Paul Simon to Celebrate ‘Graceland’ 25th Anniversary with Tour, Box Set

Paul Simon isn't interested in any sounds of silence. He's already filling up his datebook for 2012 to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of his landmark album 'Graceland.' Among those plans are a box set of the Grammy Award winning album and a world tour that will feature some of the musicians who toured with him in 1987, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Simon, who just turned 70, is currently on tour promoting his 2011 release 'So Beautiful Or So What.' He and his band recently returned to the spiritual home of the Graceland album, South Africa, where he performed with Ladysmith Black Mambazo and trumpet legend Hugh Masekela. This performance was filmed for the box set.

Simon told Billboard, "The documentary took me back to the artistic aspects and the political aspects of making 'Graceland' and the controversy that surrounded it and how it was resolved, plus what remains of it and what we learn from it." The album itself was a cultural touchstone and a huge hit, comfortably resting in the Billboard Top five, spawning a clutch of Top 20 singles and winning Grammy awards for Album of the Year as well as Record of the Year for the title song.

Unlike anything he had recorded up to that point, 'Graceland' stood unique, and 25 years on still does. In a recent interview, Simon said "I learned in the ‘Graceland’ recordings how to collaborate with players from other cultures. Some didn’t speak English or speak in musical terms that I was familiar with. I learned to pay attention and listen. Music is about listening."

Amen Mr. Simon!