Samuel LoveThis year marks the 40th anniversary of Paul Simon’s seminal album Graceland, his seventh solo studio record. Although it became his most successful and highest charting album in over a decade, and won the 1987 Grammy for Album of the Year, the journey to creating the album was not always straightforward. Recorded and ultimately released in a time of political turmoil in South Africa, the album wasn’t without controversy – some of which still reverberates today. A new book from music historian/journalist Ashley Kahn examines the entire story, resulting in a compelling page-turner that often reads like a political thriller.
Kahn’s book is not a biography of Paul Simon, and is best consumed as a companion piece to a bio like Robert Hilburn’s Paul Simon: The Life. Days of Miracle and Wonder drops you into a tumultuous period in Simon’s life and career, and while it never leaves the uninitiated totally lost, it does expect and rely on some basic knowledge of the singer-songwriter. But if you’re reading a book about Graceland, it’s likely you’re a Paul Simon fan.
The research behind the book is extremely thorough. Kahn interviewed Simon and almost 100 other people involved with Graceland, offering a staggeringly in-depth narrative of the entire creative process with fascinating technical detail.
Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland is a must-read for music enthusiasts. One of the most important albums of all time, Graceland popularised world music on a global scale, whilst reviving Simon’s stalling career and sparking an important international debate about cultural exchange and apartheid. Ashley Kahn’s book offers an exhaustively researched look at the album’s story from inception through production, touring, and its legacy that is felt 40 years on. Inspiring and uplifting stuff.
Days of Miracle and Wonder: Paul Simon and the Trials and Triumphs of Graceland by Ashley Kahn is available now from White Rabbit Books (Hardback, RRP £23.00)
