Groove Armada & friends move in and remove period features
In news that should probably be filed alongside ‘Neil Finn joins Fleetwood Mac’, Sony are soon to release Graceland: The Remixes, a new edition of Paul Simon‘s classic 1986 album, with every track ‘reimagined’ by well known remixes. Oh yes…
This 2018 reworking was overseen by ‘project curator’ Michael Gaiman (aka ‘The Duke of New York’) and features different styles such as Deep House, Afro House, Drum n Bass, Tech House etc. and includes the talents likes of Paul Oakenfold, Groove Armada, MIK and Richy Ahmed.
Let’s be honest, on paper, it’s a terrible idea… but hey, it’s worth at least checking out some of the remixes – right?
Well, not really… The MK & KC Lights Remix of Graceland isn’t bad, but Groove Armada’s ‘Dub Redemption’ mix of You Can Call Me Al is absolutely horrendous. So devastating is the level of destruction in this particular ‘reimagining’, that the existence of the original song could only be confirmed by reference to its dental records.
Richey Ahmed’s take on The Boy In The Bubble at least maintains the vocal, but it should have been dubbed the ‘give me a headache, immediately’ mix.
I’m all for artists like Paul Simon being quirky, wacky and unpredictable, but instead of these remixes pulling the rug out from under your low expectations, they simply confirm them. This is woeful. I’m certainly not averse to modern remixes of old tracks per se (see McCartney’s creative Twin Freaks project) but the evidence so far (check out more previews here) suggests that everyone involved in Graceland: The Remixes seems to have simply phoned in some very dull, and rather annoying remixes. The music deserved better than that.
Graceland: The Remixes will be released on CD and 2LP vinyl on 1 June 2018. Extreme caution advised.
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Simon, Paul
Graceland: The Remixes CD edition
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1. “Homeless (Joris Voorn Final Remix)”
2. “Gumboots (Joyce Muniz Remix)”
3. “I Know What I Know (Sharam’s Motherland Mix)”
4. “Crazy Love, Vol. II (Paul Oakenfold Extended Remix)”
5. “The Boy in the Bubble (Richy Ahmed Remix)”
6. “You Can Call Me Al (Groove Armada Dub Redemption)”
7. “Under African Skies (Rich Pinder/Djoko Vocal Mix)”
8. “Graceland (MK’s KC Lights Remix)”
9. “That Was Your Mother (Gui Boratto Remix)”
10. “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (Thievery Corporation Remix)”
11. “All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints (Photek Remix)”
12. “Homeless (Joris Voorn Kitchen Table Mix / The Duke of New York’s Edit)”
Why is everyone missing the point with this record? It’s an absolutely brilliant, referential and respectful reference to the original album, interpreted by some of the most accomplished and current producers around today. The original album is not diminished by this artist-sanctioned set of new mixes. I can’t turn this off, it’s so compelling that it’s criminal no-one is giving it a chance. Crazy world. Gui Barotto’s joyful mix of That Was Your Mother is worth the price of the album on it’s own.
The remix album is rubbish… that’s the main point. And I *do* think the original album is diminished, as it happens.
I have just bought the album, and yes there are a few gringe worthy tracks on it, but there are also gems. Gui Boratto (to spell his name correctly) takes a track called “That was your mother” and gives it a bit of a swing that is joyful and fun.
Homeless opens the album, retouched by Joris Voorn this is a happy opener, Gumboots which follows bears little resemblance to the original. It is Hypnotic and repetitive in true dance style but boy this is good.
I think they really need to re-think this album before it comes out on the 1st of June, like instead of making them long remixes make them Edit Radio friendly Remixes and keep most if not all of the lyrics to the songs instead of a few words here and there.
There are some short Edit versions on the album like Graceland and between you and me they sounds the best on this album out of the rest, but You Can Call Me All what a mess of such a great 80’s song if it was up to me i would have asked JXL to remix it since the Elvis Presley song he remixed went number 1# all over the world. Why don’t these Record company’s ever use their heads. This could have been a top selling album if the right people where asked to do edited remix versions, it can still be.
this is probably a genius move to keep Paul Simon out of his planned retirement once he’ll hear this massacre
if not : some people should never have access to an ipad containing e.d.m. apps
Hope this is successful so they will release remix album by other artists… where it’s more expected at least.
Some albums and songs should never be remixed.
Yes it is. These remix are trash and trash.
Can’t wait!
MISTAKE ALERT. You said Groove Armada mix of ‘The Boy in the bubble’. Tracklisting states it’s ‘You can call me Al’.
Love the ‘dental records’ bit!
oops, thanks Neil. Fixed.
And I thought the remixes of Bob Marley’s LEGEND were bad…. this is WAY beyond that….. This will hit the sales bins FAST I’m afraid…..
This really is one of the stupidest things I’ve seen come down the pike. Ever.
This oughtta be a career-ender for whoever greenlit it.
wow…just… holy crap, WHY????????
On paper for me this looked interesting. Listening to the Graceland remix I was still quite keen. A little boring remix (certainly heard worse) but the You Can Call Me Al has been butchered! Groove Armada are class and should have treated this all time classic with a little more respect. I have the previous reissues of the album which are great. Still holding out hope some of the other tracks could be good. I loved Re-Mix-inacarnation by Wendy And Lisa when that came out back in the day. Will have to listen fully before I buy it. Having a disc of original mixes (if any existed) as a bonus disc would have sold the package to everyone I’m sure. Maybe a SDE could follow when they have warehouse full of discs (maybe a pallet?) at Sony
Just wanted to add some love for the Wendy & Lisa Remix album (and also for seeing W&L getting a mention here – surely a rare occurrence?!). There were some great remixes, and remixers, on that album.
I also agree with you in that classic remixes are generally of interest to me much moreso than contemporary re-imaginings. That said, I also really liked The Cure’s ‘Mixed Up’ collection from a similar time as W&L’s, which added a modern ’90s spin on some of their earlier tracks. I see that album is getting a 3CD Deluxe treatment in June – presumably (and hopefully) along with the ‘Torn Down’ mixes that have already been announced for Record Store Day.
I’ll pass on this. If they were the original “period” mixes I would buy them. Even when there are only a few. So perhaps a “singles” collection of this album: 7” edit, album version, 7” remix, 12” extended, remix/edit etc.
Hahaha, it’s Sony release, no wonder (it’s the Cyndi Lauper reissue all over again)! Stop wasting time & money on projects like these. Just give us what we want (the original period mixes)! Yes, they can do the new mixes. But I think most of us would only curious to give them a listen. But we won’t be buying. A few days back I bumped into this on soundcloud Pet Shop Boys ” What have I done to deserve this ” (Las Bibas 2016 Club Mix) https://soundcloud.com/lasbibas/psbwhathavelasbibas2016clubmix it’s quite nice. But I won’t cherish it as much as the original period mixes.
Belated April fools joke?
Utterly appalling.
I will never understand how Paul Simon could let his music be treated in this way…
Does he not own the rights?
I agree with Gareth Taylor, see above….
Grotesque, awful, irrelevant, unlistenable.
The beautiful, innovative, fascinating original songs did NOT need tampering with.
I wonder if Paul S is shuddering at the results of this abomination, or shrugging his shoulders in bemusement at the apparent appeal of such dross, to be shaking his head when & if any royalties arrive :-o
Going to see Paul Simon’s Hyde Park ‘farewell’ concert in July, and am confident in the expectation that these tracks will not sound like these joke remixes!
You got me confused with that “Paul S” comment for a minute ;)
I am in the minority here but I grew tired rather quickly of Paul Simon’s original “Graceland” album way back when, simply from over play on the radio and MTV even though I owned the CD. Listening to these remixes would be cruel and unusual punishment for me.
Is this for real or are you celebrating April Fools the entire week?
This is much more far fetched than Dub Sandwich. I’m usually a fan of remixes and remix albums but I have to agree this is atrocious. You have to give remixes of this kind time to soak in but even after repeated plays, this is unlistenable.
What would be interesting to know, is who was approached and then turned down this awful idea.
of all the albums to remix, this must have been near the back of the queue. what paul simon fan wants EDM remixes? and who wants an album with sting and shaggy? Helen keller?
this makes the Fleetwood mac news seem good by comparison
what next? brothers in arms – a hip hop tribute?
You’ve made me laugh out loud twice in the last 15 minutes. Kudos Unique, kudos.
One for the landfill then.
Anyone who has listened to these mixes should be paid for enduring this music-less, time-wasting nonsense that was never required or needed in the first place.
“Well, not really… The MK & KC Lights Remix of Graceland isn’t bad, but Groove Armada’s ‘Dub Redemption’ mix of The Boy in the Bubble is absolutely horrendous.”
Paul, I’m not seeing that track in the listing… should probably be You Can Call Me Al, right?
This should appeal to the Nouveau Vinyl Fans, i.e. those that don’t own a turntable.
After all it’s a nice cover.
Hopefully the 6×12″ 180g box set will be out for Christmas.
Best review for a long time, sounds like I wrote it!. Why do they bother?, things like this always sound pants and are just a general embarrassment all round. Remember the Fat Boy Slim mixes of Sympathy For The Devil?, shite, shite shite, and totally unnecessary. Can we have a Front 242 remix of Money. Money, Money by Abba….?
I actually thought this was another april fools joke!
This would have been a better April fool than the McCartney one.
I’m not against remixes of classic songs at all, in fact as a Stones obsessive, I have long-craved a decent remix album like this from them. Three of my favourites are;
Zed’s Dead dubstep remix of Gimme Shelter,
The Soulwax remix of You Can’t Always Get What You Want, and
Dr. Dre’s Miss You remix (which I genuinely think is better than the original.
Even the Beatles’ Love album worked well as a remixed masterpiece.
My point is that done well, remix albums can be a thing of beauty and I really hope that they will continue to happen in future.
This, however is just a casserole of nonsense.
Both You Can Call Me All and The Boy In The Bubble COULD have been amazing, but instead end up coming of like one of those throwaway late-nineties filler b-side remixes.
Shame really, because when I first saw the post I was quite hopeful! After hearing the previews though, I’ma pass.
Gosh, the amount of spelling mistakes in that last post was atrocious. Apologies.
I was clearly excited.
Nah. I think I’ll stick to the Paul McCartney Dub stuff you were promoting last week. Looking forward to hearing Coming Up stripped bare with a fat kick on half meter. Sweet.
Curious. many people have said it better than I ever could.
One thing does strike me though….. If this is aimed squarely at the youth / clubber market then it is a financial mistake.
a) No-one (or barely anyone) under 30 pays for music so the best anyone involved can hope for is a few thousand streams.
b) No-one (or barely anyone) over 30 or who knew this album first time around or has become an S&G or Paul Simon Fan would give it house room.
I hated this kind of tosh from when I first heard the Orb (no offence to Orb fans) and others mixes of Tubular Bells II and beyond up to Voyager (brilliant album) but then Mike was off his tits for big chunks of time in the 90s, maybe that’s how you have to be to get it……
Nowadays most under thirties listen to the likes of Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, so I don’t think that’s the market they’re aiming for. Having listened to the remixes, it’s the sort of music you hear at small clubs found in most capital cities. Small cocktail bar affairs, normally without a dancefloor and where most of the clientele are well-heeled and upwards of 30 and they charge 12 euros for a 330ml bottle of beer. The only surprising thing is that it’s being given a mainstream release. I doubt very much that either Paul Simon or the label are expecting massive sales.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Moneymaking product!
The problem with this is mainly down to the choice of remixers…..one of my jobs is a+r’ing remix people for projects…mainly the people chosen are not gonna do sympathetic remixes to the project…much better, more downtempo people could have been chosen, check out Todd Terje’s unofficial rework of diamonds on the souls of her shoes for an example of what im talking about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dum13nkaN6E
Argghhhhh…cats sleeping with dogs, the seas turned yellow…surely nature cannot allow such an abomination and fire will surely consume said travesty and wipe from the fabric of existence?!?!
I can’t remember the last time I was this perplexed about a release. It makes no sense in concept or timing. I think someone kidnapped him.
One of my all time favourite albums ever, I can’t even listen to one full remix of this awful, I did consider is it an age thing with me that the remixes just aren’t my type of music, nah its just awful, the band Bwani Junction pay proper respect to this album
I bought the 12” vinyl of “Diamonds on the soles of her shoes” and “The boy in the bubble” last year. Second hand, it took me a while to find a copy in excellent condition. They were remixed at that time by Roy Halee, the albums engineer. He did a great job! Sony released in 2012 the Graceland box set without the original 12” versions. So they are still unavailable on CD. The only thing you got more was a demo of “You can call me All” and “Crazy Love”. I don’t understand record companies and I’m glad SDE exists. I won’t buy this new album of awful remixes.
I have my ticket for his “Homeward Bound, The Farewell Tour” because (in my opinion) he is one of the greatest songwriters. But this new release … afwul!
when is the sampled rap version coming out ?
Next week, The Vengaboys unveil their Europop reimagining of Sgt. Pepper’s in its entirety, and Axl Rose gloats over how great Guns ‘n’ Roses’ November Rain sounds after its been subjected to a thorough twelve minute remixing by Clean Bandit.
Need to find another term for this kind of sacrilege – when I read “remix” I immediately thought “Steve Wilson” and never imagined something as bad as what the two examples here reveal to be the unrecognisable, drivelling truth.
I’ve a horrible feeling this will be played pre concert at Paul Simon’s shows this summer – a cunning ploy to keep people at the merchandise booths!!
It might drive them away in droves, Phil!!! A patented ‘Paul Simon Repellent’!
Would have like to have heard a Deep Forest or Enigma/MC Cretu remix…
Paul, you’ve should had done this review on april 1st ….
PLS no more jokes keep it with serious music releases
It’s been a strange music day Neil Finn joins Fleetwood Mac and this. Wow!
I put both videos on at the same time far better that way.
Dental records… Paul, you took me OUT with that one/lol.
Deja vu: 40th Anniversary T.Rex Remixes (2017) are mostly unlistenable.
These remix overhaul/projects rarely work. The only exception I can think of, is the Zance ZTT remixes of Grace Jones’ Slave to the Rhythm in 1994.
I actually quite liked some of those T. Rex remixes. Much more creative than these Paul Simon ones.
The PNAU vs Elton John thing from a few years ago was pretty good…
I just listened that You Can Call Me Al mix and i have to say what a pile of horse manure.
What an abomination – no thanks!!
Gross.
This is the laziest form of ‘remixing’, making a dance track, and laying the original vocals or instrumental snippets on top of it. There have been a number of remixes that successfully reconfigure a song in a totally new light, but they do them within the context of the original song. This is just clubbing at 2am with DJ Generik dropping samples on top of some new beats.
I so wish today was 1st April and this too would be a joke; we would laugh & forget!
One more thing… Paul you were on fire with your write up on this today! Kudos to you for not taking the PC route and major props for giving one of the best laughs I have had in a while.
Great comedy… greatly appreciated. Love the site!
Thanks and All The Best – Jeff
So…. be honest – should I buy it then? :p
If your record collection includes all volumes of “Now! That’s What I Call Pointless!” you should give it a go.
Wow! New all time low for any artist… think of the most preposterous reissue and I guarantee this will surpass it and beat it into submission… as well as its listeners.
My goodness, there have been visits for men to the proctor and women to their OBGYN that have left them feeling more comfortable than to endure more than four minutes of this steamin pile ‘o shizit! You can all me, Ashamed… yo!
See what you started with “Dub Sandwich”. I blame SDE for this. (LOL)
:)
Absolutely.
Aesthetically this could have worked given Simon’s innovative use of rhythm throughout his career. Given to old masters like Lee Perry or Adrian Sherwood this could have been genuinely exciting.
It’s weird… Mostly these are 90s remixers (I’m still an Orb fan, so I’m not against that), but the Groove Armada mix is quite dull.
They did so many good remixes back in the day.
What happened to them ?
(check Handsome Modeling School : Sunshine (Groove Armada Sunset Dub), Madonna : Music (Groove Armada Mix), Richie Havens : Going back to my roots (Groove Armada 2 remixes), etc, etc…)
It’s curious how a couple of people are taking this as a personal insult, as though it’s their own songs getting remixed. Not a Paul Simon fan myself but if people don’t like the concept, don’t buy it!
If someone chucks a bucket of paint over the Mona Lisa you can still be sad about it, even though a) you didn’t paint it b) it doesn’t directly affect you and c) you can still buy prints of it. Art is art and it’s just not very nice to see people far less talented than Mr Simon messing up his songs, and indeed one of his best albums (yes, I know he approved it).
That’s a poor anaology. That’s like suggesting the mastertapes for Graceland had been destroyed. The Mona Lisa has been reimagined thousands of times. Here’re a few examples:
https://www.boredpanda.com/mona-lisa-reimagined-by-nearly-300-of-the-worlds-most-innovative-artists/
Regardless… people can be annoyed with the concept or execution if they wish. And they are obviously not going to buy it, if that was the case. You appear to be criticising people for having an opinion on an artist that you admit to having no interest in. Borderline trolling – in a rather passive aggressive manner.
I don’t think my comments are critical or aggressive – I’m just genuinely curious how people can be so offended by something they can either take or leave and something that will in no way spoil their appreciation and enjoyment of Graceland.
@RJS
Fair point. I’m not offended by anything music-wise. I think “bewildered” would be a better word for it.
But as with everything else in the internet (and smartphone) age this is an example of “The harsher you comment, the more attention you’ll get”, and to some people attention seems to be everything these days.
I clicked on that link and came across this great music-related story: https://www.boredpanda.com/meeting-music-fan-plane-dotan/
As James M Cain said about a film version of one of his books (in a quote usually attributed to Raymond Chandler for some reason) “People tell me, don’t you care what they’ve done to your book? I tell them, they haven’t done anything to my book. It’s right there on the shelf. They paid me and that’s the end of it.”
My immediate thoughts on this were that it’s a shame the remixes so far available to hear are so dull and that it looks like a bit of a missed opportunity. I’ll give the whole thing a listen when it comes out as I generally approve of the idea of people fiddling around with old songs, sometimes a different point of view is enlightening.
I thought the book quote was Stephen King?
Either way, it’s a great analogy.
At least this united us in our household in humour first (when I read the missus Paul’s article) and after in disgust when we listened to the “You can call me Al” remix.
Shit sandwich
This is what happens when Depeche Mode delays a CD single release…proper chaos!
Rupert Parkes(Photek) you should be ashamed of yourself
All you haterz, not down wiv the kidz (or something).
Just wait till you hear:
Bob Dylan’s “Dub On the Tracks”
Barbra Streisand’s “Mentl”
Barbra Streisand’s “Mentl”
I’m sorry, but this has me in stitches!
(Meanwhile, what the HELL is going on with all this bizarro music stuff this week?).
EG.
That was a good one. I had a chuckle.
‘Dub On The Tracks’- remixed by Lee Perry – that would be good!!
The You Can Call Me Al remix is abysmal…of the ones I’ve heard so far its easily the worst of a very bad lot.. Boy In The Bubble is pretty bad too.
just don’t understand this at all. Not sure who it is aimed at..and there were 12″ mixes from the time that have never been release on CD…
I don’t care what else has came out this year and by whom…this is easily the worst CD of the year.
Oh…spotted a small mistake…groove armada did call me al, not boy in the bubble….not that you would be able to tell anyway!
The saddest part about “The Boy in the Bubble” is that it already has a great groove built into it. The original already works as a dance track, so it shouldn’t have been all that difficult to rework it and still have it sound good.
I miss the days when remixes still sounded like the original song or were at least recognizable. At some point in the mid-90s, the focus became the DJ rather than the artist, and everything started becoming generic beat loops with tiny vocal samples on them.
What the hell is this? Another April Fool’s?
Dub Sandwich might happen after all!
Already waiting for nine days for the link to go live ;-))
Oh, and Paul: Thank you for having an opinion and not being shy sharing it with us.
shit sandwich… this is real and this is a awful idea.
It does beggar belief as to who this is really aimed at. Sometimes these major record labels make bizarre marketing decisions. I do like remixes, especially those 80s mixes and the sort of thing that was done with Sgt Pepper last year but this Graceland concept is very strange…
Yuk!
Is it still the 1st of April? I was hoping so, but no….
Why this?? Why not Reissue a deluxe version containing the original 12” mixes of boy in the bubble and diamonds on the soles of her shoes . ? These are not available on cd anywhere !
I own a promo CD of The Boy In The Bubble remix.
One thing I would welcome more of, from Paul Simon, is a good release of whatever’s in the vaults. The unfinished song ‘Shelter Of Your Arms’ form Hearts and Bones sounds pretty damn good to me (and not far off finished either) and we’ve still never had any release of ‘Cuba Si, Nixon No.’
Add my vote to the “F—, there goes my heritage, up in flames” pile. While the MK, Joris Voorn, and to some extent the Oakenfold, mixes would be tracks I might listen to in their own right if they were instrumental, the fact remains they don’t exist in their own right. They’re hanging on the coat-tails of genius, one of the few flawless albums ever made. It had great songs (albeit with some lyrics that left quirky for iffy), and fabulous instrumentation and rhythm. It was done with heart, soul and love of life. This is for the benefit of a dozen tossers in their bedroom studios.
I like to think my tastes are a broad church, and I am happy with remixes similar to our man AdamW listed below, and can easily cope with songs wrenched from their comfort zone (that 1930s’s styled Blue Monday, et al) – but even from the mindset of my techno-techno-techno-techno days, these are clearly misbegotten failures.
Are we stuck on April 1st time loop?
As others have said, I cannot figure out what audience this is aimed at. I doubt Paul Simon had any involvement in this whatsoever, although he must have signed off on it. Sheesh.
This reminds me of “Bob Marley Legend Remixed” from a few years ago. Most of those mixes were terrible, too, but at least they bore some semblance to the originals. It almost sounds like a masterpiece now compared to these Graceland remixes.
When I saw the listing for this on Amazon pre-order, I thought for a moment there had to e some sort of error. Then I thought, optimistically, “Maybe it’s one of those cases like McCartney’s Tug of War, where they have gone in to do a more contemporary mix that still sticks to the original spirit of the songs.” Then I saw the list of remixers, and that small bit of hope was gone.
Normally, I would buy post-it notes if Paul Simon’s name was on them. I think you’d have difficulty giving this to me for free.
4 minutes plus before You Can Call Me Al even has a hint of the original and then 30 seconds later but the previous garbage. No thanks
Surely the most pointless remix project since that T.Rex remix abomination of last year. Did not buy that, won’t buy this.
Yes, I was also sure this was a mistimed April Fool’s joke…… or maybe I was just *hoping* it was.
I’m definitely not a Paul Simon fan (I’m what they charitably call a ‘hater’), though I’ve always thought this was far and away his best work…………. but even if Simon was the worst artist ever, and this was his worst album, it still doesn’t deserve the aural vandalism going on here. Most of these mixes sound like the song was dragged into an alley and mugged.
I’m legit curious, what is the purpose of this mix album? It can’t be a massive cash grab, as I doubt it would’ve sold beans even in the glory days of remix albums. I can’t imagine it being for any real artistic reasons, as none of the mixers seem like one of Simon’s fellow world-music tourists – ‘ethno-techno’ remixes of Graceland at least sounds vaguely like a credible idea (or would, back around 1994), but none of the mixes seem to be going that route. And I doubt Simon needs the approval of trendy club-goers, nor do the remixers gain any credibility from having remixed him.
I thought that this might be good.
As usual I was wrong, it`s the biggest load of crap I`ve heard in quite a while.
One of the greatest albums of all time. Call me an old fart (still in my 30s) but I plan to never listen to any of these. [I suppose if Paul Simon had my attitude Graceland would never have gotten made… but still. Nope!]
I don’t really like Paul Simon, but I might check out these remixes,
they probably improve the songs.
later
-1
Lol.
A big fan of a) remixes and b) modern EDM (or whatever it is called this week) I have to say that this is pure garbage.
this kind of stuff works better with weak material that remixers can shape into proper songs (see The Faint remix album as an example) and usually fails when you have songs already in a proper finished state that really can’t be easily improved.
And sorry but c) most of the remixers are way past sell by date- would rather have seen what Diplo or even, God forbid, the Chainsmokers would have done with this than going on over 20 years now Groove Armada…
I didn’t even know some of these remixers were still actually working at this point.
With Paul Simon, I almost thin someone like Avicci, even if he might be a bit over-used in the industry, would make more sense. His work still tends to have a sense of being a “song,” rather than some of these remixers, who just make ten minute recordings of 4/4 thuds with some sound effects over them and a five word excerpt of the original track looped in the middle.
I cannot believe that an album with the stature of Graceland has been subjected to these “remixes”! I can only concur with others that someone thought it was a great April fools joke
The 12” versions from the 80’s of diamonds and boy in the bubble still stack up in today’s world but these remixes? No thanks …
What an absolute load of bollocks. Proof that Simon is a spent force….
Darren, i got that exact same feeling when i heard the lyric “wristband, my man, you gotta have a wristband to get in” – what drivel!
Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters ever,and doesn’t need to justify his lyrics to keyboard warriors !
Paul Simon’s last album was amazing. “Wristband” is actually really good anyway. Paul Simon can do what Macca can’t, which is to turn an apparently simple ditty, into something more meaningful. The last verse of Wristband goes like this:
“The riots started slowly with the homeless and the lowly
Then they spread into the heartland towns that never get a wristband
Kids that can’t afford the cool brand whose anger is a short-hand
For you’ll never get a wristband and if you don’t have a wristband then you can’t get through the door
No you can’t get through the door
No you can’t get through the door
Say you can’t get through the door, no”
Over the song’s verses this is used to contrast a musician trivially not getting in to his own gig and the more serious social comment at the end. I quite like it and the album as I think it’s all quite good in its own right and particularly for someone that’s being recording for that long too.
Appreciate drivel is subjective but with the bar set there I’d suggest avoiding most pop music…
Bit harsh… he’s not actually doing the remixes himself! I just wish he’d do something a bit stripped back instead of layering everything. Live a couple of years back, he played an absolutely astonishing solo song I didn’t know at his show in Glasgow. By the lyrics I was able to identify it later as Wartime Prayers, but the version of the song on the album (So Beautiful or Surprise, one of the recent once’s) was very produced and nothing like what we were treated to in concert, sadly.
Absolutely abysmal what on earth is this dirge? This should never have been sanctioned what next Neil Diamonds “Sweet Caroline” (Heavy Beatbox Remix) ? or “Forever In Blue Jeans” (Dubstep Vocal Trance Mix) ?
I don’t really care for Paul Simon, but I am excited about new tracks from Groove Armada, Photek, and Thievery Corporation. Are there new remixes?
Loved and agree with every word of this review Paul. I can only add that this edition needs the special edition condom with it, as someone is getting f@*ked not sure if it’s the listener or Paul himself. It’s a strange one this.
So I just want to confirm, “Dub Sandwich” is fake and this is really going to be released…..really? Did Paul Simon forget April Fools Day is on the 1st?
‘that the existence of the original song could only be confirmed by reference to its dental records.’ … LOL! Probably the best bit of journalism your name has ever been attached too. Well done sir.
As someone who like to have all the albums by certain artists I’ll certainly be waiting for this to be £1.99 somewhere in the near future. Or making up some rule that remix reimagined albums don’t count. Pointless in all honesty.
Paul Simon has finally lost the plot if he sanctioned this abysmal load of old shite.
I wouldn’t buy this in a garage sale for 50 cents !!!!
AND I LOVE SIMON & GARFUNKEL. !!!!
I’m really hoping this is either a desperate contractual obligation or something the record company did without his consent. I can’t imagine any circumstance under which he would think this was a good idea, unless dementia has begun setting in.
No cassette version on multi-coloured magnetic tape, no purchase. I’m out!
I would rather have a twenty minute version of boy in the bubble. That song still slays me every time.
Drum n Bass – how vey 1996! After the travesty of the Love To Love You Donna Summer remix album, I think I’ll wait ’till I’ve read some of the reviews…
Is this a late April Fool?
I streamed the five remixes available via Apple Music when this was announced, and I got so angry. Why would anyone do this, 32 years after the original? This was such a missed opportunity.
To be clear, I am not against remixes of classic songs in the abstract. There are many I am a big fan of (Rabbit In The Moon’s remix of The Stone Roses “Fools’ Gold,” Vanguard’s remix of Queen’s “Flash,” Carl Cox’s remix of Art Of Noise’s “Paranoimia,” Pump Panel’s remix of New Order’s “Confusion,” to name the first few that popped into my head). But the Graceland ones are genuinely terrible so far. Phoned in and pointless.
Meh. I never had anything but passing interest in the original album, though I did rather like the single (“You Can Call Me Al”).
Sacrilegious and insulting. Who’s the target audience for this?!?
You can hear some samples of these on Youtube. Wait until you hear what they’ve done to You Can Call Me Al. LOL
Essentially what you have here is Graceland cut to ribbons, and overlaid with a BOOM BOOM BOOM beat. Sometimes just a BOOM BOOM BOOM beat with the original vocal over top. It’s sooooooo creative!!!! (not),
A ridiculous release that should go straight to landfill.
This release is far less plausible than last week’s Dub Sandwich joke posting, which actually sounded somewhat interesting. Bad idea, bad idea!
Gasp!
There’s too much of this trashing of classic albums.
Bet there won’t be one decent track worth listening to!
“In news that should probably filed alongside…”: My exact first thought after just reading the headline.
What no BD version? Maybe that will come out with the reimagined box set.
Another Paul is readying two new compilations of remixes;
Free For All – The Remix Project
Bad Co – Bad Remix (but not as bad as Graceland)