New Gold Dream - Simple Minds
Posted: Thu May 19, 2005 3:52 pmSimple Minds started out from the ruins of Johnny & The Self-Abusers, with two albums released in 1979 and then three more before the Sept. 1982 release of NEW GOLD DREAM (81-82-83-84). However, the majority of those older albums had a dark sheen underneath them, especially REAL TO REAL CACOPHONY and EMPIRES AND DANCE (see my upcoming separate reviews of those albums). SONS AND FASCINATION/SISTER FEELINGS CALL introduced a more romantic, accessible side to the band, which stepped up to the forefront for their sixth full-length LP.
Peter Walsh stepped onto the production boards this time, and would also later produce albums for Peter Gabriel, Heaven 17 and Rick Springfield. Jim Kerr’s voice lost the quirky dread and morose monotone mechanics for a more sensual, pop-oriented tone, and his lyrics seemed to somewhat ease up as well. In fact, when you look at 1982/1983, and you think of romantic Europop sounds, the two most essential albums were this and Roxy Music’s AVALON. I wouldn’t recommend one over the other though, because they both bear repeated listenings.
The band also lost drummer Brian McGee around this time, and there are three replacements that perform on this album. I can’t truly figure out which drummer is credited to each track, although Mel Gaynor was one of those drummers and would also play with Simple Minds up to the 1991 album REAL LIFE. The other two drummers are Kenny Hyslop and Michael Ogletree. Other than that, the line-up still includes Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill (guitar), Derek Forbes (bass) and Mike MacNeil (keyboards).
This has been reissued following the revival of Simple Minds catalog from 1978-1998 by Virgin Records. Each album has been digitally remastered with 24-bit technology and given limited edition mini-LP CD packaging. You can pick up other titles such as EMPIRES AND DANCE, ONCE UPON A TIME, SPARKLE IN THE RAIN, and the 1998 release NEAPOLIS, previously unreleased in America, perhaps for a limited time only!
NEW GOLD DREAM kicks off with the strong single output Someone Somewhere In Summertime. A thumping drum beat is supported by angelic synth-textures and rhythmic shots of electric guitar, until the mid-verse flows freely until the great kinetic kick of the chorus. Jim Kerr sings not with the bombast of later, but with a more earthly confidence which shows impressive use of his baritone range. And occasionally, his wailing voice actually proves a valuable, strong asset, as he creates a strong, wistful atmosphere out of his poetic longing.
“Brilliant days, wake up on brilliant days
Shadows of brilliant ways will change all the time
Memories, burning gold memories
Gold of day memories change me in these times
Somewhere there is some place, that one million eyes can't see
And somewhere there is someone, who can see what I can see
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime.”
Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel flaunts a chunky bass riff punctuated by seductive electronic flourishes and sparse guitar notes. Jim Kerr directly addresses a “Belle” in the verses before softly crooning a brief chorus line and kicking in a refrain with deep, dubbed vocals. A deeply romantic piece, it delivers all the sensual goods with expert production, instrumental craft and metaphoric lyrics.
``Belle'' When the pulses rise
Love will tranquilize just before it kills
And I said Belle, you turn them on
With your reflection I know so well
Colours Fly and Catherine Wheels
Poor girls cry
In the beauty of both worlds…
Catch a boy Fell Falling
Fall in love Fell Falling
Catch a boy Fell Falling
Out of the Sky.”
The album’s peak is the smashing dance-pop of Promised You A Miracle, one of their best UK singles to date. Michael MacNeil’s glossy, ascending keyboard motif is the main musical foundation here, driving out all the melodies and delicate textures, as the bass and drum provide a solid, often standing-out support. Burchill also busts out a nifty guitar solo mid-song, as Jim Kerr places his dramatic, whimsical yelping and swooning over his passionate lyrics.
“I promised you a miracle, belief is a beauty thing
Promises promises, as golden days break wondering
Chance reflects on them a while
Love screams so quietly
Slipping back on golden tides
Breathing with sweet memories…
Only love she sees, he controls on love, life throws a cure
Everything is possible in the room of light
A burning dream, you can be Queen
Everything is possible.”
Big Sleep mixes a catchy keyboard melody along with an equally strong slap-bass riff, as a ringing guitar chord pops up in the second verse. The coda brings a whirling guitar buzz as the rhythmic drums crash for brief intervals. And this song steps aside from poetic romance and instead offers a paean to a deceased friend, as Jim Kerr’s voice still retains subdued confidence.
“We were on the top and the world was spinning
We were only young in the whirlpool of warning
Communication lost in the thundering rain style
A shelter from the storm in the early beginning
Going out in the Big Sleep, out in the Big Sleep
Could have been years, you know it could have been years
Or only seconds ago
Big Sleep, Deep Sleep.”
Someone Up There Likes You is a lengthy instrumental with reeling bass lines and pillowy keyboard/organ riffs, which build up to a soft, brief flurry of squelching guitar licks late in the number. The song is a ballad, the kind of song to fall asleep to, and would’ve been a great conclusion to the total album, even though it did end side one of the original LP. Besides, the band saved up the political anthem for last.
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) has an upbeat synth-and-bass groove to kick it into an unshakeable sonic hyper drive. A rushing 4/4 drum beat keeps the rhythm sturdy and on the mark throughout, as Mike MacNeil’s keyboards work strange magic throughout. A graceful number which shows the true breadth of MacNeil’s abilities, and displays a rousing emotional awakening, perhaps harkening to future days for the great sound of Simple Minds yet feeling like a cantation about desire for a sea goddess.
“New Gold Dream
She is the one in front of me, the siren and the ecstasy
New Gold Dream
Crashing beats and fantasy, setting sun in front of me
New Gold Dream
And the world goes hot and the cities take
And the beat goes crashing all along the way
She is your friend until the ocean breaks
And when you dream, dream in the dream with me…
81 - 82 - 83 - 84”
Glittering Prize is a lush mixture of new wave convention with a strong contemporary R&B groove. Derek Forbes’ bass charges this song as much as any of the marvelous electronic atmosphere throughout, and Kerr’s vocals are at their strongest here, providing a rich array of gospel declaration, natural delivery, and a softly effective croon. The result is a song which fitfully became another hit single from the album. It also went on to inspire a greatest hits album, yet this song basically describes itself alone.
Hunter And The Hunted has an ominous, thumping pop beat given heft by a fat-bottomed bass delivery, brooding keyboard touches and faint, wild guitar shots. Herbie Hancock played on this one, and he helps add a neat, dark dimension which seems to have been missing on the album. And Jim Kerr doesn’t seem to raise his voice to a fever pitch as like on previous songs, but keeps himself calm and lurid, nailing the underlying tensions of this already complicated situation:
“Shooting from the hip, about our faith and love
I see it in your faces thin as shadow…
The side effects of cruising at the speed of life
The side effects of living in temptation
When only one star is waiting up on all of us
You'll see me as I'm cocooned up in Badlands
And how do I feel living in the eighties
And do I get to see the light of day
Kyoto in the snow but Heaven's far away
Sending their love - passion parade
Hunter and the Hunted
With me first times can never lie.”
Finally, the album concludes with the 7-minute synth-and-guitar epic The King Is White And In Crowd. A background keyboard melody reels a tapestry of grim eighth notes as the guitar, keyboards and bass offer atmospheric jabs until the beat gets picked up for a moment (with an uppity, fiery drum beat), keeping itself on the dark side briefly afterwards. Kerr’s screams bounce and echo at many times, and reach a strong crescendo at the end when the drums batter away and the guitars and keyboards float away to kick a goodbye marching beat into the wind. And this is as close to political as Kerr’s lyrics get on this album, as a white monarch seems to dominate Africa for a moment through supposed film footage.
“Talking by the pool of light, language from America.
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
They are not a melting pot, say no, say no tapestry
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
She takes his hand and she says you'll stay
She's lost in the crowd…
Lovers run camp Africa, Bars in town are civilized
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd.”
Simple Minds were still getting their artistic lead out with NEW GOLD DREAM (81-82-83-84), and their next two albums would signal a more straightforward direction in mainstream rock-pop. But for a moment, Simple Minds felt the romanticism that many European rock bands felt in the 1981-1983 period, and when they put it on record, they created a “Glittering Prize” well worth the creation. It is also one of the albums I consider to be a complete high-point for the band, along with EMPIRES AND DANCE and SPARKLE IN THE RAIN. They “Promised You A Miracle,” and here it is.
Peter Walsh stepped onto the production boards this time, and would also later produce albums for Peter Gabriel, Heaven 17 and Rick Springfield. Jim Kerr’s voice lost the quirky dread and morose monotone mechanics for a more sensual, pop-oriented tone, and his lyrics seemed to somewhat ease up as well. In fact, when you look at 1982/1983, and you think of romantic Europop sounds, the two most essential albums were this and Roxy Music’s AVALON. I wouldn’t recommend one over the other though, because they both bear repeated listenings.
The band also lost drummer Brian McGee around this time, and there are three replacements that perform on this album. I can’t truly figure out which drummer is credited to each track, although Mel Gaynor was one of those drummers and would also play with Simple Minds up to the 1991 album REAL LIFE. The other two drummers are Kenny Hyslop and Michael Ogletree. Other than that, the line-up still includes Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill (guitar), Derek Forbes (bass) and Mike MacNeil (keyboards).
This has been reissued following the revival of Simple Minds catalog from 1978-1998 by Virgin Records. Each album has been digitally remastered with 24-bit technology and given limited edition mini-LP CD packaging. You can pick up other titles such as EMPIRES AND DANCE, ONCE UPON A TIME, SPARKLE IN THE RAIN, and the 1998 release NEAPOLIS, previously unreleased in America, perhaps for a limited time only!
NEW GOLD DREAM kicks off with the strong single output Someone Somewhere In Summertime. A thumping drum beat is supported by angelic synth-textures and rhythmic shots of electric guitar, until the mid-verse flows freely until the great kinetic kick of the chorus. Jim Kerr sings not with the bombast of later, but with a more earthly confidence which shows impressive use of his baritone range. And occasionally, his wailing voice actually proves a valuable, strong asset, as he creates a strong, wistful atmosphere out of his poetic longing.
“Brilliant days, wake up on brilliant days
Shadows of brilliant ways will change all the time
Memories, burning gold memories
Gold of day memories change me in these times
Somewhere there is some place, that one million eyes can't see
And somewhere there is someone, who can see what I can see
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime
Someone, Somewhere In Summertime.”
Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel flaunts a chunky bass riff punctuated by seductive electronic flourishes and sparse guitar notes. Jim Kerr directly addresses a “Belle” in the verses before softly crooning a brief chorus line and kicking in a refrain with deep, dubbed vocals. A deeply romantic piece, it delivers all the sensual goods with expert production, instrumental craft and metaphoric lyrics.
``Belle'' When the pulses rise
Love will tranquilize just before it kills
And I said Belle, you turn them on
With your reflection I know so well
Colours Fly and Catherine Wheels
Poor girls cry
In the beauty of both worlds…
Catch a boy Fell Falling
Fall in love Fell Falling
Catch a boy Fell Falling
Out of the Sky.”
The album’s peak is the smashing dance-pop of Promised You A Miracle, one of their best UK singles to date. Michael MacNeil’s glossy, ascending keyboard motif is the main musical foundation here, driving out all the melodies and delicate textures, as the bass and drum provide a solid, often standing-out support. Burchill also busts out a nifty guitar solo mid-song, as Jim Kerr places his dramatic, whimsical yelping and swooning over his passionate lyrics.
“I promised you a miracle, belief is a beauty thing
Promises promises, as golden days break wondering
Chance reflects on them a while
Love screams so quietly
Slipping back on golden tides
Breathing with sweet memories…
Only love she sees, he controls on love, life throws a cure
Everything is possible in the room of light
A burning dream, you can be Queen
Everything is possible.”
Big Sleep mixes a catchy keyboard melody along with an equally strong slap-bass riff, as a ringing guitar chord pops up in the second verse. The coda brings a whirling guitar buzz as the rhythmic drums crash for brief intervals. And this song steps aside from poetic romance and instead offers a paean to a deceased friend, as Jim Kerr’s voice still retains subdued confidence.
“We were on the top and the world was spinning
We were only young in the whirlpool of warning
Communication lost in the thundering rain style
A shelter from the storm in the early beginning
Going out in the Big Sleep, out in the Big Sleep
Could have been years, you know it could have been years
Or only seconds ago
Big Sleep, Deep Sleep.”
Someone Up There Likes You is a lengthy instrumental with reeling bass lines and pillowy keyboard/organ riffs, which build up to a soft, brief flurry of squelching guitar licks late in the number. The song is a ballad, the kind of song to fall asleep to, and would’ve been a great conclusion to the total album, even though it did end side one of the original LP. Besides, the band saved up the political anthem for last.
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) has an upbeat synth-and-bass groove to kick it into an unshakeable sonic hyper drive. A rushing 4/4 drum beat keeps the rhythm sturdy and on the mark throughout, as Mike MacNeil’s keyboards work strange magic throughout. A graceful number which shows the true breadth of MacNeil’s abilities, and displays a rousing emotional awakening, perhaps harkening to future days for the great sound of Simple Minds yet feeling like a cantation about desire for a sea goddess.
“New Gold Dream
She is the one in front of me, the siren and the ecstasy
New Gold Dream
Crashing beats and fantasy, setting sun in front of me
New Gold Dream
And the world goes hot and the cities take
And the beat goes crashing all along the way
She is your friend until the ocean breaks
And when you dream, dream in the dream with me…
81 - 82 - 83 - 84”
Glittering Prize is a lush mixture of new wave convention with a strong contemporary R&B groove. Derek Forbes’ bass charges this song as much as any of the marvelous electronic atmosphere throughout, and Kerr’s vocals are at their strongest here, providing a rich array of gospel declaration, natural delivery, and a softly effective croon. The result is a song which fitfully became another hit single from the album. It also went on to inspire a greatest hits album, yet this song basically describes itself alone.
Hunter And The Hunted has an ominous, thumping pop beat given heft by a fat-bottomed bass delivery, brooding keyboard touches and faint, wild guitar shots. Herbie Hancock played on this one, and he helps add a neat, dark dimension which seems to have been missing on the album. And Jim Kerr doesn’t seem to raise his voice to a fever pitch as like on previous songs, but keeps himself calm and lurid, nailing the underlying tensions of this already complicated situation:
“Shooting from the hip, about our faith and love
I see it in your faces thin as shadow…
The side effects of cruising at the speed of life
The side effects of living in temptation
When only one star is waiting up on all of us
You'll see me as I'm cocooned up in Badlands
And how do I feel living in the eighties
And do I get to see the light of day
Kyoto in the snow but Heaven's far away
Sending their love - passion parade
Hunter and the Hunted
With me first times can never lie.”
Finally, the album concludes with the 7-minute synth-and-guitar epic The King Is White And In Crowd. A background keyboard melody reels a tapestry of grim eighth notes as the guitar, keyboards and bass offer atmospheric jabs until the beat gets picked up for a moment (with an uppity, fiery drum beat), keeping itself on the dark side briefly afterwards. Kerr’s screams bounce and echo at many times, and reach a strong crescendo at the end when the drums batter away and the guitars and keyboards float away to kick a goodbye marching beat into the wind. And this is as close to political as Kerr’s lyrics get on this album, as a white monarch seems to dominate Africa for a moment through supposed film footage.
“Talking by the pool of light, language from America.
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
They are not a melting pot, say no, say no tapestry
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
She takes his hand and she says you'll stay
She's lost in the crowd…
Lovers run camp Africa, Bars in town are civilized
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd.”
Simple Minds were still getting their artistic lead out with NEW GOLD DREAM (81-82-83-84), and their next two albums would signal a more straightforward direction in mainstream rock-pop. But for a moment, Simple Minds felt the romanticism that many European rock bands felt in the 1981-1983 period, and when they put it on record, they created a “Glittering Prize” well worth the creation. It is also one of the albums I consider to be a complete high-point for the band, along with EMPIRES AND DANCE and SPARKLE IN THE RAIN. They “Promised You A Miracle,” and here it is.