I bought it as a teen, gave it away because it wasn’t hard edged or loud enough, then bought it all over again. Last week I heard the London African Gospel Choir rendering their own take on the whole Graceland record at the Barbican. Their wall of sound was impressive but drowned out the subtlety of the songs. What was missing was the light, small voice of that very tiny man with strange hair. But you’re right about Chevy Chase: I always found that video a bit icky
You're right about Paul Simon's voice, though. It's also his diction - the lyrics on Graceland in particular are so rhythmic and detailed you really need his precise enunciation too.
Also, I have a guilty soft spot for Chevy Chase's performance of the line 'Get these mutts away from me', but then Community has conditioned me to put up with him even / especially when he's giving me the creeps.
"Graceland" has my whole heart. There are some weak spots but it's such a gem of an album, full of surprises and beauty that catch at your heart. Is it an obnoxious example of musical entitlement? Yes. But it's a really beautiful one.
I'm more than a little bit influenced by the fact that I was introduced to the album by a boy I dated in high school, my first real LOVE relationship and a long-distance one at that. His mom would play the album in her car when she drove me home, and we would all sing along, and I have the fondest memories of that.
That really matters, though, doesn't it? Especially at that age, but the emotional associations really matter. Having not heard Graceland probably since the '80s, I had a really clear sense of the bedroom that I was in when I first heard it, which I had at that time recently painted white and decorated with four plastic primary coloured strips, running across the top of the walls in true mid '80s style.
It DOES matter! It took me years to overcome my disdain for Talking Heads and the Pretenders, simply because my dad was very into those bands so I considered them Dad Music and thereby uncool
I hadn’t thought of the relationship between [early] Talking Heads and Graceland; I just knew I loved them both. That, and NPR’s segment called “Afro Pop Worldwide.”
I had read about both Dylan’s and Simon’s plagiarism before but just learned from you about Heidi and the ripoff. Ugh.
Trying to separate the art from the artist can get tricky. Dylan especially because he blew off the Nobel committee for a year until just before the deadline to forfeit the $$ prize and then plagiarized his acceptance speech. I decided I could live without his work.
Wow, how odd. I have re-listened to Graceland earlier this year, after so many years, and found that I still knew it all by heart, that it has been playing in my head, no my life, for the last 30 odd years. And you render it just as good as it is, I'm sure everybody here would know exactly what I am talking about. Whenever I cycle down rue Lafayette (once a week) I stop at the corner. When I was single, and life was great. And next day at work, I look up to a distant constellation that's dying in the corner of the sky. Don't cry baby, don't cry, don't cry. Either way, we're all going to Graceland...
@Lou, I know exactly what a roly poly little bat faced girl looks like. There was one in York. You can call her Betty. Angels in the architecture.
Well, I was not expecting you to be such a fan, but I'm glad you are. And I had exactly that experience: still word perfect on it after all these years.
I don’t think I love it as an album but, as is often the case with these pieces, I might have to revisit. I do love You Can Call Me Al which is perhaps less representative of the album as a whole. It’s such a joyous sing along. I have always wondered what a “rolypoly little bat-faced girl” might look like.
For once I don't think I have any qualms about recommending a revisit. I really loved it, as you can probably tell, but then I did love it at the time, tbf.
I bought it as a teen, gave it away because it wasn’t hard edged or loud enough, then bought it all over again. Last week I heard the London African Gospel Choir rendering their own take on the whole Graceland record at the Barbican. Their wall of sound was impressive but drowned out the subtlety of the songs. What was missing was the light, small voice of that very tiny man with strange hair. But you’re right about Chevy Chase: I always found that video a bit icky
You're right about Paul Simon's voice, though. It's also his diction - the lyrics on Graceland in particular are so rhythmic and detailed you really need his precise enunciation too.
Also, I have a guilty soft spot for Chevy Chase's performance of the line 'Get these mutts away from me', but then Community has conditioned me to put up with him even / especially when he's giving me the creeps.
"Graceland" has my whole heart. There are some weak spots but it's such a gem of an album, full of surprises and beauty that catch at your heart. Is it an obnoxious example of musical entitlement? Yes. But it's a really beautiful one.
I'm more than a little bit influenced by the fact that I was introduced to the album by a boy I dated in high school, my first real LOVE relationship and a long-distance one at that. His mom would play the album in her car when she drove me home, and we would all sing along, and I have the fondest memories of that.
That really matters, though, doesn't it? Especially at that age, but the emotional associations really matter. Having not heard Graceland probably since the '80s, I had a really clear sense of the bedroom that I was in when I first heard it, which I had at that time recently painted white and decorated with four plastic primary coloured strips, running across the top of the walls in true mid '80s style.
It DOES matter! It took me years to overcome my disdain for Talking Heads and the Pretenders, simply because my dad was very into those bands so I considered them Dad Music and thereby uncool
I hadn’t thought of the relationship between [early] Talking Heads and Graceland; I just knew I loved them both. That, and NPR’s segment called “Afro Pop Worldwide.”
I had read about both Dylan’s and Simon’s plagiarism before but just learned from you about Heidi and the ripoff. Ugh.
Trying to separate the art from the artist can get tricky. Dylan especially because he blew off the Nobel committee for a year until just before the deadline to forfeit the $$ prize and then plagiarized his acceptance speech. I decided I could live without his work.
But Graceland? I’ll happily listen to it any day.
Wow, how odd. I have re-listened to Graceland earlier this year, after so many years, and found that I still knew it all by heart, that it has been playing in my head, no my life, for the last 30 odd years. And you render it just as good as it is, I'm sure everybody here would know exactly what I am talking about. Whenever I cycle down rue Lafayette (once a week) I stop at the corner. When I was single, and life was great. And next day at work, I look up to a distant constellation that's dying in the corner of the sky. Don't cry baby, don't cry, don't cry. Either way, we're all going to Graceland...
@Lou, I know exactly what a roly poly little bat faced girl looks like. There was one in York. You can call her Betty. Angels in the architecture.
Well, I was not expecting you to be such a fan, but I'm glad you are. And I had exactly that experience: still word perfect on it after all these years.
I don’t think I love it as an album but, as is often the case with these pieces, I might have to revisit. I do love You Can Call Me Al which is perhaps less representative of the album as a whole. It’s such a joyous sing along. I have always wondered what a “rolypoly little bat-faced girl” might look like.
For once I don't think I have any qualms about recommending a revisit. I really loved it, as you can probably tell, but then I did love it at the time, tbf.