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Editorial Reviews

In 1991, Simple Minds seemed to have come to the end of the road, with the remaining trio of Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, and Mel Gaynor going on what looked like a permanent hiatus. Their supposed demise prompted Virgin to release a roundup of the band's music, Glittering Prize 81/92, which distraught British fans took to the top of the U.K. albums chart. Even at the time, the set raised a few eyebrows. Why 1981, for starters? The group debuted in 1979, while its breakthrough came in 1982, not 1981. Obviously, the answer lay in contractual concerns, although that doesn't explain the 1992 date; the band released nothing that year at all. In any event, Simple Minds released 17 Top 30 U.K. hits between those dates, and most of them can be found here, including the mega-hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)," making its first-ever appearance on one of their own albums; it was previously only available on The Breakfast Club soundtrack. Elsewhere, "Mandela Day" is a nice political gesture, but having appeared both on album and the flip side of the "Belfast Child" smash, its inclusion comes at the expense of other hits, including "This Is Your Land," "Stand by Love," and "Kick It In." Those more recent (1989-1991) chart-busters were probably felt to be a bit superfluous, but more surprising is the omission of 1984's "Up on the Catwalk," whose rather lowly placing of number 27 belies its popularity at the time. As one comes to expect from these sorts of things, the set is not chronological, nor is there any sense of sequencing, the album jumping madly about in time, tempo, and mood. Stick it on your iPod and hit shuffle -- chances are the songs will play in a more conducive order than they are on the album itself. That said, it's still a great album, from the compulsive "Love Song" to the epic "Waterfront," from the heartbreakingly beautiful "Belfast Child" to the gem of a title track and on to the truly unforgettable "Don't You." There was more to Simple Minds than their singles, but this compilation is a reminder of how truly great they were back then on 45. And there was still much more to come. [A 16-track Canadian version was also released.] Dave Thompson, All Music Guide

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