Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Deluxe)

1982 was a year when some of the European bands that became huge in the ‘80s were at a crossroads....
Simple Minds : New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Deluxe)
9.0 Virgin
2016 

Simple Minds : New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Deluxe)1982 was a year when some of the European bands that became huge in the ‘80s were at a crossroads.

The Cure got their best charts position at number eleven for Pornography, but the band disintegrated six weeks into their current tour; The Psychedelic Furs just recovered from their own meltdown, and travelled to the U.S. focusing their attention on what was happening there and gradually leaving Europe behind; and U2 had to recover from a lukewarm record, October, a work burdened by the band’s indecision towards religion and the theft of Bono’s lyrics and record material before getting to the studio, which obliged the singer to improvise throughout the majority of the recording.

Last but not least, one of the biggest cult bands of the time, Simple Minds, was still on their path to stardom, but something was missing.

After their first three records, the Glaswegians were dropped by Arista, and after several weeks of negotiating, they became new recruits of Virgin. Then, they created a really diverse and interesting work that mixed post-punk with embryonic electronica, Sons and Fascination, which was accompanied by a second record from those very sessions, Sister Feelings Call. There, the Minds explored the experimental side of previous works and while dark at times, it also had a sensitive pop side on tracks like “Love Song”, “The American” or “Sweat in Bullet”.

Then, a time of change followed for the Minds. First problem was replacing original drummer Brian McGee. They did so by hiring Kenny Hislop – from The Zone and Midge Ure’s original band Slik – but after a successful Australian tour and the recording of the first advance from the new record, “Promised You a Miracle” (which became their first hit), Hislop left as well to start another project, and thus they hired Café Jacques’ drummer Mike Ogletree.

Once in the studio, the band decided to put young production talent Pete Walsh, who previously remixed one of Fascination’s tracks – and who also worked with Heaven 17 – to direct the recording of what would become their ‘Sergeant Peppers’, as they described it recently: New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84). Little did they know that Walsh would become a crucial piece for the band’s future, for some reasons. For starters, he saw the biggest ‘weak point’ in the band: having too many ideas. Theoretically, this is not bad, as it gives both band and producer plenty of options and paths to follow. But with Simple Minds that meant extending the process beyond the money and time available to record their new album.

Then, he realized Ogletree was a very good live drummer, pretty inventive and with a peculiar sense of rhythm, but in studio he didn’t have the determination to lay down good enough drum patterns in time. Thus, he hired a man he’d known for a long time, a capable drummer with broader resources, Mel Gaynor. The only problem was that the Londoner was from a very different background. He was a session drummer, but had played funk and heavy metal so technically he was a world away from the post-punk/new wave Simple Minds came from.

However, Gaynor’s adaptability was the trait that convinced the band. And he became a trademark in the live sound of Simple Minds forever.

With all the elements in place, Walsh was able to strengthen all members qualities: Keyboardist Michael McNeill’s sense of space; guitarist Charlie Burchill’s melodies, riffs and sense of sound; bassist Derek Forbes progressive lines; and even – although it took longer – Jim Kerr’s more concrete lyrics, more adequate to the vibe of the songs. Plus, Walsh got Ogletree to keep contributing, so he finally ended up playing in two tracks – “Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel” and “Somebody Up There Likes You” – plus the title one, alongside Gaynor, both with their own drum set, at the same time.

This summary is what you will find – albeit way more extended – in the finely done booklet that tells the story of the band up to that point, in the Deluxe Edition of NGD. This is the third box of the Minds so far, after 1985’s Once Upon a Time and 1984’s Sparkle In The Rain. Apart from the story of the band, you’ll find a reproduction of the tour book of that time, plus five CDs and one DVD that also contains the record in 5.1 audio quality.

If the original packaging of NGD was elegant, this Deluxe Edition is really that: Deluxe. You can really see where U2 got the inspiration for the imagery and colours of The Unforgettable Fire. The booklet is mixed with photos and memorabilia of the time, and the CDs have all their own design, each corresponding to a different band member and each with a different metallic colour. All very cared for, all exuding class and dedication.

And what about the record itself? Does it stand the test of time? Indeed it does. Of course, it sounds like the early ‘80s, but it doesn’t feel clunky or clumsy at all, and when you absorb all the information and play it from start to finish, it still has an incredible appeal. Each song has a bass line to die for; almost each track can be danced to, if you want.

“Someone, Somewhere (In Summertime)” is still refreshing; “Promised You a Miracle” has even been recently praised by someone as unrefined as Damon Albarn; “Big Sleep” still keeps its oneiric and dreamy imagery; “Hunter and the Hunted” never stopped projecting that romantic soulish aroma and “King Is White and In the Crowd” keeps the darkness the band was injecting in some of their earliest tunes.

Then, in the rest of CDs you can find BBC sessions (with David Jensen or John Peel, a couple of which could be found in the Silver Box, released in 2004), extended and dub remixes, full duration versions, instrumentals you will find yourself singing to and very interesting as well is the early version of lost track “In Every Heaven”, a tune that in that guise would’ve been a highlight of Sons of Fascination/Sister Feelings Call.

So, if you want to make a long, dense, beautiful trip down memory lane, when ‘80s U.K. pop could be sophisticated and elaborate, this Deluxe Set is really good value for money.

Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Deluxe)

Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Deluxe)

Simple Minds - New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (Deluxe)

Categories
Reviews
Album of the Week