Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings [Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Simple Minds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 7, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1981
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Virgin Records Us
• ASIN: B00006IUPW
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #257,179 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. In Trance As Mission

2. Sweat In Bullet

3. 70 Cities As Love Brings The Fall

4. Boys From Brazil

5. Love Song

6. This Earth That You Walk Upon

7. Sons And Fascination

8. Seeing Out The Angel

9. Theme For Great Cities

10. The American

11. 20th Century Promised Land

12. Wonderful In Young Life

13. League Of Nations

14. Careful Career

15. Sound In 70 Cities

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AT LONG LAST..., January 8, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings (Audio CD)

Virgin records is finally putting some effort into their CD re-issues. Three of my favorite bands (Japan, Magazine, and Simple Minds) who all had BEAUTIFUL vinyl albums back in the 80's, were given short shrift when it came time to release initial CD versions. Anyone who has these discs knows how cheap and ugly they are. Especially the typesetting. Everything was changed to what looked like Helvetica Letraset and only the front covers were reproduced (poorly) in most cases. Although I'm not a huge fan of the mini-LP CD packaging, I must admit that Virgin has finally done justice to some of the greatest music it's ever released. I bought all the Simple Minds remasters and have no complaints other than the minor question of why the same side of the inner sleeve of REAL TO REAL CACAPHONY was printed on BOTH sides of the CD sleeve. If that was for budgetary reasons then shame on them. Lyrics for NEW GOLD DREAM are also missing, probably because they couldn't fit them on the small CD sleeve I'm guessing. Aside from that, these CD's look and sound fantastic and gave me almost as much excitement as when I bought the albums as a young lad. As far as the music on this album goes, it's some of the best the band has ever produced. Jim Kerr eschews the sing-along style for a more futuristic vocal delivery and lyrical content while Derek Forbes' bass drives the music. Not as melodic as their later work and more rhythmically arranged. If you like U2 then you should hear this to see how much they [took] from this album and Simple Minds in general.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath-taking and ground-breaking, January 1, 2005

By 

Kirk Lott "a strange and unusual person" (adrift on the seas of life) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings (Audio CD)

For everyone who thinks Simple Minds is "Don't You Forget About Me," you are in for a major revelation.

Simple Minds, in short, is one of the best bands ever to come out of the U.K., and this is one of their finest albums.

Where to start? If you like new wave, techno, gothic, bands like U2, or anything even vaguely related, this album holds something for you. Here are some of the many styles covered across this vast set (originally one album plus a long bonus EP)

-the angular, guitar-fueled angst of "Sweat in Bullet"
-the ethereal, synth-driven dreams of "This Earth That You Walk" and "Seeing Out the Angel"
-the martial, forboding industrial landscape of "Sons and Fascination,"
-the incredible, other worldly "Theme for Great Cities," a fantastic, bass-driven techno instrumental;
-the synth new wave of "20th Century Promised Land"
-the powerful drum and guitar powered anthem rock of "Wonderful in Young Life"

The only downside is there could have been greater sonic clarity, which certainly a masterpiece such as this deserves.

But if you're willing to listen to an album more than once to appreciate it, and are a fan of any of the more cerebral types of late 70s/early 80s music, you'll love this album.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ahead of its time and above its peers., November 1, 2005

By 

Immaculate Friend "Maisie's Dad" (N. California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sons & Fascination / Sister Feelings (Audio CD)

There is no other record that sounds like this one. Consider the age of the band members when they produced this juggernaut and compare it to what members of that age group are producing at present and there is no comparison in talent, sophistication and creativity.

This album challenges your mind with a huge collection of inventive sounds, rythyms, riffs and lyrics as well as possibly the most impressive keyboard playing of its time. Listen to some of the other records of the time and they seem so primitive. Of course there are some great records but this one really takes you out of your own comfort zone and throws the frenzied atmosphere of the European dance scene into your psyche and keeps you buzzing to the end.

Whenever I play this record for people who haven't heard it I watch their interest gaining momentum as the huge variety of music ropes them in and holds their ears for the duration. They almost all say that they've never heard anything quite like this one and later on they will remark about how many songs keep playing in their mind over and over.

Some of the highlights here for me are the unforgettable bass lines in songs like 20th Century Promised Land, This Earth that You Walk Upon, Theme for Great Cities, Sons and Fascination as well as the cascading and layered keyboards throughout. Outstanding synths on Seeing Out the Angel, The American, Love Song and This Earth that You Walk Upon.

The guitar on this record is pretty subdued in its production although it is not hard to note the brilliance in the subtlety of the playing. Charlie Burchill is a guitar player who accents and adds to songs rather than having a song built around him like so many guitar players do.

Very hypnotic drumming here by Brian McGee. His departure not long after this record was a great loss to this band. He had a great understanding of the dance rythyms of the time and his playing is spot on.

The vocals are very complimentary to the songs. I have always thought that Simple Minds was an instrumental band first who just happen to have a great singer/lyricist as well. Listen to any track and imagine them as just instrumentals or part of an indie film soundtrack and they work very well.

This record is definitely a great example of music as an art form and is one that you should never tire of.