Simple Minds Album: “Early Gold”

The story of Simple Minds is almost the mirror opposite of U2. Early Simple Minds were effortlessly experimental in contrast to the latter's dodgy rock sound. They both morphed and evolved into the same stadium rock band around 84/85 before U2 began their experimental rise and the Minds sailed off to stadium rock mediocrity. 'Early Gold' gives us a reminder of just how good and innovative the pre-stadium band was.

The first 2 tracks marry the simple guitar riff and simple keyboard melody that would become a Simple Minds trademark through the years. On their second album Simple Minds seem to have found their voice. 'The Changling' sounds very similiar to Gary Numan's 'Cars' with it's menacing keyboard and jangly guitar riff. On 'Factory' we again hear that wonderful interplay between guitar and synth (you can definitely hear the influence of early Simple Minds on bands like Killing Joke). Like a lot of great post-punk bands Simple Minds never lost sight of their pop sensibility. Perhaps the best track on this compilation is the brilliant 'I Travel', surely the best marriage of punk and disco ever heard. It's energy is relentless from its aggressive rhythm to its 'Chic-like' guitar riff. What also makes Simple Minds a great band is the power that Jim Kerr's voice commands, as can be heard on 'Celebrate'. '30 Frames A Second' shows the band's classic taste for pop construction, throwing in an uplifting keyboard sequence after downbeat verses. From the next album comes the hypnotic riff of 'The American', a track that doen't hide it's resentment at the world superpower. Another amazing track is 'Love Song' with its funky bass and a guitar technique that wouldn't be lost on The Edge. Again you can hear the funky influence on 'Sweat In Bullets' before we move into the apparrent peak of early Simple Minds, the New Gold Dream tracks. The production here is bright and breezy, especially on 'Promised You A Miracle' and 'Glittering Prize', but you can also hear the beginnings of their stadium rock sound on 'Someone, Somewhere...' The closing track 'New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) remains a peak they have failed to climb again since.

What a glorious band Simple Minds was in the early days. On most counts this collection does a good job of harvesting the best songs from the albums released before they hit it big. The album "Empires and Dance" had three strong tracks; all three are present and accounted for, the best being "I Travel". The one interesting moment prior to that album was the single "Chelsea Girl"; its melodious and ornate sound would surprise those familiar with the "Up on the Catwalk" and Breakfast Club era Simple Minds.

The band really hit their stride with "Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call", painfully underrepresented here. At a minimum "Theme For Great Cities" would be a must for any collection. An ideal collection would forego egalitarian representation of the first couple albums in favor of going heavy on this wonderful set. However, "Early Gold" does do a good job of plucking the highlights from the classic album "New Gold Dream".

Once Simple Minds hit it big their sound changed and to these ears became less interesting. But this compilation "Early Gold" and the 2LP set on one CD, "Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call", are highly recommended souvenirs of a wonderful era.

You're a fan of Simple Minds' mid-80's stadium rock period.

You think that whole "Scottish U2" thing was pretty good, and can't understand why die-hard Simple Minds despise it.

You sometimes wonder what Simple Mind's early stuff sounded like, since those fans keep banging on about it so much.

But...you've heard it's really arty and challenging, and you're not sure if you want to tackle an album full of "weird stuff".

Well, 'Early Gold' is the album for you.

This 15-song collection provides the perfect way for to begin exploring Simple Minds' brilliant, innovative, powerful work from the late 70's and early 80's. From the relatively straightforward 'Life In A Day' to the arty post-punk of 'Real To Reel..', the icy bare-bones electronica of 'Empires And Dance', and the gradual move towards pop on 'Sons And Fascination' and 'New Gold Dream', the collection basically showcases the most accessible songs from the era while still providing a fair overview of each album's sound.

This is a very different Simple Minds to what many people know. A few tracks such as 'Love Song' and 'Promised You A Miracle' will probably be familiar even to casual fans, but most of the other songs here are much more daring and experimental, with virtually none of the stadium rock trappings that defined the band's commercial period. Jim Kerr's vocals are a mixture of detached coldness and strangled yelping; his tryhard-Bono bombast is nowhere to be heard. Similarly, Charlie Burchill's guitar is often pushed right into the background, and when it is heard it is often processed and distorted; no rock power chords here. Instead the songs are dominated by keyboards, with the rhythm section also pushed to the fore (Derek Forbes turns in some outstanding bass lines). Songs such as 'Celebrate' are downright minimalist, a world away from their over-the-top Wall of Sound of a few years later.

So this is not what many people may expect when they think of Simple Minds. But by including only the singles and the more accessible of the album tracks, 'Early Gold' provides an ideal way for casual listeners to "ease in" to this darker material, without getting scared off. A perfect collection that gets the balance right, hopefully this album will open a few minds (and ears!) and the change forever the perceptions many commerical rock radio listeners have about this important, groundbreaking band.

(Die-hard fans of course will lap this collection up too, but they'd have the original studio albums anyway......)

Five stars.

This collection of their early work really shows how great a band they were. I love the album "Sparkle in the Rain" and it's still the best of their work, but this CD is definitely the next best. It's unfortunate that they have sort of fizzled out in their later years. "Once upon a time" was their last great album in my book as well as the live album that followed. They were a great band and still one of my favorites.