Radio Times: Review by:; David Butcher

“In many ways Graceland was the most significant achievement of my career,” muses Paul Simon. But as a wonderful Imagine reminds us, it came at a huge cost to his reputation in the cauldron of mid-1980s politics.

Whether from naivety or a degree of I’m-an-artist-I’m-above-this arrogance, he simply ignored the UN cultural boycott of apartheid-era South Africa and worked with musicians there for the album and the tour that followed.

As it turned out, Graceland was so full of shining pop masterpieces and did so much to promote South African culture, it rose above the controversy. But should it have?

There are extraordinary scenes as, 25 years on, Simon defends his position to Dali Tambo, founder of Artists Against Apartheid. But in the end, it’s the footage of sessions where songs like The Boy in the Bubble came together that are most rewarding. And look out for the clip of Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes premiered on, of all places, Saturday Night Live.

About this programme

Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland became a global phenomenon with its fusion of South African rhythms and western pop. But it was also hugely controversial, as the musician broke the UN-backed cultural boycott of a country still in the grip of apartheid. Here Simon returns to South Africa for a reunion with the township musicians on the record, and to talk about the backlash it provoked. Famous fans including Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and David Byrne also pay tribute to Graceland's impact and influence.