Simple Minds are STILL alive& kicking
30 years after their glory days . . .
Along with U2, Simple Minds were once the kings of Celtic stadium rock. The two bands broke through at the same time and, while glasgow’s Simple Minds were often portrayed as the poor relations, U2 have since admitted that 1984’ s The Unforgettable Fire owed plenty to their Scottish peers.
Buoyed by 2014’s swaggering Big Music and a 2016 acoustic revamp of their biggest singles, Simple Minds are now in the throes of a renaissance, and the revival gathers pace on Walk Between Worlds, a record that embraces change without losing sight of traditional strengths.
‘We are a different kind of group now,’ says singer Jim Kerr — and Walk Between Worlds bears him out. As with their acoustic album, the music is now looser and more engaging. This time, though, they are fully plugged-in, revisiting the synths of old while adding a sweeping, orchestral edge. Their lineup is enhanced by drummer Cherisse osei, plus backing singers Sarah Brown and Catherine Anne Davies, who bring a strong female presence to what was once an all-male concern.
The group made this album in a converted social club close to the housing estates where Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill — both now 58 — were raised.
The pair no longer live in the city, but nostalgic references to glasgow abound. ThiS
wistful air is most apparent on Barrowland Star, a song inspired by a famous glasgow ballroom that has hosted plenty of Simple Minds shows — the band play there again in 11 days.
A ballad garnished with cinematic strings, a scintillating solo by Burchill and a touch of Berlin- era Bowie in Kerr’s vocal phrasing — ‘did we think those days would last for ever?’ — it’s the standout track here.
Elsewhere, Magic is memorable in the exultant style of hits such as glittering Prize, while Summer harks back to the newwave grooves of Empires And Dance, the 1980 album that saw an emerging band transcend their influences and fully hit their creative stride.
Sense of Discovery is built around a refrain that echoes 1985’s Alive And Kicking. But they aren’t merely trading on former glories. The songs here are still informed by a wideeyed, romantic streak and some potent melodic hooks, but the purposeful approach is that of a band moving forwards — still alive and kicking.
n Roxy MUSiC’S 1972 debut wasn’t their best record. Followup album For your Pleasure was more accomplished, and electronics wizard Brian Eno concedes that 1973’s Stranded was their finest hour — and he’d left the group by then.
But that eponymous first lP was the game- changer. Roxy had played just a handful of gigs when it was released, but its heady cocktail of old hollywood glamour, Fifties revivalism and futuristic art-rock arrived with all the shock of the new.
it has also stood the test of time brilliantly, and this re-issue in honour of its 45th birthday last year reiterates its power.
The alliance of songwriter Bryan Ferry and instrumentalist Eno was always uneasy, with the former a disciple of old- school elegance and guile and the latter a more unruly operator. But between them, with help from guitarist Phil Manzanera and woodwind player Andy Mackay, they were full of energy and ideas.
highlights included ladytron, with Eno’s rudimentary synths and Mackay’s oboe solo, and 2hB, Ferry’s tribute to humphrey Bogart. The dazzling single Virginia Plain was released two months after the album, but it featured on later pressings and is rightly included here.
This expanded edition comes with all the usual whistles and bells. As well as the original lP, it contains radio sessions, live material and out-takes.
The out-takes are certainly interesting, offering a fascinating insight for fans keen to hear works in progress — but they are only available on a ‘ super deluxe’ four- disc package (£130).
For better value, a two-CD set (£20) and vinyl edition (£30) are also out today. The partnership of Ferry and Eno lasted for just one more album, with the singer wryly observing that ‘ two non-musicians in a band is one too many’ when they parted company in 1973.
This captured them at a point when their artistic confidence was stunning.