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Paul Simon - Graceland (The African Concert)

Paul Simon - Graceland (The African Concert)

List Price: $24.99
Your Price: $19.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Five Stars Aren't Enough
Review: This is an excellent concert, even my mother loved it! That goes to show that there is still some music that can bridge the generation gap. Paul Simon will always be in high standings in my book and his talent is complimented by his collaboration with the fabulous African stylings of: Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, and the untouchable Ladysmith Black Mumbazo. This concert should be featured among the classics of our time.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Poor Quality Transfer
Review: This is one of my all time favorite CD's, but the DVD should be taken off the shelf. The recording quality is so bad it's almost as if this was taken from a mono VHS recorded over the air. There is no fidelity whatsoever - I'm watching the bass solo in the first number and not hearing any of it. The picture quality is passable but nowhere near what you expect on a DVD. Save your money. Amazon, save your good name and pull this one off the shelf.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: IF YOU SEE ONE CONCERT -- SEE THIS ONE
Review: This is one of the most amazing concerts ever! Not only is the music amazing, but the players are royalty. It is a powerful example of the potential music has to speak the truth and move the soul. Somebody complained about the quality of the sound or whatever -- but I don't understand how that can even be an issue you'd want discuss in the review of such a powerful piece of musical history.

This concert is a celebration of freedom, and the music is a celebration of truth. It is a joy to watch, and even if you're not a Paul Simon fan, you probably still won't be able to keep yourself from being moved -- either figuratively or literally: my friend (who's not a big Paul fan) said she couldn't stop dancing. Miriam Makeba -- who had been in exile from her homeland for 27 years because of her political beliefs -- has an inspired presence, as does Hugh Masakela -- also a political exile. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is both a force to be reckoned with and a perfect example of gentle humility. All the "back-up" players are astounding, and Paul is as full of love and humility and sincerity as he could possibly be.

I have watched this concert a dozen times, and look forward to the next dozen. It is a rare gem that I enjoy sharing with the people in my life I love the most.

To sum it up? GET THIS CONCERT.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This must definitely be one of the greatest concerts ever made in the entire world, and without doubt in Harere, Zimbabwe. Paul Simon, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo - all at their very best under the African Sky. Watching and listening to this DVD (the sound is blending) you are THERE among the audience at the stadium in Harere, feeling the rythm, the beating of the sun, with your fist lifted to the sky when Hugh Masekela whistles like the trains that come in from Zambia, Namibia .... Zztsk... to the goldmines in South Africa. This is music when it's art!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Timeless
Review: This video showcases the timeless music of Paul Simons GRACELAND album. Paul Simon and his unbelievable African cohorts manage to combine intricate African rhythm with pop music and seemingly bridge the gap between two cultures.

Lady Smith Black Mombazo are especailly moving and Hugh Masekela singing FREE NELSON MANDELA is unforgettable. The lyrics are Simon at his best.

The emotions of the African musicians, exiled from their homeland as a result of Apartheid charge the air and the concert must surely be remebered as a musical milestone.

"Five Stars are not enough" here here...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Poor picture qualty
Review: This was a marvellous concert but why, oh why, was this DVD released with such VHS-like picture quality? The sound is no better than my VHS copy either although my Yamaha processor did a great job in an impossible situation. What a waste of potential. I feel ripped off after buying this DVD.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointment
Review: Unfortunately, not recorded for the benefits of a DVD/Home Theater. You can't feel the bass in the pit of your stomach, or feel the vibrations surround you. And this concert has such GREAT potential! It sounds like an average CD.


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