Talk:Graceland (album)/Archive 1

Graceland Best Song' Citation
Sorry I don't know how to do the task myself, but Paul Simon has said that Graceland is his best song in many interviews, but specifically on a video interview for the "Classic Albums" series (namely Paul Simon - Graceland) directed by Jeremy Marre and released in 1997. He says so when he begins to discuss and analyze the song. The DVD is released in USA by Eagle Vision studio. On the tape that I have it is stated that it is a co-production with BBC, NCRV, VH-1, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Paul Simon. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.55.116.210 (talk) 05:29, 16 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Can you fill out all of the information needed for Template:Cite video and list it here? gren グレン 06:27, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

I hope I got it right. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.55.112.47 (talk) 19:38, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Added Material under "Controversy"
I think someone should put more about the political controversy regarding South Africa and the Apartheid movement as it relates to this album. To cite Los Lobos as the only controversy is rather shallow and insensitive to some of the larger social issues surrounding the album. I am too biased to write about this particular topic, but I think that the various stances toward the album from the apartheid/Praetoria/ANC historical standpoint should be included in this particular article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 144.62.240.2 (talk) 16:22, 18 February 2009 (UTC)

As I recall at the time, the main controversy wasn't the violation of the apartheid embargo, but rather his appropriation of African music into Western pop culture. Some people at the time claimed that he was distorting, stealing, and/or corrupting African music on this album. There should be some mention of that issue here. 96.241.126.200 (talk) 06:41, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Paul Simon and the album in general were heavily criticised for violating the embargo on South Africa. This article, whilst not exclusively about Graceland, gives a little more detail - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/may/26/musicians-boycott-countries. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.134.193.132 (talk) 09:07, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

I think something should also be written here about the divy up of the money from the album. In the recent Joe Berlinger 25 year anniversary documentary Simon said defending the recording in country in contravention of the apartheid embargo that he had paid 3 times local union rates. Following the money might be interesting.

Rolling Stone stars
The link to the Rolling Stone album review says "RS: no stars". Is the five-star mentioning from a different source? Or should we change it into zero stars here? -DePiep (talk) 12:59, 26 June 2009 (UTC)
 * OK. I changed it to (no rating). Airproofing (talk) 16:45, 14 January 2010 (UTC)

Los Lobos
I've reverted the edit by anonymous user 199.254.17.254 - (s)he had deleted the section about Los Lobos' songwriting credit. Looking at this particular editor's talk page, it's clear that (s)he has a history of unconstructive edits and has been blocked in the past ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 09:04, 12 April 2010 (UTC)


 * I wasn't aware of the Los Lobos ordeal with Paul Simon, but I distinctly remember Paul Simon being criticized by some members of the Black Community in the USA particularly the scholarly crowd and some in the music business. Can anyone point to any sources because that seemed to have gotten more coverage and I even remember "60 Mintues" doing a cover story on this controversy with Paul Simon addressing a room of black college students. Most of this of course is in the periphery of my distant memory, but I do still remember it in the TV, print, and radio media that addressed it as a controversy back then.--74.100.147.169 (talk) 19:38, 27 April 2011 (UTC)


 * I've seen many people say that Simon "Vociferously denies" Los Lobos' version of the events, but other than the quote in the article that seems to say "they should have asked for credit for their work nicely. Now I'm angry.", I've never seen him actually deny the claim that he did not compose the music on the track.  Is there such a direct quote? - Richfife (talk) 22:29, 30 October 2014 (UTC)

Controversy Links
There are two references to Paul Simon's response, but reference #5 is a dead link and reference #6 doesn't apply. I haven't been successful finding new references for this. Maybe someone will have more luck than I did. ThomasLB (talk) 22:20, 29 October 2011 (UTC)

Art on the album cover
It's clearly an image from traditional Ethiopian/Amharaic art, but does anyone know who is represented in this image? St. George (a common subject)? Tewodros II (an appropriate pan-African symbol)? -- llywrch (talk) 23:08, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

According to the book in the new deluxe edition it is a "15 Century Ethiopian icon of St George astride a steed". Apart from the absence of a dragon it certainly looks like many of the St George images that you can see in Ethiopia. Keithmall (talk) 09:01, 10 June 2012 (UTC)

Alphonso Johnson
I was convinced that the bass player for "That Was Your Mother" was Alphonso Johnson (from Weather Report), but after checking my copy of the album I found that the actual bassist for that track is Alonzo Johnson, a Lousianian Zydeco bassist. This needs to be fixed in the article (I don't feel qualified to do it). Alvabass (talk) 13:42, 3 January 2014 (UTC)


 * You were write, the bass player on Track 10 is Alonzo Johnson and not Alphonso Johnson, and I put it up with a citation. Secretsources (talk) 07:44, 18 May 2014 (UTC)