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This Issue 01/29/2004

Also in this issue

• I Don't Practice Santeria
• Wrong Triangle

Out of the spandex-loving, big-haired days of the '80s came the Rat Pack, cheesy movies and bands like Simple Minds. With an ever-changing lineup and musical style ranging from punk to pop to experimental rock, the band managed to put out 16 albums together. The group had one huge hit in the United States that lead singer Jim Kerr had doubts about - 1985's "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from The Breakfast Club soundtrack - and now the classic '80s band is re-releasing its albums "digitally remastered," which means little-to-nothing, except that you get to enjoy/despise them all over again. Thoughts on the albums seem to be as diverse as the albums themselves. Here, we take a look at some of Simple Minds' discography.

Life in a Day (1979)

Born out of the ashes of the late '70s Scottish punk band Johnny And The Self Abusers, Simple Minds had not yet developed a memorable sound by the time of its debut album, Life in a Day. You might even forget you turned it on. Heavy electric guitar, synthesizer, a steady drumbeat and Jim Kerr's high-pitched post-punk New Wave whine characterize most of the album's 43 minutes. Essentially, one song plays over and over. It is harmless but boring. In the lyrics department, the album scores low for triteness and bad elementary school rhymes: "You come on so sharp/ Yet be so nice/ Tell me that you're so hot/ But you're as cold as ice" ("No Cure"). Although the album falls short of original, the band gets one star for never lacking in energy -- and another star for looking so bad-ass on the inside cover.

Tami Fertig

Reel to Real Cacophony (1979)

1979's Reel to Real Cacophony saw Scottish rockers Simple Minds master their influences and transform their sound into a m‚lange of New Wave bliss. "Carnival's (Shelter in a Suitcase)" frenetic rhythms see an infectious calliope tune flirt with frontman Jim Kerr's energetic bark, as undulating bass plays in the background. It's easy to see how groups like Blur acquired their taste for quirky pop, as Simple Minds skillfully pull off presenting cut after cut of changing time signatures, varied sonic textures and inspiring rockers. Aside from two transitional tracks of directionless mumbling and repetition which mar what could have been an impeccable work of art, Reel to Real Cacophony delivers on its promise of aural perfection.

Rafael Garcia

Sons and Fascination (1981)

Sons and Fascination may prove that the Simple Minds are not so simple-minded after all. But it also might certify the band as verifiably tone deaf. The "socially conscious" tracks, such as "20th Century Promised Land" and "League of Nations" are as lyrically and musically vapid as the titles themselves. The keyboard is overbearing and irritating, and the slap bass is redundant. If the song "20th Century Promised Land" represents any sort of "promised land," Moses didn't miss much.