Graceland - Paul Simon Gershwin Prize Concert

[rich4828]

perfection.......

[58Wheels]

ljcca, this song is the blue grass version, American music of Appalachia. I want to hunt down the Aretha version of Bridge too. She was in Toronto playing for free in June, but I was caught out of town and missed seeing her.

[Sockpuppet58]

They hit a home run with that one. Simon was interviewed on a CBC show yesterday in celebration of his 70th birthday and said that this was one of his favourites when it came to people covering his songs. Wonderful. He said that he loved the touch. Hit the CBC podcasting website and look under Q (a show) for the interview.

[ljcca]

@Sockpuppet58 Yeah, I just heard this on Q and came over here to watch it. I agree with Paul Simon; this is one of the best covers of his songs. And as others here have said, more than a cover, in a way. (Now I want to hear that Aretha cover of "Bridge" that he talked about in the interview!)

[dropdowndog]

This one's really something: A wild rhythmic ride, a tribute to Graceland's African roots. There is a percussionist on the far right of the stage, a conga-and-cymbal setup, and a full drum set in the middle that appears to be Steve Gadd and he appears to be playing bare handed (4:00).

[LiveOnJohn40]

That slide guitar!

[MyGrounder]

If this doesn't choke you up a bit....you are not living.

[theatlantisrise]

Graceland (the album) is one of the greatest pieces of art of the 20th century. Underrated doesnt even begin to describe it.

[badzootus]

This is gorgeous. You can tell that the musicians knows that they just took part in something special at the end of the video, too.

[soldham56]

What a gorgeous version of this song! Allison is like a little fawn just grazing in the forest, and the players are superb. I agree that the bones are there of a great song, and I love Paul's version-but this takes everything to a new level. Jerry is a treasure and I can tell that the other musicians are really vibin' on this performance. Thanks so much Allison @ Co.!

[cljoyner39]

Beautiful, love both Paul Simon's version and this one. Completely different, but beautiful. Both are true artists.

[DanilaMc]

I remember first hearing this LIVE when Simon won the award and thought was an incredible cover it was. It's almost not a cover at all but something completely different. I love Paul's version but this is beautiful.

[rich4828]

perfection

[pianomansibs]

Did anyone spot Harper Simon in the background playing on dad Paul's guitar.

[inxia38]

This doesn't have the irony of the original version but my goodness, doesn't it bring out the heartache.

[reddragonready]

Jerry Douglas IS the god of the Dobro!

[mmedefarge]

When Paul Simon sung his song, it seemed tongue-in-cheek, when Allison Krauss sings it, it sounds like a hymn & you realize that it really is a hymn. She brings a whole new depth to the song & makes you listen to it anew.

[MrTweeel]

@mmedefarge tongue in cheek? Alison sings like an angel, and this is an excellent version...EXCELLENT! But I don't take Paul's as tongue in cheek at all. His writing can bring tears to your eyes. He's one of my favorite writers, Soooooo prolific

[mmedefarge]

@MrTweeel Some of his stuff is tongue-in-cheek. He has written songs that bring tears to the eyes but for me, this is not one of them when he sings it. It's like the difference between Bob Dylan singing, "You Ain't Going Nowhere" & Joan Baez singing it; it's a whole different take & interpretation.

[cpamikie]

@mmedefarge A portion of the song has to do with his marriage, then divorce, from Carrie Fisher (i.e. "as if I didn't know about my own bed . . .").

[BlandBoy]

Slightly interest arrangement, all modern country music stars sound similar to me.

[billybobk2]

All country stars with the exception of Alison Krauss. Other 'country" stars are simply not in the same league.

[Jmb6121]

great body....that's about it. Perhaps she misses the point of the song?

[soldham56]

You clearly missed the point of this performance..it's not about Allison's body-but body of work, and THE SONG, dude...stick to the Spike Channel, and WWF...

[gormarx]

It's really hard to entirely fuck up a great song and make it a painful bore, but Alison is a great talent and managed to pull it off. Amazing.

[MrDlist]

There s a girl in new york city calls herself a human trampoline.....Whoa, really shivery, cool version of a classic....Cheers for posting.