Reason #281 & #280: Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call
From Allmusic: “Sister Feelings Call was initially a bonus LP sold with part of the initial pressing of 1981’s Sons and Fascination. A month after Sons and Fascination was released, Sister Feelings Call was issued separately at a budget price. And then, for Virgin’s 1985 CD issue of Sons, Sister was added to the end (albeit minus “League of Nations” and “Sound in 70 Cities”).”
Clear as mud? It doesn’t matter how these two SImple Minds albums were released. All you need to know is that they were released smack dab in the middle of their creative peak and are two of the best albums in their discography, building on their mission to bring art rock and dance rock together. Both albums contain their fare share of classic art-pop moments: Sons and Fascination with In Trance As Mission, Sweat In Bullet and especially Love Song; Sister Feelings Call contains The American and Theme For Great Cities and is definitely the more experimental of the two.
But the legacy of both of these albums is where they pointed, sonically, which was directly at the anthemic euro-rock stylings of follow up New Gold Dream. As I have mentioned before you can’t go wrong with anything this band released from 1979’s Real To Real Cacophony all the way to ’84’s Sparkle In The Rain, their last great album of the 1980’s. For those that are keeping track, that’s SIX fantastic and groundbreaking albums in FIVE short years.
As you say, one of the greatest runs a band has ever had. Makes me happy to see you included Sparkle in the Rain. I know you have been on the fence about that one in the past. I can’t even imagine how many times I have listened to Sweat in Bullet and Love Song these past 30-plus years.
Thanks Brian. Yeah, I was lucky enough to see them for their Sparkle in the Rain tour, right before they went and got a little too bombastic for my tastes. As you say, I did go through a phase where SITR was left on the shelf a little too long, but I have since come around and consider it a great album. I suppose the recently released “Deluxe” versions had a little something to do with that. Thanks as always for visiting, Brian.
Hard to believe that anyone cld say th 80s “sucked”
My life wldn’t be complete w that fantastic decade:
Cheers!
Arrrrrgh! You actually saw them on the Tour Du Monde? Insane jealousy! Of course with a post about Simple Minds, I had to come sniffing around! I actually wrote to A+M Records for tour dates back in 1984 and got an A+M gofer reply with the dates by mail. Nothing remotely close to Florida! It was my top priority to see them live in 1984, and looking back with 31 years of hindsight, I was absolutely correct. There is nothing on this earth like the sound of the band on that tour! Alas, I finally saw them on their next US tour, much to my chagrin!
Hey Mlbradford, thanks for stopping by! So great to see there are so many of us with the same feelings toward that misunderstood decade.
Postpunkmonk, I just knew I could lure you in with another post on the Minds! Yeah, I was lucky enough to be at the right age in close proximity to Toronto’s Wonderland theme park, which hosted a HUGE number of great ’80’s bands. I saw Simple Minds twice, New Gold Dream and Sparkle tour.
For those who may not be aware PLEASE go visit postpunkmonk’s site and read his fantastically detailed multi-part (and I do mean multi-part!) dive into the varied career of Simple Minds. It’s a great read, I was totally immersed for months, and I think you will be too.