Known in the States for “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from the film The Breakfast Club, a cover song from which the group distanced themselves, to the extent of not putting it on any of their records, Glasgow’s Simple Minds is a band most of us know far less than we think, and far less than we ought.
X5 neatly (and inexpensively) takes care of that, collecting their first 4 LPs — Life In A Day, Reel to Real Cacophony, Empires and Dance and New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) — as well as the EPs Sister Feelings Call and Sons and Fascination and over ninety minutes of bonus material.
What is most remarkable about this set, and about Simple Minds, is not only that such a sizable output was recorded over a brief three-and-a-half-year span of 1979-1982, but also that it covers such diverse territory. The post-Roxy Music pop of their debut is followed by the legitimate post-punk classic, is followed by the prescient eurodisco workout, is followed by the forging of their own particular sound and an 80s pop masterpiece. Hearing the breadth of their scope and their rapid progression all wrapped up in one concise package makes this a particularly excellent way to delve more deeply into a criminally-overlooked group.
