Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

Simple Minds – New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

Released in September 1982, New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) was the fifth studio album by Scottish band Simple Minds and the record that transformed them from an acclaimed post-punk/new wave act into a major international band. Produced and engineered by Peter Walsh, the album reached No. 3 in the UK Albums Chart and remained on the UK chart for an impressive 53 weeks.

The album captures Simple Minds at a pivotal moment, combining the atmospheric electronics and experimental edge of their earlier work with increasingly expansive melodies, danceable rhythms and sophisticated pop songwriting. Jim Kerr's distinctive vocals sit above Charlie Burchill's chiming guitars, Michael MacNeil's keyboards and Derek Forbes' melodic bass, creating the widescreen sound that would become one of the defining characteristics of the band's 1980s work.

The opening “Someone Somewhere In Summertime” immediately establishes the album's shimmering, atmospheric character, followed by “Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel” and “Promised You A Miracle.” The latter was released as the album's first single in April 1982 and became Simple Minds' first UK Top 20 hit, reaching No. 13.

“Big Sleep” and “Somebody Up There Likes You” lead into the title track, “New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)”, one of the band's defining pieces of early-1980s synth-driven rock. “Glittering Prize”, the second single, followed in August 1982 and reached No. 16 in the UK, while “Someone Somewhere In Summertime” subsequently reached the Top 40.

The closing tracks are equally compelling. “Hunter And The Hunted” features an especially notable guest appearance from jazz keyboard legend Herbie Hancock, who contributed a synthesizer solo, while the nearly seven-minute “King Is White And In The Crowd” provides an expansive finale. The album's combination of new wave, synthesizers, atmospheric guitar and propulsive rhythm made it a crucial bridge between the post-punk era and the grander alternative and pop-rock sound Simple Minds would develop later in the decade.

For collectors of 1980s new wave, synth-pop, post-punk, alternative rock and classic British albums, New Gold Dream is an essential Simple Minds LP. It is also an important record in the band's history: the point at which their atmospheric early sound became something genuinely anthemic and commercially powerful, laying the foundations for the major international success that followed with Sparkle In The Rain and Once Upon A Time.

Side A

1. Someone Somewhere In Summertime – 4:35
2. Colours Fly And Catherine Wheel – 3:49
3. Promised You A Miracle – 4:26
4. Big Sleep – 4:59
5. Somebody Up There Likes You – 4:58

Side B

1. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) – 5:40
2. Glittering Prize – 4:33
3. Hunter And The Hunted – 5:54
4. King Is White And In The Crowd – 6:57