peterr@utcsrgv.UUCP (Peter Rowley) (02/21/84)
Simple Minds: Sparkle in the Rain (Virgin VL-2274)
Up on the Catwalk, Book of Brilliant Things, Speed Your Love to Me,
Waterfront, East at Easter, Street Hassle, White Hot Day,
"C" Moon Cry Like a Baby, The Kick Inside of Me, Shake Off the Ghosts
$6.48 and up in Toronto. No lyric sheet.
It's hard to review the new album by a band that one has been very impressed
with when that band has made a distinct change in direction. Simple Minds
has made such a change with "Sparkle in the Rain". The change can be
summed up by the name of their new producer: Steve Lillywhite.
Steve Lillywhite produced the latest albums by U2 ("War") and Big Country
("The Crossing"). He favours a fairly lean guitar/drums mix, with a
fairly raw edge to the music, though he allows a good deal of mellowing
out at times. If you like the U2/Big Country sound, you will probably
enjoy "Sparkle in the Rain"-- not because it is the same sound, but
because it is a mix of the old Simple Minds sound (rather layered synth
with guitar, drums, and hypnotic chant-like vocals in the background)
and Steve Lillywhite's drum/guitar sound.
Within this general style, the songs on the album show quite a bit of
variation. "East of Easter" is fairly quiet, in the old style of, say
"The Hunter and the Hunted" from their previous album "New Gold Dream".
"Waterfront" is their first single from the album and is quite strong;
it also shows a good deal of the Lillywhite influence, particularly in
the use of drums. The way tension is built and released in this song is
very impressive and it should produce quite a reaction at concerts (as
it did at the concert at which they shot the video). Other songs span
the range between these two, with one odd addition-- a cover of Lou
Reed's "Street Hassle".
Summary:
If you like U2 or Big Country, give this a try; it is impressive to
hear the difference the restrained use of synth. makes to a guitar/drums
sound. If you like previous Simple Minds albums, approach this album
with an open mind-- it is quite different and might even be called a
disappointment, as I don't think they've fused the old and new styles
well consistently and they certainly have discarded much of the old
gentleness. If you're looking for a new style, I would suggest this
album, though I warn you that on some tracks you will swear that
you are listening to U2.
p. rowley, U. Toronto
P. S. This is one of Virgin Canada's first LP's (previously all their
material was made and distributed here by Polygram). Not a bad pressing,
but nothing great either. It did seem a bit more distorted than it should.
Virgin's debut should be welcomed... we got this album very soon after it
was released in the UK and it appears that we'll be getting some of the
more obscure Virgin records (e.g. China Crisis' "Working With Fire and
Steel" and the Flying Picketts' EP with an a capella version of Yaz's
"Only You" on it).