Absolutely transcendentalby Anonymous

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July 18, 2004: If your knowledge of Simple Minds doesn't extend beyond the bloated weight of their mid-eighties stadium era or the fun Brat Pack pop of 'Don't You Forget About Me', then listening to the wonders of New Gold Dream is a bit essential, frankly. if you want to hear one of the most beautiful albums ever made, then again, you really have to listen to New Gold Dream. Frankly, it doesn't matter how dull Simple Minds ended up becoming, because they delivered this, this beautiful, dreamy and stunning album and that's more than what most bands could have dreamed of delivering. New Gold Dream is more than just pop, though it's very much a pop album. All three singles brought them to the attention of the UK charts, and there's plenty more on the LP that would have done well had they been selected as singles. So far, Simple Minds had effectively transformed from post-punk also-rans to purveyors of funky, Bowie-inspired electronics, then onto widescreen, epic soundscapes. New Gold Dream was the culimination of all this movement, it was their brightest, most confident and melodic album to date. The opening chimes of 'Someone, Somewhere in Summertime' are like the sun rising on the most beautiful of summer days. In fact, NGD is one of the quintessensial summer albums: the first seven tracks sparkle and glitter beautifully. The funky, angular rhythms of 'Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel' pave the way for the awesome double-whammy of 'Promised You a Miracle' and 'Big Sleep', which are huge, monumentally spectacular productions and soar and glide. Throughout, Jim Kerr's baritone vocals are brilliantly epic and yet understated, unlike the free-for-all indulgence of his later performances. And this is what sets NGD apart from most BIG, epic albums. It's indeed a massive album, destined to be played in some imaginary heaven or airborne utopia, yet never does it lapse into pomposity or bloatedness. In fact, the album is extraordinarily light-of-foot and vertigo-inducingly giddy. The huge 'Big Sleep' is probably the best example of this on the album, teetering over visions of outrageous beauty and distant paradise. The ending to this song is probably the ultimate Simple Minds moment, especially as it preceeds the transcendental 'Somebody Up There Likes You', an utterly gorgeous instrumental that reaches for the skies and finds its place there, nestling beautifully amongst the clouds and discovering some kind of inner bliss that's rarely been as conveyed as effectively by anyone else on record. Side Two of the original vinyl release kicks off with the stunning title track, the band's most thrilling and exciting pop song, and the band's own 'One Nation Under a Groove' in that it seems to suggest a whole new utopia of happiness and wonderous fulfillment. Too good to be true, and followed by the so-lovely-it-hurts 'Glittering Prize', one of the most elegant, stately and beautiful singles ever released. After this, the sun begins to set on the album, and the autumnal grace of 'Hunter and the Hunted' begins to close the sound of the New Gold Dream on a beautiful note. After all of this, the ever-so-slightly dark and sinister 'King is White and in the Crowd' ends the album proper on an uncertain, unsure tone, and remains one of the band's greatest achivements. So far, Simple Minds had made albums that contained great songs, but NGD was their first truly great album. it is immaculately produced, constructed and sequenced, and it is one of the few...