Brilliant Album, Good Sound Quality, Great Packaging!
Frederick Baptist | Singapore | 01/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
""New Gold Dream" is this band's best album but for years you had to put up with the relatively poor sound quality born of a poor original mastering job. Now, we get this wonderful album remastered and in a great mini-lp replica sleeve design. The good news is that this mlps packaging is a real treat and the other good news is that the sound quality, is much better than the original although is still not as great as it could have been relative to what's out there in terms of recording technology etc.(check out the work that Rhino records has been doing for example and you'll know what I mean) Still, if you have the old version or if you haven't yet gotten this album, this is THE version to get at least until they do a better remastering job.
This album can only be described as that great one-off classic; that rare moment when everything falls into place and the outcome is far better than the sum of the individual tracks. Like any classic album, take any track out of this or reorder the tracks etc and you severely diminish the quality overall. "Glittering Prize" stills sound beautiful today as it did when I first heard it in 1982 and so does "Promised You a Miracle", "Someone, Somewhere, In Summertime" and the great instrumental piece. If you want the best album that Simple Minds have ever done and the best version of it that's currently out there, this is it folks. Highly recommended."
Magnum Opus
Garrett Fagan | PA, USA | 06/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I first heard Simple Minds back in the early 80s I was underwhelmed. But gradually they grew on me and I got quite sucked into "Sons and Fascination," which remains a great record even today. Then in 1982 New Gold Dream came out and I was blown away. I listened to it constantly. When the band subsequently went large-scale, they lost much of their lustre, even though their sound on NGD was already big and expansive. One reviewer hit the nail on the head: in the albums up to and including NGD, Kerr's vocals are part of the song, integrated among the other instruments. Afterwards they became the focal point. NGD is a masterpiece, the mangum opus of Simplicities. You simply must have this record. Now."
New Gold Dreams in 2006
Mark E. Cheney | Texas, USA | 06/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As I write this short review I am listening to this on Mini LP for the probalbly millionth time. I read most of the other reviews and all I can say is I agree. This has got to be Simple Minds' "Dark Side Of The Moon". There isn't one track on this disc that shouldn't be there. All meld together perfectly. All are crafted works. None are just there to waste some recording tape.
I was introduced to Simple Minds by this album from a friend while attending recording engineering school in San Fransisco back in 1983. He had the "marble wax" version on LP. I still have the tape I made from it. Since then I have bought every concievable version of this masterwork. Simple Minds, you did good. I only wish you could have added "Book Of Brilliant Things" on this. That would have made it absolutely PERFECT!
The King IS White and in the Crowd..........."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1