She moves so easily/All I could think of is sunlightSeveral months ago, I went to a pub to drink whiskey with friends. I took the train home, and on the platform were two college-agey girls, mildly attractive (but given it was a train platform at 9 p.m., they were closer to Ann Margaret in her heyday ... they were train-platform hot) and they had the chattey nature that the towel-snap boost of beer gives you.
They were talking Paul Simon's "Graceland." Which is only odd because you never find enough young, train-platform hot females talking about Paul Simon, more or less albums that were released the year they were born.
One girl was very informative about "Graceland." About how great it was. The other girl was not very aware of this album's greatness. The first girl implored her friend (there was a 60 percent chance that these girls just met) to listen to the album.
I've listened to the album, and I don't think it's very good. The overprocessed bass and drums. The African and Caribbean motifs. The synths. Blech. It reeks of the 1980s.
But, more so, I think the album title is misleading. When I think of Graceland, I think of the South. I think of rhythm and blues, a twang of a steel guitar, sweet melodies and grace. This album has no grace. If it were called "Overprocessed '80s Schlock" then I might think differently.
Frankly, I'd love to see Simon re-record this album. What would he do differently with those songs in the current musical environment? Or, more importantly, what do those songs sound like with just guitar or piano? Probably 300 percent better.
They were talking Paul Simon's "Graceland." Which is only odd because you never find enough young, train-platform hot females talking about Paul Simon, more or less albums that were released the year they were born.
One girl was very informative about "Graceland." About how great it was. The other girl was not very aware of this album's greatness. The first girl implored her friend (there was a 60 percent chance that these girls just met) to listen to the album.
I've listened to the album, and I don't think it's very good. The overprocessed bass and drums. The African and Caribbean motifs. The synths. Blech. It reeks of the 1980s.
But, more so, I think the album title is misleading. When I think of Graceland, I think of the South. I think of rhythm and blues, a twang of a steel guitar, sweet melodies and grace. This album has no grace. If it were called "Overprocessed '80s Schlock" then I might think differently.
Frankly, I'd love to see Simon re-record this album. What would he do differently with those songs in the current musical environment? Or, more importantly, what do those songs sound like with just guitar or piano? Probably 300 percent better.
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