Day 0602 - Shaka Zulu

Ladysmith Black Mambazo "Shaka Zulu" (1987)

Having gained some international notoriety backing Paul Simon on his Graceland album, LBM made use of this attention and released "Shaka Zulu" and won further hearts and minds.

Nice to see that less obvious 'hit' albums were still selling well in the 80s, with the Astor Piazzola instrumental/jazz/tango album earlier in the list, and now this dose of 'World Music' or African folk music (depending on your choice of label).

Love the timbre of their voices, and the huge swells of harmony that occur.  An acapella album that feels uplifting and exciting.

Day 0578 - Graceland

Paul Simon "Graceland" (1986)

Described by the book as Paul Simon's midlife crisis - which seems somehow appropriate as, when I was growing up it was that album that everyone's middle-aged parents seemed to own.  My own parents had the concert on VHS.

PS had briefly reunited with Art Garfunkel, only for it to end acrimoniously.  His marriage had likewise ended, and his previous solo album had flopped.  A depressed PS found himself listening to bootleg recordings of South African township music.  Inspired by the sounds, he and his producer visited South Africa to record with musicians there, this despite a cultural boycott against South Africa due to the existence of Apartheid

PS stated that on previous albums he'd written the songs then brought them into the studio to teach them to his band, but for this album he tried to work the other way: jam out ideas with his musicians and then write a song around them.  The public were ready to slate the album for its perceived breach of the cultural boycott, but instead it became one of the biggest releases of the year and certainly of Paul Simon's career.

I enjoyed this a lot... it is possible that I am middle-aged now.

Day 0233 - Live!

Fela Ransome-Kuti and the Africa '70 with Ginger Baker "Live!" (1971)

 
Fela had been working in the genres of funk and afro-beat for a while.  After a slow start, he gained some popularity in his homeland of Nigeria.  He met with Ginger Baker (himself a fan of African music) who agreed to produce some albums for Fela and his band.  This led rather organically to this collaboration.

It's a record that explores its grooves intricately, with some exciting drumming from Ginger.  Arguably, his playing goes beyond even his work in Cream.