Lisa Davis46 said:But honestly, even Simple Minds are being categorized that way these days. Two albums.It doesn't matter if they both happen to come out in the same year. Every single project stands on its own two feet as its own unique entity, right? 😛 I have to say, I’m totally on board with what she was saying just now. I’ve been thinking about those old-school American crosswords lately—the kind you find in a Sunday paper or tucked inside a local magazine. There’s something uniquely satisfying about the hunt, isn't there? It’s like a little mental puzzle designed to test how much trivia you've actually retained from a lifetime of reading and watching the news. It’s a slow burn, a deliberate process of elimination that requires a certain level of patience. You can't rush it, much like a good cup of coffee or a long drive through the Midwest. You just have to sit with it, let the clues sink in, and wait for that "aha!" moment. I'm looking at the first page of our thread right now, and I'm honestly stuck. I haven't quite decided which cover image to go with yet. 😁 Both?
Actually, when it comes to Simple Minds, I’ve always found myself gravitating toward the stuff that fits perfectly right after those early suggestions I gave you. There are two tracks in particular from that era that I honestly think might be some of their absolute best work. That said, it’s probably high time I went back and revisited those even earlier albums to freshen things up.
Regarding the cover art, since I originally pitched this as a "2-in-1" release, it probably makes the most sense to go with that specific layout—you know, where the main album gets the spotlight in the center, and the bonus material is tucked neatly along the side on the same sleeve.
What Gerald Jackson48 just posted is absolutely spot on.
New Gold Dream is what you’d call—with a few caveats—easy listening, but infused with that specific new wave and synth-pop energy that was driving everything back then.
No, you absolutely can't just gloss over everything they turned their backs on up until the mid-90s.
There’s something truly special about *Once Upon a Time*. It’s an absolute anthem-heavy MOR pop masterpiece packed with massive hits. That said, I’d argue *Street Fighting Years* is actually a step up in terms of pure quality. It feels much more fleshed out and melodically complex, even if those big radio singles take a bit of a backseat to the deeper artistry.
If you look at the discography, there’s a certain sweet spot right around where *Real Life* sits—somewhere between those two specific albums. But once you get past *Good News from the Next World*, things start taking a bit of a nosedive. Aside from maybe the occasional single, the quality of the releases just keeps sliding, and honestly, that downward trend hasn't really stopped to this day.
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