apart. this makes "homeless" my favourite almost by default since it's the only track different enough to catch my attention. which feels a little unfair cos it is genuinely a good song. but its shining brighter against its blurred surroundings, yknow? having said this, it's not that other songs didn't catch my attention, but in most other cases what i was noticing was that the lyrics are kind of fucking bad. paul simon's vocal style is fine but i'm not a fan of the "i said, he said, i said, she said" loop he repeatedly falls into throughout this album. it got so severe in "i know what i know" that it legitimately pissed me off and i had to go take a shower. i don't need a blow by blow account of a conversation you had one time dude. gimme a break.. ultimately my feelings on this one are complicated. i think i like it, but the bad lyrics keep taking me out of it, but i don't think it would be better as an instrumental album cos i enjoy the quality of the vocals as an instrument. i feel like vampire weekend did a much better job with the same musical ideas, but i don't think this album is worse for it even if contra is kind of just the same album but better. and i'm not even gonna get into the political context this was made in. probably not the wisest move? idk. ....i'm tired of thinking about this album.

Divorce albums are sometimes something special. It's hard to rate this specific one in a vacuum considering the politics of it, but it's undeniably a continuous jam with a great variety of instruments and vocalists. While it's not something that draws me in enough to listen to it again, I bet it makes a pretty good neutral roadtrip pick. "That Was Your Mother" is not great. Simon's voice hits such a dissonant tone with the rest of the song and it does not meld at all. But this is the only standout offender.

Idem que l'autre album qu'on avait écouté avant, grave bonne ambiance j'ai kiffé

Sympa !

Pas trop ma came

El regreso al exito masivo de Paul Simon, uno de los mejores compositores del siglo XX. Original mezcla con la música africana. Imprescindible.

4 It's like a cowboy toured Africa and decide I'm gonna combine 2 of these world