Graceland
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Description
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 '80s. 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). Humor 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
Album Description
In a remarkable career spanning six decades, singer-songwriter Paul Simon has amassed 9 Grammy awards and has been inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. The first occasion recognized has brilliant work as one half of Simon & Garfunkel. Simon's second induction, in 2001, heralded his equally massive contributions as a solo artist and composer. The songwriter's solo catalog is one of the most diverse, literate, adventurous, and musically rich in all of popular music. Today regarded as one of the greatest composers of the rock n' roll era, Simon is an American treasure, now celebrated by these five expanded and remastered classic albums.
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