5 Album Set

This is a nice little bargain-priced boxed set of Simple Minds albums during their 80's heyday, housed in card slipcases and an outer slipcase. This is the more 'basic' style of slipcase set. 'Missing' from the set are their first couple of albums during which their style changed a lot. The set begins as they started to settle on a style and 'sound' from 'Sons and Fascination' onwards and moves through their subsequent albums as they became increasingly bombastic and arena-oriented by 1985's 'Once Upon a Time'. For many their peak was 1982's 'New Gold Dream' which seemed to capture them when they were still somewhat experimental, but writing great melodies and hadn't been seduced by the trappings of mainstream rock success. For others the following album 'Sparkle in the Rain' is their peak. But there's no doubt that by the time the band recorded 'Once Upon a Time' they had shifted to the arena-rock sound which somewhat emulated (less successfully) the direction that contemporaries like U2 had been moving in, and for some the bombast took something away from what had gone before.Whatever your taste, this set captures their glory years and ends with 1989's 'Street Fighting Years' which gave them a (somewhat unusual) UK # 1 with their reworking of the traditional 'She Moved Through the Fair' as 'Belfast Child'.The CD's contain no extra tracks, which is unfortunate because it would have been nice to see the addition of the song 'Don't You Forget About Me' they recorded for the John Hughes movie 'The Breakfast Club', which may be their most famous song. The band have a love / hate relationship with the song, but it gave them a US # 1 and was their first UK top ten hit. Despite that - at the price the set is now (just above £10) what have you got to lose?A word of warning: The version of this set I received is back-to-front, which means the CD's slot in to the left of the picture of the band, and the CD's themselves have slots for the CD on the top rather than to the left as LP's would. I'm pretty sure this is a factory error, but it doesn't affect the CD's themselves.

Having recently seen Simple Minds live in bournemouth for their 40th Anniversary tour I thought I would re-appraise some of their albums with this purchase. Sons and Fasination has always been my favourite Simple Minds album and that remains the case. They really develop and define their sound on this album with some stunning tracks like In Trance As Mission, Sweat in Bullet, The American, Theme from Great Cities and my personal fave Seeing Out the Angel.New Gold Dream for many is the peak of Simple Minds and has the imperious Someone Somewhere in Summertime. Sparkle and Once Upon a Time are the "stadium" albums - all pomp and power and to this listener maybe a bit over the top.The surprise of this package for me is Street Fighting Years. A return to some great songs whilst still keeping elements of the power and pomp. This is Your Land, Let it all come down, Mandela Day, Belfast Child and the opener Street Fighting Years are all up there with the best of Simple Minds.

Great collection of albums for the Simple Minds fan.

I was one of those people in the 80s who went off Simple Minds after New Gold Dream.I didn't like the way Mel Gaynor's drums crashed and it seemed too bombastic. But time allows perspective and I now love Sparkle in the Rain, Once Upon a time and Street Fighting Years after giving them a fair chance. Although maligned, they've got so much depth compared to modern music. I've heard the demos online for Sparkle in The Rain and I would have preferred it if they had gone that direction rather than the Steve Lillywhite way but there is still plenty of genius in those LPs. This is a definite 5 star release.

Bought this for my car as it has the most amazing stereo and who can complain about having 5 great albums in one box! Loved this band forever and always will, so it's wonderful to hear these sounds in my car as I have always owned these on vinyl previously. Amazing sounds and great quality. Wonderful wonderful wonderful!!

All 5 albums are class!!

First 5 albums in cardboard sleeves in a presentation box

This box set would be perfect if street fighting years was replaced by empires and dance. Street fighting years is dreadful. New gold dream is simple minds finest hour a perfect pop album. It all started to nosedive when Derek Forbes was ousted and the bloated stadium rock beckoned.