Reel to Real Cacophony [Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Import]

Simple Minds | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, Import
• Label: EMI Import
• ASIN: B0000793Z6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,574 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #93 in Music > Imports > Alternative Rock

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating listening!, November 27, 2000

By 

truelibra (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real to Real Cacophony (Audio CD)

This album is a lost classic! Eerie, cryptic, and mesmerizing, it's easily the darkest, most psychedelic music Simple Minds have ever recorded. It's quite a singular effort, of the likes I've never heard before or since--in a league inhabited by only Can, Joy Division and Public Image Ltd. Though a bit challenging at first, you'll find this sunken treasure is filled with some of Jim Kerr's best writing and the band's most creative instrumentation. Perhaps this music was ahead of its time? Modern experimental rockers/technos could certainly learn a thing or two from the tone, sounds and grooves on this disk. The only sour note: the sound could benefit greatly from a little REMASTERING! The whole Simple Minds catalog is in dire need of an update, but I'm sure this disk is no where in sight of a record exec's agenda. My advice: Get it before it's deleted completely!!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Takes more than a simple mind to enjoy..., July 7, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Real to Real Cacophony (Audio CD)

Let's face it: Fans of mid-80's Simple Minds stuff will more than likely NOT enjoy this album. However, fans of experimental new wave and post-punk music should give it a listen. It takes some time to grow on you but it's fairly rewarding, although most of it tends to lack the emotion of post-punk music. Indeed, a few songs fall flat, but a few are just fantastic. Uneven, but a good effort.
The album sort of comes off as a mix of Kraftwerk, Tuxedomoon, Legendary Pink Dots, Bauhaus, Devo, and Magazine, with some touches of Roxy Music, late-70's Bowie, and early XTC...but not too much like any of them individually.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely before its time, September 7, 2002

By 

"richlatta" ("The War Zone" ABQ, NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real to Real Cacophony (Audio CD)

This album deserves 4 stars from me, but I'm a fan who really, really digs it. The average listener (who is objective and receptive to this kind of music - i.e. not a die-hard Def Leppard fan) would probably assign it 3 stars. This is ground-breaking music, heavy with electronic experimentation.

The first side (or first 7 tracks) is highly experimental and therefore more challenging. Some tracks are a rather difficult listen such as the unweildy "Naked Eye." However, the opener "Real to Real" is a good song with a haunting quality and "Veldt" sounds like a stroll through a surrealistic jungle (or "field" as the title would indicate). Most of my favorite music has a "trippy" quality, and this stuff definitely qualifies.

The second side still contains plenty of electronics, but it is more easily digestable, either for it's more familiar song structures or because some of the songs rock out quite a bit more. "Premonition" steers straight ahead into strange territory, guided by a solid bass line. "Changeling" is perhaps the best song on the album. It certainly rocks the most and has positively corrosive synth and guitar figures along with a confident, loping drum beat. "Film Theme" is an evocative, lazy, hypnotic instrumental - beautiful. "Calling Your Name" is another unique sounding rocker and "Scar" is an epic sounding song that would sound great in a futuristic film. It half-way reminds me of old U2 (but I bet they would dislike the comparison).

Kerr's vocals are great as always, although they are often affected to sound wierd or cool. He's got a phenomenal voice, but it's less evident on these earlier records. If you're interested in early rock/electronic music, you can do far worse than this intriguing album.