Paul Simon has announced that he is reissuing his seminal LP ‘Graceland’ to mark its 25th birthday this June.

The singer, who announced earlier this month that he will play the record in its entirety at this year’s Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park on July 15, will re-release the album on both CD and vinyl on June 4.

The vinyl version comes with three extra songs, while the CD package includes five bonus tracks, an audio narrative titled ‘The Story Of Graceland’ narrated by the singer, and a DVD featuring the new documentary film Under African Skies, which sees Simon revisit South Africa, where he made the album 25 years later.

It will also be released as a special collector’s edition boxset, which comes with a DVD of Simon’s 1987 ‘African Concert’ from Zimbabwe, an 80-page deluxe book, a ‘Graceland’ poster and a handwritten lyrics pad. An ultra-deluxe boxset, meanwhile, will also boast the album on vinyl and a signed poster. For more information, see Paulsimon.com.

Simon recorded ‘Graceland’ in South Africa in 1985 after being inspired by South African township music. In doing so, he was accused of breaching the cultural boycott against the ruling regime. Despite this, ‘Graceland’ went on to sell 14 million copies worldwide and is often credited as Simon’s finest album, with hits such as ‘You Can Call Me Al’ and ‘The Boy In The Bubble’.

This April marks 25 years since Simon brought his original ‘Graceland’ tour to the UK, where he played six sold-out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The series of gigs were blighted with controversy as demonstrators, including Billy Bragg and The Specials’ Jerry Dammers, protested Simon breaking the ANC’s cultural boycott of apartheid-era South Africa while making the record.

For the Hyde Park gig, Simon will once again be joined on-stage by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the South African male choir who appeared on the original album recording.

Scroll down and click to view the trailer for Under African Skies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPFESqwh0ks