Tidy Tunes 2019 #15/28 Waterfront - Simple Minds

Waterfront - Simple Minds
Virgin
Produced by Steve Lillywhite
Released November 1983
UK Chart #13


 

Waterfront (Live)
The SSE Hydro Glasgow
27th November 2013

Sparkle In The Rain - Simple Minds
Virgin
Produced by Steve Lillywhite
Released 6th February 1984
UK Chart #1
Remained on the Chart for 57 Weeks!

Listen To The Album Here.

Simple Minds? I know some people who are diehard fans and others who like them up to a certain period (normally the New Gold Dream era) and some who just seem to have a real aversion to them altogether. You hear the usual quips of "weren't they just trying to rip off U2!" (funny one that because a lot of people said them same thing about The Alarm!) or "oh, they're Scottish!" (like it's some kind of disease and surely no one from North of the Border can actually create good music!).

I had first stumbled on them in 1979 with the release of their debut single, Life In A Day. A friend of my Dad worked at a Record Plant that pressed for the label Arista Records (and Zoom at that time had recently entered into partnership with them) and he used to bring a box of records at the end of the week (probably gained by questionable means!) and allow me and some others to take what we wanted and one week there was a 7" single in a Black Picture sleeve with red writing declaring:

LIFE IN A DAY 

SIMPLE MINDS

I took it not really knowing anything about who they were apart from they were probably Scottish as most of the other bands on Zoom hailed from North of the Border and I absolutely loved it (I did discover not long afterwards that a couple of members had been in Johnny and the Self Abusers who had released one single for Chiswick Records in November 1977 - Saints and Sinners).

Now, while I really liked the Debut album 'Life In A Day' I wasn't totally captivated by everything that followed. I enjoyed the singles, but the albums didn't grab me by the short and curlies! It probably wasn't until New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) that I really begun to enjoy their albums.

Now, if Jim Kerr happens to read this (and he does tend to read most of the posts on the Simple Minds Facebook page on which I am looking to post this), I hope he is not overly disappointed in me for what I've just said. The strange thing is, years on from the release of Real To Real Cacophony through to Sister Feelings Call I now find myself actually appreciating those albums much more than I did back then. With age comes wisdom! 😉

I am all distracted. Let's get back on Topic. Waterfront. It was the single that paved the way for their first #1 album in Sparkle In The Rain. I won't go into details about the album as I know you all have a life to get on with and my ramblings are just going to delay you getting anything done! The album just recently passed it's 35th Anniversary (so it's a good excuse to dig it out again and play it!).

Where was I? Oh yes, Waterfront! I really love this single but I do have to say to really enjoy its sheer brilliance it is way better to experience it played live in concert. That throbbing bassline is often extended when played live and then the song just explodes into life as the keyboards, guitar and drums kick in...in a word it's...Mesmerising! 

The other thing about it is that it doesn't matter what body of water I am ever close to, the Thames in London, The Clyde in Glasgow or even down on the Ayrshire Coast, that bassline has a habit of resurfacing in my mind and reminding me afresh of what a cracking single this was and still is.