Conference marvin::uk_music

    
    You are right and I've heard it's an interesting change of direction
    
    	Can't tell you anything else .
    
    	Stuart.

    
    You mean no more U2 soundalike stuff ???

    ballad of the streets, actually
    
    neil tennant fan club (alive and kicking)

    Re. -2, you can hardly say that the new single, BELFAST CHILD, is
    in the "U2 Soundalike" bracket!!  Great to see it bounce it at No.2
    in this week's Top 40 - hope they manage to edge out Marc/Gene next
    week.
    
    FYI, the 12" and CD single formats also feature MANDELA DAY (as
    previewed at last summer's Wembley bash), and their version of BIKO.
    
    It's a taster from their forthcoming album, STREET FIGHTING YEARS,
    which I think is slotted for release during March.  Should prove
    to be an interesting release, considering the mixed reviews that
    greeted ONCE UPON A TIME back in '85!!!
    
   

    I picked up "Street Fighting Years" yesterday.  After a *long* night's
    listening my opinion -
    BLAND ELEVATOR MUSIC
    
    I was dissappointed, its listenable but not outstanding.
    
    John (lets put my neck on the line) Skinner

    
    
    I also bought "Street Fighting Years" yesterday and found that it
    was up to the usual standard of Simple Minds.  One thing I noticed
    about the album, was that a lot of the songs were slow (ish) and
    were connected with peace and freedom, which obviously has something
    to do with their Amnesty International relations.  Having said that
    all of the songs are of listenable quality or above, and still contain
    those haunting guitar riffs.
    
    Only one negative point...
    Why did Mel Gaynor switch to playing electronic drums ?
    They do not suit his powerful style of playing.
    
    Marks :   8/10.
    
    So far the best album of 1989 !
    
    
    Stephen. 

    I have heard most of the tracks on cento-cinque (105FM) the Italian
    radio station down here.   The album sounds OK, but it's a shame
    that a group like Simple Minds have produced their best work on
    six albums that most of the public will never hear.
    
    And as for Mr. Kerr now and his pretentious clap-trap interviews ...

    
    I got the album last week...my first real listen to Simple Minds.
    So, for what my opinion's worth, I like it.  Belfast Child, Mandela
    Day & Biko, being my favorites for now.

    
    
    Q Magazine gave it a *soaring* review this month - the full five
    stars (which they don't award lightly).
    
    Haven't heard it yet, but going by the reaction in this note so
    far, I won't be breaking any limbs to get it.
    
    I have ONCE UPON A TIME which is a good album, but you can never
    escape from the fact that Jim Kerr is a pain in the neck.
    
    
    Michael
    

    re.9
    >> you can never escape from the fact that Jim Kerr is 
    >> a pain in the neck. 
       
    And I think someone else called him pretentious....what is
    it with him?  For someone of mediocre fame (this side of the
    ocean, anyway), why's he so up on his high-horse?
    
    Sue

    
    Re .2
    
    When I first heard Belfast Child I thought it was U2.
    
    Mark

    
    
    We actually don't see or hear him that often Sue, but 'pretentious'
    is a very apt description.
    
    Any time I've heard him interviewed he comes across as the pop
    superstar_with_a_concience, with a duty to right wrongs and make
    the world a better place.
    
    
    Michael
    

    Is BIKO a cover of the amazing Peter Gabriel song?
    
    Just wondering on a late Monday night...
    Steve O

    re. .13
    
    Yep, its a cover (and done quite well)
    
    John

    
    Ohhhhhh!  I can remember the days (Christ, I sound like my grandpa)  we
    I loved every Simple Minds record released.  That was before Once Upon
    A Time, the live one, and now this Street Fighting Years.  All I can
    say is, from 1985 onwards, it's ALL crap!!!!
    
    Boring stadia rock.  Ok Jim  maybe your heart's in the right place
    but honestly, people buy it for the music not for South Africa,
    Belfast, Nelson Mandela, etc.  I believe in what they're saying but the
    music's rubbish.
    
    Gimme Empires And Dance, Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call, New
    Gold Dream!  That's the only Minds stuff I ever play now.
    
    Can't honestly be bothered with anything after Sparkle In The Rain.
    
    
    Stuart B...
    
    

    Yo!  Yes, I agree... Live they were excellent back in those days
    (even the sparkle tour was good, if only for the American).  But
    Milton Keynes 86 was the real end for me.  Overlong songs, guitar
    solos, drum solos, introduced as 'the gratest rawk and rowl band
    in the world', Kerr prancing around...do me a favour.  
    
    Waterboys just blew them off the stage that day.
    
    Mikef

    
    So then,  has anyone a list of all the Simple Minds Lp's, and they
    years they were released ?  When buying the CD's, it's fairly hard
    sometimes to tell from the cover just which year it is...
    
    Nigel
    

I've heard a pre-release of Simple Minds covering Prince's "Sign of the Time".
It was pretty good. Jim Kerr said they covered it because it was THE song of the
80's. I don't know if it's going to be released  on a single or a next lp.

May be it's released already in the UK :-)

Didier

    They are playing it on a couple of radio stations in Munich...it is 
    very good !

    
    Yep, it's certainly getting lots of airplay in the UK. I think
    it's in the charts too, but unlike some I'm not a teenybop chart
    follower!
    
    Mark :^)
    
    

    Is there a new SM LP due out soon ???   I saw Jim Kerr waxing lyrical
    (as he can) on Rapido yesterday (Version Francaise) and it would
    appear that this is the case.   He said it was a return to older
    themes (or some such) which means it's a combination of Silencers
    and early SM (pre-Stadium grandeur).   Here's hoping that this is
    an end to the fist-punching stuff of the last three albums ...
    
    Ray

    Yes - end of April/beginning May if I remember correctly!
    
    Martin

    Well I got my copy in Cannes (name-dropper) at the weekend even though
    the record shop claimed it was due for release on Monday.   And I was
    pretty much correct about how it sounds.   It's very upbeat and the
    Silencers influence (who they toured with in 1989) really shows 
    through in an SM style though.   Production is clean with a big beat
    (but not stadium rock) even in the slow tracks.   Lots of shimmering
    and tweaky bits (like old).   All in all, I like it and vote it the
    best thing since New Gold Dream (I'm sorry, but that awful guy who
    did the production on Once Upon a Time completely ruined it for me -
    Steve Lillywhite).
    
    Ray
    
    PS Lots of potential singles too ...

    Hmmm, admittedly I 've only listened to this once so far, but I'm a
    bit disappointed.  The tracks sound very similar to some of their
    old stuff.  As I said, I've only heard it the once, and suspect 
    that once I've played it a few times it will grow on me, but 
    certainly it hasn't had an immediate effect on me.
    
    I must be getting old......

    Very unimpressed - I heard it through in the shop the other day, just
    once, I admit.
    
    That's what you get for naming your records after old Magazine albums
    isn't it?
    
    Piers

    I take back everything I said about this LP. Its absolutely brilliant.
    After having played it continously in the car, I can't stop singing
    the songs.   Unfortunately, as I don't have the cover I don't know
    the names of the songs but the first couple of tracks on side 1 are
    very strong as are the first 2 or so on side 2.  As someone said a
    couple of replies back, there are one or two which are really quite
    haunting.
    
    I don't think I would have chosen their current single as the first
    one to be released off the album but nevertheless I'm sure they will
    release one or two more!
    
    Excellent - definitely worth buying.
    
    julia

    
    �                                               I can't stop singing
    �the songs.                                                         
    
    I wish she'd never bought the bl**dy record. Have you ever heard her
    sing??? 8-] 8-] 8-]
    
    Steve.
    

    Steve her singing can't be worse than listening to your strange
    northern accent all day surely ???
    
    
    :-) :-)
    
    woof

    Spoken like a true Southerner!
    

    RE: a-few-back, I couldn't think where I'd seen the title "Real Life"
    before, until I was thumbing through my record collection recently.
    Then it dawned on me that it was _the_ Magazine album (from 1977/78),
    the one that is supposed to have influenced (ahem) Life In A Day,
    the first Simple Minds LP in 1979.   Anyway, all three records
    are well worth a listen.
    
    Ray 

    Real Life (Magazine) is far superior to Life in A Day (Simple Minds) or
    Real Life (Simple Minds). To give the boys their due though I thought
    Sons and Fascination and New Gold Dream were, and are, both superb.
    
    Piers 

    Just bought the 81-92 Glittering prize LP, Great to hear songs like
    "Love Song" and "The American" without the scratches, This Album would
    have been better if they had Put some 12" versions on it, ie "The
    American" "Water Front" . I wonder why "I travel" was not included..??
    or "Celebrate" I guess there was no room for All the singles to be on
    it.
    
    
    Steve

    Anyone got the New Simple Minds LP.......

    I like the track Hypnotized but was wondering what the rest of 
    the tracks were like..??
    
    Steve

the same?

    Ehhhhhh... no...!!!