10 Glorious "Dad Rock" Albums
3. Graceland - Paul Simon
If anyone has felt slighted by this list, keep in mind that dad rock is in no way meant to be a slam on the artists or the people who listen to them. Although the music might sound dated as all hell, these are often some of the greatest players who have ever walked the Earth playing on these records. Especially when it comes to someone like Paul Simon, what he did on this album really was unprecedented.
Going to Africa and working with musicians under apartheid, this entire album is one of the greatest examples of world music working with rock and roll. This is basically what managed to revitalize Simon's career in the public eye as well, catapulting him into a star of the '80s with You Can Call Me Al. If we're speaking about the songs themselves, it checks every box of dad rock down to the letter.
From the thoughtful lyrics of The Boy in the Bubble to the balladry of something like Under African Skies, the entire record feels like it's meant to soundtrack a nice time in at home, where everything is right with the world and you've just got finished cutting the grass. It also helps to have some of the greatest players on here, bringing songs like Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes to legendary status. Even though some of this is a little more dated than others, any other band looking to make a world music album wishes they could be this good.