You said "I Travel" doesn't know whether it is a rock song or a pop song or a dance song? That is surely what makes it so great. The song was released in 1980. But it still sounds timeless to me. I agree with you, about the band sometimes need to rock more. But they are just as much an electronic band as they are a rock band. And always have been, with keyboards being as prominent as guitars. Which gives the band's sound depth. When they play live is when they are truly a great rock band. "Waterfront" being an example.
Thanks Iain. I disagreed with some of the rankings, but our choices are not that far apart. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing your views. Sparkle comes in at no.1 for me.
Same here. Sparkle In The Rain was my first cd ever and the first album of Simple Minds that I asked my mom to buy me. I was 12. Last album I got from SM was the live album "In The City Of Lights".
Simple minds are one of my favorite bands since I was a teenager once upon a time got me hooked and been a fan ever since and in my personal view Charlie Burchill is such an underrated guitar player and Mick McNeil is one of my favorite keyboard players who deserves so much more recognition
Does this guy know Empires And Dance was written recorded and released before Depeche Mode was even conceived? 🤣. To have Empires so low on the list is laughable? It’s an absolute classic and groundbreaking at the time of its release 😡😡
Depeche Mode ? ...Oh dear. You really must do your research. Ironically Empires & Dance is an absolute favourite with Simple Minds fans and I Travel was a huge favourite in clubs both in Europe and America. I guess it was before your time in fairness, and your only expressing your opinion...fair enough.@@Iainrankingtheobscure
Don't disagree too much with your order but would probably have Cry a little higher up. A few really, really good songs on it. I think it's a little under-rated. Happy to see GNFTNW so high up as well, I think that album has really stood the test of time.
Goes to show, how people have very different tastes. I put Once Upon a Time at 19, just Below Neon Lights… lol. No.1 is the double album from 1981, No. 2 is Sparkle in the Rain. No. 3 New Gold Dream. No. 4 would be Reel to Reel, No.5 Graffiti Soul, No. 6 would be Big Music, and No 7 would be black and White. No. 18 would be Street Fighting years or Neapolis. 😂.. I can’t stand Street Fighting Years. For me it’s 1979 to 1984 and then 2002 till 2018. Their later stuff is actually quite good. Agree to disagree.
What bothered me about Neapolis is that they had Derek Forbes on it, but you couldn't hear his signature bass line on the songs. I can understand why he didn't come back for their next album.
Disagree that DOTH is better than WBW. It certainly doesn't have less drum programming, it actually had more, there's only one track on it that has studio drums.. it is definitely the case that the better output has been recorded in a studio with live drums and less digital interference.
I think you're spot on with the decline after street fighting years, Belfast child going to number 1 really sent them down the wrong path. You're right about Sons and fascination as well, take out some of the filler and its a great album, probably my number one. Once apon a time was the album that I first bought of theirs, it was awsome but I think I'd probably have it ranked at 3 or 4.
@@faddy24 attended a Barrowlands show end of ‘84 maybe beginning of ‘85 and Jim introduced I Travel, he sang the lyrics to I Travel along to the new arrangement which eventually became Ghostdancing on the next album. It sounded really good.
@@faddy24 definitely the Empires and Dance version, I’m really more of a Mick McNeil/ Derek Forbes fan tbh? I’ve found this out as years go by, the band have went of on a tangent that’s really not my bag. And I haven’t seen them live since the Real Life tour.
Spirited Away is a beautiful song. I'm bemused by how much you detest it but there you go different strokes for different folks. My 5 favourite SM albums: 1)New Gold Dream (by a golden mile) 9.2/10 2)Sparkle In The Rain. 8.2/10 3)Sons & Fascination 8/10 4)Once Upon A Time 7.8/10 5) Live In The City of Light. 7.7/10. Their first 3 albums before Sons & Fascination are good, if a bit patchy. All around 7.3 to 7.5 out of 10. Stay Visible is the best of their later ablums, revitalised and good songwriting - 7.4/10 Real Life 7.3 has some classy emotive moments. Graffiti Soul 7/10 Good News From The Next World also 7/10. Solid but a bit uninispired. Sreet Fighting Years, has excellent moments and some really cringey moments. 6.7/10.
@@Iainrankingtheobscure well yes obviously, I was just taken aback by the extent to which you disliked it. For me it's a well written song, with plenty of emotional nuance in Kerr's vocal. It builds up nicely and Burchill adds tasteful and elegant guitar lines. For me it's one of the strongest songs on a slightly lacklustre album.
Hi, NGD great album but the B side is not as good as the A, sparkle in the rain has some great songs, anyway my best 80's album is Prefab Sprout "Steve McQueen", have you done the ranking?
@@Iainrankingtheobscure nice ! What's your weather like there? It's in 50s here ! New nik turner live 94 out in Dec with hilios on guitar and on vinyl!! Rejoice Brock hypocrite s! 🤣
@@IainrankingtheobscureMy Top 6 Simple Minds Albums are in order 1 Sons and fascination, 2 New Gold Dream, 3 Empires and Dance, 4 Real to Real, 5 Sister Feelings call, ( all before end of 1982) 6 Street fighting years.....gonna add a sub in case of injury Sparkle in the Rain .
Look we all hear things differently if you like it that's great just because it's supposed to be a classic l don't have to follow the lemmings l not a fan of it get over it
@@Iainrankingtheobscure each to their own and your quite rightly allowed your opinion. But did you actually do any research into these records beforehand or just give them a listen while running the Hoover round the house? Getting the pronunciation of song titles and Album titles wrong is a bit of a slap in the face to a very loyal fan base who hold these works very dear to their heart. You obviously haven’t taken into consideration the time period when those first 5 recordings were made and what other music was around at the time. They were all held up as groundbreaking music by their contemporaries at the time ( before Depeche Mode btw) and Empires/ Sons and Sister are masterworks
@@markduffy3787 We are going round in circles here how I listen to music is not the issue its because I ranked them Low Just because they supposedly groundbreaking does not mean I have to like them . Its a personal choice just accept that you're making a mountain out of the mole hill.
Couldnt agree more about the use of drum machines after Real Life. I pretty much switched off after that. To be fair, they were never the same band after Forbes left, and when MacNeil left it was game over..... And lastly, Peter Gabriel's version of Biko was awful, so SM had no chance with it 😂
You said "I Travel" doesn't know whether it is a rock song or a pop song or a dance song? That is surely what makes it so great. The song was released in 1980. But it still sounds timeless to me.
I agree with you, about the band sometimes need to rock more. But they are just as much an electronic band as they are a rock band. And always have been, with keyboards being as prominent as guitars. Which gives the band's sound depth. When they play live is when they are truly a great rock band. "Waterfront" being an example.
I only saw them once but Waterfront live is the best
Thanks Iain. I disagreed with some of the rankings, but our choices are not that far apart. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing your views. Sparkle comes in at no.1 for me.
Same here. Sparkle In The Rain was my first cd ever and the first album of Simple Minds that I asked my mom to buy me. I was 12. Last album I got from SM was the live album "In The City Of Lights".
Simple minds are one of my favorite bands since I was a teenager once upon a time got me hooked and been a fan ever since and in my personal view Charlie Burchill is such an underrated guitar player and Mick McNeil is one of my favorite keyboard players who deserves so much more recognition
Charlie and Mick are very underrated
@@Iainrankingtheobscure I'm also glad that you mentioned Derek Forbes as well his bass playing so essential to the classic simple minds sound
Does this guy know Empires And Dance was written recorded and released before Depeche Mode was even conceived? 🤣. To have Empires so low on the list is laughable? It’s an absolute classic and groundbreaking at the time of its release 😡😡
It's laughable when people get their get knickers in a twist when l rank their favourites so low
Depeche Mode ? ...Oh dear. You really must do your research.
Ironically Empires & Dance is an absolute favourite with Simple Minds fans and I Travel was a huge favourite in clubs both in Europe and America. I guess it was before your time in fairness, and your only expressing your opinion...fair enough.@@Iainrankingtheobscure
@@brucefindlay I was 12/13 in 1980 when i was an out a out metalhead lol
@@Iainrankingtheobscure I guessed.
@@brucefindlay Mr Hatspace. 🤣🙏🏻. Hope your well Bruce, your sadly missed pal. God love ye. 👌🏻❤️
Don't disagree too much with your order but would probably have Cry a little higher up. A few really, really good songs on it. I think it's a little under-rated. Happy to see GNFTNW so high up as well, I think that album has really stood the test of time.
Goes to show, how people have very different tastes. I put Once Upon a Time at 19, just Below Neon Lights… lol. No.1 is the double album from 1981, No. 2 is Sparkle in the Rain. No. 3 New Gold Dream. No. 4 would be Reel to Reel, No.5 Graffiti Soul, No. 6 would be Big Music, and No 7 would be black and White. No. 18 would be Street Fighting years or Neapolis. 😂.. I can’t stand Street Fighting Years. For me it’s 1979 to 1984 and then 2002 till 2018. Their later stuff is actually quite good. Agree to disagree.
My own top 5
1. Sparkle in the Rain
2. New Gold Dream
3. Street Fighting Years
4. Once Upon a Time
5. Graffiti Soul
Our secrets are the same is a decent album imo.
What bothered me about Neapolis is that they had Derek Forbes on it, but you couldn't hear his signature bass line on the songs. I can understand why he didn't come back for their next album.
I'm a big Simple Minds fan, but I actually dislike "Promised You a Miracle."
Disagree that DOTH is better than WBW. It certainly doesn't have less drum programming, it actually had more, there's only one track on it that has studio drums.. it is definitely the case that the better output has been recorded in a studio with live drums and less digital interference.
ha ha I love the covers album 🥳
I think you're spot on with the decline after street fighting years, Belfast child going to number 1 really sent them down the wrong path.
You're right about Sons and fascination as well, take out some of the filler and its a great album, probably my number one.
Once apon a time was the album that I first bought of theirs, it was awsome but I think I'd probably have it ranked at 3 or 4.
After Belfast Child everybody Jumped on the bandwagon which gets up my nose lol
It's funny that you love "ghostdancing" but you don't like "I travel". I always thought of the former as a stadium rock version of the latter.
Ghost dancing is I Travel with a different title 🙄
@@markduffy3787A similarity but I Travel is superior, not so bloated and overstated as Ghostdancing.
@@faddy24 attended a Barrowlands show end of ‘84 maybe beginning of ‘85 and Jim introduced I Travel, he sang the lyrics to I Travel along to the new arrangement which eventually became Ghostdancing on the next album. It sounded really good.
@@markduffy3787 interesting story but which one of the two do you ultimately prefer?
@@faddy24 definitely the Empires and Dance version, I’m really more of a Mick McNeil/ Derek Forbes fan tbh? I’ve found this out as years go by, the band have went of on a tangent that’s really not my bag. And I haven’t seen them live since the Real Life tour.
Thank you for giving Real Life the credit it deserves! It’s a great album and is so overrated.
I would have put Walk Between Worlds one notch above Direction of the Heart.
John was there once upon time
my word.....empires and dance ..trying to sound like depeche mode...in 1980
Someone knows what their talking about 🙄👍🏻❤️
See, I would have put Neapolis above Cry frankly. But I haven't listened to Cry that much to be frank.
Spirited Away is a beautiful song. I'm bemused by how much you detest it but there you go different strokes for different folks.
My 5 favourite SM albums:
1)New Gold Dream (by a golden mile) 9.2/10
2)Sparkle In The Rain. 8.2/10
3)Sons & Fascination 8/10
4)Once Upon A Time 7.8/10
5) Live In The City of Light. 7.7/10.
Their first 3 albums before Sons & Fascination are good, if a bit patchy. All around 7.3 to 7.5 out of 10.
Stay Visible is the best of their later ablums, revitalised and good songwriting - 7.4/10
Real Life 7.3
has some classy emotive moments.
Graffiti Soul 7/10
Good News From The Next World also 7/10. Solid but a bit uninispired.
Sreet Fighting Years, has excellent moments and some really cringey moments. 6.7/10.
I just don't see it personally
@@Iainrankingtheobscure well yes obviously, I was just taken aback by the extent to which you disliked it. For me it's a well written song, with plenty of emotional nuance in Kerr's vocal. It builds up nicely and Burchill adds tasteful and elegant guitar lines. For me it's one of the strongest songs on a slightly lacklustre album.
"C" moon,cry like a baby is the title 😁😁
Hi, NGD great album but the B side is not as good as the A, sparkle in the rain has some great songs, anyway my best 80's album is Prefab Sprout "Steve McQueen", have you done the ranking?
Prefab Sprout are ready to go should be towards the end of the year as I have so mant completed
thanks@@Iainrankingtheobscure
I love I Travel!
Saludos desde Argentina
Is mahogany rush and Helios creed soon?
Yes Helios November Maghogany rush January
@@Iainrankingtheobscure nice ! What's your weather like there? It's in 50s here ! New nik turner live 94 out in Dec with hilios on guitar and on vinyl!! Rejoice Brock hypocrite s! 🤣
@@peterbrickley6041 well God eventually gave us light today was very dark up to 10AM lol
@@Iainrankingtheobscure imagine!
@@IainrankingtheobscureMy Top 6 Simple Minds Albums are in order 1 Sons and fascination, 2 New Gold Dream, 3 Empires and Dance, 4 Real to Real, 5 Sister Feelings call, ( all before end of 1982) 6 Street fighting years.....gonna add a sub in case of injury Sparkle in the Rain .
God help us. 😂😂😂
Look we all hear things differently if you like it that's great just because it's supposed to be a classic l don't have to follow the lemmings l not a fan of it get over it
@@Iainrankingtheobscure each to their own and your quite rightly allowed your opinion. But did you actually do any research into these records beforehand or just give them a listen while running the Hoover round the house? Getting the pronunciation of song titles and Album titles wrong is a bit of a slap in the face to a very loyal fan base who hold these works very dear to their heart. You obviously haven’t taken into consideration the time period when those first 5 recordings were made and what other music was around at the time. They were all held up as groundbreaking music by their contemporaries at the time ( before Depeche Mode btw) and Empires/ Sons and Sister are masterworks
@@markduffy3787 We are going round in circles here how I listen to music is not the issue its because I ranked them Low Just because they supposedly groundbreaking does not mean I have to like them . Its a personal choice just accept that you're making a mountain out of the mole hill.
Couldnt agree more about the use of drum machines after Real Life. I pretty much switched off after that. To be fair, they were never the same band after Forbes left, and when MacNeil left it was game over..... And lastly, Peter Gabriel's version of Biko was awful, so SM had no chance with it 😂