Search - Simple Minds :: Once Upon a Time

Calculated Rock(Jim's words.....not mine) but very good none

Immaculate Friend | N. California | 10/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am very torn about this record. I was a huge Simple Minds fan starting with the time I heard Love Song and an early live version of Promised You a Miracle on the radio late one night in 82. New Gold Dream was and is my favorite record of all time and I think Sparkle in the Rain is just as good but I preferred the softer sounds of New Gold Dream.



After witnessing the band being catapulted into superstardom with the release of Don't You Forget About Me I was extremely anxious to here this record. I really liked Alive and Kicking when I heard it over the radio but it was quite different from what I was expecting given the ethereal sounds from Sparkle in the Rain. I have never really liked backing vocals for bands like this because I think it sounds more pure for the members ot the band to work out the vocals themselves.



Kirsty McCholl's subtle but beautiful work on Speed Your Love to Me seems to be just right. Robin Clark has a beautiful voice and a very bright personality but I just never felt the band needed this type of singer on their records. I bought the record on cassette and vinyl the day it was released. Stuck the tape in my Walkman and was very suprised. My favorite band that really sounded like nobody else was sounding like quite a few other bands of the day.



After a few listens I looked at the credits and saw Bob Clearmountain's name. I read a few articles about him and they all pointed to the fact that he is a master at obtaining a big, clean sound that goes over well in arena sized venues. Don't get me wrong, I think he is a great producer and I think he has helped craft some outstanding albums (Avalon anyone?) but I thought he altered the natural progression of their musical maturation. Derek Forbes had left the band before recording started and was replaced by John Giblin who happened to own the studio they were working in.



The sound here is very clean, layered and much more tailored to the US listening audience. Was this by design? Who knows? They have been known to try very hard to not make a sequel record so maybe they wanted a much different record. This practice would go on to damage their selling power with the much more subdued Street Fighting Years that followed the live record.



Mel Gaynor hits the drums very hard and it happens to be the very first thing you here when Once Upon a Time starts. The melodies are great, the musicianship is great as always and the singing is very confident. All the Things She Said comes in nex quite nicely, again nice melodies and great guitar work.



Ghostdancing follows the title track, a very straight forward rock song that uses a lot of the foundation of the live versions of "I Travel" from Empires and Dance. It is one of the harder tracks along with Oh Jungleland and has a very interesting interlude with a little storytelling to some nice guitar strumming. The song ends very strongly with strong music on all fronts.



Alive and Kicking, the album's strongest and perhaps most popular track is next. I love the keyboards and guitars on this song. Again great melodies but too much backing vocals.



The second side has Oh Jungleand, the album's fastest and most inspiring track dealing with some of the issues in large cities. I Wish You Were Here and Sanctify yourself are my least favorite songs here although I never skip over them. Come a Long Way ends the record on a very high note. Great interplay between the instruments and it ends on what is one of my favorite instrumental pieces with soaring keyboards and guitars.



All in all this is a great record. It didn't sound the way I thought the follow up to Sparkle in the Rain would sound but it still works. Perhaps it is a testament to the talent in this band."