| Themes
(Volumes 1-4)
Philip Thomas -
'Q' Magazine (UK)
This extraordinary
set of picture CDs, packaged in Chinese-puzzle
style cardboard boxes, five to a box, effectively
charts the '80s from the perspective of Simple
Minds. Priced at about pounds sterling20 per
box, and released as a limited edition, they
do indeed remind the casual listener that the
band made it very big indeed during the last
decade, from Promised You A Miracle to Belfast
Child.
In between, these
compilation CDs bear witness to such popular
tracks as Speed Your Love To Me, Up On The Catwalk,
Waterfront and Don't You (Forget About Me) -several
times. For here we have not so much a collection
of tracks as a completist's dream: as well as
straight tracks, there are 12-inch remixes,
dance mixes, extended mixes, unauthorised mixes
and, in one case, a C.J. Mackintosh mix. If
this all sounds a little too much, Themes-all
four of them -are redeemed by the uniformly
excellent production and brilliant atmosphere
Simple Minds made their own.
And if at times the
preciousness of the later work sets the teeth
on edge, the sheer musical skill and undoubted
power of the band makes up for it, reminding
you that unless something drastic happens, the
'90s could be as good a decade for the boys
as the '80s were.
As well as the hits,
there are other interesting tit-bits: Volume
Four, for instance, sees excellent covers of
Prince's Sign O' The Times, Peter Gabriel's
Biko and even that well known rock classic,
Jerusalem. Perhaps a double-album featuring
the choicest morsels from these compilations
would be more popular and less unwieldy (for
instance, Promised You A Miracle is on Volume
One and Volume Three-so which does a skint fan
choose?), but for those lovers of Simple Minds
with £80 to spare, few things could represent
better value.
(Theme 1 - 3
out of 5)
(Theme 2 - 4
out of 5)
(Theme 3 - 4
out of 5)
(Theme 4 - 3
out of 5)
†
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