NEW LP
New sealed copy. 25th Anniversary edition repress.
Graceland is the seventh solo studio album by the American singer-songwriter Paul Simon. It was produced by Simon, engineered by Roy Halee and released on August 25, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It features an eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, a cappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga, inspired by the music of South Africa.
In the early 1980s, Simon's relationship with his former musical partner Art Garfunkel had deteriorated, his marriage to the actress Carrie Fisher had collapsed, and his previous record, Hearts and Bones (1983), had been a commercial failure. In 1984, after a period of depression, Simon became fascinated by a bootleg cassette of mbaqanga, South African street music. He and Halee spent two weeks in Johannesburg recording with South African musicians. Further recordings were held in the US with American musicians including Linda Ronstadt, the Everly Brothers, Good Rockin' Dopsie and the Twisters and Los Lobos. Simon toured with South African musicians, performing their music and songs from Graceland.
Organizations such as Artists United Against Apartheid criticized Simon for breaking the cultural boycott on South Africa imposed for its policy of apartheid. Some accused him of appropriating the music of another culture. Simon responded that Graceland was a political statement that showcased collaboration between blacks and whites and raised international awareness of apartheid. He was praised for helping popularize African music in the west, and some argued that he accelerated the end of apartheid.
Graceland became Simon's most successful studio album and his highest-charting album in over a decade. It is estimated to have sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. It received acclaim, won the 1987 Grammy for Album of the Year, and is frequently cited as one of the best albums of all time. In 2006, it was added to the US National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".
TRACKLIST:
A1 The Boy In The Bubble
A2 Graceland
A3 I Know What I Know
A4 Gumboots
A5 Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
B1 You Can Call Me Al
B2 Under African Skies
B3 Homeless
B4 Crazy Love, Vol. II
B5 That Was Your Mother
B6 All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints
