Simple Minds

1984.  I was 13 years old and it is fair to say my musical tastes and my record collection were yet to be formed.  At that time I was listening to Kaftwerk, Grandmaster Flash, Chaka Khan and the Street Sounds Electro compilations.  Actually, with hindsight, all good. Breakin' (or Breakdance, The Movie as it was known over here) played a big part in my musical tastes as did my friends.

The only other music that appeared on my musical map was the stuff I taped off the radio. The majority of which I have no recollection of.  I do remember taping Frankie Goes To Hollywood 's Relax. This was after it was banned by the BBC and so I had to listen to commercial radio to get it.  On a Sunday both the BBC and whatever commercial radio station I listened to went head to head with their charts.  This wasn't a bad thing as if you missed a song on one station, chances were you could tape from the other.

Anyway, there was another song I remember taping although at the time I had no idea what it was.  I remember playing it constantly.  That song was Simple Minds' Waterfront.  I have no idea how or when I found out what it was but I do remember the tantrum I had when my brother taped over it!

A few months later, a lad from school told me his brother was selling his collection of Simple Minds 12"s and asked me if I wanted them.  I think he wanted 25 pounds for the lot. A lot of money back then.  I don't know where the money came from but I bought them.  I was chuffed. 

I can't remember how many were there but there were a lot.   2 Revolver carrier bags full.  From then on Simple Minds were my new favourite band!  I added to the 12" collection every time a new record came out  and bought all their albums (on cassette, which I still own). I loved HMV because you could get imports and all my money would go on this. The great thing about them was that there back catalogue was large and varied. Every time I tired of their new release I could delve into their past and find more great music.

Simple Minds were king for about 4 years. They opened up a wealth of other music to me, Velvet Underground, U2 and so on. That, coupled with my discovery of The Wedding Present and John Peel's show, as well as a couple of other incidents,  meant that by 1988 I had started to move on.

By 1989 they had become my guilty pleasure. I would listen to them when I was alone.  If you asked me what I liked at that time the answer would've been Pixies, James, Stone Roses and the like. However, during that year I did manage to see them 3 times. I camped out all night at the back of Birmingham Odeon to get tickets to see them in Cardiff and also went to France by coach, to see them at  Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy.

By the end of 1990 my love affair with them was well and truly over. Nelson Mandela's Concert at Wembley was the last time I saw them. I only went as I'd been at his 70th Birthday Tribute 2 years earlier and it seemed right to be there to celebrate his release.

Since then my musical tastes have broadened and with the wealth of music out there it is very rare for me to go back to stuff from all those years ago.  Although in 2006 and old friend talked me into going to see Simple Minds at The Academy in Birmingham. She'd not seen them live before. I went along as I liked the idea of hearing Waterfront in a small venue.  It was a great night out and although it didn't rekindle my old passion for them it did give me a lot of respect for them.  They are still a great live band.

Now to the reason for me writing this.  Over the last few months I have been delving back into their work.  Mainly their early stuff from 79 - 82.  Then today I found a track that I can't have played for the best part of 20 years.  Book Of Brilliant Things recorded live in Rotterdam in 1985.  The strange thing is I could remember it word for word.

In a time when there is so much music to listen to, both old and new, it is very rare for me to get excited about a song but playing that track after all this time I still felt the same excitement as I did the first time I heard it.  I imagine that their may be a bit of nostalgia involved but there is more to it than that.  The fact is, it is a great track.  It made me realise that during their career they have been through many musical changes and genres but with each shift in direction they still managed to put out some fantastic songs.

With the 25th anniversary of Live Aid only a few days away it is a good time to go back over the works of one of the biggest and best bands of the '80s.   Although saying that, they still record and tour. If you can check them out you should.