News

Simple Minds / Sparkle in the Rain five disc super deluxe edition box

By Paul Sinclair

Comments

119

sparkle

Simple Minds‘ sixth studio album Sparkle in the Rain will be reissued in March 2015 across a number of formats including a five-disc super deluxe edition box set.

The Steve Lillywhite produced album, released in 1984, features the iconic single Waterfront and saw the band embrace a rockier, more stadium friendly sound after the new wave pop of New Gold Dream.

The album has been newly remastered and the super deluxe box set will feature a disc of single edits, B-sides and extended mixes as well as a further two CDs that include 13 tracks performed Live at Barrowlands in Glasgow in 1984 and a trio of BBC Radio One sessions from 1983.

Additionally, a DVD will include a brand new Steven Wilson 5.1 surround sound remix of the album, a new stereo mix and all three promo videos (Waterfront, Speed Your Love To Me, Up On The Catwalk) as well as a few TV appearances.

If the box is more than you require, there will be a two-CD deluxe edition, a new vinyl version and a blu-ray audio with the 5.1 mix.

Sparkle in the Rain will be reissued on 16 March 2015.

sparkle

5-disc super deluxe box set

sparkle2

Deluxe Edition

sparkle2

Blu-ray Audio

sparkle2

Vinyl Edition

Track listing

Disc: 1

1. Up On The Catwalk
2. Book Of Brilliant Things
3. Speed Your Love To Me
4. Waterfront
5. East At Easter
6. Street Hassle
7. White Hot Day
8. “C” Moon Cry Like A Baby
9. The Kick Inside Of Me
10. Shake Off The Ghosts

Disc: 2

1. Waterfront (Edit)
2. Hunter And The Hunted (Live B – Side)
3. Waterfront (Extended Remix)
4. Speed Your Love To Me (Edit)
5. Bass Line (B – Side)
6. Speed Your Love To Me (Extended)
7. Up On The Catwalk (Edit)
8. A Brass Band in Africa (B – Side)
9. Up On The Catwalk (Extended)
10. A Brass Band in Africa Chimes (B – Side)
11. Waterfront (Single Version)

Disc: 3

1. Shake Off The Ghosts [Intro] (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
2. Waterfront (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
3. Up On The Catwalk (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
4. The Book Of Brilliant Things (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
5. Glittering Prize (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
6. The American (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
7. King Is White And In The Crowd (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
8. Speed Your Love To Me (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
9. Someone Somewhere In Summertime (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)

Disc: 4

1. Promised You A Miracle (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
2. Big Sleep (LIVE – Barrowlands Glasgow 1984)
3. New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) [Live] – Take Me To The River [Live]
4. Love Song [Live] – Glory [Live] (LIVE
5. Waterfront (Radio One Session)
6. Kick Inside (Radio One Session)
7. New Gold Dream (Radio One Session)

Disc 5

  • • Sparkle in the Rain 5.1 Surround Mix
  • • Sparkle in the Rain New Stereo Mix
  • • Waterfront (Promo Video)
  • • Speed Your Love To Me (Promo Video)
  • • Up On The Catwalk (Promo Video)
  • • Waterfront (TOTP)
  • • Speed Your Love (Oxford Road Show)
  • • Up On The Catwalk (Oxford Road Show)

 

sparkle

5-disc super deluxe box set

sparkle2

Deluxe Edition

sparkle2

Vinyl Edition

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

119 Comments

119 thoughts on “Simple Minds / Sparkle in the Rain five disc super deluxe edition box”

  1. I’ve just won this in a competition.

    I’m in two minds. It’s still sealed. Do I sell it and plead ignorance to its faults or do I open it and try to get the replacement DVD and booklet thereby losing it’s “mint” condition? I could keep it but I’m more of a New Gold Dream-era SM fan.

  3. Pingback: Simple Minds / Once Upon A Time six-disc super deluxe edition box | superdeluxeedition

  4. So someone…anyone please help me understand Universal’s logic here. First I spend $48.00 US acquiring this box set from Amazon Germany. Next, I discover misprints in the documents and grave errors in the DVD mastering. AND, wait for it…NOW I have to package up the booklet(s) + DVD and mail it all the way to the London in hopes of a replacement?! How is this customer service? Forget about quality control because there was none. It’s shameful to ask an already inconvenienced customer to spend more money to ship a defected product back to the manufacturer in attempts to be made “whole” again. I don’t want to this to be a rant of sorts but seriously- I spend thousands of dollars on music every year having just bought BOTH Tears For Fears’ super deluxe sets from UMC. This is why people “torrent” I suppose and I’m the fool who buys music legally and legitimately only to be let down by the artist’s label who could care less about the content and customer experience. I’m tempted to just dispute this on my credit card, obtain a full a refund, and let UMC have at my not so Super Deluxe Misprinted Badly Mastered Box set. Calming down now and hope the other people effected by this share some of my opinions here.

  5. just had another email from another person at Universal saying the following.

    “Thanks for your email regarding the Simple Minds ‘Sparkle In The Rain’ box set, we are aware of the problems with the DVD rest assured this is being addressed as a matter of urgency.
    We are in the process of reworking the DVD and will be sending out replacement versions as soon as possible
    Please send your faulty DVD (And booklet which missed the last paragraph out) to the following address, with a return address for the replacement
    Simple Minds Returns 5th Floor
    UMC 364-366 Kensington High Street
    London
    W14 8NS
    Thank you for your patience”

  6. Just thought I’d let you know I just got a response from my email regarding the issues with the DVD/booklet to the Universal email address posted by John Thomson. This was the reply…

    “Hello,

    Thanks for getting in contact.

    Please accept our apologies, this is currently been passed onto the label and we will advise once we have more information.

    Many thanks,”

  11. I got my box from Amazon France.. How will i go about getting a replacement? Its impossible to get Universals email address so Amazon looks to be the only option just now, but what i found strange was when my box was delivered it came in an Amazon UK box and had a UK post mark as if it had been sent from the UK.. So should i get in contact with the UK site or the French equivelant?

    1. Derek, I also got mine from Amazon France and was wondering how to go about getting a replacement dvd. The Universal email address I used when contacting them for a replacement the 2nd Junk Culture disc was [email protected]. So it may be worth contacting them before getting in touch with Amazon UK or FR.

  12. Just read this on burning sheds webstore ***We have been made aware of a fault on the Blu-Ray. A new disc is being made and we will start selling again once we receive replacements. If you have ordered this from us we will automatically send you a replacement Blu-Ray disc when we get them. You do not need to return anything*** The same applies to the box set at least they had had the sense to stop selling them unlike Amazon.

    1. People are still saying the Blu-ray stereo mixes are in mono i wouldn’t risk buying it. Universal are certainly following in EMIs footsteps regarding screw ups you just wonder how these people get jobs seriously.

  14. That’s interesting to know, Stuart. My ears couldn’t really tell the difference at first, only concentrated listening made me conclude that the bass was different.

    In any case, the EAC/iTunes stats for the song timings and db levels would indicate a different master.

    The project co-ordinator, Simon Cornwell on the Yahoo group states that all the master tapes were pulled out for this release, including the remixes and the B-Sides.

    If the 2002 had simply been repressed (like the first 5 Albums in the X5 box set with the bonus tracks tacked on), the timings and db levels would be identical. This suggests more than just a level shifted tweaked interpretation of the 2002.

    1. One final comment on the DVD as I’m all Sparkled out now and need to get a life…

      White Hot Day and Kick Inside have been incorrectly indexed, including a couple of seconds of the preceding track on all three mixes.

      The background also inexplicably shifts position slightly when skipping from Waterfront, to East At Easter and then on to Street Hassle.

      As for Disc one, all players differ, but the total playing time is 45:00 on the 2015, and 44:59 on the 2002. Wish I’d noticed that on Monday, so all this painstaking dissection could have been avoided!

      That’s (probably) my last word on the matter…

  15. Taking a step back from my earlier comment re the disc 1 source;

    Yes the booklet does credit each track as 2002 (as does iTunes), however I sat down to listen to disc 1 of the SDE back-to-back tonight with the 2002 remaster and noticed the following – the overall disc timing differs and is shorter than the 2002 version (typical evidence of a remaster, as they are generally speeded up through the process – not enough to ‘hear’ but enough to reflect in accurate track timings)

    I used Speed Your Love as my test track and played it back-to-back (on a good quality system) the new disc 1 is noticeably less cluttered with better instrument separation and clearer top end than the 2002 disc. Also in a blind test with a non fan, they noticed that the new disc sounded better.

    I didn’t use any kind of analyser, aside from ears, so this wasn’t hugely scientific, however I’d now wager that disc 1 of the SDE is a new version.

    I am now also fed up hearing Speed Your Love over and over and over!

  16. I haven’t compared the new CD against the previous remaster, which I think was done by Simon Heyworth. Whatever the actual contents, the box could have been clearer on the matter. They should have stated on the disc or somewhere in the text something like 2015 Remaster. There is a 2002 publishing credit in the track listing within the booklet which may be causing the confusion. I am sure it is a new master, but the 2002 one was pretty good, so it would be hard to make such a marked improvement that it would so noticeable.

  17. Having compared iTunes rips side by side between the 2002 disc and the first disc of the 2015 box set, they appear to be different masterings, despite the booklet stating a 2002 credit (?)

    The exact song timings are different (eg BOBT 4:22.88 vs 4:22.973) and the db levels (eg. TKIOM -9.5 vs -11.3). They sound pretty much identical to these ears, the exception being the bass is slightly more defined and less murky and boomy than the 2002, but I think Disc one of the Super Deluxe is a new master. Don’t know about the 1 or two disc editions.

    It’s all very interesting!

    1. Maybe not as interesting as the ‘real’ mistakes – but why is Mel Gaynor’s name omitted from the writing credits? The original vinyl (incl. the singles) saw him credited along with the other band members. And the new liner notes repeatedly stress his crucial input in writing and recording.

  18. There does seem to be a catalogue of issues with this release. Spelling mistakes, formatting, missing paragraphs, uncertainty of what master CD1 is and the stereo mix on the DVD. The last time I have come across such a list of errors was with the ELP deluxe editions of Brain Salad Surgery and Pictures at an Exhibition. Those were done by Universal too!

  19. Apparently the BluRay disc has the same problem with the stereo mix…?? In any case this is the last time I buy a re-issue from Universal (or anyone else really) without first reading a large number of reviews that certify the quality of the product.

  20. The single-disc edition of this 2015 release credits Abbey Road for remastering, and there’s no mention of 2002 anywhere. So I very much doubt the new CD1 is meant to be the 2002 remaster, which means either incorrect data going to the retail sites, or…perish the thought…they’ve included the wrong version in the SDE box!

  21. I ripped the audio disc 1 into itunes and the levels are different to those of the 2002 disc which I also own, so i’m not sure it is the same as the 2002 disc. Cout it be the data given to itunes , spotify etc has assumed its the 2002 remaster. Has anybody else tested the levels against the 2002 remaster?

  22. Do Universal have any kind of quality control? They would be forgiven if this was only a budget release, but they’re expecting us hardcore SM fans to shell out £40+ for a product that falls short. After the recent Junk Culture 2nd cd cock-up you would have thought they’d have had some sort of ‘lessons learnt’ meeting. Obviously not! While I would like to commend Universal on their endeavours to get these type of releases out for us fans who really appreciate them. At the same time it should done with more due care and attention.

    1. It only cost me £34.75 including shipping from Amazon Germany. Much better than £46.99 from Amazon UK, or £40 from the SM shop.

      As mentioned, the booklet is incomplete as the sleeve notes cut off at the end when discussing “Brass Band”, and the odd typo.
      “Bruce Findaly” anyone!

      Using the previously available 2002 remaster for the main disc is just lazy, when expecting fans to shell out nearly 50 quid for an album they’ve already bought several times over, when this could have been replaced with the new Abbey Road master. Universal have paid to have surround and stereo mixes created. Why not use them?

      As already mentioned, the high resolution stereo mix on the DVD is all mixed to the centre channel, and is obviously a manufacturing error as the Bluray is also affected.

      Agreed that after the OMD cock up on the latest deluxe, someone at Universal really should have checked these things before sending to retail.

      Having said that, the DTS 5.1 is fabulous!

  23. I would have bought the deluxe edition but finding out they have just used 2002 remaster for the main album they can get stuffed. Then i thought i would buy the Blu-ray but now i’m hearing that the stereo mix on that is screwed up the same as the DVD.

  24. So how do we go about getting replacement dvd discs? I’m pissed off about Universal using the 2002 remaster for the 1st disc and now there is all sorts of errors with the Steven Wilson disc. My surround system is out of action just now so I can only listen in stereo. But the SW mix is so much better than the original Lillywhite mix.

  25. I’ve been waiting for this expectantly since it was announced and I’m gutted at how poor the quality is;

    The Book – this is incomplete as the last page before the credits finishes mid sentence. Also the text on most of the pages is not square on the page. (Plus I’ve read the main body of the text already….)

    The DVD – as noted elsewhere, if you select the HR Stereo mix, it’s actually in mono.

    So one my favourite albums in a long awaited format and upgrade needs a new book and DVD disc. Anybody know how to move this along?

  26. You paid so many for the Box and the DVD-Audio is crap.
    No Stereo mix complete mono, the 5.1 sound to be right but i have
    doubts. Have yet not the time to listen it out completly.
    Hope Universal will make a change and we get a correct DVD-Audio.
    What about the Blu-Ray is there all correct on it?

  27. As I commented on elsewhere the multichannel is fine on the DVD, sounds really good, even when folded down to stereo on headphones. However, switch to stereo and everything is in the centre, i.e. mono. How do these errors get through? Does no one check the discs prior to production? Because, I assume we are probably looking at replacement discs somewhere down the line as for me the big selling point for the box was the hi res stereo mix by Steven Wilson. Apart from that it is a great package and I do hope Universal do more, I just hope they can get their QA department sorted out.

  28. People are saying that the DVD is mono and not stereo on the steve hoffman forums. Another cock up by Universal if true after that OMD debarcle.

  29. My BOX was coming last Friday (13th March),
    the remaster sounds great, and today after work i will have a listen at the Steve Wilson mixes.

  30. Wasn’t there a special promo US edit of Waterfront? I don’t see it listed above. Or am I mistaken? I believe I have a copy of it or at least an mp3 of it somewhere.

    1. The Steven Wilson mix is only on the DVD – the same as Songs From The Big Chair. The CD has the newly remastered (not the 2002 version) original mix.

      1. Without wanting to doubt you; are you sure CD1 is a new remaster as the book credits each of the disc 1 tracks as 2002?

        This contradicts the sticker on the box that notes 4 CDs of newly mastered audio

  32. Just ordered the Super Deluxe version at grooves-inc paying GBP 28.35, free shipping. Still at GBP 44 at amazon.co.uk at this time of writing.

    1. Yes. Steven’s workflow is to do a stereo mix and then do a 5.1. That’s what happened with Songs From The Big Chair and it’s the same for Sparkle in the Rain.

  34. Very pleased to see this get the price slash for online buyers here in Japan! Best deal is from Amazon Japan, going for around ¥5600 or just a bit more. HMV Japan and Tower Japan have comparable pricing, but Amazon is the lowest! Just ordered it!

  36. Sparkle has the dynamics of SM live sound, much more so than NGD in my opinion, although NGD is their masterpiece work and my all time favorite album. Been hoping for a decent remaster / deluxe re-issue of Sparkle, since it has become a left out from NGD in 5.1 DVD from 2004, and the 5×5 box from 2012.
    Can’t wait to listen to 5.1 of White Hot Day, or Waterfront. I would have liked to have the alternative re-mixes of Waterfront, Brass Band In African Chimes and Speed Your Live To Me done in 5.1 as well, and have the mix authorized or supervised by Mr. Lylliwhite, but hey you can’t have it all.
    It will be interesting to see which other SM album will get such 5.1 / deluxe treatment.. Maybe Sons, which in my opinion is THE signature SM album that defines their sound.

  37. Paul,

    I was wondering if you could clarify something about the 5.1 mix.

    In the description of the box set, it mentions hi-res, but it seems to suggest that the DVD is a DVD Video disc as opposed to a DVD Audio disc. Can you confirm what format this disc is? Is it like the TFF SFTBC box where the 5.1 mix was on a lossless, hi-res DVD Audio disc?

    If not, I’ll most likely go for the Blu Ray instead.

    Thanks in advance :-)

    Rob.

  38. Pingback: SDE Reissue Preview for 2015 | superdeluxeedition

  39. This album has always sounded mud, original uk vinyl, 2002 remastered cd, even the tracks off this album on the best of sacd sound murky and awful

    Maybe this will be the one to finally get a decent mastering or will it be 24 bit mud? :/

    And the obvious choice for the next Simple Minds deluxe treatment is Sons & Fascination which I personally think is their best effort ;)

  41. A remastered version and rerelease of all the volumes of the Themes-series would be more interesting than an extended version with some live recordings …

  45. according to simon from dream giver, there are more reissues in the pipeline…. let’s hope for a mega once upon a time deluxe box set and a better street fighting years one, with the full uncut verona concert….

  46. This package looks reasonable although the live tracks are the only exclusive material (apart from the Steve Wilson remix). Not much news about the booklet. Does not contain a comprehensive review of the period?

  47. I like the trend being set here by Universal with 24/96 stereo mixes appearing on single blu ray discs that can be bought separately, but they should also be available for download. I know HDTracks has SFTBC but does not have The Hurting or either Simple Minds DVD-A mixes.

  48. I’d love to hear Duran Duran’s first two albums remastered by Steve in 24/96, his SFTBC stereo mix is outstanding.

    I have NGD and OUAT 24/96 stereo PCM mixes and they are very good but both DVD-As change hands for £100

  51. Great to hear you did the interview Paul, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say how enjoyable the last couple you’ve done have been.
    Will we be hearing from other members of SM from way back then, or just Jim and Charlie?

  53. I’m glad this is available for those that want to buy it but for me it marks the decline of a great band. It’s not a bad album but the albums before (for me at least) were great albums with Empires, Sons and New Gold being a trio of fantastic releases.
    I guess the 5×5 box and the Themes volumes will be as extensive a coverage as I can hope to get of my favourite period of the band.

    Incidentally I still continue to buy their releases and the latest is not too bad at all.

  54. I’ll buy this one although the extras are seriously underwhelming and the live gig they have chosen is a poor choice. I haven’t listened to Simple Minds bootlegs for a long time but I seem to remember some excellent FM European festival sets from that year.
    I would imagine they are going to re-visit NGD and OUAT as well as part of this set – I know they’ve been out before on SACD\DVD-A but that doesn’t usually stop record companies.

  55. Sparkle in the Rain is a very good album, but I always found the sound a bit thin/trebly. Which may be a Steve Lily-white thing? Anyway, perhaps a bit more oomph has been added in the new master.

    1. I completely agree. I really like the album but I’m not a fan of the overall mix. I would have like to hear a mix more like NGD from Peter Walsh where the bass really stands out. It really gets lost on some of the tracks and that’s a shame, especially when you hear it on some of the live versions.

    2. Considering the second disc is a round-up of versions of songs included on 7″ singles and 12″ singles, which includes the edits, I don’t really understand why that’s a problem. Not including the commercially released edits would have been more strange.

      1. If people want edits there are plenty of Simple Minds singles compilations out there that includes them like the recent Celebrate one. It’s strange also that both b sides from Don’t You Forget About Me are on this.

        1. Not sure most here would agree to the criteria of ‘don’t put it on the deluxe if it’s been available before somewhere’…

          Also, “A Brass Band in Africa” and “A Brass Band in African Chimes” were the B-sides to Up On The Catwalk. For some reason they same B-sides were repeated for Don’t You Forget About Me (probably because the band had no new material for that single).

          1. I should have realised that when they released those themes box sets that the single for Up On The Catwalk was missing which explains the repeated b sides.

  57. @derek, the live in the city of light album contained quite a lot of overdubs if memory serves.

    This is excellent news, I thought the labels had passed when they released the 5 album set featuring this without bonus material so quickly after 5×5

    There may be nothing new buts its nice to have it all in one place, the themes were a good idea at the time, but a bit awkward having to change discs.

    with regards to the U2 comments, I always thought it was the other way round, U2 chased simple minds. The Unforgettable Fire being released after New Gold Dream, Joshua Tree released after Once Upon A Time. but everyone has their own thoughts.

    1. Agree with David. Let’s be honest, Simple Minds released three albums (Life In A day, Real To Real & Empires) before U2 (Boy released in October 1980). They’re completely different bands and I don’t know why people compare their styles. And here is what Daniel Lanois said when U2 recording ‘Unforgettable Fire’ :
      DL: They wanted to do something different. U2 has been listening to New Gold Dream by Simple Minds as a point of reference, a record they liked. The panorama of the ambiance appealed to them. I think that Bono wanted to get to a place that was wider than stripped-down rock’n’roll, so we allowed ourselves the flexibility to embrace the colors that Eno and I had been developing.

      And here is complete link:
      http://pitchfork.com/news/36883-brian-eno-and-daniel-lanois-remember-the-making-of-u2s-unforgettable-fire/

  58. Really exciting news. I deeply hope Universal does the same from the very first self titled album Simple Minds up to Good News From The Next World, in my opinion, the last nice album they have released. I wonder how Steven Wilson must be exhausted remixing such a number of albums from such a number of groups. Backing to Simple Minds I’m fingers crossed about the back catalogue super deluxe editions. I suppose Universal should keep an eye in the sales, if it goes well, don’t stop!!

  59. To Fatoldbloke. Blu Ray features 5.1 Surround Mix, High Res Stereo Mix and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Mix of the disc1 & disc 2.
    ‘Once Upon A Time’ also need deluxe treatment, especially because of ‘Live At The Ahoy’ concert from Rotterdam.

  60. Street Fighting Years is a great album. I brought a few ‘recent’ CDs in bargain bins and can understand why they were in bargain bins. Nothing like the golden period of the 1980s for Simple Minds.

  61. Simple Minds last ‘great’ album before it went after the U2 constituency. They were better than that and ‘New Gold Dream’ is a perfect testament to that view.

  66. This looks to be a fine box set. However, like others, I would have appreciated some unreleased material. There have been some demos from these 1983 sessions circulating for years. The ‘Sparkle In The Rain’ demos are early nucleus, instrumental exercises that appear to be prepared by Mick McNeil and Charlie Burchill in order to provide some breathing space for Forbes-Gaynor to stretch their bass and drums… which they did with Lillywhite’s explosive production. A disc of high quality recordings of these or other demos and unreleased tunes would have made this a 5 star box.

    1. My understanding is that the band didn’t think the demos were really good enough to be on this. They are ‘out there’ if you want to listen to them I think was the general feeling.

  67. My favourite band. And what about ‘New Gold Dream’ deluxe treatment. For me, ‘NGD’ is definetely best album of the 80’s and much better than ‘Sparkle In The Rain’. Anyway, I am already pre-order this box set together with blu ray audio.

  68. I think I remember reading somewhere that Universal asked Steven Wilson what albums he would like to remix. TFF was one and looks like this was the other. I wonder if he would have preferred NGD and Universal only offered SITR as that was more commercially successful in both the UK and US. I assume these boxes are expensive to do and the label would prefer more commercially attractive titles to release. For me it was always a controversial album as the band seemed to be going for a more mainstream, stadium rock sound with Steve Lillywhite producing. It was quite a shock after the artistic high of NGD.

    1. there is a lot of potential for new gold dream.

      disc
      3 remixes and edits
      ==============================
      1 Promised You A Miracle 4:49 [Extended]
      2 Promised You A Miracle 5:56 [Remix Version]

      3 Promised You A Miracle 5:28 [Dub Version]
      4 Promised You A Miracle 6:17 [Special Extended Version]

      5 Glittering Prize 4:57 [Club Mix]
      6 Glittering Prize (Theme) 4:57 [Extended]

      7 Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) 6:02 [Extended]
      8 New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) 6:52 [Extended]
      9 king is white and in the crowd (instrumental) 5:58

      10 Promised You A Miracle 3:59 [Edit]

      11 Glittering Prize 3:58 [Edit]
      12 Glittering Prize (Theme) 4:03

      13 Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) canadian promo edit

      14 New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) 4:46 [us album edit]
      15 new gold dream (inst – live) 3:16
      ============================================================
      tracks : 15
      time : 70min – 1hr10min

      4 b-sides and demos
      ==================================
      1) Theme For Great Cities 5:50
      2) Seeing Out The Angel 6:32 [Inst Remix]

      3) The American 7:01 [Extended]

      4) Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) 4:35
      6) Soundtrack For Every Heaven 5:55

      demos
      ————————–
      5) King Is White And In The Crowd 5:18 [BBC Session]

      1 Promised You A Miracle (David Jensen Session – 11-2-82) 4:25
      2 Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) (David Jensen Session – 13-8-82) 5:10
      3 Glittering Prize (David Jensen Session – 13-8-82) 4:21
      4 Hunter And The Hunted (David Jensen Session – 13-8-82) 5:53
      ====================================

      tracks : 10
      time : 60min = 1hr

      live tracks, videos, etc, etc.

  70. Are you writing the liner notes for this one, Paul! :) It looks very similar to the TFF box in both form and function. I hope Universal keeps this up. These releases are fantastic.

    (This SM box is slightly underwhelming, though, with the abundance of live material and no unreleased studio tracks. Plus, it’s currently priced higher than the TFF box on amazon.uk despite having fewer discs…)

    1. Some involvement, although nothing like my involvement for Tears For Fears (which was extensive). I interviewed Jim and Charlie in the summer for the sleeve notes although I didn’t actually write the notes. As you say though lots of similarities with the TFF box.

  71. I doubt if any soundboard Barrowlands concert of the Simple Minds are available, other than some audience recordings. I agree to the split over CDs. Personally, I like those long-lasting live versions but I respect people who prefer the short cuts. Perhaps when it comes to live recordings, Simple Minds should open up their vault, just like other artists have done previously.

    1. not quite.

      Mick MacNeil has a copy of this gig in his archive. Unfortunately the recording is incomplete and fades out during Book Of Brilliant Things only to resume for the intro of Someone Somewhere (In Summertime). The quality is fairly good to good. Two different edits of I Travel also exist on the tape, suggesting the track was being prepared for release.

      A recording of this gig is also held in Virgin’s archive. Nothing has been officially released

  72. New Gold Dream was remixed in 5.1 on DVD-Audio quite a few years back. If memory serves “Big Sleep” did not get the surround treatment due to unavailable masters. They also did “Once Upon A time” in 5.1 DVD-A around the same time.

    1. not quite. it was promised you a miracle, an colours fly and catherine wheel.

      orig track title differece from dvd-a
      ========================================
      5:22 1 Someone Somewhere In Summertime [0:45s]
      3:50 2 Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel
      4:28 3 Promised You A Miracle
      5:27 4 Big Sleep [0:29s]
      5:45 5 Somebody Up There Likes You [0:49s]
      6:08 6 New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) [0:32s]
      4:40 7 Glittering Prize [0:07s]
      6:09 8 Hunter And The Hunted [0:16s]
      7:32 9 King Is White And In The Crowd [0:33s]

  73. Is that live versions of new gold dream the same mess as on the silver box where Jim and Bono have a shouting competition?

    It is slightly underwhelming for me but having the album remastered and all the bits and bobs in one place make it a decent purchase

    1. I think they did it a few times back then, January 1985 was the concert you might be thinking of at the Barrowlands.
      I’m sure it was a blast at the time if you were there, and it’s worth hearing at least once (most of the are up on Youtube I’m sure, but there is nothing definitive about it. One of those curio’s you might listen to once and never go back to.

  74. I think I just orgasmed!, so looking forward to this, I hope they do the same for new gold dream as stated above but this is fine by me for now, love this album, anything with Derek Forbes and Mick McNeil is class in the simple minds catalogue

  75. There has been much guesswork on which 80’s albums Steven Wilson has remixed. Songs from the Big Chair was the first and now this which was a surprise for me, though I know he is a fan of their early albums. I wondered why he didn’t choose to do New Gold Dream. I will be interested to read his views on the album.

    1. Indeed. My very first thought was why on EARTH would they choose “Sparkle” over “NGD”, which is pretty much indisputably their best & most influential album. Still a welcome release, mind.

  76. I’m liking the way Universal are operating for this stuff at the moment. It’s not a set for me, but I applaud the trend and the consistency. Keep it up Universal!

    1. The sets they’ve been churning out lately are indeed fantastic. Hopefully they’ll do the rest of the Simple Minds ones (and even some stuff by other artists) just like this one!

  77. Looks good, with a couple of reservations.
    Firstly the concert featured is, like the Silver Box set, spread over two discs which is annoying but mostly due to a later point I will make. Secondly that concert is on Youtube in excellent quality, and thirdly its not a great concert.
    This for me, is the period when concert versions of songs started to grow longer and longer, with added bits and breakdowns….songs become a slog rather than being immediate.
    So while I completely agree that this album ushered in a new stadium sound, it also ushered in the overblown side of SM which would alienate a lot of fans, but on the plus side garner them many new ones who appreciated their mid to late 80’s middle of the road approach to music.
    The album itself is outstanding and I’m hoping for an excellent remaster, and I would love to have those surround mixes by the esteemed Steven Wilson.

  78. Not a bad set. I personally don’t own any of the Themes sets so I’d be happy to have the B-sides and mixes in one place. Hopefully they’ll continue these sets into the 1990s, although I doubt they’ll do Good News and Neapolis.

    1. Maybe this question was answered somewhere down below but I missed it if it was, sorry. But if not: where does these come from? 3. New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) [Live] – Take Me To The River [Live]
      4. Love Song [Live] – Glory [Live] (LIVE

Leave a Reply