Simple Minds In the City of Light

Rip It Up, Issue 120, 1 July 1987, Page 23

Simple Minds In the City of Light

Virgin Oh dear, they haven’t made this easy. Right from the goldembossed lettering on the perfect black cover to the inner colour photo album of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill silhouetted against purple skies surrounded by sunflowers, Simple Minds have laid themselves bare to further accusations of that whole gauche stadium mentality that'’s plagued them since Waterfront. Between New Gold Dream and Sparkle in the Rain the band had created a following that meant their two-night Mainstreet intimacy had to expend to 1984's Sweet-

waters proportions. That same devolution can be heard on Springsteen’s live epic. But whereas he's never strayed from rock and roll, Simple Minds have recently fallen prey to putting dynamics before songs. Maybe that’s a trait that has always lurked in their music, a flaw arising from the belief that the size of the sound can somehow capture the intensity of the feeling. The road sense of Sons and Fascination (here represented by a hasty ‘Love Song’), the optimism of New Gold Dream and the more reflective moments of Sparkle in the Rain and Once Upon a Time, represent the best of their music but on In the City of Light the selection veers more to mass communication. . - ‘Ghost Dancing, ‘Waterfront, ‘Alive and Kicking, ‘Once Upon a Time' and ‘Sanctify Yourself’ would encompass any stadium with their immaculate delivery but the emotions remain unmoved.- And ‘Promised You a Miracle’ suffers from a performance that alters the balance of the melody, and curios like ‘Sun City’ and Sly’s ‘Dance to the Music' are only courtesy nods to black music lifted a touch by vocalist Robin Clark’s outlay. Gallery stuff for sure, leaving the best to the quietest moments; ‘Big Sleep’ is still handled with care, ‘Someone, Somewhere in Summertime’ remains intact and ‘At Easter’ has a pathos that should have concluded the night. In balance the album shows how Simple Minds have evolved too far in creating an exaggerated sound as a means of communication; the problemis it’s too big too often to remain credible. :

George Kay