Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time (1985)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later replaced by a CD. My CD edition is the original release, not one the later reissues.

After hitting #1 with Don't You (Forget About Me), from the soundtrack of the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club, Simple Minds finally got mainstream US radio to notice them. I learned of Simple Minds a few years earlier with their New Gold Dream album, but the music here is much more guitar-oriented rock-pop than the synth-pop of the New Gold Dream era. I credit the change to producers Bob Clearmountain (Bryan Adams) and Jimmy Iovine (U2), because I always thought the band wrote good songs. This is a rawer sound and probably the band's best overall album. The band's hardcore fans were probably disappointed in the new direction and accused the band of selling-out, but I liked both the old sound and the new sound, so it was all good with me. It has always been a mystery to me why A&M didn't stick Don't You (Forget About Me) somewhere on this album.

Press of the time:

• Smash Hits (7 out of 10): "grand but not great"
• CashBox: "Each and every track here has something substantial to offer"
• Billboard: "Strong production by Iovine and Clearmountain stresses the sweep of the arrangements without dulling the urgency of vocalist Jim Kerr."
• Stereo Review: "one of the best power -rock albums since Billy Idol's 'Rebel Yell.'"
• Rolling Stone: "the most potent and focused set of songs Simple Minds has delivered yet."
• Musician: "balance between gospel fervor and art-rock elegance."

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #10 (Mar 1, 1986)
• Billboard Pop CD: #18
• Rolling Stone: #5

Tracks: Half of the 8 tracks were released as singles: Alive and Kicking (#3), Sanctify Yourself (#14), All the Things She Said (#28), and Ghost Dancing. I like all those plus the title track and Oh Jungleland. That only leaves two tracks to skip: I Wish You Were Here and Come A Long Way.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This was released in October of '85 and I immediately purchased my LP. Around that time, I was playing the lead in a production of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat so this always reminds me of that fall and those rehearsals/performances. In a typical college mindset, even though rehearsals were about a 1/2 mile away, I still drove. 46-year-old me is giving 19-year-old me a big eyeroll.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Glittering Prize (1992)
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) (1982)