Simple Minds

Sweaty

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The roots of Simple Minds started out in the punk band Johnny & The Self-Abusers thought up by Cairnduff in 1977, he left the task of actually fleshing out and creating the band to his friend John Milarky. Milarky teamed up with two musicians he’d never worked with before - budding singer and lyricist Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill.

Kerr and Burchill had known each other since the age of eight and were longstanding allies. After joining Johnny & The Self-Abusers, they brought in two of their schoolfriends, Brian McGee on drums and Tony Donald on bass (all four had previously played together in the schoolboy band Biba-Rom!). With Milarky established as singer, guitarist and saxophonist, the lineup was completed by Milarky’s friend Alan McNeil as third guitarist. To expand the band's potential sound, Kerr and Burchill also doubled on keyboards and violin respectively. In common with the early punk bands, various members took on stage names - Milarky became “Johnnie Plague”, Kerr became “Pripton Weird”, McNeil chose “Sid Syphilis” and Burchill chose “Charlie Argue”.

Johnny & The Self-Abusers played their first gig on Easter Monday, 1977 at the Dourne Castle pub in Glasgow. They played support to rising punk stars Generation X in Edinburgh a scant two weeks later. The band went on to play a summer of concerts in Glasgow. Development was rapid, but at the expense of unity. The band soon split into two factions, with Milarky and McNeil on one side and Kerr, Donald, Burchill and McGee on the other: at the same time, Milarky’s compositions were being edged out in favour of those of Kerr and Burchill.

In November 1977, Johnny & The Self-Abusers released their only single, "Saints And Sinners", on Chiswick Records (which was labelled as “rank and vile” in a Melody Maker review.) The band split on the same day that the single was released, with Milarky and McNeil going on to form The Cuban Heels.

Ditching the stage names and punkiness, the remaining members continued together as Simple Minds (naming themselves after an Iggy Pop lyric from his song "Let's Play It Safe"). Kerr abandoned keyboards to concentrate entirely on vocals, and in January 1978 the band recruited Duncan Barnwell as a second guitarist. In March they were joined by the Barra-born keyboard player Michael MacNeil.

These are the early albums put out by the band, they were getting quite a reputation for being a good live act, I remember these albums being out at the time, much better than their commercial stuff, very new wave, like The Human League and Visage.

Life in a Day (1979) 1st studio album
Real to Real Cacophony (1979) 2nd studio album
Empires and Dance (1980) 3rd studio album
Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call (1981) (2-LP/1-CD) 4th studio album
New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84) (1982) 5th studio album










 

Slip'nn2Darkness

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Wow!! Your right Sweaty.. I like their earlier stuff quite a bit.. What a difference.. Thanks for starting a thread..:cheers:
Liked all those songs you posted.. Especially Sweat in Bullets..
 

Sweaty

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Thanks Thumper, it is the same with all late 70's early 80's bands they did some really good stuff and then got commercial. Bit like Talking Heads except I like a few of their later songs.
 

LG

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I like these guys too Sweaty. I only have a greatest hits compilation though, lost my vinyl years ago and didn't replace all of them yet.

I'll be back for sure.:tup:
 

0000

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I have to thank you for introducing me to the early stuff, I just listened to most of Real To Real, I may have to buy it down the line:D

I can't stand their 80s output though... I don't like a lot of the synth driven music of the 80s, if I'm going to listen ot that I'm gonna need 35 advil and a big glass of water, that stuff gives me a headache:heheh:

Nice thread, and the early stuff is pretty awesome:grinthumb
 

LOU/REALM

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Crikey Sweaty....looked into my album collection to find 10 SIMPLE MINDS albums. Great band in their day.....I personally loved 2nd album onwards in their electro/alternative dance stage [ Very inspiring] but as you say went more commercial as time went by. Scotland can be very proud of this band !!....and to think singer Jim Kerr was married to gorgeous Chrissie Hynde :flirtfrom The Pretenders for a while......sigh
 

LG

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I have two of their albums...one is a compilation :blush:

I forgot about Kerr being married to Chrissy, then again wasn't she married to that "plonker" Ray Davies for a while too...:hm:

No offense to Kink fans out there, when he's leading his band I like him but otherwise I can guarantee we would not get along if we met and had a couple ales.:heheh:
 

LOU/REALM

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Ive been playing a bit of SIMPLE MINDS of late....These are some of my favorites

 

LG

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^^New Gold Dream is the compilation album I have LOU...it's a good all around record but I usually prefer the studio releases. For some reason I just never collected this band...:dunno:
 

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