Simple Minds: Genius electronic songsmiths or hardcore stadium rockers?

[Brighton TID]

Remembering their stadium targeted rock, Live Aid, Alive and Kicking, lighters aloft, the scottish U2.

IMO none of this comes close to their early stuff. Real to Real Cacophony is a work of genius and many of their early albums contain tracks that blow Don't You Forget About Me clean out of the water from a hundred paces. It's also hard to disagree the widely held belief that New Gold Dream is the best album of the 80s.

What happened to Simple Minds people?

 

[KZNSeagull]

They started to believe their own hype, rather like U2. I always thought they were a bit poo anyway.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Errr, option 3: Pretentious, insipid, w*nk.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

They were OK at the Dome a couple of months back. But just OK. The new stuff was much as you'd imagine how new stuff usually sounds from 80's bands.

 

[hart's shirt]

They went the same way as The Alarm and Big Country by failing to adapt to changing musical tastes.

At least U2 reinvented themselves with Achtung Baby, memorably described as 'the sound of 4 men chopping down The Joshua Tree'.

 

[Wozza]

New Gold Dream and Sparkle in the Rain are two of my favourite albums of all time.

Street Fighting Years was waaaaaaay too pompous. Really fell out of love with them.

Last album is decent, but favourite track from relatively recent years is Stay Visible - amazing album opener.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thswv2YPcBw

Lucky to have seen them in some great places (Astoria, Barrowlands, Milton Keynes Bowl). Brighton and O2 don't compare...

 

[Pavilionaire]

They went the same way as The Alarm and Big Country by failing to adapt to changing musical tastes.

At least U2 reinvented themselves with Achtung Baby, memorably described as 'the sound of 4 men chopping down The Joshua Tree'.

Bit harsh, as they'd already adapted from New Romantic synth-based pop to guitar-led stadium rock very successfully. Musically, I don't see where the could go in the second half of the Eighties because U2 were bossing the stadium scene, other bands like Deacon Blue, Proclaimers and Texas were owning the Scottish domestic scene while the rest of the UK was getting into dance music and acid house.

 

[Ernest]

Were good up till they went overblown American shite

 

[Mr Bridger]

Remembering their stadium targeted rock, Live Aid, Alive and Kicking, lighters aloft, the scottish U2.

IMO none of this comes close to their early stuff. Real to Real Cacophony is a work of genius and many of their early albums contain tracks that blow Don't You Forget About Me clean out of the water from a hundred paces. It's also hard to disagree the widely held belief that New Gold Dream is the best album of the 80s.

What happened to Simple Minds people?

Sadly they're in the premiership now

 

[tinycowboy]

New Gold Dream and Sparkle in the Rain are two of my favourite albums of all time.

Street Fighting Years was waaaaaaay too pompous.

Street Fighting Years is a horrific album. New Gold Dream is great, if a little tedious to take in one sitting, but certainly has its moments. Same with SITR. Once Upon A Time is a guilty pleasure of mine - and I love the terrible 80s 12" remixes of the singles. Quite like all the pre-New Gold Dream stuff, but, again, in moderation - some great song titles, a lot of songs a minute or two too long. Love the pompous reworkings of Book of Brilliant Things and East At Easter on the Live album - hilariously earnest. However, special mention for the B-side of Don't You (Forget About Me) - A Brass Band In African Chimes - which manages to sound like a concentrated instrumental ambience of the 1980s and consequently leaves the listener with a strange feeling of nostalgia and regret. That, I believe, is the strange power of Simple Minds.

 

[Wozza]

And then there's the cover of Sign O The Times...

 

[Vegas Seagull]

New Gold Dream and Sparkle in the Rain are two of my favourite albums of all time.

Street Fighting Years was waaaaaaay too pompous. Really fell out of love with them.

Last album is decent, but favourite track from relatively recent years is Stay Visible - amazing album opener.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thswv2YPcBw

Lucky to have seen them in some great places (Astoria, Barrowlands, Milton Keynes Bowl). Brighton and O2 don't compare...

Side 1 of Sparkle in the Rain was/is great & nothing helped my jogging speed along more back in the day

Milton Keynes with it's dust clouds every 5 seconds, stage with sun behind it til 10pm killing the light show apart from last 30 mins and beer Q's 10 deep not a patch on The Suite @ Brighton

Makes me shudder every time I rewatch on YouTube what I think remains the greatest moment in their history : the 10 minutes on stage @ Nelson Mandela's 70th party Wembley 88 with Peter Gabriel and the unbelievable version of Biko....

 

[Wozza]

I don't remember much detail about MK. I was (just) 16 and it was my first ever gig - many miles from home. Amazing experience for us.

I'm sure The Suite was amazing too. I should have said "Recent gigs in Brighton don't compare".

 

[MattBackHome]

Custard cousin. n. The relationship one has with those who have shared the same slice of pie. Eg. Brian Ferry and Mick Jaggar are custard cousins, as are Liam Gallagher, Ally McCoist, Jim Kerr and the 14th Battalion of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.



(c) Viz obviously.

 

[Brighton TID]

Errr, option 3: Pretentious, insipid, w*nk.

I thought similar when I first heard Real to Real Cacophony, it just seemed awful. However, ten listens in and this has become one of my favourite albums. It really is a work of genius.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

New Gold Dream and Sparkle in the Rain are two of my favourite albums of all time.

Street Fighting Years was waaaaaaay too pompous. Really fell out of love with them.

Last album is decent, but favourite track from relatively recent years is Stay Visible - amazing album opener.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thswv2YPcBw

Lucky to have seen them in some great places (Astoria, Barrowlands, Milton Keynes Bowl). Brighton and O2 don't compare...

30 odd years later New Gold Dream remains a magnificent record. My personal favourite, The Big Sleep, is a wonderful, melodic track which has stood the test of time.

 

[Dougie]

I was well into them ,but they were never the same without Derek Forbes and his wonderful,and powerful basslines .

 

[looney]

They like U2 were another guitar twanging popular pop band. Also like U2 but not later bands like Oasis they sold big overseas as well. Also like Oasis and U2 when they started dipping their toes in politics they began to be seen as nobheads.

When I read stuff like "I liked their early stuff" I know I'm going to be bored to tears by some self important blowhard. simple Mind were very popular with Catchy tunes, but not rock lol.

 

[dangull]

I actually liked the single Alive and Kicking, which got me interested in the band, but when I got into their earlier stuff, Sons and Facination, its sister album, New Gold Dream and A Celebration, I found this music more interesting. I think they lost something when the keyboard player Michael Macneil left.

 

[Surf's Up]

They like U2 were another guitar twanging popular pop band. Also like U2 but not later bands like Oasis they sold big overseas as well. Also like Oasis and U2 when they started dipping their toes in politics they began to be seen as nobheads.

IMHO they were knobheads a long time before dipping their toes into politics. In fact I'd go as far as to say they've always been knobheads.