A great debut album...
Lil | Philadelphia, PA United States | 12/12/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I wouldn't be able to explain how much my view of Simple Minds changed after buying this album. After owning several other much newer albums I decided I wanted to hear some early Simple Minds. I got Glittering Prize since '92, but it wasn't till about '96 that I started to get a little serious, so I got Good News From The Next World, then Once Upon A Time, New Gold Dream 81 82 83 84 and Sparkle In The Rain. I got the "The Best Of" and "Cry" as soon as they came out. It was then, when I started to get curious about their earlier music, so I purchased both this one and "Celebration". Then I said WOW!... Do you want to rock your world? Get "Life In A Day". This is astonishing "hard rock" from the seventies, great stuff. I love all the songs, although I strongly recommend: Someone, Chelsey Girl, Pleasantly Disturbed, All For You and Murder Story, then of course the song from where the album got its name "Life In A Day". My latest addition to my collection was "Real Life". And I have to admit I can't wait to get "Empires And Dance" and "Street Fighting Years", then of course I'll try to complete my collection soon after. I am not a wacko, but I do love Simple Minds, get an album to listen to why!"
Great Progressive Rock Record
Immaculate Friend | N. California | 10/15/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This record is so much fun to listen to. Just pure unadulturated lively punk in the vain of early Cars with some David Bowie thrown in. I love the warm sounds of those old analogue synths of the time and Michael McNeil uses them superbly. As with all Minds records the musicianship is without equal in my opinion. Brian McGee does very formidadle rythym patterns and very good backing vocals to Jim Kerr's lively lead.
I think this record rates right up there with any record of its genre that are considered classics. Some of the stronger songs on this great sounding disc are Someone, Sad Affair, All for You, Pleasantly Disturbed and Chelsea Girl. Not one stinker here and it hints at great things to come in the form of Reel to Real Cacophony which is an outstanding electronic dance disc with the same pumped rythyms on Life in a Day. I've finished replacing all my original discs with these new remastered versions and they really help the listening experience."
Way back when
Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 07/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Way back when, we cogniscenti considered this to be one of the great fringe band premiere albums. Sneak a hair past the mildly dated sound and you'll find consistent strong songwriting all the way through this puppy. I remember it as being one of my fave LPs for several years and a lot of us back then were annoyed with the tip toward Top Forty that the band manifested.
If you like "Love" and some early "Doors" and maybe some more recent bands contemporaneous with Simple Minds you'll find these guys cool and much more consistent songwriters. the second album, "Reel to Reel Cacophany," is even better."