Simple Minds

Spawning from 'Johnny and the Self Abusers' in the late 70's, the early 'punk' era of Simple Minds brought them little recognition. Not surprising really, since the Sex Pistols had been killed off several years previously and nobody wanted anything to do with a resurgence of such an unmelodic genre. From this period the only track of real note was the epic 'Pleasantly Disturbed' ('Life in a Day', 1979).

Later, with the release of their first iconic single 'Waterfront' from the outstanding, though underrated album, 'Sparkle in the Rain' (1983) they began to gain a fan base. A more fluid, less rigid, musical style gave Kerr the chance to show the world he could actually sing. Resultantly, the band soon had a bigger live following than their fame, alone, could merit.

In 1985 Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, and Michael MacNeil produced an album that elevated them to superstardom and Simple Minds could be considered 'the best band in the world'. Arguably the greatest pop/rock album ever written, 'Once Upon a Time' contained 5 hit records and no 'fillers', indeed, the title track and 'Come a Long Way' were exceptional recordings. Whether, or not, it garnered the critical acclaim it deserved is irrelevant.

After a break of almost 5 years, not to discount the release of their live masterpiece ('Live in the City of Light', 1987), 1989 brought their forth consecutive album to debut at No.1 (UK). This time, the 'Street Fighting Years' LP gave (guitarist) Burchill a platform to showcase his talents, creating a unique, and immensely atmospheric, soundscape. 'The Ballad of the Streets EP', from the album, gave the group their only UK No.1, staying at the top of the charts for, seemingly, months. It was the title track, however, which showed the band at their very, very, best.

Whether intentionally, or not, in the years since 'Once Upon a Time' Jim Kerr's voice has softened, first evident in 1989, and lacks the aggression it once had. The last creditable recordings by Simple Minds came way back in 1991, with 'See The Lights' and, once again, the customarily unreleased title track from 'Real Life'.

When Simple Minds became the 'Scotland's finest export' now it makes me think of how derogatory this tag turned out for them - instead of appraisal, SM no longer remain the striking force in music, at least no different than U2 or the Stones - artistically speaking, their momentum hasn't offered much since 1982. Yes, later achievements in their work prove much better on stadium circuit level but the extravaganza remains something such politically/socially motivated bunch simply shouldn't have bothered with... It was much better depicting military flirt from 'Life in a Day' to 'New Gold Dream'... Music from that period was a striking blend of folk, psychedelic, Krautrock and avantgarde that it's sad when people started perceiving them only afterwards - commercially the group always achieved considerable success but the very word doesn't have to fulfill all of the expectations - slowly turning into a drag rather than giving further innovation, Simple Minds probably lost their course - and maintain their art(ificiality) then and there... the last stop of 1982.