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fractalman 
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Joined: July 01 2005
Location: United States
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Points: 64
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 Topic: Simple Minds . . . progressive?
Posted: July 01 2005 at 15:58 |
Simple Minds has been labeled many things over the years, but I do think that they have some elements of progressive music; especially on Reel to Real Cacophony, Empires and Dance, Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call, and New Gold Dream. Listen to the Nijmegen show from 1983. It's awesome!
Mick MacNeil, Charlie Burchill, and Derek Forbes complement each other quite well.
Any thoughts?
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Gabito
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Joined: February 03 2005
Location: Uruguay
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:04 |
Sorry, but I don't think in Simple Minds as a prog band at all.
Regards
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fractalman
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:12 |
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OK, they are arguably not the virtuosos like their predecessors, but these guys had a chemistry that was explosive in the late 70's and early 80's. And their sound became more unique with each passing album up through NGD.
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Bryan
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Joined: April 01 2004
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:19 |
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I always thought of them as a fairly basic 80s pop band...
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fractalman
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Location: United States
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:21 |
OK, but have you heard any material from the albums that I mentioned? Or just their popular stuff?
 Useful_Idiot wrote:
I always thought of them as a fairly basic 80s pop band... |
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tuxon
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Joined: September 21 2004
Location: plugged-in
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Points: 5502
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:23 |
Good band, some prog influences in their approach I think, but never near real progressive rock.
I Like some of their songs 
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I'm always almost unlucky _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Id5ZcnjXSZaSMFMC Id5LM2q2jfqz3YxT
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vava
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Joined: June 15 2005
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Points: 55
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:24 |
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Simple Minds has always been one of my favourite bands, if not my
favourite and I also think that their early material has some
progressive elements and Jim Kerr has said that he liked Gabriel-era
Genesis back in the days.
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Teaflax
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 26 2005
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Points: 1225
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:33 |
Derek Forbes was an amazing bass player, not at all a bland Pop player. Mel Gaynor is a great drummer - sadly the two only got to play together on 1.5 albums (half of New Gold Dream and all of Sparkle in the Rain). Some of Forbes' bass lines (and Gaynors drum patterns) could have taken pride of place in Prog band, I think. The flowing line on Someone Somewhere in Summertime, the octave shifts between trebly melody and darker accompaniment on Glittering Prize and the hammer-on fills from Promised You a Miracle are all sterling non-derivative stuff.
That said, I don't think Simple Minds are Prog at all, but they made some music that's not nearly as one-dimensional as many seem to think (and there's a certain amount of guts in making a bass line that's just an open E all through the song - that's on Waterfront, in case you're wondering).
But once Forbes left, they fell fast and hard.
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fractalman
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Joined: July 01 2005
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:39 |
Yes, Derek is awesome! Just listen to songs like Changeling, I Travel and Hunter and the Hunted! I also agree that Mel is a great drummer for SM. I also love Waterfront, but the repetitive bass line does irk me sometimes. I love Mel's and Charlie's parts in Waterfront though.
Teaflax wrote:
Derek Forbes was an amazing bass player, not at all a bland Pop player. Mel Gaynor is a great drummer - sadly the two only got to play together on 1.5 albums (half of New Gold Dream and all of Sparkle in the Rain). Some of Forbes' bass lines (and Gaynors drum patterns) could have taken pride of place in Prog band, I think. The flowing line on Someone Somewhere in Summertime, the octave shifts between trebly melody and darker accompaniment on Glittering Prize and the hammer-on fills from Promised You a Miracle are all sterling non-derivative stuff.
That said, I don't think Simple Minds are Prog at all, but they made some music that's not nearly as one-dimensional as many seem to think (and there's a certain amount of guts in making a bass line that's just an open E all through the song - that's on Waterfront, in case you're wondering).
But once Forbes left, they fell fast and hard. |
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fractalman
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Joined: July 01 2005
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:48 |
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oh! Has anyone noticed any similarities between Simple Minds' Changeling and Asia's Cutting It Fine?
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Fishy
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Joined: November 26 2004
Location: Belgium
Status: Offline
Points: 257
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 16:48 |
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love the band, let there be no doubt about that but to my humble opnion, only one album has some progressive tendencies. Especially the title track of "Street fighting years" has a big symphonic sound ; off course still smooth and very accessible to prog terms but this album has always been my favorite one !
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Harlequin
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 23 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 546
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 17:02 |
Great band but not prog despite the Hillage production.
Early albums were excellent.
The track I Travel is superb.
Think I might play Sons and Fascination and Sister Feeling Call later.
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Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is the best...
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Dick Heath
Special Collaborator
Jazz-Rock Specialist
Joined: April 19 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 12812
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 17:15 |
Harlequin wrote:
Great band but not prog despite the Hillage production. |
Steve Hillage has a considerable life outside prog. The Arab-French Rai
singer Rachid Taha has been produced by Hillage for 20 years, for
example.
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Harlequin
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 23 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 546
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 17:18 |
Yup
And his work with the Orb.
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Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is the best...
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Harlequin
Forum Senior Member
Joined: October 23 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 546
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 17:21 |
OK heres a Geek thing to do.
I just checked back on my ticket stubs.
I saw Simple Minds in Manchester 20 September 1981. Thing I remember about the gig was that Dick Witts, singer/song writer with The Passage (who I really liked) sat in front of me.
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Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is the best...
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 27956
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 19:09 |
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I've got Sparkle In The Rain and I reckon its an 'eighties progressive rock' album.Public Image Ltd and the German band Propaganda are also examples of eighties bands that made 'progressive rock' albums.BUT if we are talkng 'prog rock' a la ELP,Yes etc then NO to the original question.
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The Rock
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Joined: June 30 2005
Location: Canada
Status: Offline
Points: 746
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 19:34 |
So many bands would fit in here,Talk Talk and Japan are two of the best 80's pop bands that came close to prog.Did'nt Simple Minds opened for Gabriel back then?Some of their members also attended Discipline concerts in 1980,a few months before Fripp would re-name the band King Crimson. 
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boo boo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 28 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 905
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 19:36 |
for those who are not familar with prog, synthlines does not make you prog...or else devo would be prog too.
Edited by boo boo
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felona
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 12 2005
Location: Australia
Status: Offline
Points: 521
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Posted: July 01 2005 at 20:04 |
boo boo ... off the topic I know but I really like your avatar ... I believe its from The Office? One of the funniest comedy moments ever from my favourite comedy show. Hope you don't dance like David Brent ... oh no ... hey, maybe he likes prog 
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I was never really sure what I was waiting for. When the moment came I was looking away ......
The Church "After Everything Now This"
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boo boo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: June 28 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 905
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Posted: July 02 2005 at 02:34 |
felona wrote:
boo boo ... off the topic I know but I really like your avatar ... I believe its from The Office? One of the funniest comedy moments ever from my favourite comedy show. Hope you don't dance like David Brent ... oh no ... hey, maybe he likes prog |
yea its from the office, i watch it on BBC all the time, i wanted to use another image but it wasnt small enough, and then i realised the site has a strict avatar limit.
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Simple Minds . . . progressive?