Tune #81: Simple Minds - A Brass Band In African Chimes

In 2001 Beachwood Music, a label notorious for its crappy compilations, assigned Nick Bracegirdle to create a compilation of tracks which represent the sound of Ibiza. Nick was enjoying his G.O.A.T. years with his Chicane & Disco Citizens aliases at the time, so he seemed the appropriate person for the job (Offshore is still regarded as one of Ibiza's anthems).

Like most 2-CD compilations, the classic formula is also applied here: The 1st CD is the chillout interpretation of the project, consisting of downtempo tracks with mellow melodies and breakbeats. The 2nd CD is the more club-friendly, with some of the most famous house & trance tracks of the 90's.

The non-electronic (or the least electronic!) track of the compilation is A Brass Band In African Chimes by Simple Minds:

SIMPLE MINDS - A BRASS BAND IN AFRICAN CHIMES


Simple Minds are a famous Scottish band of the 80's. Initially found success in the UK, the band achieved international fame with the song Don't You Forget About Me (which was included in the film The Breakfast Club). Although they are mostly known for their new wave/synth-pop productions (Alive & Kicking, Someone Somewhere In Summertime, Waterfront), three tracks distinguished them from the other new wave bands:
·         Belfast Child: an expression of empathy for the people of Northern Ireland after the                               Remembrance Day bombing (possibly an answer to U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday?)
·         Mandela Day: a freeing cry for the then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela
·         Today's posted track

A Brass Band In African Chimes was released in 1984 by Virgin, firstly as a B-side to Up On The Catwalk, and one year later (as a B-side again) in Don't You Forget About Me. Composed by Simple Minds and produced by Steve Lillywhite (who was the driving force behind the first 3 albums of U2), this lush instrumental can perfectly fit as a closer in a DJ set. Although the composition does not bear strong resemblance with the classic Simple Minds sound, an association can be found through the distinctive guitar riffs of Charlie Burchill.

An interesting trivia for the track is that it was actually a reconstruction of a demo version for Shake Off The Ghosts, which appeared in album Sparkle In The Rain (1983):

SIMPLE MINDS - SHAKE OFF THE GHOSTS (DEMO VERSION)


Simple Minds have deeply influenced the electronic music with their tracks: Some representative examples are:
·         Latour - Blue (featured in movie Basic Instinct) sampled the intro of Theme For Great Cities.
·         U.S.U.R.A - Open Your Mind (an Italo progresssive house anthem) is largely based on                         track New Gold Dream.
·         CJ Bolland - Golden Dreams (one of the first rave tracks) uses a sample from Big Sleep.

Simple Minds are one of the most underrated bands in the history of music. While their beginning was pretty much in parallel with the Irish U2, they former never reached the fame status of the latter. The band faced a commercial decline in the 90's, only to revive in mid-00's. However, their contribution to the music of the 80's is undisputed.