New Simple Minds album, "Walk Between Worlds", set for release 02/02/2018

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by pghmusiclover, Nov 20, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I remember when Real Life came out, I was in the military by then and lovin' the album................EVERYONE I knew said....."They're still around?" The last they remembered was OUAT and a little blurb about the live album. So, a couple missteps in that they waited a while between albums and when it finally did come out............it was SFY with little to no appeal to American audiences captured from 84-85. I'm assuming some diehards stayed engage but I know a few personally who said "I'm out", they understood OUAT but SFY was too much. SFY had garnered 5 stars in Q, got a great write up in spin.....I don't remember RS but I do know RS gave Real Life 2 stars saying it just fell short of greatness but that one thing missing was fairly significant. I can listen to Real Life at any time and enjoy it, the production is "different", quite subdued and atmospheric but that's a Lipson album. Maybe Good News should have come out then with a very radio friendly sound.
     
  2. Surly

    Surly Bon Viv-oh-no-he-didn't

    Location:
    Sugar Land, TX
    A different choice for first single could have made a world of difference for Street Fighting Years in the US, although honestly I don't think there's one "knockout" single on the album that would have enraptured US listeners the way their previous hits here did. While I like "This Is Your Land," it's just not a radio song, even in its edited form. Look at the big hits here - "Don't You," "Alive & Kicking," "Sanctify Yourself" - all rockers. "Kick It In" may have worked, or even "Take A Step Back" but neither are powerful enough to properly announce a band to an entire country that hadn't heard from them in 3 years. There was a promo single of "Take A Step Back," but I think they only worked it at Rock radio. Same with "Mandela Day."

    There was a little bit of hype when the album first came out, with MTV doing a "world premier" of the "This Is Your Land" video but I don't honestly think A&M could have seriously thought they'd garner pop radio play with that song. I wonder if they even worked it at pop?

    "See The Lights," on the other hand, was a great pop single, and I wish it had done better. One of my favorites by them. So glad they toured the US on that album. A friend at the concert even snagged one of Mel's used drumsticks for me, which I still have. They were playing smaller theaters, though than the arenas they played on the Once Upon A Time tour.
     
    ian christopher, Havoc and DTK like this.
  3. Dil

    Dil Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    We need to remember this was a classic John Peel "cult band" on a major label, adored by the critics over here up to SITR. Some of the biggest names in our weekly music rags championed them - including that doyen of New Pop, Paul Morley (read his reviews). That album was the beginning of the end of critical adulation. The abrupt change in artistic direction confused everyone. And the new big block of "fans" Kerr celebrated at the time were no such thing. He basically also managed to alienate older, committed fans by mouthing off that they were not important anymore and had to be left behind at the expense of his bigger new audience. Kerr regrets that now, I know, but silly to say in public. It was, further, mainly U2 and the whole Big Music scene incl Big Country and The Waterboys fans who settled for them when U2 et al were not doing anything. The Americans were always superflous dip in and dip out people. Yes they expected another DYFAM and OUAT so SFY never stood a chance over the pond. And only U2 can get away with populist fervour because their music is populist and lends itself to amerikana. SM music upto SITR has a more feminine leaning.

    The biggest fall from grace ever?
     
    ian christopher and Havoc like this.
  4. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    I'm infinitely happy they toured that album. It was back at the scene of the first proper concert of theirs (Warfield, SF) I had seen even though I did stand outside the Kabuki and listen a few years prior. The main reason I'm so very glad they toured is because I met my wife in line for the show. I had a break in training and opted to go home for a bit and there she was, looking so beautiful that I instantly disqualified myself and just stayed quiet..........that apparently did the trick as she was calling me and asking me out a few days later. I also had my arm braced up against the stage to keep her, her friend, my friend and myself from being smashed. Mel had noticed and bent down to shake my hand while telling her something about what a good job I did taking care of her. That couldn't have hurt my chances.......................also, she had tried acid that day so there's that. I do remember that there was an arrogance around the band at the time that was picked up on by some of the local concert reviewers....one of whom remarked they seemed like a group of 30 somethings who thought they were all that and were bothered at the fact they had to do a show while in town. Oh well, it's a good album and that day was a VERY good day.
     
    Surly likes this.
  5. Stuart S

    Stuart S Back Jack

    Location:
    lv
    All this talk about SFY screams of a new box set with a 5.1 mix (by prent, not wilson!)

    Lets make Simple Minds Great Again!!
     
  6. Stuart S

    Stuart S Back Jack

    Location:
    lv
    I think hes trying to look like the Foxes hes trying to save. Good Man that Derek, hes a living legend. My favorite Bass player. Never seems to be given the credit hes due. But hes Humble and above all that nonsense.
     
    Dil and Havoc like this.
  7. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    My vote is for SAF but I'd definitely be on the pre-order list for a SFY set. Would love to hear demos and whatever else could be offered to give some vision into how some of these complex tracks came to be. One thing I love about the Horn productions is all the different components you can hear that somehow contribute in such a positive way. I would have really liked to have seen what he would have done with WBW as there's so much to each song. I listened to the album front to back twice today and liked it that much more.
     
    Dil likes this.
  8. Havoc

    Havoc Forum Resident

    Location:
    Poland
    Hmmm......when I think of Derek, I think of a cocky bloke what once tried to get Joan Collins to join the Mile High Club........maybe age has added some humility to the mix?
     
    Dil and Stuart S like this.
  9. mrbiggs

    mrbiggs Empires and Pants

    I think SFY is my least favourite, least-played album. It represents an era of music I just can't identify with, that whole late-80s post-Live Aid earnest rock thing. Peter Gabriel, who actually came out of that era unscathed somehow, and his world music juggernaut seemed to be everywhere. Self-importance just isn't a good look and Jim in particular had it in spades during this period. Just watch the Verona video for heaven's sake - it's awful. Jim with his baseball cap during Kick It In! Urgh. The only thing that saves it is Mick being humble and cool throughout and Lisa Germano, whom I developed a huge crush on...

    Anyway, I agree, it killed them in the USA and they'd affiliated themselves with a bunch of pious rockists who were all about to drop off the map when grunge and baggy took over. If they'd taken a leaf out of Depeche Mode's book they could've nailed the commercial success but not sold out their "alt"-ness and sustained through the 90s. But.. Jim reached for something else.
     
  10. Dil

    Dil Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Listen to the SITR demos: the future was mapped out right there teasingly - NGD dynamics, ambience and atmosphere allied to heavy techno dance beats. This is three whole years before the techno and House revolution hit the masses. New Order were in the ascendency with their electronic beats allied to guitar, Depeche Mode found their multi million selling formula of dark industrial rock and the Cure were blazing their most productive commercial phase. All retained their artistic credibility. All still sell out stadiums today. And of course, U2 sold zillions of Achtung Baby's and Zooropa's.

    All this to say you don't need to "sell out" to be mega successful. But...sigh...its all ifs and buts, innit.
     
    ian christopher and mrbiggs like this.
  11. Dave 81828384

    Dave 81828384 Unremarkable Member

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    I don't mean to insult you guys but, I'm sorry, Street Fighting Years is like watching paint dry. :laugh:
     
  12. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    why in the green earth of fruited plains did "See The Lights" not become a smash hit?

    What was crowding it out in 1989/1990? Green-era REM? Disintegration-era Cure, Violator era Depeche Mode? Gold Afternoon Fix era The Church? Temple of Low Men era Crowded House?

    This was 18 months before grunge, no excuse for it not to be a hit.
     
    Havoc likes this.
  13. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    I bet I can guess the answer:

    "under promotion"
     
  14. Surly

    Surly Bon Viv-oh-no-he-didn't

    Location:
    Sugar Land, TX
    Well, that's the easy answer, and I'm not saying it's incorrect. However, as someone who worked for major labels for many years, I can name countless records where the label(s) worked their tails off trying to promote a record, only to see radio/the public reply with a giant "ho-hum." "See The Lights" was released as a single in 1991 and I feel it was a very contemporary song for the time; it was right before grunge broke. Poppy enough to be a top 40 hit yet still rock enough to garner AOR play. Hell, even AC radio should have been fine with it. That said, the answer lies not only in "Did the label promote it right?" but also "Did radio care at that point?" By 1991, it had been a good 5 years since they bothered the pop charts in any noticeable way ("Sanctify Yourself" - #14 Pop; "All The Things She Said" - #28 Pop - both in 1986) so while A&M did get some decent action on the song (it peaked at #40 Pop but did hit #1 on the Modern Rock charts for two weeks and also #10 AOR) when the subsequent release of "Stand By Love" didn't garner much interest, that was pretty much it for the album in the US. "Stand By Love" got to #4 Modern Rock, but that was before the "golden age" of Alternative Rock radio, so at that point, I don't believe it equated to a large amount of radio stations with any real market significance.

    I bring this up because radio is an important part in why a song is or is not a hit. It's not always the label. Programmers can be very arrogant - in the '00s when I worked for Warner Music in Atlanta, the label rep took the (at the time) new song from New Order to the local alternative station. The program director said "They're old!!!" and didn't even want to hear the song.
    That's a great story!

    To add to the SFY story, I'll add in some AOR/Modern Rock chart numbers since Wikipedia only shows Pop positions (I have a Joel Whitburn chart book - nerd alert!):

    "Mandela Day" - #17 MR (debuted 4/1/89)
    "This Is Your Land" - #12 MR (debuted 5/20/89), #37 AOR (debuted 5/13/89)
    "Take A Step Back" - #14 MR (debuted 6/24/89)
     
    DTK, ian christopher and Dil like this.
  15. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    arrogant program directors has become a rebuttal point for me when criticisms are leveled at modern streaming/internet radio being worse than what we had in the past.
     
    Surly likes this.
  16. ian christopher

    ian christopher Argentina (in Spirit)

    Location:
    El Centro
    I don't think I heard "See The Lights" on influential Southern California alternative/modern rock station 106.7 KROQ at all back in 1991.

    Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Cult, and R.E.M. were huge then though - and Nine Inch Nails was beginning to tear things up - in the months before the deluge from Seattle.
     
    Surly likes this.
  17. Dil

    Dil Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Hahaha!...well perhaps its a Jackson Pollack!!
     
    Dave 81828384 likes this.
  18. Audioresearch

    Audioresearch Forum Resident

    Sparkle is a great album I never understood why People mentioned thatSparkle is The album when They did not like The Simple Minds any more.
     
  19. fRa

    fRa Conny Olivetti - Sound Alchemist

    Location:
    Sweden
    I remember the opposite, very positive reviews!
    Around
    For me, it is bombastic "arena rock"
    Huge sound image with no content, or at least the songs got lost in the production
     
    Dave 81828384 and Dil like this.
  20. TokenGesture

    TokenGesture Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I hated Real Life at the time, such a disappointment after SFY. Havnt listened to it for a long time.
     
    Dil and Audioresearch like this.
  21. Audioresearch

    Audioresearch Forum Resident

    You probably Will not like It if You listen to It now.
    I have tried every vew years to listen to It But It Will never be a good album in My opinion.
     
    TokenGesture and Dil like this.
  22. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Because it came after perfection:yikes:
     
  23. Audioresearch

    Audioresearch Forum Resident

    Yes But not every album can be perfect. And Sparkle hits a homerun.
     
  24. DTK

    DTK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    I think the first half of Real Life is very good. After Stand By Love it goes south. Let The Children Speak is possibly the most horrid thing they ever recorded. Ergo Traveling Man and African Skies (nice music to that one though).
    They should have waited for Mick to come back and take up the sleack :).
     
  25. Dil

    Dil Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I think its the production we are lauding more so than the music lol.

    My list of SM albums based on production values alone would go something like this:

    1. New Gold Dream - vinyl half speed remaster
    2. SFY - original vinyl
    3. RTRC - 2002 CD remaster
    4. Empires and Dance - 2002 CD remaster
    5. Sons/Sisters - 2002 CD remaster
    6. Cry - SACD
    7. OSATS - original master, Silver Box
    9. Best of - SACD
    10. Real Life - original vinyl
    11.OUAT - original vinyl

    The rest are victims of tbe Loudness War. Walk Between Worlds is the worst with distortion on every single track. SITR is just...well just mental.

    As always YMMV.
     
    NunoBento, Dave 81828384 and DTK like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine