Simple Minds Album: “Celebration”

Celebration is an early compilation of Simple Minds primarily guitar-based music. Long before their American popularity with the single "Don't You Forget About Me" and even prior to the now famous "New Gold Dream" album, there existed the "post-punk era" Simple Minds.

Now Twenty years old, Celebration is, at times, darker than all other Simple Minds albums. This darkness, however, only serves to demonstrate the many facets of on of the finest bands of the past two decades.

Celebration belongs in every fan's Simple Minds collection.

Moments of genius

This early compilation contains most of the best of Simple Minds' first three albums, covering the period 1979 to 1980. The sound here is an attractive blend of rock and dance textures, from the Bowiesque Life In A Day with its dance beat to the rock masterpiece Chelsea Girl with its powerful guitar riffs, catchy tune and impressive instrumental mix. Calling Your Name is a strong track with a complex arrangement, but not all the songs stand out: Premonition and Factory are forgettable.

However, when Simple Minds got it right, the result is spectacular, as proved by the magnificent I Travel. This alternative dance classic with its driving synths has the most addictive rhythm and rousing, hypnotic vocals. Kraftwerk's travel songs like Autobahn of Europe Endless might have inspired it but the song always reminds me of Bowie's Heroes as it has the same passion and power. Changeling is a brilliant track with a dramatic arrangement built around a simple basic melody.

The title track pales by comparison to the aforementioned classics, plodding on without tune or tempo, and is followed by Thirty Frames A Second, which has a nervous beat, evocative atmospherics and synthesizer textures. Kaleidoscope is a brooding rock ballad where the occasionally overpowering drums and guitars are embellished with lovely piano or keyboard lines. Celebration shows the rawer and more experimental side of Simple Minds, without a hint of the blandness that would sometimes surface in their later work. These songs have certainly aged well, especially the wonderful Chelsea Girl and I Travel.

Celebration is an early compilation of Simple Minds primarily guitar-based music. Long before their American popularity with the single "Don't You Forget About Me" and even prior to the now famous "New Gold Dream" album, there existed the "post-punk era" Simple Minds.

Now more than twenty years old, Celebration is, at times, darker than other Simple Minds albums. This darkness, however, only serves to demonstrate the many facets of one of the finest, and enduring bands of the past two decades.

Celebration belongs in every fan's Simple Minds collection.