The rise and slide of the Simple Minds – one of the most successful and influential bands in the UK during the 1980s. A mix of new wave, post-punk, and rock. Multiple UK Top 10 hits. But it took “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” to break them big in the US. They rode that stand-alone single into one hit album here in the States.
When Once Upon a Time was released in 1985 – without “Don’t You” on it. “Alive and Kicking” was the lead single – essentially the band’s 2nd American single. It went to #3 on the Billboard charts.
The album went platinum in the US. Then they fell from those rock and roll heights while continuing to make albums for the next 30 years, just as they had been working years to gain their audience, gigging since the late 1970s.
They suffered from a comparison to U2; Both bands from outside the US. Both had a big, expansive, anthemic sound, and both were socially and politically conscious in their lyrics. But there were differences too.
We talk about the climb. The slide. The U2 thing. We listen to the music they made early and late in their career. And they are still doing their thing, still big in Europe. What’s going on?
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