Early Gold [Original recording remastered]

Simple Minds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 15, 2003)
• Original Release Date: June 30, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B00009UWEW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,212 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2003 release compiles all the Scottish adult alternative act's early classics. 15 tracks. Copy Controlled. Virgin. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pretty definitive compilation of SimpleMinds, 78-82., July 10, 2003

By 

Jason Parkes "We're all Frankies'" (Worcester, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Early Gold (Audio CD)

For many people, Simple Minds are the band who did that song in The Breakfast Club; failing that they are the somewhat bombastic stadium rock band with earnest political themes- somewhere between 80s Springsteen & 80s U2. But for people like myself, Simple Minds from their debut in 1978 to fifth album (& masterpiece) New Gold Dream, were one of those ultimate bands. Like many bands- Roxy Music or Pere Ubu spring to mind- they would release several great albums and then lose it big time. Early Gold focuses on this period, when Johnny & the Self Abusers became Simple Minds and the original line-up of Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mike MacNeil, Derek Forbes & Brian McGee created music that would stand next to any highlights of the new wave/post-punk era. Early Gold is a wonderful budget priced primer of their early work & one that I hope will reestablish their reputation as something other than 80s stadium rock. Early Gold is also a superior take on earlier 'Early Simple Minds' compilation 'Celebration'- as it takes in the years 1981 & 1982 also.

To be fair, they disowned their debut album- Life in a Day (1978)- like many bands of that era (Japan, The Cure) their debut was far from perfect (not everyone can offer up an Unknown Pleasures). The two best tracks, Chelsea Girl and the title track appear- they're good songs and you can see that SM, with producer John Leckie (Stone Roses,Radiohead) had ideas. The follow up album, Real to Real Cacophony, was much more like it- Factory is like Joy Division trying to play Japan- Premontion is even better (very Can influenced). The highlight from RTRC is Changeling- which easily ranks next to early Human League or Tubeway Army. The Minds were evidently electronic pioneers, alongside Cabaret Voltaire, Human League#1, Japan & Throbbing Gristle- Changeling is proof of that (I find it odd that Depeche Mode & New Order get all the credit as electronica pioneers, when they didn't produce anything of note till 1983, eg Blue Monday, Get the Balance Right!). Pity Calling Your Name was passed over though...

By 1980, Simple Minds had signed to Virgin and released Empires&Dance- their first cohesive album (its cover would notably influence Manic Street Preachers'Holy Bible); from it we have the classic robo-funk of Celebrate and the epic synth-atmospheres of Thirty Frames a Second (which very much stands up next to Bowie/Eno's Berlin-era & early Associates). Even better is I Travel- a more hyper Trans Europe Express- Kerr's travelogue seemingly cut-up over a proto-techno sound ("Europe has a language problem/talk talk talk talk...Travel round/I Travel round/Decadence & pleasure town...statues, parks & galleries"). Just a pity the opening lines would recur in 1985's dire GhostDancing; one of the key songs to listen to when travelling around Europe!

1981 saw Simple Minds switch producers- ex-Gong-man Steve Hillage (System7, The Orb) would capture the Minds wonderful futurist blend of art, kraut & prog-rock. As with Hillage's production on The Charlatans'Up to Our Hips, he would catch a groove- the songs more soundscapes rather than scuplted popsongs. The two albums released in 1981 were the apex of the original-Minds line-up (McGee would leave shortly after)- Sister Feelings Call and Sons & Fascination were famously released on the same day. Personally, just three tracks from a potential fifteen seems a bit stingy- the lack of Theme for Great Cities is a great loss- as it's one of the highlightsof early Simple Minds & has been pretty much covered on the latest Radiohead album (see Where I End & You Begin from Hail to the Thief). It would have been nice to see great lost-bsides like League of Nations or Kaleidoscope included, ditto songs like Careful in Career and Boys from Brazil. Still, one cannot quibble with the three singles from 1981: the bizarre-funk of Sweat in Bullet ("rolling & tumbling/ambition in motion...she's sweating bullets"- perhaps some chemical experimentation was occurring here?); the somewhat cryptic The American (perhaps something to do with their Euro-influences? Quite ironic when you consider Don't You & Bob Clearmountain...) & the trance-pop of Love Song. Love Song in particular is looking towards the following years New Gold Dream, probably the tighest song here- this is amongst the perfect pop of 1981 (see also Bedsitter, White Car in Germany, Love Action). Wonderful alien stuff that Bowie hadn't been close to since "Heroes"- "so well so well/I cut my hair/paint my face/ break a finger/tell a lie/so well so well/America's a boyfriend..."- truly godlike stuff (check out the UK music press, who lionised SM at the time for evidence...).

The final selections here come from career peak New Gold Dream (1982), where with Scott Walker-producer Peter Walsh (who arranged the album) & several guests (Skids Drummer Kenny Hyslop, soon to be SM drummer Mel Gaynor, Jazz-legend Herbie Hancock), they created an album of perfect pop in the year of perfect pop. The entryist pop-notion had been formulated with releases from Cabaret Voltaire (Red Mecca),Heaven17 (Penthouse&Pavement) and Human League (Dare); in 1982 there came ABC's The Lexicon of Love, Associates'Sulk and Scritti Politti's Songs to Remember. But it was NGD that gave the most perfect pop- the European influences of krautrock & Bowie/Eno/Roxy having fused with that of Abba and Chic. NGD is simply one of the most perfect pop albums to have been created- here we get the three singles Someone Somewhere in Summertime, Glittering Prize & Promised You a Miracle, which are just the right side of anthemic. Even better is the addition of New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) "until the world goes pop!/until the world goes higher"- this sounds like the work of ecstasy fuelled electronic artists. An ultimate pop statement that would influence dance artists for years to come (see Felix, Utah Saints, Electroclash); just a pity that the proto-ambient chillout of Somebody Up There Likes You & the Hancock-assisted perfection of Hunter & The Hunted are left off...

Early Gold is a pretty definitive primer of Simple Minds from 1978 to 1982- a good way in for the curious. Though being a fan, I'd say that Empires&Dance, Sons&Fascination/Sister Feelings Call (now on one handy CD together) & New Gold Dream are pretty definitive purchases by themselves. Regardless, a reminder of what a great futurist band Simple Minds once were & a record as strong as any of that era...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the purchase., December 10, 2004

By 

R Jess "Raymond Jess" (Limerick, Ireland.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Early Gold (Audio CD)

The story of Simple Minds is almost the mirror opposite of U2. Early Simple Minds were effortlessly experimental in contrast to the latter's dodgy rock sound. They both morphed and evolved into the same stadium rock band around 84/85 before U2 began their experimental rise and the Minds sailed off to stadium rock mediocrity. 'Early Gold' gives us a reminder of just how good and innovative the pre-stadium band was.

The first 2 tracks marry the simple guitar riff and simple keyboard melody that would become a Simple Minds trademark through the years. On their second album Simple Minds seem to have found their voice. 'The Changling' sounds very similiar to Gary Numan's 'Cars' with it's menacing keyboard and jangly guitar riff. On 'Factory' we again hear that wonderful interplay between guitar and synth (you can definitely hear the influence of early Simple Minds on bands like Killing Joke). Like a lot of great post-punk bands Simple Minds never lost sight of their pop sensibility. Perhaps the best track on this compilation is the brilliant 'I Travel', surely the best marriage of punk and disco ever heard. It's energy is relentless from its aggressive rhythm to its 'Chic-like' guitar riff. What also makes Simple Minds a great band is the power that Jim Kerr's voice commands, as can be heard on 'Celebrate'. '30 Frames A Second' shows the band's classic taste for pop construction, throwing in an uplifting keyboard sequence after downbeat verses. From the next album comes the hypnotic riff of 'The American', a track that doen't hide it's resentment at the world superpower. Another amazing track is 'Love Song' with its funky bass and a guitar technique that wouldn't be lost on The Edge. Again you can hear the funky influence on 'Sweat In Bullets' before we move into the apparrent peak of early Simple Minds, the New Gold Dream tracks. The production here is bright and breezy, especially on 'Promised You A Miracle' and 'Glittering Prize', but you can also hear the beginnings of their stadium rock sound on 'Someone, Somewhere...' The closing track 'New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) remains a peak they have failed to climb again since.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding collection of the early years of Simple Minds, November 20, 2006

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Early Gold (Audio CD)

If your knowledge of Simple Minds is shaped by the mega-hit "(Don't You) Forget About Me" and the subsequent multi-million selling album "Once Upon a Time", then you are in for a surprise. Indeed, before the mid-80s mainstream commercial break-through, the band made a number of outstanding albums which were anything but mainstream.

"Early Gold" (15 tracks, 70 min.) brings a chronological overview of the best tracks of Simple Minds' first 5 albums (from 1978's "Life in a Day" to 1982's "New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)". The musical style of the band shifted quite a bit in those early years from post-punk to rock-disco to the sophisticated and rich pop. Not surprisingly, this compilation gets better as the songs roll along. The early highlights include "Premonition" and "Thirty Frames a Second". The second half of this compilation is flawless, period. "The American", "Love Song" and "Sweat in Bullet" represent the "Sons and Fascination" album, and it's a shame "In Trance As Mission" wasn't added too. The 4 last songs are the singles from "New Gold Dream", and certainly while good, the non-singles tracks on that album are in fact even better musically (check out for example, "Hunter and the Hunted").

Simple Minds are still at it these days, in case you were wondering. Their most recent studio album is 2005's "Black and White 050505", which is actually pretty good. If you were to buy only one album of the band, I'd recommend "New Gold Dreams (81-82-83-84)" in a heartbeat. But this compilation album contains a lot of great music as well. Highly recommended!