Records I bought when they came out . . . . an occasional series

My brother, Steve, bought Paul Simon's 'Graceland' when it came out and it astonished me. The hit single 'You Can Call me Al' with it's humorous and clever video featuring lip-synching with Chevy Chase and all the other songs were extraordinary but more than anything else was it's use of African singers and musicians that made me sit up and take notice. I worked at the time with quite a few people from South Africa and they were the first to raise the accusation of cultural appropriation and blamed Simon for an imperialist approach. I was desperately disappointed and still hold that people like the wonderful guitarist Ray Phiri and Ladysmith Black Mambaza wouldn't have had quite the success without the success of this album. Despite my South African and Zimbabwean friends turning me on to such a range of music from the African continent and Eno too sharing High Life music on his label too, I still maintain that Graceland did far more good than harm. My observation is why did all those wonderful players, singers and musicians agree to tour with Simon around the world if they did not feel they weren't exploited and were in actuality passing on their great artistry and talent to the rest of the planet?

This is why







Turn it up! Nowhere is the INTEGRATION of these wonderful African musicians and singers better illustrated than here and in the song 'Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes'