A lot could be said about Simple Minds. Thirty nine years is a long time to be in the music industry, I presume their fan base must be massive otherwise they would have not made it this far!
The eighties media seemed to pitch them against another iconic eighties band, U2; similar to the media treatment of Blur and Oasis in the nineties. Jim Kerr and Bono were friendly towards each other with Bono even providing guest vocals at a couple of Simple Minds gigs. I presume this media hype was welcomed privately by both bands, as neither band seemed to suffer in terms of record sales!
An acoustic album is an unusual release for a band so synonymous with crashing drums , electric guitars and synthesizers. Unlike U2 who hide their keyboards when touring, Simple Minds celebrate the use of them.
To replace the ‘crashing drums’ sounds of Mel Gaynor, the band have called upon the talents of young female percussionist, Cherisse Osei, who has previously played with Brian Ferry. To help fill the keyboard void, an extra guitarist, Gordon Goudie, who has worked on and off with Simple Minds and Echo and the Bunnymen, was brought in. Pop singer, KT Tunstall, also makes an appearance, adding her vocals to “Promised you a Miracle”.
Acoustic is the band’s seventeenth studio album.
For this new release there are 12 tracks covering famous hit singles, as well as album tracks from as far back as 1981, with lesser known album track called “The American”, all the way up to a relatively famous single released in 1991, “See the Lights”. Of course stalwart hits had to be included “Don`t You Forget About Me” and “Alive and Kicking” to name but a few. One cover of a track called “Long Black Train” by Sheffield-born singer-songwriter, Richard Hawley, completes the album. The latter I had not heard before but sits well with the eleven Simple Minds tracks.
Each track has the familiarity of the original but the acoustic nature provides very different dynamics to each song. Some take a much softer edge compared to the original, “The American” and “Waterfront” are examples of this. “Someone Somewhere in Summertime” sounds darker than the gentle but uplifting original.”Promised you a Miracle” has a new funkier twist, also achieved BBC Radio 2 single of the week. For me the stand out track is “Sanctify Yourself”, always a live performance favourite, this version loses none of the original’s pace and energy. Gordon Goudie’s harmonica really adds to the acoustic flavour.
To my ears, and being a fan, the whole concept works. Bring on the live shows in 2017… “I will be there, I will be there!”
Author: Justin, Liverpool store
