Search - Simple Minds :: Graffiti Soul

Anything but Simple

Special K | Philadelphia PA | 02/12/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to Simple Minds they way most of my generation were, watching Judd Nelson (aka John Bender) raise his hand in solidarity while walking across the face of our collective conscience in the form of a high school football field toward the cruel realities of adulthood. I followed Simple Minds from that point on long after the lights and the stadiums faded to black. It has always baffled me how a group with such talent can be exalted to god like status in one era then trivialized in the next, relegated to the back of the sales bin. Some would call that growing up, but 20 some odd years later, (in a vain attempt to get the most of my ill-crafted metaphor here), I have sat in the bleachers and watched Simple Minds as if they were playing to no one but me. I suppose that is the magic of music, it is so intensely personal, yet it is the one art form that can unite thousands of people if only for a moment.



Graffiti Soul is for me not so much a comeback as another highlight in a notable career. Its pulsating rhythms, amazing production quality, (this is truly a meticulously produced album), usual high level musicianship, and thought provoking lyrics make this a great disc. Jim Kerr has lost none of his unique and powerful vocal phrasing here and Charlie Burchill continues to be the most underrated guitar player of our time. He never ceases to amaze me with how much sound he gets out of his Strat, it has the unique visceral and atmospheric sustained quality of Alex Lifeson (Rush) with the blue eyed soul of Pete Townsend (The Who) all rolled into one. Eddy Duffy is also an unsung hero as the base is nothing short of mesmerizing, and all it held down by stalwart Mel on the drums.



Don't forget about them, don't, don't don't! pick up this album you won't be sorry"

Not bad but disappointing after high hopes

Music fan | California United States | 01/13/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I won't claim to be the biggest Simple Minds fan out there but I have enough of their music spanning their entire career that I can rate this based on the prior output. Although Cry has a 4.5 average rating here, it seems like that release was perceived as being a step down for Simple Minds. Personally, I really liked it (although I have separate issues with too much outside influences - which Cry had). Being a big fan of Good News From the Next World, I had high expectations of this release based on advance word. While it is not a bad release by any means, there are really no stand-out tracks other than Moscow Underground and that is really the problem. Albums like Cry I can still hear in my head years later - I can't say the same about this release. While it is a HUGE improvement over Neapolis and slightly less so over Black and White 050505, it just doesn't meet expectations. First of all, what's with the short length of the CD? If I added it up correctly, it just over 35 minutes (excluding bonus??? tracks). Second, bonus tracks? how do they figure these are bonuses? Is it compared to a vinyl version I am not aware of? It might be minor but it detracts away from the flow to call these a bonus. It gives the impression of them being throw-away tracks. This brings me to my next negative....I really like the song Shadows and Light and was hugely disappointed to see it end so quickly. This song had HUGE potential for me.



Positive? No bad songs - they are all "good" songs. I hate the Neil Young version of Rockin' In The Free World; like this version.



I just have to keep reminding myself that 3 stars is a 'good' release and would recommend it

"

Very happy

G. Gray | Indianapolis, IN | 01/18/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My husband had this on his Christmas list and he is very happy with the CD."