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Graceland [CD]

Paul Simon | Format: Audio CD

4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (195 customer reviews)

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There is a newer version of this title:

Graceland [25th Anniversary Edition] 4.7 out of 5 stars (195)
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During his distinguished career Paul Simon has been the recipient of many honors and awards including 12 Grammy Awards, three of which ("Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Still Crazy After All These Years" and "Graceland") were albums of the year. In 2003 he was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel. He is an ... Read more in Amazon's Paul Simon Store

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Product details

Audio CD (1 Sep 1986)
Number of Discs: 1
Format: CD
Label: Warner Bros Records
ASIN: B00000E9O7
Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette | Vinyl | MP3 Download

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (195 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,255 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

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1. The Boy In The Bubble

2. Graceland

3. I Know What I Know

4. Gumboots

5. Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes

6. You Can Call Me Al

7. Under African Skies

8. Homeless

9. Crazy Love, Vol. II

10. That Was Your Mother

11. All Round The World Or The Myths Of Fingerprints

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk

The melding of South African styles and Simon's trademark sensibility made for one of the most intriguing albums--not to mention commercial hits--of the 1980s. At once lively, thoughtful, gorgeous, and tough, Graceland acknowledges splits both in South Africa's social fabric and in Simon's personal life (the title track is a clear descendant of the earlier "Hearts and Bones", a song about the singer- songwriter's brief marriage to Carrie Fisher). Humour is hardly absent from the mix, though; witness the addled "I Know What I Know" and the fable-like "You Can Call Me Al". --Rickey Wright

Product Description

Classic 1986 album

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

4.7 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Massively overcompressed, overloud remastering 2 Dec 2011

By Wilfrith

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Doing a waveform & audible analysis of my 1986 CD compared to this 2011 re-release, the results are shocking, absolutely massive compression has been applied to this in a race to the loudness wars, resulting in distortion & subtleties of the voices and instruments simply disappearing compared to the original. I am not an anti-remasterer, there are great remasters out there, but this is not one of them, stick to the 1986 CD if you want the best from this.

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233 of 242 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great music, poor sound 18 Jan 2007

By Glenn Richards

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

When this album was originally released it very quickly became a classic. The fusion of African tribal and Western soft rock music works, and works well.

Unfortunately - and these comments apply solely to this remaster - the sound quality has suffered as a result of the current arms race between record labels to make their CDs as loud as possible. Whereas on the original CD release the opening track "The Boy In The Bubble" began with a soft accordian solo followed by a series of drum hits that sounded like firecrackers (and scared the life out of anyone that wasn't expecting it), here all the dynamics of this are lost in a muddy compressed version of what was once a great album.

Many other classic albums have been destroyed like this by record labels. Do yourself a favour and track down the original 1986 CD of this album on Marketplace.

For the record the original 1986 version of this is unquestionably a 5-star album.

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50 of 52 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Music, Bad Production 4 Mar 2008

By Mr. G. V. Davison

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I totally agree with Glen Richards. I have the original vinyl and CD so I bought this version as a re-mastered paper sleeve Japanese Mini LP(vinyl replica) thinking it would be an upgrade. The hiss level is overpowering on a good hi-fi system. You might as well play it as an MP3 recording. Very disappointing. Do yourself a favour, however, and try the "MINI LP/Vinyl Replica" remastered versions of "One Trick Pony", "Rhymin Simon", "Paul Simon", or "Still Crazy After All These Years". This is how it should be done.

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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Paul Simon's finest hour: a victim of the loudness war 8 July 2012

By The Guardian TOP 100 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

This Grammy Award-winning album from 1986 is usually considered to be Paul Simon's crowning achievement in a stellar career with many high-points. His peerless songwriting and poignant lyrics are fused with intelligent use of folk and brass instruments: Zulu Mbaqanga rhythms, the Ladysmith Black Mambazo choir showcasing their a capella style, plus the Zydeco creole music of Louisiana; the Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt and Los Lobos also feature in cameo performances. It's absolutely gorgeous and hasn't aged a day in 26 years.

The album works best when listened to as a whole experience, rather than sampled track by downloaded track - like having a full meal rather than just eating the beans one day, and the sauce on another occasion. Only when the whole is savoured and digested can the extraordinary blend of complimentary musical styles be appreciated, and the grand creation be enjoyed and fully understood.

Now the 1986 CD release was in every way superb, containing a dynamic range allowing for the subtleties of the unusual instrumentation and vocal combinations to shine, with plenty of light and shade. The 2004 `re-mastered' CD was overall `louder' than the earlier mix, lacked the depth and contrast of the original and was definitely not an improvement. Unfortunately this `25th anniversary remaster' (actually the 26th anniversary, not the 25th) CD is, if possible, even worse. It's another victim of the `loudness war' destroying the subtleties of thoughtful and complex music by compressing the dynamic range, resulting in little difference between loud and quiet sections, diminishing its emotional power and - compared to the 1986 original - making it a tiring experience for the listener.... Read more ›

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51 of 54 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Re-mastered version 16 Nov 2009

By D. Elliott TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

As I listened to this re-mastered version of Paul Simon's classic `Graceland' CD I wondered how much better it would be than the original. It wasn't. Indeed it wasn't as good. Haunting softness and melodious depth had been usurped by what seemed crisper and louder - but the original was heard via the heart as well as the ear. The re-mastered version is still a great CD but it somehow lacks soul. Hence the drop from 5 to 4-star rating.

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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Landmark Well Covered 7 Jun 2012

By Syriat TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

Graceland was the first ever album I bought (on tape actually), my first ever single is far more embarrassing. As a teenager I had never heard this type of music before and it led me on to many other things and gave me an awareness of Apartheid and its ugly forms. I have never bought this on CD until now and this package is an absolute must for me and anyone who has an interest in this album.

The package consists of the original CD (remastered and to these ears to good effect). On this CD are the bonus tracks including demo's, which are at times quite different to the final versions. The producers certainly did a lot to put this album together. There is a booklet that has a brief overview from the man himself and another essay on the album. The album itself is as good as it was. Lyrically evocative it contains so many great moments. Its a landmark album for so many reasons (of which more later) but the music itself is central to that and listening to it now it truly is a five star album.

The final part of this package is a DVD with the recently released Under African Skies documentary. This covers the whole creation and legacy of the album and the 25th anniversary reunion. It also contains the music video's various documentaries and also a few interviews (Ray Phiri's is the highlight here as his story is brief but moving). But the documentary is the the main event on the DVD. It shows the whole story and the aftermath and it throws light on the struggles and how this album caused as much trouble as it raised awareness. At times moving this really is a brilliant insight and worth the money alone. It shows Apartheid and the cultural boycott and the issues in making and touring this album.... Read more ›

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› See all 195 customer reviews (newest first) on Amazon.co.uk

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor quality vinyl pressing

An otherwise fine album marred by poor quality vinyl, unacceptable noise between tracks (which is also evident during quieter passages) and more than its fair share of clicks and... Read more

Published 16 days ago by K. Russell

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing

I already have C D.Thought! I was getting a dvd of the concert not a recording of "talking heads!"
Not as expected.

Published 20 days ago by terrier

5.0 out of 5 stars Gracelands 25

Gracelands 25 this cd had not lost any of its charm as I still have the lp and it still sounds fresh today and with the extra tracks and a good book full of notes it was well worth... Read more

Published 22 days ago by stephen lee

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceland

Although the album is some 20 years + old now it still resonates with all that is good about Paul Simons work.
Lots of hum and singalong stuff on this album - recommended

Published 26 days ago by coop

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent

Didn't get this the first time round but now have the added advantage of Paul Simon's commentary at the end.

Published 28 days ago by blossom

3.0 out of 5 stars Good present ..

Brought for the ex on the b'day. She liked it but to be honest I never listened to it so can't give an opinion on what the quality was like.

Published 1 month ago by Marvelous Me

5.0 out of 5 stars graceland

I got this album for my wife as she likes the song call me hal but apart from that the album is good music for driving.

Published 1 month ago by KEITH

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent album

Always loved Paul Simon's music and after seeing a documentary recently about him reunited with the crew who he made this album with, I knew I had to buy it, and love it!

Published 1 month ago by Linda

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff

I wanted to have this album since a long time. It's a very old work of Paul Simon, but for me it still very fresh.

Published 1 month ago by Berit Hals

5.0 out of 5 stars "graceland" paul simon

excellent paul simon album, everything you would like about paul simon you will find on this superb album , with not a single poor track

Published 1 month ago by jimtheduck

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