Customer Reviews

Neapolis

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had seen both 5 star and no star reviews for this cd. I was intrigued. I suspected there might be something to this. From the opening of "Song for the Tribes", I was hooked. With this disc, Simple Minds remind us that they were one of the most creative bands of the 80s and remain so today. There is nothing "retro" about their sound here. (Sorry, I won't use the r-word again.) The tunes are tinged with electronics, supplemented with guitar and some strings. What is clear here is that SM have been masterfully playing with what is known as "electronica" for decades. They interweave techno sounds with acoustic guitar work to perfection on "Glitterball". Parts of this cd are strikingly similar to U2's "All You Can't Leave Behind", which came out 2 years after Neapolis. This disc easily holds its own against U2's great cd. Would this have been Grammy material if it came out two years later? Who knows. Both bands are extremely creative and share many influences. One thing has not changed: SM are still overlooked here. This album was never released domesticly. It's not surprising, most of us yanks never seemed to quite "get" Simple Minds. This is a fantastic cd that proves that Simple Minds are not only still relevant, they remain immensely creative. The pity is that the follow up to this cd "Our Secrets are the Same" has never been released due to issues with the label. It's truly shameful. However, this is still a wonderful cd from a truly great band.

I picked up this album early this summer (it was not released in the states, but I lucked up and found it on import) and was somewhat unimpressed by my first few listens. I was expecting another bombastic work like "Good News From The Next World" and was taken aback by the electronic side of "Neapolis." So, I let it sit for a while in my collection. A couple of days ago, I pulled it out because suddenly, "Glitterball" was stuck in my head. Well, I was amazed. Really; I felt stupid for not realizing how good this album is when I first listened to it. First of all, this album is all about letting the music wash over you. Don't think too hard over it! This is the mistake I made! Just lay back and let it take over! The production is absolutely pristine. There are so many layers of gorgeous melody and arrangements, you will find yourself lost. The addictive synth-licks and guitar riffs will get stuck in your head... one listen to "Glitterball" and you will be inevitably glued to your seat. The guitar riff that opens the song is one of the most gorgeous and inventive I have ever heard; it is pretty close to perfect. It doesn't hurt that these songs have beautiful melodies either. Kerr still sounds strong, as usual. No problems there. So, all in all, I would highly recommend "Neapolis" to any 'Minds fan. It harks back to their classic sound defined by anthems such as "Waterfront," "Promised You A Miracle," and "Up On The Catwalk," but it also pulls them forward, past the soaring guitars of 1995's "Good News From The Next World" and into the late 90's unconcious facination with synthesizers (everyone's using them, but no one talks about them unless they talk about electronica! What's up with that! Just ask anyone from Trent Reznor, to Britney Spears - if she is concious enough during the recording process to know what instruments are being used - they will tell you that much of their sound is derived from synthesizers). Truly, songs like "Glitterball," "War Babies," "Superman vs. Supersoul," and "Killing Andy Warhol" make NEAPOLIS the best Simple Minds album in ten years.

Statement 1: This album is a masterpiece.

Statement 2: This album is trash - don't know why I wasted my money.

I bought this album almost immediately when it was first released many years back and then wondered why I
did..."Statement 2" definitely applied.

About six months ago, I was moving house and stumbled across the CD hidden away in a corner. I put on a few tracks while packing and was amazed by it...just seemed like a completely different album to what I remembered...."Statement 1" definitely applies now!

I don't know what it was about this album when it first came out - maybe it was just ahead of its time but the mix of strings, hard guitar riffs and synths just didn't seem to work then but now sound brilliant.

I actually stopped buying Simple Minds albums after this one thinking they had "lost it". I only logged onto Amazon just now to see what others thought of it while I was looking for any follow-ups to this album...that's how much I love this collection of songs.

Barely a day goes by when you don't finding me blasting out such excellent tracks like the amazingly-titled Killing Andy Warhol, War Babies, Superman & SuperSoul and the infectious Androgeny.

I guess the great insight I had with this album was the same as another reviewer here had which was to just let the music wash over you. The songs then start to make sense and you begin to appreciate the genius hidden away in this modern work of art.

Andy Warhol would be proud...if they weren't killing him.

Still a big fan and will always be. When this album came out I searched high and low. The big record chains looked at me with a dazed look when I inquired about Neapolis. It was worth the hunt through some cold NY weather! Tracks 2 & 3 are the hits, offering that distinctive SM sound. "War babies" is the best. I can't believe this stuff isn't on the radio. I found "War Babies" highly addictive. Play this song in your car and you'll find yourself being pulled over by state troopers! Simple Minds has done it again and as usual, has gone unnoticed and under-appreciated. Tasteless Swords!!

Simple Minds have entered a new era with Neàpolis, a record that brings them back to the techno sounds like those of New Gold Dream. The best songs are Glitterball, War babies and If I had wings. It is not a masterpiece, but is a very good album. I think it is more advanced and evolved than Good news from the next world, less commercial too, and it is closest to the idea of what Simple Minds sound should be in the future.

I've been a Simple Minds fan for a number of years, and this album is definitely one of their better ones. I've read other reviews about the CD, and I'm sick of people who use words like "stadia Krautrock of the 80's" that mean nothing about what the CD sounds like. The bottom line is this: This CD has a number of excellent songs on it. Glitterball, War Babies, and Superman vs. Supersoul are my personal favorites. It's sounds like classic Simple Minds, but with an evolved aura about it. I recommend it to anyone who likes their type of music.

With original bassist Derek Forbes and producer Peter Walsh back on board the band return to their Krautrock roots. After the stadium rock of 1995's Good News From The Next World, this, the band's 12th studio album, does a U-turn towards the cool soundscapes of 1982's classic New Gold Dream (81, 82, 83, 84). This makes for a better album. But while there's less pomposity than before, there's still plenty of pose and faux-U2isms, and touches of their Euro-trash lifestyles. Walsh does a good job in the studio mixing in humming synths, distorted vocals, and beautifully numbing guitar. Songs like Glitterball, War Babies and Killing Andy Warhol have an oddly familiar feel but are great songs nonetheless. Once a bloated monster, Simple Minds have shed a few pounds and are now a lither, leaner music machine.

This album is much easier to get into than "Good News..". The album is softer,more electronic sounding,a sound they haven't given us since New Gold Dream (not that it really sounds like NGD).It's hard to pick favorites,because 7 of the 9 songs are all consistently great but none stand out to me yet as better than the others.Experimental and interesting...buy it!

Simple Minds is my favorite band - let me make that clear up front. I utterly adore these guys, and I wish they'd live forever, and keep making music until the end of the world. In fact, I'm sure heaven is a place where "Belfast Child" is always playing in the background. That's why the Minds' 1998 effort, "Neapolis" (not released here in the States), was such a disappointment. Apart from some really fantastic stuff ("War Babies, "Tears of a Guy," and "Song For the Tribes"), this album is relatively bland and formless. It's not as much so as U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" - but it's not the Minds' best work. Make no mistake, however - the Minds in a slump is a galaxy apart from the rest of the music that crops up these days, particularly on that popular local radio station so fond of utter thoughtless filth. Most bands never make a tune as excellent as "War Babies" even on their best album. Simple Minds, on the other hand, is a band with more superb tunes under their belts than any I can name (challenged only by U2, which, I feel, is likewise digging itself out of a slump). The Minds' following album, "Cry," however, is much more gratifying as a whole. These guys rule.

I'm not an uber-fan of Simple Minds but most of their 80's and early 90's albums played a strong part in my growing music collection. I picked up "Cry" awhile back and enjoyed it much more than did many of the other reviewers. I was hopeful for "Neapolis" as it has some favorable reviews...but this for me just wasn't an enjoyable listen. It's like electronica without the ultra-heavy dance beats or quick, shugging vibe. It's rather slow. Kerr, who has a great voice for really singing and even belting out a tune, employs breathy and fairly quiet (as opposed to forceful) vocals throughout (I'm not opposed to the quiet but I like it to be offset some times for good effects). Burchill, who creates some fantastic and memorable guitar lines and effects, feels absent from most of this album (very much a shame). The album doesn't have any of the soul or feel that you would find even on a lesser album like "Real Life" or "Good News From The Next World". In short: it's boring and forgettable. One reviewer commented that they didn't know what Simple Minds was trying to do with this album and that they hoped that they didn't continue to try this direction. I agree. While I like the artists to continually create and evolve (it exposes us to more sounds and styles) some do it better. I wouldn't follow Simple Minds if I knew that all of their albums after this took to this style/ sound. Look elsewhere in their catalog for some fine, uplifting, and energetic music.

9 tracks. Highlights are the soulful "If I Had Wings" and the interesting, odd "Killing Andy Warhol". Lowpoints are "Androgyny".