Simple Minds have been performing live for 30 years. That’s a lot of years of fine, fine, music. The first song I heard from them was “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”- you know that famous song from that famous movie, “The Breakfast Club”. To be completely honest, at the time, I didn’t know who they were or what the name of the song was. It was playing on the local radio station (now defunct) and I could only record the last part. (That would be on a cassette player). Yes, all I had to go on was Jim Kerr’s voice sing: “La, la, la…” These were the days before the Internet and that all powerful search engine. Oh boy.
Days or months later I caught the video for “Hypnotized” on a channel whose name I can’t recall. Needless to say I was “hypnotized” by the sound and the images. I had the song running around for days, but most importantly, I had the name of the artist and the album! I was then to stumble upon the Simple Minds in a music magazine. It was an add for their new album “Good News From The Next World”. And that was that. As fortune would have it my birthday was around the corner and I purchased a copy with my birthday money. (I couldn’t choose between Sting’s “Mercury Falling” and “Good News From The Next World”, so I bought them both. In cassette form that is. I still have them. ^_^)
So began my love of the Simple Minds. Quite a few years later, I still listen to their music. A few months ago they came out with a new CD: “Graffiti Soul”. I don’t know how they did it, but they combine the sound of the old with the new. They took the best of the old Simple Minds (80s) and the best of the new Simple Minds (90s) and created this incredibly, fantastic, wonderful, energetic, awesome album. Some of those tracks could belong in old albums- Jim Kerr’s voice even SOUNDS like it did back then. While others are modern, they could fit in “Cry” or “Black & White 050505”. It blows you away. It ROCKS you to the core of your being. It is the best music I’ve heard in a while. Much better than some currently playing on the radio (does new music even play on the radio anymore?).
Simple Minds even rock the cover songs! Their cover album “Neon Lights” is fantastic. Jim Kerr sings some of those songs better than the original artist. The deluxe version of “Graffiti Soul” comes with a bonus disk (“Searching for the Lost Boys”) that has these awesome covers. (My favorite is “Sloop John B” from The Beach Boys)
Seriously, don’t take my word for it, go out and get a copy for yourself! ^_^
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Favorite tracks:
“Graffiti Soul”
“This is it”
“Stars Will Lead the Way”
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Links:
Simple Minds Website (official)
Dream giver redux
