22:16, Wednesday 21 Jun., 2000 Link

Paul Simon's 'Graceland' is my all-time favourite album; Graceland itself a song that I can feel playing on and under my skin. Graceland, the album, was recorded in 1985 with a number of South African groups. I'd like to quote from the sleavenotes about Graceland, the track.

Graceland is less typical of South African music than most of the other tracks, largely because of the flexibility and collaborative musical gifts of two extraordinary musicians - fretless bass player Baghiti Khumalo and guitarist Ray Phiri. In fact, it almost has that feel of American country music. After the recording session, Ray told me that he'd used a relative minor chord - something not often heard in South African music - because he said he thought it was more like the chord changes in my music.

Paul Simon doing South African doing Paul Simon. Hey, and get this: Paul Simon had his eye on the internet way back there in the 1980s. From the lyrics to Boy In The Bubble:

Scaccato signals of constant information
A loose affiliation of millionaires
And billionaires and baby
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call

These are the days of miracle and wonder.