Los Lobos: Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar); David Hildago (vocals, guitar, accordion); Steve Berlin (saxophone); Conrad Lozano (bass); Louie Perez, Steve Gadd (drums).

Engineers include: Roy Halee, Peter Thwaites, Mark Cobrin.

Aired on VH-1 and PBS, GRACELAND includes interviews, performances, and additional footage not previously seen.

Includes three previously unreleased bonus tracks.

Personnel: Paul Simon (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, Synclavier, 6-string bass); Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt (vocals); Los Lobos, The Boyoyo Boys (various instruments); Ray Phiri (guitar); Demola Adepoju (pedal steel guitar); Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone, bass saxophone); Jon Faddis, Alan Rubin (trumpet); Adrian Belew (synthesizer, guitar synthesizer); Bakithi Kumalo (bass guitar); Steve Gadd (drums); Youssou N'Dour (percussion).

With Graceland, Paul Simon hit on the idea of combining his always perceptive songwriting with the little-heard mbaqanga music of South Africa, creating a fascinating hybrid that re-enchanted his old audience and earned him a new one. It is true that the South African angle (including its controversial aspect during the apartheid days) was a powerful marketing tool and that the catchy music succeeded in presenting listeners with that magical combination: something they'd never heard before that nevertheless sounded familiar. As eclectic as any record Simon had made, it also delved into zydeco and conjunto-flavored rock & roll while marking a surprising new lyrical approach (presaged on some songs on Hearts and Bones); for the most part, Simon abandoned a linear, narrative approach to his words, instead drawing highly poetic ("Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes"), abstract ("The Boy in the Bubble"), and satiric ("I Know What I Know") portraits of modern life, often charged by striking images and turns of phrase torn from the headlines or overheard in contemporary speech. An enormously successful record, Graceland became the standard against which subsequent musical experiments by major artists were measured. ~ William Ruhlmann

Paul Simon's landmark 1986 album Graceland goes under the microscope on this making-of documentary. Virtually every aspect of the album is explored, from the trip to South Africa in 1985 when Simon and engineer Roy Halee met with local musicians to the recording sessions in South Africa and New York. Interviews with Simon, Halee, musician/co-songwriter Joseph Shabala, Ray Phiri, Bakithi Kumalo, Linda Ronstadt, and Philip Glass, together with footage of the sessions and live performances, shed light on the creation of Graceland, winner of 1986's Album of the Year Grammy Award. Some of the film's other highlights include excerpts of Simon performing "Under African Skies" with Miriam Makeba and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, as well as excerpts from the videos for "You Can Call Me Al" and "The Boy in the Bubble." While fans expecting to see and hear Graceland in its entirety will be disappointed, the insights this documentary provides into the making of one of Simon's finest albums should fascinate anyone interested in his creative process. ~ Heather Phares

Through the mist of subsequent pale imitations, it is difficult now to recall the enormous impact of this trans-cultural album. The mould-breaking blend of rock and African rhythms is exemplified by "Homeless," an exquisitely melancholic evocation of African beauty and desolation. The stirring harmonies of Ladysmith Black Mambazo illuminate "Homeless" and "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes." The element of humour in the latter is echoed in "You Can Call Me Al," a hit single. The lyrics are finely crafted and the result is a structure of impeccable proportions. There are angels in the architecture.