Big Music (Simple Minds album)

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Big Music is the sixteenth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, due to be released in October 2014.

Overview

According to lead singer lead Jim Kerr, Big Music has lots of power and passion, urgency and momentum, adding "it is energetic, it's got a raw power and a lot of vitality".

Recording

Big Music was completed with a final recording taking place on 27 August 2014.

Track listing

So far, the current known songs prepared for the album are:

1. Blindfolded (first mentioned as a demo composed by Charlie in March 2011)
2. Big Music (original riff developed during the Black & White 050505 sessions without lyric to match the music; Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and Andy Gillespie fused song and lyrics to the instrumental in late 2013 at Grouse Lodge, Ireland)
3. Broken Glass Park [Band Version] (written as a Lostboy! AKA song on 11 May 2010 during the rehearsals for the first "Lostboy! AKA" promo tour, performed live on the first night on 18 May 2010 in Glasgow, UK, initially scheduled for the second Lostboy! AKA album entitled The Return Of The Lostboy! but ultimately recorded by Simple Minds; final mix completed on 30 September 2010 in London, UK)
4. Blood Diamonds [Band Version] (originally written by Jim Kerr with Iain Cook of Chvrches after an introduction by Martin Hanlin; intended to be part of the second Lostboy! AKA album until Charlie Burchill and Steve Osborne felt it was better suited for Simple Minds; released on the Celebrate: The Greatest Hits compilation in March 2013; new version later re-recorded following the 2013 Greatest Hits+ Tour)
5. Chrome Heart (worked in the studio on 6 April 2012 with Simon Hayward)
6. Concrete And Cherry Blossom (demo worked in May 2009 which later evolved into "On The Rooftop")
7. Fire Fighter (first demoed by Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr on May 2009)
8. Harmonize (based on an idea that came out of recordings made in Sicily over a decade prior to April 2012 when it was ultimately rediscovered)
9. Human (first mentioned by Jim Kerr on 17 February 2014 as being due to start featuring in the live set but never played live to date yet)
10. Human Trafficking (wrote in Hamburg during Summer 2009, first mentioned by Jim Kerr in February 2010, "not to be finished quite yet" as Jim Kerr stated on 25 November 2010)
11. Honest Town (originally written by Ian Cook for the second Lostboy! AKA album but later demoed and worked for Big Music in late May 2012 in Real World Studios)
12. Imagination
13. In Every Heaven [2010 Recording] (first recorded in May 1982, this is the "lost" track from the New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84) sessions
14. Kill Or Cure? ()
15. Let The Day Begin
16. Liaison
17. Love's Bonfire
18. Machines
19. Midnight Walking
20. On The Rooftop
21. Photograph
22. Planet Zero
23. Space [New Version]
24. Spirited Away
25. Signal And The Noise
26. Swimming Towards The Sun [New Version]
27. Tsunami
28. Ulysses (first demoed by Charlie Burchill and Jim Kerr on May 2009)
29. Utopia
30. War Babies [New Version]

Live debuts

"Fire Fighter": on 18 June 2010 at Le Bataclan, Paris, France (just after another live debut, "Stagefright", played as the opener).

"Concrete And Cherry Blossom": planned to be debuted as part of the encore of the Bataclan show but dropped due to time constraints.

"Big Music": on 27 November 2013 at The Hydro, Glasgow, UK.

"Honest Town": soundchecked in April 2014 at the private ElectroSet gig at Annabel's, London, UK.

"Imagination" and "Blindfolded": on 6 June 2014 at the "Montereau Confluences" Festival, Montereau-Fault-Yonne, France.

Personnel

• Jim Kerr - Vocals
• Charlie Burchill - Guitars
• Ged Grimes - Bass
• Andy Gillespie - keyboards
• Mel Gaynor - Drums

Sources

• Official Simple Minds web site
• Dream Giver Redux