Search - Simple Minds :: Early Gold

Worth the purchase.

R Jess | Limerick, Ireland. | 12/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Outstanding collection of the early years of Simple Minds

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 11/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If your knowledge of Simple Minds is shaped by the mega-hit "(Don't You) Forget About Me" and the subsequent multi-million selling album "Once Upon a Time", then you are in for a surprise. Indeed, before the mid-80s mainstream commercial break-through, the band made a number of outstanding albums which were anything but mainstream.



"Early Gold" (15 tracks, 70 min.) brings a chronological overview of the best tracks of Simple Minds' first 5 albums (from 1978's "Life in a Day" to 1982's "New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)". The musical style of the band shifted quite a bit in those early years from post-punk to rock-disco to the sophisticated and rich pop. Not surprisingly, this compilation gets better as the songs roll along. The early highlights include "Premonition" and "Thirty Frames a Second". The second half of this compilation is flawless, period. "The American", "Love Song" and "Sweat in Bullet" represent the "Sons and Fascination" album, and it's a shame "In Trance As Mission" wasn't added too. The 4 last songs are the singles from "New Gold Dream", and certainly while good, the non-singles tracks on that album are in fact even better musically (check out for example, "Hunter and the Hunted").



Simple Minds are still at it these days, in case you were wondering. Their most recent studio album is 2005's "Black and White 050505", which is actually pretty good. If you were to buy only one album of the band, I'd recommend "New Gold Dreams (81-82-83-84)" in a heartbeat. But this compilation album contains a lot of great music as well. Highly recommended!"

Solid Gold!

Catfood03 | in front of my computer typing reviews | 08/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation wisely exits Simple Minds' career before the band's jarring shift to arena rock and the subsequent Breakfast Club movie theme which made them famous, all of which would sound out of place here. EARLY GOLD captures an earlier time when the band's music achieved accessibility, without sacrifice to stylistic experimentation. The first six Simple Minds records are represented here: Life in a Day (1978), Reel to Real Cacophony (1979), Empires & Dance (1980), Sons & Fascination (1981), Sister Feelings Call (1981), and New Gold Dream (1982), which finds the band assimilating and transforming influences as diverse as 60's psychadelic pop, punk rock, new wave, and more.



As owner of each of the above recordings I can suitably claim that the compilers of this collection did an excellent job at selecting the very best song choices from this stage of Simple Minds' career. The result is a compilation that is stronger than any of the individual records (although NEW GOLD DREAM is near perfect in itself). The songs are brimming with great hooks all around, from the clubfloor ready "I Travel" and "Love Song", the pop heaven of "Promised You a Miracle" and "Life in a Day", to the hard-hitting attack of "Changeling" and "Thirty Frames a Second". There is a diversity of styles at work here, and one can cite a host of other artists as reference points (Roxy Music, Wire, Kraftwerk, among others)



Unfortunately, the CD booklet's scant liner notes (just a short paragraph from vocalist Jim Kerr), no lyrics, no discography, and a few black & white band photographs dosen't provide much insight into the creation of the music.



Being an import CD the price tag might seem a bit high (I nabbed a used copy for cheaper), but it is my high recommendation that if you are at all intersted in post-punk music or early synth-pop, (or just plain great music in general) that you should consider adding EARLY GOLD to your collection.



Favorite tracks: "Life in a Day", "I Travel", "Promised You a Miracle", "New Gold Dream"

Final Rating: 5 out of 5."