[.ca] Sparkle In The Rain

el mejor album de simple minds:
este es sin lugar a dudas el mejor album de las mentes simples, canciones como up on the catwalk, east at easter, speed your love to me y waterfront estan a años luz del resto de canciones de otros lp de la banda.

Move over New Gold Dream cause here comes...:
"Sparkle In The Rain", undoubtedly one of the best Simple Minds albums ever. When everyone thought that Simple Minds had created their best work with "New Gold Dream 81 82 83 84", along came "Sparkle In The Rain" to make matters even better. It is evident that practice makes perfect, and while I consider NGD a perfect album, SITR follows the same steps and profile. This album has its own style just like the others, from "Up On The Catwalk" to "Shake Off The Ghosts", is a complete work of art. Although more songs should have been included in "The Best Of" collection from this album, only 3 songs were placed, "Up On The Catwalk", "Speed Your Love To Me" and "Waterfront". While "Speed Your Love To Me" wouldn't have been one of my picks for "The Best Of" collection, I do believe that "Waterfront" and "Up On The Catwalk" were GREAT picks. I would have replaced "Speed Your Love" with either one of these: "Book Of Brilliant Things", "Street Hassle", "White Hot Day", "C Moon Cry Like A Baby" or "The Kick Inside Of Me". All of them great songs. But no "Best Of" collection is perfect. That's why you shouldn't deprive yourself from listening to these songs any longer, they really are works of art, so I encourage you to get your hands on one SITR album now. Enjoy!

MAGICAL:
Simple Minds came closer than ever before to full-blown rock on this album. They do rock here, but they still exhibit skillfully played musical shadings. Highly inventive, underrated guitarist Charlie Burchill steps forward and rocks, but not without his rhythmic subtlety. At the time, this album was criticized for being poorly mixed and sounding muddy, but I quite like that thick din of sound. I haven't heard the remaster, so I hope they haven't botched it. "Up on the Catwalk" kicks things off with rumbling thunder and haunting keyboards. One of SPARKLE's best songs despite borrowing the already overdone U2 theme "I'll be there tonight." Singer Jim Kerr delivers a fantastically wordy vocal that moves into improvisation towards the end of the song. "Book of Brilliant Things" is good but not my favorite, although it grows on you with that catchy guitar hook. "Speed Your Love To Me" and "Waterfront" are the album's glorious centerpieces. Simply brilliant and uplifting (and totally rockin'!) "East at Easter" is a slow burner that builds with subtle intensity. "Street Hassle" is one of Lou Reed's best songs and SM actually improve on the original, giving it a smoother, more organic quality. Fantastic orchestration. And, let's face it, Kerr has a much better voice than Reed. Lou must've approved because he sings (or, rather, speaks) on SM's "This Is Your Land" from STREET FIGHTING YEARS a few years later. "White Hot Day" - not the best, but still a good song with musings about "time." "'C' Moon Cry Like A Baby" is another favorite. This one has an infectious swing. "The Kick Inside Me" is the hardest rocking song on the album. "Shake Off The Ghosts" is floating serenity. Keyboardist Michael McNeil, so integral to the whole album, really takes this instrumental to a place of wonderment. A beautiful way to finish. It's wonderful to hear an album that rocks without banging you over the head with feedback, distortion and the like as so many bands do today. People who call this the start of their U2-style bombastic phase are really missing the point.

A milestone in my new wave memory:
This album is and has been my absolute favorite of all time. I was a fan of SM from the time I saw their Speed Your Love To Me video projected on the wall of an after-hours new wave bar. I had their albums along side my other hard-come-by vinyl: The Smiths, The Dead Kennedys, Bauhaus, Joy Division, Echo and The Bunnymen, etc. For me, this album represents the best that was new wave. This album is so etched in my memory, that I almost get so over come with emotion on some songs that I can't listen to them. A definite must have.

A Top Effort Form A Lost Band:
I first heard of Simple Minds at The Left Bank, an 80's club in Mount Vernon NY which had Richie, the finest DJ I have ever heard. When I finally found out what THAT SONG was (Love Songs) I immediately went out and bought New Gold Dream (originally an LP pressed on gold flecked clear vinyl..) and this recording. CD redo has if anything improved its sound. The intensity of "Speed Your Love" is so great I sometimes can't listen to it, it is so strong. "Catwalk", "Book", and "Waterfront" are all great songs, so much so that you wonder why "Don't You Forget About Me" became a hit - it is one of their weakest songs. Jimmy was one of, if not the best pure New Wave singers - too bad Chryssie stole his soul and wrecked the group. Even worse: there's a live concert that was broadcast by Long Island's WLIR in the 80's that would blow this and all the other studio albums away, but never will reach CD status....but there's some incredible instrumental playing here, and Jimmy has a fabulous voice. This CD and New Gold Dream are musts!

• Up on the Catwalk
• Book of Brilliant Things
• Speed Your Love to Me
• Waterfront
• East at Easter
• Street Hassle
• White Hot Day
• "C" Moon Cry Like a Baby
• Kick Inside of Me
• Shake Off the Ghosts