Jim Kerr interview, Marketplace
The whole of Jim's interview with Scotland's Sunday Herald Magazine (11/06/00) has now been uploaded. It's accompanied with some new shots of Jim.
The interview can be found here
There's an addition to Christian Sinn's Set Sale: French promotional CD of Don't You (Forget About Me) and Love Song, SA 3271. Mint conditions. Offers please.
Utah Saints, Bootlegs, Marketplace, Jim Kerr interview
Mention has been made on the mailing list of the cover of New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) by The Utah Saints.
Appearing as the opener on Utah Saints self titled debut album (FFRR 828379.2) in 1993, it's an uptempto dance track as expected from The Saints, joining other melodies and samples across the album. (Some of which were taken from Eurythmics and Kate Bush releases.) New Gold Dream appears to be the only cover version on the album - the rest being the band's own compositions, albeit with piles of samples.
Their interest in Simple Minds lead to Utah Saints remixing I Travel for the European War Babies CD release.
When asked about the various covers and samples of New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) (ranging from the legal Utah Saints interpretation to the illegal samples in Open Your Mind by U.S.U.R.A), Simple Minds were tight lipped at the time only offering "No comment".
The final Real Live bootleg has now been uploaded. The double CD release, Real Live covers the concert at Eissporthalle, Grefrath, Germany, recorded on the 17th September 1991.
This leaves only six CD bootlegs to go, which cover the Good News From The Next World and Néapolis tours.
Whilst on the subject of bootlegs, have you ever wanted to purchase a copy of the Silver And Gold triple coloured vinyl boxset (Once Upon A Time tour) or the ultra rare Steve And Nelson Day! (Street Fighting Years tour)?
Christian Sinn has these items for sale in his updated Set Sale in the Marketplace, included in a large list of interesting rare Simple Minds items.
An interview with Jim was published by The Sunday Heald yesterday. It mainly concentrated on his business deals, and ventures into e-commerce.
"Instead he's buying and on the shopping list so far are loft complexes, bits of restaurant chains, chunks of Internet start-ups, shareholdings in football clubs and an interest in a film company. It's as if Kerr, having done that New York-Tokyo-Paris rock star thing with Simple Minds, has returned with a goodie bag of ideas and concepts for his home town."
There were references to the new album, still with an Internet-angle, since Jim mentioned the the AOL purchase of the record company, and the current battle between the 'free' Internet distribution of music and the traditional record companies:
"He's also keeping a weather eye on developments in the music industry/e-pioneers face-off which threatens the royalties of the big bands and major labels. 'It's quite intriguing for us because we have handed over what could be our last contractual album for EMI and they've sat on it for seven or eight months while they were bought by AOL, so we're waiting to see what's going to happen,' he says. 'So on the one hand you'd say, 'Well, what a great time to be independent', if that indeed is the case. But on the other hand it's like, 'Mmm, music for free - someone has to pay for it or else how's it going to get made?'"
(In 1996 Q Magazine reported that Simple Minds had signed a five album deal with Chrysalis Records. Not the most accurate piece of reporting - the deal was always for two albums, which have now been delivered.)
"...A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the car, the kids were in the back we were talking about some plans we had for next year and Yasmin says 'Are you putting out a new record next year' and I say 'Yeah, looks like it' and there's a silence. Then Natalie says 'Are you going to be on TV' and I say 'Well I hope so'. Again there's a silence. Then I definitely heard one of them say 'Oh fuck'."
The whole interview can be found on the Waterfront web site.
Some Sweet Day 2000, Items Wanted
The online flyer for this years Some Sweet Day 2000 has now been uploaded. You can view it at: www.runninglate.freeservers.com/marathons/sm.
Updates to the Marketplace: Ashraf Sayed is after a copy of the Verona video. Can you help out?
Items For Sale
Guido Slagen has a large list of Simple Minds items for sale. "I had some items for sale on Dream Giver, back in 1998. Response has been great. Now however I would like to sell the remaining 268 items of my collection."The list of Guido's items can be found in the Marketplace or you can directly download it here.
"I will consider every reasonable offer, accept cash only, and will calculate shipping cost according to the amount and size of items I have to ship."
Eurovision Song Contest, Band For The Tribes
Chorus Of Calls For Scotland’s Own Eurovision Song Entry It was an appropriate title. Now, the embarrassing failure of Don’t Play That Song Again, Britain’s Eurovision Song Contest entry, has prompted politicians and musicians to demand that Scotland be allowed its own entry in future.
Pop stars including Jim Kerr, the lead singer of Simple Minds, have joined the Scottish National Party and the Liberal Democrats in demanding that Scotland be allowed to avoid such shame after Britain finished 16th out of 24 on Saturday night, behind countries such as Latvia.
They believe that Scotland could do no worse - and that the example of a Celtic neighbour proves we could do significantly better. "As the Irish know, if you do it well and get success it brings you a lot of popularity," said Mike Russell, the SNP’s culture spokesman. "It can cost a lot, but I’m quite sure we will take part. We have to use the talent of the very best Scottish song-writers."
Mr Russell said a Scottish entry would be viewed by about 200 million people in 30 countries, plus an estimated six million others on the internet. "Those figures represent an economic opportunity not to be missed," he said.
A culture spokesman for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Ian Jenkins, said Scotland had every right to take a place in the competition and described the notion as a "lovely idea", but the Borders MSP said it could pose problems for the organisers.
"We could enter and we could very well win, but if we were admitted other regions like Bavaria and Catalonia might also look to join. If that happened the contest would be a week long and, to be honest, three to four hours is enough."
Jim Kerr said Eurovision’s traditional use of political voting meant Scotland would have a great chance of winning. He said: "We should enter it. Scotland is a popular nation, and just being Scottish brings a lot of goodwill. We would probably get all the points that England wouldn’t get, and, with the Auld Alliance, we could expect 12 points from the French every year."
Scottish artists have entered before under the British banner. Lulu triumphed in 1969 with Boom Bang A Bang.
The contest has been held in Edinburgh, when Moira Shearer hosted it at the Usher Hall in 1972, but there have been failures too. Kenneth McKellar was Britain’s entry in 1966, but his song, A Man Without Love, sank without trace.
Ronnie Browne, who, as part of the Corries, made Flower of Scotland the country’s unofficial national anthem, agreed it was a chance to sell "Scotland the Brand" to the world. "Riverdance came from a performance at Eurovision, and if you look at what that has done for Irish music across the world you can see how powerful the event can be," he said.
The debate over an independent Scots entry comes amid increasing concern, however, that the Eurovision Song Contest is being devalued. The most successful Eurovision entrant ever, the Irish singer Johnny Logan, said the event had been turned into karaoke because competitors had this year been allowed to use backing tracks.
Mr Russell said: "It’s become a bit devalued in recent years because a lot of the entries appear to have been written by formula.
"Countries that have been successful are those that have been individualistic, and we are certainly individualistic."
Fish, the former lead singer with Marillion, said entering Eurovision would be political suicide for a young band. "A lot of these songs seem to have written by tired writers who have nothing better to do than write a song for the Eurovision Song Contest. Until it gets through to a different age group, it’s never really going to work.It’s a middle-aged view of what pop music should be."
Scotsman Newspaper
15/05/00Dave Kelly posted the following message to the Simple Minds mailing list:
"Me and Steve flew to Hamm, Germany to record a demo for Band For The Tribes with our drummer Thorsten this weekend.
Whilst having a meal outside an Italian restaurant on Saturday night, the owner came up to me and asked if I would play the piano. Steve joined me on vocals and we treated the public in the town square in Hamm to renditions of Street Fighting Years, Belfast Child, Alive and Kicking, Never Tear Us Apart by INXS, I Don't Like Mondays by Boomtown Rats, PPT and Interlude from Mick's album. It was great, Steve got everyone clapping and was a great part of a really eventful weekend."
People-Places-Things, Items For Sale, London Meet
People-Places-Things
MIXMUSIC MIXCD001
Ex-Simple Minds keyboardist produces bumper package of "evocative instrumentals"
Mick MacNeil quit Simple Minds in 1990 and is at pains to point out that he has had other things on his mind since, as photographs of dogs, motorbikes and children indicate. But MacNeil clearly believes in this solo debut. Limpid piano ballads, faux-techno and a fairly shameless attempt at emulating the success of Karl Jenkins' Adiemus : all immaculately tailored but to what end?The mood remains one of quality foyer music, or the accompaniment to a wistful section in a drama about the fishing industry. Many tracks were indeed commissioned thus, and if Genny isn't already the theme to BBC Scotland's bowls highlights, it soon will be. Deftly executed then, and an imaginative venture in marketing, but musically merely pleasant, and the merely pleasant soon becomes a bore.
Available from www.mixmuzik.com
Q: June 2000
Stuart Maconie
2/5
The June issue of Q Magazine reviewed Mick MacNeil's People, Places And Things album in their recent June issue - not the best of results. Elsewhere the magazine lists the 100 Greatest British albums ever. A list that included Rio by Duran Duran, Dare by The Human League and The Lexicon Of Love by ABC didn't stretch to including anything by Simple Minds (where New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) would've fitted in well).
U2 weren't listed either, but Q were at pains to point out that the band weren't 'British'. I'd like to think that Simple Minds sound wasn't considered 'British' enough - whatever that is.
The band did get a mention, and a small picture in the Scottish section (a crop of a Jill Furmanovsky shot taken in 1983).
Those on the mailing list will know that a collection of Simple Minds items are up for offers. This includes the limited edition Street Fighting Years limited edition box set and the rare Simplemente compilation LP.
You can find the list of items here.
Again, those on the mailing list will know about the informal meet which will take place in July. After it was discovered that some fans from around the world were in London at the same time, it became a natural suggestion to meet up.The day starts at All Bar One in Leicester Square, London on the 15th July at 10 AM. In the evening, a meal and visit a club has been suggested.
E-mail Clive Johnson for more information.
New Album, Some Sweet Day 2000, Mick MacNeil, Kevin Hunter, Simple Minds Una Vita, Bootlegs, Fila Brazillia, New Dream Giver
The latest news from Chrysalis is: "The new album does not have a firm release date yet, so there isn't very much solid info that I can give you at the moment." So it looks like the dates published here on the 30th March were incorrect.There may be a single in the late summer, but that's not definite. The album looks like being released in September or October now.
Since last year, Todd's been increasing the size of his Simple Minds collection, which now includes all four Theme volumes and more bootlegs (including Art Appeal). Last year a number of rare tracks were broadcast (including New Warm Skin - probably a first time broadcast for that) and Real Live 91. The highlight was an exclusive interview with Jim (which can be found in Who's Doing The Dreaming Now #9 and here).
The date for your diaries is July 6th, 7AM - 1AM ESP. There will be an online flyer soon.
Information about Todd and Aaron can be found on the Running Late web site.
As mentioned in a previous new page, Mick MacNeil was interviewed by The Scottish Sun and the Evening Times as part of the launch of People, Places And Things.
The Evening Times interview (published March 31st) can now be read here. Differences from the Sun interview include a mention of his collaboration with Eddi Reader for a recent ScotRail advert. Not only did he turn down working with Annie Lennox but Kate Bush as well. Plus there's the telling quote: "In retrospect, if we'd all taken a year off I might still be in the band to this day."
MacNeil and Jim Kerr have been in contact in recent months and there is a strong possiblity the old bandmates will team up again soon. "Nothing has been set in stone, however, but hopefully something will come off."
An interesting interview, less sensational than the Scottish Sun piece.
I interviewed Kevin Hunter by e-mail for Who's Doing The Dreaming Now? #9. This took place was early last year, before he was confirmed as the co-producer of the new album.
The interview can now be found on the Wire Train website at www.wiretrain.net.
The cost of Simple Minds Una Vita is £10 for Italy, and £12 for Europe (this is for both volumes.) Translation of the book into English is a possibility, but Cristina's next priority is issue #6 of Le Menti fanzine.
You can e-mail Cristina at lementi@libero.it and find more details at the Le Menti web site.
The bootlegs covering the band's 1991 LA gig have finally all been covered (although there's more out there.)
The bootleg discograpy continues and documents a double CD release Real... Real Live which features the band's Milton Keynes gig.
Fila Brazillia have released a double CD album: Brazilification Remixes 85-99. Collected with remixes of Radiohead and Moloko is Fila's remix of Theme For Great Cities (incorrectly stated as Theme From Great Cities on the sleeve.)
However, like many things with connected with Fila Brazillia, it's not that clear cut.
Three remixes of Theme For Great Cities by Fila Brazillia have already appeared across various Simple Minds releases. The most ambient appears on the 12" promo for Glitterball, the single version is different including samples of the original track and the edit version, which appeared on the promotional remix CD, has extra overdubs.
This new version sounds like it's continued evolving from the edit version, with still more overdubs and a new ending and with new ambient melodies. Those who enjoyed Fila's remix should search this album out:
Fila Brazillia: Brazilification Remixes 95-99
Kudos Records KUDCD013
www.kudosrecords.co.uk
With the release of the new album now pushed to September or October, the launch of the new Dream Giver web site has also been delayed. Expect it to launch in the late summer.
