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Simple Minds / Once Upon A Time six-disc super deluxe edition box

By Paul Sinclair

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133

Simple Minds Once Upon A Time 3D
Universal Music will follow-up this year’s Sparkle in the Rain box set with a new Simple Minds super deluxe edition, this time a six-disc exploration of the album that came next, 1985’s Once Upon A Time.

The Jimmy Iovine and Bob Clearmountain produced long-player was a major commercial success. It spawned four top twenty singles in Britain and reached the top ten in America and hit the top spot in the UK.

This new super deluxe edition – released 30 years after the original – is a 5CD+DVD set and has two bonus CDs packed with B-sides, remixes and edits including three previously unreleased remixes of Alive and Kicking and an unheard alternative edit of Sanctify Yourself. Although US number one Don’t You (Forget About Me) wasn’t featured on the original record, the seven-inch and twelve inch versions are present and correct on disc two of this set.

The Live in the City of Light double live album also forms part of this new set, filling discs four and five. Originally released in 1987, this was mostly recorded in Paris in 1986 on the Once Upon A Time tour.

Disc six is a DVD-A/V that features a hi-res 96/24 5.1 surround sound mix of the album that has previously been released on standalone DVD-A in 2005. The DVD also includes promo videos for all the singles and Don’t You (Forget About Me).

All the music on the CDs has been newly remastered and this set comes with a 36-page booklet that includes rare photos, new interviews with Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill and a track-by-track guide. A 2CD deluxe is also available as well as a vinyl LP edition.

The Once Upon A Time super deluxe edition box set is released on 4 December 2015.

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Simple Minds Once Upon A Time Flat
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Once Upon A Time super deluxe box set

once_2CD

Once Upon A Time 2CD Deluxe

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Once Upon A Time Vinyl LP

track_listing

Once Upon A Time Super Deluxe Edition:

DISC ONE

  • 1. Once Upon A Time
  • 2. All The Things She Said
  • 3. Ghost Dancing
  • 4. Alive And Kicking
  • 5. Oh Jungleland
  • 6. I Wish You Were Here
  • 7. Sanctify Yourself
  • 8. Come A Long Way

DISC TWO – Single mixes, B-sides and alternates

  • 1. Don’t You (Forget About Me)
  • 2. A Brass Band In Africa
  • 3. Don’t You (Forget About Me) [Extended Version]
  • 4. A Brass Band In African Chimes
  • 5. Alive And Kicking [Edit]
  • 6. Alive And Kicking [Instrumental]
  • 7. Up On The Catwalk [Live] (Barrowland, Glasgow: 5th January 1985)
  • 8. Alive And Kicking [7” Remix Edit] PREVIOUSLY UNRELASED
  • 9. Alive And Kicking [12” Remix] PREVIOUSLY UNRELASED
  • 10. Alive And Kicking [Kervorkian 12” Remix] PREVIOUSLY UNRELASED
  • 11. Sanctify Yourself [Edit]
  • 12. Sanctify Yourself [Instrumental]
  • 13. Sanctify Yourself [Alternative Edit] PREVIOUSLY UNRELASED

DISC THREE – Single mixes, B-sides and alternates

  • 1. Street Hassle [Live] (Ahoy, Rotterdam: 3rd December 1985)
  • 2. Love Song [Live] (Ahoy, Rotterdam: 3rd December 1985)
  • 3. Sanctify Yourself [Extended Mix]
  • 4. Sanctify Yourself [Dub]
  • 5. All The Things She Said [Edit]
  • 6. Promised You A Miracle [US Remix]
  • 7. All The Things She Said [Extended Version]
  • 8. Don’t You (Forget About Me) [Live] (Ahoy, Rotterdam: 3rd December 1985)
  • 9. Ghost Dancing [Special Extended 12″ Remix]
  • 10. Ghost Dancing [Instrumental]
  • 11. Oh Jungleland [Special Extended 12″ Remix]
  • 12. Oh Jungleland [Instrumental]

DISC FOUR – Live In The City Of Light

  • 1. Ghost Dancing
  • 2. Big Sleep
  • 3. Waterfront
  • 4. Promised You A Miracle
  • 5. Someone Somewhere In Summertime
  • 6. Oh Jungleland
  • 7. Alive And Kicking

DISC FIVE – Live In The City Of Light

  • 1. Don’t You Forget About Me
  • 2. Once Upon A Time
  • 3. Book Of Brilliant Things
  • 4. East At Easter
  • 5. Sanctify Yourself
  • 6. Love Song – Sun City – Dance To The Music
  • 7. New Gold Dream

DISC SIX – DVD A/V

Once Upon A Time – 5.1 Mix

  • 1. Once Upon A Time
  • 2. All The Things She Said
  • 3. Ghost Dancing
  • 4. Alive And Kicking
  • 5. Oh Jungleland
  • 6. I Wish You Were Here
  • 7. Sanctify Yourself
  • 8. Come A Long Way
  • Once Upon A Time – Stereo
  • 9. Once Upon A Time
  • 10. All The Things She Said
  • 11. Ghost Dancing
  • 12. Alive And Kicking
  • 13. Oh Jungleland
  • 14. I Wish You Were Here
  • 15. Sanctify Yourself
  • 16. Come A Long Way

Promo Videos

  • 17. Don’t You (Forget About Me)
  • 18. Alive And Kicking
  • 19. Sanctify Yourself
  • 20. All The Things She Said
  • 21. Ghost Dancing

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Simple Minds Once Upon A Time Flat
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Once Upon A Time super deluxe box set

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Once Upon A Time 2CD Deluxe

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Once Upon A Time Vinyl LP

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133 Comments

133 thoughts on “Simple Minds / Once Upon A Time six-disc super deluxe edition box”

  3. Jason, “Live In The City Of Light” was added at the last minute, as the Rotterdam tapes had a great deal of pops and drop-outs, and so couldn’t be used.

    I can understand therefore why it wasn’t remastered again, as it was substituted at the last minute. The 2002 was far better than the original 1987 anyway, and nothing needed doing to it anyway in my view.

    I let it slip about NGD, and Paul has now confirmed it.

    Steve Hammonds told me in March 2015 that there would be two more box sets in 2016, and that NGD would be the first with probably SFY to follow, but that’s as much as I can say, really.

    1. Great news! I wonder if “Promised You A Miracle [U.S. Remix]” will be featured on the “New Gold Dream” box set. If so, let’s hope that we don’t get the same transfer as on the “Once Upon A Time” box set. Whatever the case, let’s hope that they don’t screw up something. :/

  4. John, thanks for mentioning the update of it no longer being “under review”. I have since revised my review at Amazon UK. But, you are right. We’ve taken it as far as it can go. I did, however, send a nice e-mail to Cressida and copied Sam Router on it as well, citing the recent compilations with better sounding versions of the two tracks. I thanked her for her time and despite having complaints about the sound, I stated that I still really enjoyed the box set and look forward to more releases.

    I was not aware that the live album was not newly remastered and used the 2002 Simon Heyworth remasters. Wow. (I didn’t know this because I don’t own the 2002 live album remaster, so I could not compare). I suppose that it’s not surprising, however. No complaints here, however, since I actually like Heyworth’s remasters.

    Do you think that we will get a “New Gold Dream” box set? I hope so!

  5. Thanks for posting the review on Amazon UK, Jason.

    The box set is however now for sale again and no longer “under review”, so Universal have no doubt told them what they’ve told us.

    Even though I’m not buying it as 2 of these tracks have been licensed several times in the last ten years, and sound fine, I think Paul is probably right, and we’ve reached the end of the road now.

    We’ve tried our best and taken it as far as we can. It’s still a fine box set overall.

    I’m still annoyed about these four tracks and the fact they didn’t Remaster the Live album and just repressed the 2002 (dB levels and track timings identical to the fourth decimal point), and used new disc labels.

    If I’ve learnt one lesson from the two box sets released so far, it’s to wait for the reviews to come in for the New Gold Dream box set before buying it!

  6. It might be an idea to email [email protected] as well, as Cressida is Customer Services and Sam headed up the project.

    Jason, perhaps you could add your excellent amazon.com review to Amazon UK to help other fans thinking of buying this set.

    Why Universal can’t just admit they used an inferior tape source for these four tracks (in sourcing the rare edit), when better sources were available is beyond me.

    1. I think Universal have been fairly open haven’t they? They came back with a very detailed response, in the end. They’ve acknowledged it’s not perfect, so I’m not really sure what else will be achieved by continuing to email them and complain.

      1. In all fairness, Paul Sinclair, it took quite a bit of effort for Universal Music to admit the mistake in the first place. It was denial after denial, so forgive me for drawing this out further. By the way, it is nice to see you pop in here after all this time.

        I am not going to e-mail Universal Music to complain again. So, what else will be achieved? Probably nothing at all, but it’s worth getting off my chest. I am simply going to point out the other recent compilations in which a couple of these tracks appeared in much better quality. That way they are aware that possible alternatives do exist in the extremely rare case that they do a re-press, seeing now that Amazon UK has it listed “under review” and not for sale.

        John Thomson, I was already thinking about posting my Amazon.com review over to Amazon UK so that fans are aware of the audio imperfections and can make a decision from there. Now I am more encouraged to do it because not only is it now “under review” but none of the reviews mention the audio imperfections. I have not e-mailed Cressida yet, so I will do that and copy Sam Router as well.

  7. I will e-mail Cressida back, mentioning the other compilations in which superior, master tape quality, sources can be found. It’s amazing how things like this get overlooked. It reminds me of the Tears For Fears “Songs From The Big Chair” Super Deluxe Edition, in which “Shout [U.S. 7″ Edit]” is a vinyl transfer, even though it’s been featured on dozens of CD compilations over the years in master tape quality. It’s amazing how things like that happen.

  8. Amazon UK have pulled the box set from sale.

    I wonder how many complaints/returns there has to be before a product is placed “under review”.

    It will be interesting to see how Universal respond and whether they continue to “hold the line” that the tapes are knackered…

  9. Jason i totally agree. so should we all contact Universal again and tell them that it’s usual to reveal other sources if the master tapes a lost / damaged . They act as this was their first reissue project.

  10. Likewise, Cressida sent me the same e-mail this morning:

    “Hello Jason,

    We have been advised that we have checked the master copies and finished product again, and also had a consultant do the same, and although we acknowledge that tracks 5-7 disc 3 are not quite as bright, we do not believe this to be a fault that warrants a repress. We have also had Abbey Road look at this and explain the rationale thoroughly, please see below

    “The tapes are copy masters and not of the best quality and are versions from different sources. They do not equate in quality with the original album master. The tracks on Disc 3 are at 96K 24 bit and so were taken from the analogue source (and not Umatic) and have not been subject to MP3 or any other limiting by Abbey Road, during the mastering…the sound quality of the 4 tracks on disc 3 is not of the best quality and is less bright than other tapes as observed but is as ‘per the original source tape’. This tape is a copy version and does not survive in the best quality. It was baked and is suffering from age and audio loss. If you try to re-eq and make it brighter (we tried this just now) it becomes arguably more distorted and even less defined in the louder sections, fuzzy and arguably worse… These are much rarer more historic mixes and edits and the quality of them will always be ‘as per the source.

    Many thanks,
    Cressida Mudaliar
    Customer Services Advisor”

    John, I forgot all about “Promised You A Miracle [U.S. Remix]” being available on the first 12″/80s release (from 2004), also released on Universal. I just pulled out my copy, and you are correct. It sounds perfectly fine, other than the excessive compression. I hear no hollowness or lack of brightness. In fact, it’s probably a bit too bright for my ears.

    As you’ve stated, I think that it boils down to them sourcing different tapes, which may have started deteriorating, for this box set, resulting in the poor audio quality. Meanwhile, it turns out that, as the very least, “Promised You A Miracle [U.S. Remix]” and “All The Things She Said [Extended Version]” could have been sourced from much better master tape quality sources. It seems to me that nobody bothered to look at past releases for these mixes and tried finding their original sources. Perhaps this task would have been too exhaustive of a process. Aren’t these tracks kept on a hard drive or something? I’m just surprised that flat transfers of these tracks are not readily available already, especially considering their releases on recent compilations.

  11. Interesting analysis, Jason.

    Incidentally, Promised You A Miracle (US Remix) appeared on the 12″/80’s compilation and also sounded fine to me, in comparison to the new one.

    Maybe in sourcing the new edit, they came across the other tracks on the same tape and used these as well, explaining why all four sound bad.

    I am pleased that at least they have acknowledged the tracks are “less bright”, less pleased that they haven’t conceded they used an inferior tape source for these tracks.

    Anyway, I can live with it…

  12. The same mail :((((( although we all know that better sounding sources are available

    Hello Frank

    We have been advised that we have checked the master copies and finished product again, and also had a consultant do the same, and although we acknowledge that tracks 5-7 disc 3 are not quite as bright, we do not believe this to be a fault that warrants a repress. We have also had Abbey Road look at this and explain the rationale thoroughly, please see below

    “The tapes are copy masters and not of the best quality and are versions from different sources. They do not equate in quality with the original album master. The tracks on Disc 3 are at 96K 24 bit and so were taken from the analogue source (and not Umatic) and have not been subject to MP3 or any other limiting by Abbey Road, during the mastering…the sound quality of the 4 tracks on disc 3 is not of the best quality and is less bright than other tapes as observed but is as ‘per the original source tape’. This tape is a copy version and does not survive in the best quality. It was baked and is suffering from age and audio loss. If you try to re-eq and make it brighter (we tried this just now) it becomes arguably more distorted and even less defined in the louder sections, fuzzy and arguably worse… These are much rarer more historic mixes and edits and the quality of them will always be ‘as per the source.

  13. John Thomson, thank you for the update. Sam Router and Abbey Road, a big thumbs up to you for admitting that a problem actually exists with the sound quality on these tracks. That’s a huge start instead of just denying the audio issue, as evident by Cressida’s e-mails. I have no reason to doubt the “tape deterioration” stance as the response from Sam and Abbey Road, yet I still have a few questions and comments.

    Based on some research that I’ve done, “All The Things She Said [Edit]” has never been released on CD previously (please correct me if I am wrong), not even on the 2013 “Celebration” greatest hits package, which included almost all single/edit versions. I would have to guess that the reason for not including the “Edit” version on “Celebration” is due to not finding a good quality master for its inclusion (or did the U.K. 7″ feature the album version?), so the “LP Version” was used in its place.

    Since the label apparently went back to the original copy masters in order to compile this box set, the tape for “All The Things She Said [Edit]” could have very well deteriorated, resulting in audio quality loss and explaining why it sounds the way that it does on disc 3 of the box set. A simple solution to this problem would have been to re-create this “Edit” from the original “LP Version”. The edit is very simple to do, and I will be doing it myself.

    Now on to “Promised You A Miracle [U.S. Remix]”. Originally, I stated that I didn’t really find anything wrong with the audio quality on this track. Listening to it again, I can hear the hollow sound of it. The original “LP Version” has always sounded somewhat hollow to me (due to its production), so I naturally assumed that this was the way that it was meant to sound. Then again, I was not familiar with this mix of the song, so I did not immediately recognize the sound flaws. If the tape is bad, then I suppose that nothing could have been done to salvage this track, except for maybe handing it over to a vinyl transfer expert. Or, perhaps the label could have sourced the 1990 “Themes” collection for a better quality version of this mix?

    “All The Things She Said [Extended Version]” is where I have a big problem. I have this “Extended Version” on two recent compilations — “80s 12″ Party”, released in 2011 on EMI Gold, and “so80s 8”, released in 2013 on SoundColours. Both compilations feature a much superior, master tape quality version of “All The Things She Said [Extended Version]”. In fact, “80s 12″ Party” credits Abbey Road Studios, the same studio in which Andrew Walter mastered the 2015 box set, with the mastering.

    While I believe that the master copy of this extended version may have deteriorated, how can we explain the superior quality on these compilations? I hear no imperfections or audio quality loss whatsoever on these releases. Was the master just fine in 2011 or 2013? Why doesn’t Universal have a copy of this “flawless” version as a backup? Or, does the label not know that it had already “rescued” this version in superior quality and licensed it twice in the last few years? Oversights tend to happen, and an oversight could very well be what happened with “All The Things She Said [Extended Version]” on the box set, unfortunately.

    As for “Don’t You (Forget About Me) [Live At Rotterdam, 3rd December 1985]”, I must state that I find it odd that previous tracks from the exact same show – that is, “Street Hassle” and “Love Song”, which are tracks 1 and 2 on disc 3, respectively – sound so much better than “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from the exact same Rotterdam show. Did the master of this live version of “Don’t You” deteriorate before the masters for the other two tracks? I suppose that it could happen, but I find it strange, regardless.

  14. Oh well, I know when I’m beaten! Yet they sounded fine on the Themes box sets. Surely they could have just volume level shifted these tracks to match the rest of the disc?

    When you’ve been listening to this stuff for over thirty years, you do become very familiar with the material, so it’s easy to know when something is not quite right.

    It must seem like it’s just the hard-core fans having another moan, but there is a lot to recommend these sets. I was pleased that Universal rectified the “mono” surround mix on the “Sparkle In The Rain” disc so quickly, and just thought a replacement disc programme would be in place again this time.

    I realise repressings are cost prohibitive and due to the work and resources involved, these retrospective releases must be pretty expensive to produce.

    I am grateful they have at least have taken on board fans’ concerns and looked into this issue. I just thought it might be a simple mastering error which could easily be rectified as all the other tracks sound great.

    I especially like the new Andrew Walter remastered of the main albums. I didn’t think the Simon Heyworth remasters from 2002 could be improved, but they have been.

    That’s it then – I’ve tried!

    Hello John,

    Thanks for your message, I’m glad you are enjoying our reissues of the Simple Minds catalogue.

    I have personally checked the master copies and finished product, and also had our consultant do the same and although you are right that tracks 5-7 disc 3 are not quite as bright, we do not believe this to be a fault that warrants a repress. I have also had Abbey Road look at this and explain our rational thoroughly, please see below

    “The tapes are copy masters and not of the best quality and are versions from different sources. They do not equate in quality with the original album master. The tracks on Disc 3 are at 96K 24 bit and so were taken from the analogue source (and not Umatic) and have not been subject to MP3 or any other limiting by Abbey Road, during the mastering…the sound quality of the 4 tracks on disc 3 is not of the best quality and is less bright than other tapes as observed but is as ‘per the original source tape’. This tape is a copy version and does not survive in the best quality. It was baked and is suffering from age and audio loss. If you try to re-eq and make it brighter (we tried this just now) it becomes arguably more distorted and even less defined in the louder sections, fuzzy and arguably worse… These are much rarer more historic mixes and edits and the quality of them will always be ‘as per the source’”

    I hope the explanation helps

    Cheers

    Sam

  16. As a last ditch attempt I’ve emailed [email protected] (A&R who oversaw this project) saying their failure to acknowledge this error isn’t good enough and to look again at repressing the disc.

    As Glenn says, if they keep getting independent customers emailing them, they may change their minds!

  17. I’ve re-edited All The Things She Said (DJ 7″ Edit) using the remastered album version, the others are available in better quality on previous releases… so if Universal keeps denying I will replace disc3 myself…

  18. Just comparing the opening seconds of All The Things She Said from the album version, to the two on disc 3 – The difference is night and day.

    This is not an audiophile nitpick – anyone with functioning ears can hear the difference – even my elderly parents!

    There is zero treble on the latter tracks, a narrower stereo field, and distortion.

    Universal denying this just doesn’t change this simple fact, but it doesn’t look they are going to budge on this, unfortunately…

      1. I actually e-mailed Cressida back, stating that I was puzzled how anyone with the ability to hear well could not recognize the downgrade in audio quality on the aforementioned tracks. She mentioned that the master was checked and turned out to be fine. I suggested checking the actual CD itself (disc 3) and offered to send her my copy. I mentioned, too, that I am not exclusive in having this problem, and I’ve discovered a number of others noticing the same audio issues on this disc. Lastly, I told her that I was disappointed that the label is failing to acknowledge the problem so that it doesn’t have to re-press the disc.

        Since I don’t see Universal admitting the mistake, I went ahead and amended my 4-star review of the box set on Amazon.com to a 3-star review, mentioning the audio issues and Universal’s failure to admit the mistake. That way anyone considering buying the box set will know what they are getting and won’t expect a replacement disc. If Universal does the right thing and replaces the disc, I will gladly amend it to 5 stars.

  21. I got the same email this morning.

    It would involve admitting they cocked up two box sets in a row and the extra expense that would incur.

    I guess that draws a line under it then.

    Sigh.

    1. Likewise, I got the exact same e-mail today as well:

      “Hello Jason,
      Thank you for your email.

      Sorry for any confusion as we had a process in place regarding The Sparkle in the rain.

      The label has checked their master copies of disc 3 Once Upon a Time Super Deluxe, and their independent expert has checked his too. Both can confirm that there is no fault with tracks 5-8 on disc 3 of the Once Upon A Time Super Deluxe release.

      The label have not made replacement parts and will therefore not be sending anything out either.

      Many thanks,
      Cressida Mudaliar
      Customer Services Advisor

      Universal Music Operations
      St Andrews House
      Caldecotte Lake Drive
      Milton Keynes
      MK7 8LE”

      Shame on Universal for not acknowledging the audio errors!

  22. UNBELIEVABLE :

    Hello Frank

    Thank you for your email.

    Apologies, the label has checked their master copies of disc 3 Once Upon a Time Super Deluxe, and their independent expert has checked his too. Both can confirm that there is no fault with tracks 5-8 on disc 3 of the Once Upon A Time Super Deluxe release.

    The label have not made replacement parts and will therefore not be sending anything out either.

    Many thanks,
    Cressida Mudaliar
    Customer Services Advisor

  23. I’m disappointed there won’t be a repressing this time, but we’re all armchair critics now.

    Pre Internet, stuff just got released and we put up with it.

    When the Themes box set came out, I remember being really annoyed that the Someone, Somewhere In Summertime 12″ had been swapped with the album version, but little could be done about it at the time.

    Now, having certain PC programs like Audacity makes it much easier to compare masterings.

    Even the two “Brass Band” tracks have different volume dB peak levels than the same two tracks on the Sparkle In The Rain box set, and they’ve been mastered by the same engineer!

    Agree with Jason, any mastering engineer should be able to tell the drop in quality on these four tracks.

    We’re stuck with it, I suppose…

    1. From Steve Hoffman:

      Crikey. How much can one organization F things up? You’d think they’d be on super double secret probation after the foul up with SITR. I just don’t get it, then add to that the inexplicable way they’re handling the foul up and now I wish another organization were handling the SM reissues. Obviously they have a massive issue with project management. I like the box sets but I have to admit that they lack creativity with respect to the track selections. Maybe the demos are in bad shape, I don’t know but both sets are comprised of tracks that make you feel like “they” just said “Here………now that will be 60 quid”. To quote Roy Walley………….”Someone better start explaining or there……there……there’ll be a lot of explaining to do.” GLM, I expect a full report by 0800……date TBD. :D

      Having said that, I am very glad that Universal are producing these sets, as I very much doubt they actually break even on them.

      It’s a testament to their and Simon’s input, that these sets are actually happening in the first place.

      Yes, cockups sometimes happen and sometimes they are rectified, and sometimes they’re not.

      There’s far more to like than not to like with these sets, in my opinion, but then I guess I’m just a glass full kind of person! Loving the Bluray 5.1 and the new remaster and the new A&K mixes, so I’m pretty happy.

  24. I’ve just had confirmation from Steve Hammonds at Universal that there won’t be any replacement discs on this occasion.

    They have looked into this today and checked with Simon and it appears there is nothing wrong with the disc or the mastering. They’ll double check with Abbey Road, but it looks like there will be no repressing of disc 3.

    The Sparkle replacement was sent in error, so we’re stuck with the muffled tracks 5 – 8 as they are.

    Cheers John

    1. This is very interesting. It’s sad that Universal had to screw up something on both Simple Minds box sets, hence the confusion with the earlier box. Perhaps if there was some better quality control in place, then the label wouldn’t have to spend more money to fix these issues. It just seems more cost effective to check things over first, but I do understand, too, that these labels are running with very few people and things get overlooked.

      No replacements for disc 3 on “Once Upon A Time”? Seriously, Universal and Simon? One would have to be deaf in order not to hear the sound quality difference on the aforementioned tracks. It’s so obvious! They sound like low quality (64 kbps) MP3 files from the days of Napster. (Perhaps that’s where they were sourced?!) Let’s hope that they double check with Abbey Road, and we get an honest answer. I am still puzzled as to how this sound issue occurred and even more puzzled as to why this problem may be ignored.

      Paul Sinclair, what do you think? I would love to know what you think!

  25. Jason appears to be right as I received another Sparkle In The Rain DVD in the post this morning!

    I am now uncertain whether Disc 3 from OUAT has been repressed at all!

    Back to the drawing board and we’ll have to wait if and when it is replaced

    I was led to believe from the Dream Giver Yahoo group, that Disc 3 had been repressed.

    Apologies, if I have inadvertently misled posters in this forum

    Sigh.

  26. Well, here’s the response I received from Cressida:

    “Hello Jason,

    Thank you for your email

    We have previously instructed all retailers to return any stock that is faulty to Universal, and we have been sending out reworked corrected stock. It depends when the retailer placed their stock order with us and if they have returned/replaced any stock with us, but the rework was completed in July last year, so any stock since then should be fine

    If you are looking whether the retailer has the correct stock I am unable to direct to any specific retailer, but only suggest that every retailer has had the opportunity to return and replace stock since July. If a purchase is made and a faulty product is still out in the market please return to their retailer and it will be replaced accordingly.

    Many thanks,
    Cressida Mudaliar
    Customer Services Advisor”

    Clearly, she has mistaken the “Once Upon A Time” deluxe box set with the “Sparkle In The Rain” deluxe box set. The July date makes no sense for “Once Upon A Time”, since it wasn’t released until December 2015. I have replied to the e-mail mentioning this site and comments that disc 3 has been re-pressed. I asked her if I should still return my box through importcds.com (where I purchased the set) and risk getting another faulty disc 3 or if she could just send me a corrected disc 3.

    I’ll let you know what I find out.

  28. There’s a mastering error for tracks 5-8 of discs three: “All the things she said” (edit and extended versione) sound awful due to a clear mastering error or a bad sound source. UNIVERSAL, WHY DON’T YOU CHECK BEFORE RELEASING SOMETHING !?!?!

    1. I’ve already contacted Universal about the sound quality issues on these tracks. I’ve received a response asking for my proof of purchase. I replied with my receipt, and now I’m waiting for a response. I’ll let you know what I find out.

      1. Universal apparently have acknowledged the error and repressed disc 3 but are asking customers again to ship faulty product or arrange an Amazon return/refund. I have written to them requesting just the replacement, like for the Sparkle set and I’ll report back how I’ve got on.

  29. Hi y’all. Just to let you know: i’ve ordered my copy of the super deluxe box set only minutes ago through jpc,de The price is right: EUR 48,99. Only this weekend they don’t charge shipping costs to The Netherlands so nothing was added. To my knowledge the best price at the moment.

    1. Indeed. What is up with the subpar audio quality on tracks 5-8 of disc three? Track 5, “All The Things She Said [Edit]” does, in fact, sound like a low quality MP3 with its distortion. Track 6, “Promised You a Miracle [US Remix]”, on the other hand, sounds fine to my ears. Perhaps that’s just the original production? Track 7, “All The Things She Said [Extended Version]” sounds like a low quality MP3 file, too. Perhaps track 8, “Don’t You (Forget About Me) [Live From Rotterdam]” can be somewhat excused due to it being a live recording, but really? What’s going on?

      Does anyone else care to comment on the sound quality of these tracks on disc three? Paul, any comments? Universal needs to correct these audio issues and re-press the disc.

  31. The boxset has arrived :-)
    It contains a new 2005 stereo mix. It wasn’t mentioned in the boxset description. the mix is nice but with heavy audio compression

  32. well, the boxset is out.

    and with the release of the super deluxe version
    of once upon a time.. we finally get a few
    new unreleased mixes.. 3 of alive and kicking,
    and 1 of sanctify yourself.

    here’s a brief review of just those tracks.
    the sound quality is excellent.

    1 alive and kicking (kevorkian 12 inch remix) 6m:38s
    ————————————————————-
    by far the best version of this song, and although
    not my favorite song from the album, this is the remix
    that should have been on the 12 inch, and not just an
    instrumental.

    there are no radical sounds in this mix, it has all
    the sounds of a classic remix, with lots of vocal play,
    and big drums throughout.. and yes, i can even stand
    the robin clarke solos…

    it has some really cool breakdowns near the middle,
    and a killer guitar solo. jims voice is great, with the oh’s,
    and whoah’s, along with the ba-da-da’s used creatively..

    overall, its excellent, couldn’t ask for more..

    2 alive and kicking (12 inch remix) 6m:22s
    ————————————————————-
    another great remix… again, should ha ve been released on
    the 2nd 12 inch…. nice sparse intro, with just the voices,
    and drums… leading into the keyboards, and guitars.

    more emphasis on the drums and bass throughout the song.
    another cool breakdown near the middle. some similarities
    to the kevorkian remix also.

    this mix is a little more on the dub side, but still
    has enough vocals to make it interesting.

    another excellent remix..

    3 alive and kicking (7 inch remix) 4m:48s
    ————————————————————-
    as expected this 7 inch remix, is quite different from the
    released one, and is a shortened edit of the 12 inch remix.

    it still has all the highlights of the longer mix, but fades
    out earlier. it is a very full edit, and does not sound
    chopped up. the parts flow very well.

    very good.

    4 sanctify yourself (alternative edit) 4m:00s
    ————————————————————-
    this version is a just a short take on the song.

    along the lines of the album, nothing too fancy about
    this cut. its about 1 minute shorter than the album version.
    there are some shortened transitions between the verses,
    as expected.

    it has the same structure, but there are some slight vocal
    differences.

    an ok version.

    =========================================

    will be checking out the quality of all the other
    tracks afterwards..

    later
    -1

  34. I picked this up today via a friend who owns a record store, i already have the 5:1 mix and await the New Gold Dream box set with more anticipation, i am a huge fan of Steven Wilson and his 5:1 mixes but the best surround mixes i’ve heard are Depeche mode and nick cave

    2. i have yet to hear a 5.1 mix of a song that wasn’t gimmicky. so don’t really see a point of doing this. on the other hand, it is fun to play around with the channels for mixes (which is what i usually do with them).

      later
      -1

  36. Pingback: Saturday Deluxe / 31 October 2015 | superdeluxeedition

    1. JS…time to head over to Amazon UK. I live in the States and always find their pricing more competitive. I’ve never had any issues with cancelation, shipping issues/delays, etc.

  38. I dare not kid the man that runs my favorite music blog! Perhaps an inventory glitch and more will become available soon. My order was in on the first day of release by way of Amazon UK.

  40. just to clarify, the previous SACD mix is just the album. the DVD-A, had new mixes of the first and last track, with the rest slightly different. tracks DVD-a [diffs from album versions]
    ——————————————————————-
    6:20 1 Once Upon A Time [0:36s]
    4:23 2 All The Things She Said [0:07s]
    4:48 3 Ghostdancing [0:02s]
    5:15 4 Alive And Kicking [-0:09s]
    5:26 5 Oh Jungleland [0:14s]
    4:48 6 I Wish You Were Here [0:06s]
    5:01 7 Sanctify Yourself [0:01s]
    5:24 8 Come A Long Way [0:16s]

    the boxset is decent. there weren’t that many demos anyways, and the new unreleased tracks are nice to get.

    it would have been better to have a different live concert. oh well.

    later
    -1

  42. I saw them at le zenith. Imho the live in the city of light album doesn’t do much for me. It didn’t capture the excitement and atmosphere of the actual shows at all.

  43. well, for me this is one of the great albums of the 80s, and i hold the view that if they had bitten the bullet and allowed Don’t You Forget About Me to be included on the release, the record would have got the sales and praise we associate with, say, The Joshua Tree.

    Live In The City Of Light sounds – and i am no expert – like it was extensively worked on in the studio prior to release.

    i think i shall have to find the funds for the big box version of this one.

  44. I think that adding “Live in the City of Light” is not a bad idea, but then why the 12″ B-sides of “Promised You a Miracle (live)” are not here? Namely “Glittering Prize” and “Celebrate” live (Barrowland, Glasgow: 5th January 1985)…

    It’s even more shameful that 3 out of the 5 CDs will only have ~40 minutes of music on them ; and two tracks (roughly 15 minutes) were already in the previous boxset…

    (And as for the [3:56 promo] edit of “All the Things She Said”? Or the “alternative edit” of “Sanctify Yourself”… Well, I could live without ’em! But I must admit I’m not insterested in edits, for me it’s just an incomplete song…)

    The presence of “Promised You a Miracle (US remix)” is a nice surprise, but it makes me regret more the absence of “Promised You a Miracle (Dub Version)”…

    I’m also happy that the extended mixes from the 2005 DVD-Audio will finally be available for a reasonnable price.

    A must-buy anyway ;)

  45. I am excited about this and will buy the full box. I bought this album on cassette back in the mid-80s during Jr. High and used to listen to it quite a bit while delivering newspapers on my paper route in the mornings. Excited to hear the unreleased tracks.

  46. Wow. Total surprise with this. Very happy they decided to do a super deluxe with this. Maybe they’ll be able to put out more concert dvds in a separate set.

  47. As a Minds fan who already has the dvda of OUAT there’s not much here for me and agree that another show from the tour would’ve been a better choice. All the shows on the Australian leg were recorded for example. I’m glad more fans will get to hear the 5.1 remix (which is what it is), using different mix status, effects and sometimes alternate takes with a very dry Jim Kerr vocal through the centre channel. Will be interested to see what others think of what is a very different listening experience. Thanks to other posters and Paul’s great work here at SDE I’ve managed to snag it for a good price (I want the contents of disc 2 & 3). Here’s hoping UMe have learnt the lesson of what must’ve been a very expensive bungle with the Sparkle In The Rain box and Blu-ray audio.

  52. Disappointing live bonus stuff! And why the “Live At…” as bonus to this set? It may be a good live album, but not more. But, regarding the quality of the band it has simply been done too late. There are so many live recordings in the band’s archive waiting to be reissued officially.

  53. I think the tracklisting is pretty okay: grouping the mixes/versions of one song together! You can always hit the shuffle/random button to play! Sometimes I got bored from standard album I played the songs randomly back in the those days! But if one liked to have them grouped together one needs to rip the tracks & burn them onto a CD in the order to like! That’s not really practical :P

  54. And…ten minutes later it’s in the Amazon UK shopping cart and has been purchased. At check out, the price was lowered to £35.65 and shipping to the States was only £3.08. Not sure if this one is going to get cheaper but I feel pretty good at the moment.

  55. Quite disappointed with this release, maybe I was hoping for too much.
    The inclusion of LITCOL is a useless move, although it’s understandable as it’s a show from that era, but an unreleased live show like it was the case for SITR was a better option. Maybe it was too risky as it must show how the live album was overdubbed compared to other live cuts from the same tour. Anyway, I must lower my hopes for the next release…. street fighting years (even if I still hope to have a full audio of the Verona show)

  56. I had a feeling that this box set would be out by the end of the year, and thankfully it is! “Alive And Kicking” remains one of my favorite songs ever (perhaps even my favorite). I had no idea that these unreleased mixes even existed … so one can imagine my excitement for this box! I managed to get my hands on a copy of the DVD-Audio of “Once Upon a Time” back in 2007 for a reasonable price (like $20). I see that it’s fetching big money now.

    I agree, too, about the track listing. While the bonuses are very nice, the arrangement of 7″, 12″, and instrumental mixes between discs 2 and 3 could have been better. People who opt for the 2-disc set should not have to miss out on the 12″ mixes on disc 3. The 2-disc set makes the package look incomplete. Oh well. I’m getting the 6-disc box, regardless.

  57. I don’t begrudge anyone their favorite album. I did not know that there was a collection of New Gold Dream songs issued prior. I am aware of the expensive to obtain 2005 DVD for NGD. I know about the Themes Vol. 2 collection of b-sides, etc. However, there was Themes Vol. 3 that covered pretty much the same area as the Once Upon A Time extras here, although there are some new things here.

    I just wish there would be a nice New Gold Dream box. I am sure there is someone out there looking for the Sons And Fascination / Sister Feelings Call box set.

    Hopefully they will all get released.

  58. After a recent string of lacklustre upcoming releases, I finally have something to get excited about. However, I do resent having to buy the entire box set just to obtain the 7″ edit of ‘All The Things She Said’ and a couple of the extended versions (which all appear on disc 3), when I have absolutely no interest in live material, 5.1 mixes or video clips. Judging by the comments left before me, I am not alone in thinking this. We can only hope that someone will show some common sense and rethink the tracklisting for the 2 disc set, for those of us who just want the album and its respective 7″ versions, 12″ versions and remixes.

  59. Yes, yes, yes, all those unreleased remixes of Alive And Kicking & Sanctify Yourself :D Especially the Kervorkian Remix! Agreed with others. I don’t need disc 4-6! Why not a 3-disc edition (disc 1-3) as a cheaper alternative? Or even better for me a 2-disc edition (but disc2&3 instead)!

  64. Weird thing to see two tracks from the Sparkle In the Rain boxset replicated on this one (“A Brass Band In Africa” & “A Brass Band In African Chimes”). As they were respectively on the 7″ and 12″ b-sides to “Upon The Catwalk” and “Don’t You” singles, it makes sense though.

    To Leemer, maybe the 5.1 mix of OUAT has already been released on DVD-A in 2005 but its inclusion here is a real opportunity for many surround sound enthusiastic fans like me who have never been able to find that 2005 DVD at a decent price to eventually put their hands on it.

  65. Not quite as essential a purchase as SITR was for me, but I could be tempted at around the £30 mark. Will be interested to see if it can be got more cheaply from one of the European versions of Amazon (amazon.es came up trumps for SITR…)

  68. As much as I had hoped this box would be different, it is more or less the expected. The Rotterdam video was a no-go, rights probably owned by MTV or another channel. The paris show was done in a period all such recordings were heavily overdubbed. The full Rotterdam show on 2CD would have been nice or the Barrowlands 1985 show.

    1. They could have easily licensed the show from the tv station (I assume The Tube -> Channel4, UK) if they wanted to or find other material.
      But to just add the promo videos is a bit lame to me personally. On the other hand, not surprising, the video content in the Sparkle… box wasn’t that generous either.

  69. If you already own The Theme box sets of singles and both alhums then the only new material you’ll be buying is the four unreleased mixes.

    Hopefully, the new mastering will make this set worthwhile to anyone who already has the majority of the material. At least the price of the last set was quite reasonable and I this box is around £40 as well.

    Interestingly, the running times of the two previous albums are 40 minutes for OUAT and 81 minutes for LITCIL. The live album may not have fit on one CD when originally released but how about in 2015?

    It would have been nice to have ‘Don’t You’ in 5.1 surround.

  70. When a 2nd Simple Minds SDE was mentioned alongside the Sparkle one I for one hoped it’d be Once Upon A Time. Although I prefer New Gold Dream to OUAT, it’s remixes 12’s etc have already been remastered in 2012 and released on the 5×5 box, so I’d have been quite disappointed to see these re-done again.

    Whilst it’s good to see unreleased material (which genuinely surprised me) the only downside is the inclusion of Live In The City of Light rather than a complete unreleased OUAT show. I know LITCOL has been overdubbed to death and I still like it for it but I know several shows on the 85-86 tour were recorded and it would’ve been good to see one of them included.

    Regardless as a long term fan this’ll be a day one purchase for me.

    ps Don’t be put off by the issues that surrounded the SITR SDE as these were rectified timeously and courteously by Universal and the whole thing got a bit blown out of proportion (especially on other forums)

  72. A Rotterdam DVD would have clinched it for me, although everyone loves NGD I really like the current Big Music LP and would love the various remixes collected up on a 80’s style Remix LP or another deluxe edition.

  74. This looks interesting and is quite cool, but I am not a fan of this album. Despite the great soulful singing of Robin Clark, this is pretty much a soulless album. The Breakfast Club single “Don’t You Forget About Me” gave them an appetite for fame and fortune and they went for it.

    And Mr. Robinson, a DVD-Audio version of Once Upon A Time was also released in 2005, so I guess that makes this box set superfluous as well. New Gold Dream has not been done as a cool comprehensive box set. The NGD box set would fit nicely beside the box set of the other great album the Simple Minds released, Sparkle in the Rain.

  75. The 2CD DeLuxe edition, with the Previously Unreleased tracks, and the 5.1 Blu-Ray edition are the most interserting.
    The other track are also avalible on other CD’s or DVD’s.

  76. It annoys me how they have separated the 12″ mixes over disc 2 and disc 3 so you have to purchase the more expensive set to get them all when they could easily all be on disc 2 and therefore everyone can get them whether they purchase the deluxe or the super deluxe edition.

    1. I agree with Francis! I bought the SITR 2-CD and loved it because it had all the b-sides and remixes and I had no interest in the live material in the big box. But I’m going to have to go ahead and get the box this time, because I want everything on Discs 2 and 3.

  77. Happy with most of it, although could’ve done without Live in the City of Light. I haven’t listened to the bootlegs of the Paris shows in a long time, but I’ve always doubted that much of this double cd set came from Paris at all.

  78. Hate it when all the mixes of one song are grouped together. Gets boring listening to the same song time and time again. Why not mix them up? You could group all the 12″ mixes together, then the 7″ ones & then the instrumental ones or something like that.

  79. A question to those who recently bought the Sparkle In The Rain re-release. In the 2-disc edition, is disc one a legitimate 2015 stereo remaster? Like the Once Upon A Time 2003 master, the 2003 Sparkle sounds a bit thin. I’d consider getting them both if they’re good remasters.

  80. Whilst I can understand the comments regarding live material (surely there are other concerts they could have released). I don’t understand the complaints regarding the bonus material.

    Its what I expected and the unreleased stuff is extra, I think peoples expectations are unrealistic regarding some bands, as far as I know there are not huge amounts of Simple Minds demo’s around (SITR besides).

    And as for people wanting New Gold Dream again, really, why, its been done, all the B Sides have been released a couple of times, you have the SACD releases. I’m going to go out ona limb and say the majority of people buying these wouldn’t care about 5.1 mixes or such, they just want the albums released after the themes stopped to be rounded up in this manner.

  83. I’m a big Simple Minds fan but I don’t see enough in this set to warrant the cash. Four unreleased mixes (3 of one song) plus previously released material (some of it appeared on Sparkle In The Rain). The book would be interesting though.

    Now, New Gold Dream would be a different proposition….

  85. Live In The City of Light is so synthetic its unbelievable, and the length of the tracks leaves them hanging around longer than they should. I had big problems with Simple Minds by this time, not least that they were retooling their back catalogue for stadium gigs and making them mostly slower and with break down bits.
    Didn’t they release a live EP around the time? Shouldn’t that be on here?
    Must have been a problem getting the Ahoy release permission, it was originally on The Tube tv show, right?
    I’d love the 5.1 mix, but may wait till the dust settles. They didn’t cover themselves in glory with the Sparkle release.

    1. Well said. I especially agree with the quality control, or lack thereof, with the Sparkle In The Rain set. [Waited months for a corrected DVD and booklet.] I may be baited by a low pre-order price and the fact that I’m heavily vested in all of their box sets.

  86. I’m one of those lucky people that already has the 5.1 surround mix of the album so for me I would have liked The Tube special from The Ahoy on DVD.
    Will ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ get the 5.1 treatment on the promo video?

  87. When you have the Silver Box with this new box, you have almost the Rotterdam concert on disc. Don’t You is the best performance ever (almost 10 minutes long)

  88. Let me start by saying that as I am a MASSIVE fan of this album and I absolutely NEED that 5.1 mix, I will be getting this. Period.

    Having said that, a have a few beefs with it.
    First of all, why include “Live In The City Of Light” and not an unheard concert? Ok, they wanted to include everything previously available from this period, fair enough. But then, why not include the complete concert? If they didn’t want to remix it, they could have just stacked the extra tracks at the end of disc 1 as a bonus.

    Secondly, why no live video content? We have all seen the Rotterdam concert, they could have gone the extra mile to include it.

    Third, while it’s GREAT to have all the 7”, 12” and instrumental remixes, the tracklisting should be revised to boost the “listenablilty” of the album. Instead of repeating the same song in the different mixes, they should have mixed up the order.

    Again, haveing said all this, I will be getting it.

  89. Live in The City of Light is a good live album, but you can feel it’s been tinkered with and edited to death (probably to fit on a double LP?).

    I would have loved to hear a complete version of the Paris concert, or a complete recording of another concert from that tour, something that gives a more faithful vision of a Simple Minds show from that area.

  91. Tracklisting of 2nd CD of the 2CD Deluxe is same as the 2nd disc of the SDE apparently. That’s a pity, because 3rd disc contains 4 extended versions.

  96. Will definitely buy this one, once the book & the mixes are certified flawless.
    And will be the first to complain that they miss the oportunity to officialise the live show filmed at Ahoy that’s been floating around the web for ages…

      1. I would prefer the stand alone Blu-ray to go with my “Sparkle” one thing to note tho.. with “Sparkle” I ended up with all the bonus material ordering through Amazon and their AutoRip linked up to the super deluxe edition so got 4 discs worth of material. This also happened with Bryan Adams Reckless and Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair :-)

  101. As much as I love Simple Minds I can’t quite bring myself to splash out for this. I’ve always thought the album was okay to pretty good but I can’t say I want to delve into all the minutiae.
    I’ll be interested to read what others think.

    Now SDEs of Empires and Dance or New Gold Dream (or even Sons and Fascination) would definitely get my dollars…

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