Customer Reviews

Empires & Dance

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Empires and Dance is an unbelievable record. It probably ranks as Simple Minds' second best album (just a hair behind Real to Real Cacophony). It also ranks as probably the most unusual record of the post-punk era. In some ways this should have been the Bond theme music of its time. No other album captures the atmosphere of Cold War Europe circa 1980 like this disc. It's literally like a time capsule of the era. Political fragmentation, communications breakdown, tension, intrigue, strife, cultural curiosities and the barriers of language are all reflected by the extraordinary songs on this album. The average rock fan may not get it. It has more in common with the works of Kurt Weill or German Lieder music than anything in rock or pop. Comparisons with Roxy are more lazy than anything else. Here's a roundup of the songs:

'I Travel' kicks of the album at a frantic pace. A helicopter synth line propels the listener over the land as Jim Kerr yelps in his newfound Scott Walker voice: 'Travel Round, Travel Round, Decadence and Pleasure Towns. I see tragedy, luxury, statues, parks, galleries'. Very exciting stuff.

'Today I Died Again' is a stately dirge. A sombre and powerful musing on the failure and decay of civilisation, it seems all the more strange and out of place in today's world where everything comes with a post ironic wink. Funnily enough though, it's as relevant as ever in its portrait of the dehumanisation of a people in a post fascist apocalyptic wasteland. Musically, the rhythmic guitar wash is pure Neu, Mick McNeil lays out some coldly beautiful keyboards and the drums are excellent in a dub sort of way. The marriage of words with music is truly haunting in this track.

'Celebrate' continues with the same theme but does contain that kink of irony in as much as the title sounds more like a threat than an invitation. Here, Derek Forbes' bass lays the foundation over a rhythm track that sounds like a train. If 'I Travel' is Kraftwerk's 'TransEurope Express' on speed then this is just the opposite. A slowed down voyeuristic snapshot of the people from 'Today I Died Again'. The song gradually disintegrates into a cacophony of handclaps, shouts, synth burbles and the sound of a real train on a ghostly journey. Stunning.

'This Fear of Gods' is as fabulous and mindblowing as its title suggests. Another brilliantly hypnotic bassline is overlaid with synth sequences and wailing saxophone a la Can (courtesy of guitarist Charlie Burchill). Kerr's dense lyric builds and builds until the chorus which showcases a wonderful Mahler like melody on the keys. Some might say that the verses run on too long in this song but I think it makes the sense of release in the choruses all the more effective.

'Capital City' comes in sounding like a horse clip clopping over a dumb bassline with a 5 year old playing a synth melody that sounds oh so familiar. I'm not making this up! That's exactly what it sounds like! The Minds don't go about painting pictures of alienation in the usual teen-angst sort of way. Instead they draw on the disparate threads that make humdrum living what it is and lay it out on a huge canvas without any emoting. To say it's unusual would be something of an understatement. To say it's wonderful would not.

'Constantinople Line' sees the band kicking further into leftfield again. This time Kerr is stuck on a train that never seems to reach its destination, making bland enquiries of the waiter: 'Hey Waiter, what state is this?'. Meanwhile the band are playing what can only be described as electronic modal jazz. It doesn't sound like one's traditional expectation of jazz but when you strip away the cosmetics that's exactly what it is. This is when you really start to realize that Simple Minds are leaving their punk roots behind. They've got their eyes set on bigger things.

'Twist/Run/Repulsion' is probably the track that pushes some people to hit 'eject' on the CD player! It is the most uncompromising piece on the record but hardly unmusical. Over a bassline that repeats like a pneumatic drill comes the voice of what sounds like a foreign airport announcer. It's actually a female friend of the band reading some french literature (I think it might be 'l'Etranger' but I'm not 100%). Then a blast of horns and a 4 note guitar arpeggio (which is stolen straight off a track called 'Mind' on Talking Heads' excellent 'Fear of Music' album). All the while, Kerr babbles like a madman! Great fun!

Then comes 'Thirty Frames A Second'. Over a robotic bassline accented by one of the most brutally heavy synth sounds ever committed to tape, Kerr rattles off the story of a man forced to relive his entire wretched life in reverse in a futile effort to make some sense of it all. All the while McNeil's synth lines snake in and out around the vocal. It's rare for a song to be so aesthetically cold yet reflect the human condition in such an oddly moving way.

'Kant Kino' is one of the band's most overlooked instrumentals. Short and sweet, it's built on layers of loops from the guitar and synth. It's also got a gorgeous little bassline. Probably the most overtly melodic moment on the album.

'Room'. This song is the perfect album closer. It's the only one that sounds remotely traditional in any way, shape or form. Here at the very end, the Minds betray that they're not unnaffected by all that they see and that in fact they do care. With a simple rhythm and some congas going, Kerr sings 'I only live here. I only live here. A fragile man'. The delivery is stern but it's the thought that counts. This song does for this album what 'Scar' does for 'Real to Real'. The fact that they've made you wait the whole album for a glimpse of weakness makes the moment just beautiful.

A few notes: The drumming on this record is absolutely excellent. Brian McGee was an economical drummer with precision timing and great taste. He never overplayed and nearly always did something a little bit special to make a song his own. Without a doubt, the best drummer the band ever had. They never should have let him leave. Also, the keyboards on the record are exquisite. There are a handful of melodic flourishes by Mick McNeil that sound like snippets handed down from Mozart.

As you've probably gathered by now, Empires and Dance is as much about ideas and experiences (and lyrics!) as it is about music. It's one of very few records that really is thematically consistent without the dreaded 'concept album' tag. The lyrics are, for the most part, abstract. Yet the pictures they conjure are powerful, concise and filled with meaning.

I can understand why an album like this might seem like unlistenable noise to some people but the truth is it's anything but that. There's no doubt that the jarring nature of a lot of the music on this disc is not everyone's cup of tea, but this is the kind of album that will reward the adventurous listener for many years to come. Give it a chance and you'll just keep coming back for more.

Too bad this is collecting dust in the previous reviewer's CD rack!

Much of SM's earlier grooves are being heavily sampled by new artists and there are some hidden gems in early SM work, like the driving "Changeling" on R to R.

While Sparkle in the Rain put SM on the European charts, Empires and Dance is a very good album of an advante garde group in 1980, developing its aesthetic around Soviet-era European, politics and club scene. Again this is 1980 and fairly early in SM's career. I agree that Life in a Day and R to R are efforts that may not be as listenable, but SM has begun to develop a new foundation of sound (both dance rhythms and lyrics) and exploration here that sets them up for full album listening success in Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call to Sparkle in the Rain and so on.

I would consider Empires and Dance a Good staring point for a SM
collection because of the bass, sythesizer and drum work, as the Celebration CD gives a good sampler of the efforts pre- and during Empires.

Due not pay attention to the 1 star review. This cd is Simple Minds at its post-punk best. Twist/Run/Repulsion might be the only song that may annoy, but the others are great! Who cannot deny the song "Thirty Frames a Second" or the greatness of "I Travel" or "Celebrate." This cd holds that time period in its hands and shows how creative musicians were becoming without the intervention of PR and Studio "bosses." One should wonder -- why do not cds/lps exist like this today!!

After the arty post-punk experiments of 'Real to Reel...', the very minimalist approach of Simple Minds' third album is a bit of a surprise. 'Empires And Dance' bears a much heavier electronic influence than before, but it is not really a "dance" album as such. The songs and arrangements are very sparse, driven predominantly by bass, drums, and minimal keyboard lines. Charlie Burchill's heavily distorted guitar is mostly pushed right back in the mix, breaking through only occassionally for stabs of processed noise.

The first two songs, in fact, aren't really represetative of the album's overall sound. 'I Travel' is an upbeat disco track, while 'Today I Died Again' is a haunting Eastern-tinged drone. From here, though, the minimalist approach kicks in: 'Celebrate', 'This Fear Of Gods', 'Capital City', 'Constantinople Line', 'Thirty Frames A Second'... all of these are very skeletal bass/drum/synth tracks. While not very heavy on melody, these songs are memorable because they are so hypnotic, really working their way into your brain.

There is a clear social/political subtext to the album as a whole, although Jim Kerr generally keeps his lyrics very enigmatic and detached. This does give the album a somewhat cold and distant feel at times, especially when combined with the musical arrangements. However, two songs ('Today I Died Again' and 'Thirty Frames A Second') deal with deeply personal themes, and are surprisingly emotionally affecting given the dryness of the remaining songs.

Despite its very stripped-back arrangements, 'Empires And Dance' is every bit as brave and ambitious as 'Real To Reel' or 'Sons And Fascination'. It's different to anything Simple Minds have done before, but they really make it work. It's a shame most people know Simple Minds for their blowhard stadium rock than for experimental gems such as this.

Astonishing third album by Simple Minds achieves greatness for the first time. A tightly integrated eurotrance song cycle, this album sometimes seems like a single track. Their Krautrock influence really came to the fore after they finally began touring on The Continent. "I Travel" is their most exciting track ever! Possibly the most exciting track I've ever heard! The churning rhythm sequencers are acid house a decade early. Elsewhere the pace is deliberate and unrelenting, albeit slower. "Thirty Frames A Second" is the great third single that never was. Charlie Burchill's guitar studiously avoids cliche and what more can I say about Derek Forbes' bass? He is the powerful heart of everything Simple Minds did until his ouster.

An amazing album. One of the few early eighties albums granted a review by Rhapsody - and they love it. A guitar-and-keyboards driven martial stomp through European dance and electronica of the post-punk era, from Kraftwerk to Georgio Morodor, by way of the Clash. (Slight return). Groundbreaking, innovative, hummable, danceable - though I admit I've seen Scottish dancefloors pause in confusion during the five-second-or-so pause in 'I Travel'. One thing this album wasn't, was singable. The lyrics are dense and sung in the voice Jim Kerr used before he wanted to only sell records - a deep, robot-with-a-defective-voice-box that heightens the impact of the music even while making little intelligible sense. This wasn't the breathless whine he used to sing "Don't You Forget About Me", "Belfast Child", and other abominations. Buy this one with the one that came after it, Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call. I'm going to.

I can't think of much to add, for the other reviews so far seem right on. (These folks obviously have good taste!)

Empires and Dance is probably the darkest of Simple Minds' albums. "I Travel" is a death disco classic...it reminds me of Joy Division meets Chic! Bowie and PIL also come to mind. The synth crash percussion really does remind me of Le Freak. The lyrics are bizarre, sort of nihilist punk paranoia at an extreme, ala Ian Curtis or Iggy Pop.

Jim Kerr's political vibes were actually not as pretentious or silly as he ultimately became when his career went down a sanctimonious toilet. He eventually became a bubblegum Bono save-the-world turkey for the big 80s at its cheesiest. Here, it was more poignant and believable, but dreary angst. Taken in contrast to what I think were optimistic, dreamy, humanistic Christian reflections of New Gold Dream (one of my favorite albums of all time), it is hard to believe they were the same band. "Today I Died Again," "Celebrate," and "Capital City" are all creepy and freaky, sort of like Kraut rock gone disco???

By the time of their third album "Empires and Dance"(1980) Simple Minds had moved from the excessive experimentation of"Real to Real Cacophony" to what might be termed "dance" music. The single "I Travel" was custom made for the dance floor, but bombed on the music charts. It was followed by another dance oriented single "Celebrate" that also failed to chart. The album followed suit and sold poorly. Nevertheless, "Empires and Dance" was a breakthrough for the band. On this album, we hear the first stirrings of the band's distinctive sound.

Kerr's voice, in particular, was remarkably different. Instead of trying to imitate Bowie and Ferry, Kerr sings with a deeper, haunting, more powerful voice that perfectly suited the darker tone of tracks like "Today I Died Again," "Capital City." However, Kerr's new vocal style also perfectly suited the wry humour of "Constantinople Line" and "Twist-Run-Repulsion." Likewise, Burchill continued to hone his guitar sound - developing subtle lead lines that helped to emphasise Forbes's bass. ("This Fear of Gods") This approach would be brought to perfection with the "Sons and Fascination" album.

Finally, the band's instrumental skills continued to grow. "Kant-Kino" is probably one of the finest instrumental tracks the band has ever done, and helped to set a precedent. Almost every Simple Minds album since has included at least one instrumental track. This album is not the best place for the newly converted to begin. Make sure you own at least three other Simple Minds albums first (from New Gold Dream onwards) before you get this one. It won't make any sense otherwise.

Most people know Simple Minds for their big cheesy pop hit from The Breakfast Club. Years before the band turned into a slick commercial unit, the made this incredible album of dark, electronic tinged post-punk. In fact, it's probably one of the best post-punk albums ever made, and one of the most overlooked. If you're into things like Bowie's Berlin era (Low, Heroes, and Lodger), The Associates, Roxy Music's first two albums, and even Joy Division, you should find much to enjoy here. Buy this instead of the latest hipster revival garbage.

THIS MIGHT BE SIMPLE MINDS' BEST CD.
TOTALLY DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING ELSE THEY HAVE DONE.

Recorded in 1980, this is Simple Minds' second or third album (depending on how you are counting). It is 45 minutes long. On the original CD, the sound was slightly flat but still fairly good (not like many other early CD's). I haven't heard this remastered version.

This is completely different than anything Simple Minds has done. It is techno pop/electronica. But, it some of the best techno pop I have ever heard. The music has a nice, rich, complex sound. The compositions are very good.

A lot of techno pop suffers from a lack of imagination. Much of it is very repetitious. That is not the case with Simple Minds. It still has a great pulsating beat for dancing, but you can still enjoy it outside the disco.

My first introduction to Simple Minds was New Gold Dream, which is actually their fifth album. But, it was the first time they got major exposure in the US. I felt that they slowly went downhill, going more popish and sounding more like INXS. The band originally rejected their biggest hit, Don't You Forget About Me for its simplicity. I kind of soured on the band and wasn't buying their CD's. But, then I happened on this one, and I want to seek out all of their early work.