Search - Simple Minds :: Once Upon a Time

Yes, old-school Simple Minds fans hate this, BUT......

H. Jin | Melbourne, Australia | 09/10/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, I know.



Fans of early Simple Minds (which includes me, I suppose) despise their more commercial work of the mid 80's. And it's true that 'Once Upon A Time' feels like a real sellout after their groundbreaking work of the late 70's and early 80's. The complex, experimental arrangements have been pared back to straightforward rock riffs, and Jim Kerr's enigmatic lyrics have been replaced by stadium-ready banality like 'la la la la la' and 'wo ho ho ho'. Of course those of us who delighted in 'Premonition' or 'Thirty Frames a Second' or 'Love Song' will be disappointed with this direction.



However, taken on its merits alone, 'Once Upon a Time' is a strong stadium-rock album. Muscular riffs, catchy melodies, anthemic lyrics, and massive choruses. Jim Kerr's bombastic voice is well suited to such an arrangement, and the musicians seem to know that the aim is to outdo each other in sounding as loud as possible. It can get a little overwhelming, and probably works better in Wembley Stadium than your home stereo, but there's no denying Simple Minds' passion or enthusiasm for its music.



So, yes, this is a blatant grab for commercial glory.

And, yes, such a move is a let-down after their previous artistic triumphs.



But the move pays off. Why not make such anthemic stadium pop/rock if you're good at it?"

Excellent

Paul S. Mccarthy | Royal Oak, MI USA | 08/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a late-comer to the Simple Minds, so I have a bias in favor of their later work over their earlier work. This album has 3 of their bigger hits (All the Things She Said, Alive and Kicking, and Sanctify Yourself). The other songs are also very good, and give you a better feeling for the band than just listening to the "best of" hits. This album is well worth the purchase price.

"

SIMPLE MINDS IN HIGH-RES SURROUND SOUND

T. Necas | 02/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, the music is great here. To be honest I slightly prefer NGD over this album but the music is still awesome. And the surround mixes are the work of the sound master. DVD-A layer and DTS 96/24 are both amazing. The voice of Jim Kerr is coming directly from the central channel and is much clear then on remastered CD version. The album sounds differently and - for me - much better then on CD.



Just a few questions - how long we have to wait for another Simple Minds album(s) in DVD-A or DTS 96/24? What about SFY, Sparkle In The Rain, Real Life and Live In The City of Lights?



****1/2 stars for the music (I do not like Ghostdancing so much).

***** stars for the surround sound."