The song reached number 16 in the UK singles chart, but was more successful in Australia, New Zealand and Norway, where it reached the top 10.
My collection: 7" single no. 7291
Found: 33|45 Records, Den Haag, 17 August 2024
Tracks: 'Glittering prize' / 'Glittering prize (theme)'
Driven by curiosity, I had to buy this promo, because I really wanted to know how anyone could trim down this epic piece. I have to say it was done quite well: the lenghty intro was scrapped and near the end some slow bits were also edited out. All in all, this is still a five minute song - but it does constitute an edit, in this case. The B-side does have a playable groove, but it is all silent.
My collection: 7" single no. 7210
Found: Discogs.com, received 29 May 2024
Tracks: 'Belfast child (edit)'
'Stand by love' was released in 1991 as the third single from their tenth album 'Real life'. The song was written by Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr and was produced by Stephen Lipson. The B-side was recorded live at the Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles (USA) on June 19, 1991.
'Sweat in bullet' was released in 1981 as the second single from Simple Minds' fourth album 'Sons and fascination'. The single was released as a special double single, featuring a second disc with two live recordings from a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon on September 25, 1981.
I think 'Someone somewhere (in summertime)' is my favourite Simple Minds song of all times. Still, it took me this long to find a copy of the single. Fortunately, it is a UK pressing so that's made it worthwhile waiting.
'Sanctify yourself' was released as the second single from the Simple Minds' 1986 album 'Once upon a time', their seventh studio album. Released in the wake of their biggest hit 'Don't you (forget about me)' (1985), the band were able to ride the wave of success for some time. This single reached number 10 in the UK singles chart, number 11 in the Dutc hTop 40 and number 14 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 1987, the Simple Minds released the album 'Live in the city of light', which as the name vaguely describes, was a recording of their concerts at Le Zenith in Paris on August 12 and 13, 1986.
'Kick it in' was released as the third single from the 1989 Simple Minds album 'Street fighting years'. Although I wasn't that convinced that this song was actually any good, I was curious about the 89 remix of 'Waterfront', which is included on the B-side of this single. And so it still ended up in my collection.
The Simple Minds released five singles from their 1989 album 'Street fighting years', of which the first and the last one were EP's. The first EP was the 'Ballad of the streets EP', the second one was the Amsterdam EP.
'Hypnotised' was the second single taken from the Simple Minds' 1995 album 'Good news from the next world'. The 7" single was a numbered limited edition. This is number 1839.
By 1995, the Simple Minds had become 'the former super group'. The line-up had diminished to Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, using session musicians for their tenth album 'Good news from the next world'. The album was reviewed positively in the USA, but in the UK, critics panned the album.
'Love song' is a track from the Simple Minds' 1981 album 'Sons and fascination'. It was originally released as a single in the same year, peaking at number 47 in the UK singles chart. Not only was it their biggest success in the UK up to that point, it was also their first single to chart outside the UK: in Australia and Canada, peaking at number 17 and 38 respectively.
'See the lights' was the second single released from Simple Minds' 1991 album 'Real life'. The track was remixed and edited for the single.
Released in 1982, 'New gold dream' was the fifth album of the Simple Minds. The single 'Promised you a miracle' was the first one taken from the album, released in April 1982. It was their first single to generate success on the European continent, as it reached number 24 in the Dutch Top 40.
The first single from the Simple Minds' 1991 album 'Real life' was 'Let there be love'. Although the song still had a very full sound, gone were the days of stadium rock and misplaced missionarism. Jim Kerr was becoming less of a Bono clone and started focusing on music again. What a nice change.
'This is your land' was released as the second single from the Simple Minds' 1989 album 'Street fighting years' in April 1989. The song was written and composed by the band and features Lou Reed as guest vocalist.
I still remember vividly the first time I heard 'Belfast child' by the Simple Minds. It was a Saturday evening and I had a splitting headache. I'd taken a few pills to combat this, and started playing some music. As always, I'd borrowed the new cd-singles my sister had bought, and this was one of them. I was listening to this new track with a lot of attention and was very impressed with the buildup and climax near the end of the track. When the song was over, my headache was gone.
'Don't you (forget about me)' was released in April 1985 and made a big impression on me right away. I loved the song, and the fact that my record shop was selling it cheaply for one week only meant that I had it even before it charted. It's a purchase I regretted for a long time, because the song was played so often and became such a big hit that I didn't play the single for years on end.
'Alive and kicking' was released as a single from the Simple Minds' 1985 album 'Once upon a time'. The single featured a single version that was 40 seconds shorter than the album version. However, the instrumental version on the B-side was 35 seconds longer, clocking in at 6 minutes.
The early Simple Minds material has a certain quality their later songs did not have. It featured a sparser sound, it rocked like hell and the production by Steve Lillywhite was always spot-on. Their 1983 single 'Waterfront' sounded a bit like U2, that other band that was just coming up around that time.
