Life in a Day (album)
 |
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
| Martin C. Strong | (7/10)[2] |
| NME | (favourable)[3] |
| Smash Hits | 8/10[4] |
Life in a Day is the debut album by Simple Minds, released in 1979. It reached number 30 in the UK Albums Chart.[5] The title track and "Chelsea Girl" were issued as singles.
History
The band's first album, Life in a Day, was produced by John Leckie and released by Arista on 5 May 1979 in the UK, spending six weeks in the UK LP charts and reaching number 30.[6] The title track was released on 12 May as Simple Minds' first single and reached No. 62 in the UK Gallup charts, spending two weeks there.[6] However, the next single ("Chelsea Girl") failed to chart at all. A tribute to Nico and the Andy Warhol film Chelsea Girls, it was a popular live song for the band.[7]
Reception
Andy Kellman of Allmusic rated the album the lowliest of Simple Minds' first five album releases, remarking on its derivativeness from Magazine and Roxy Music, and ranked "Someone" as the best and "Pleasantly Disturbed" as the worst track.[7] NME's Tony Stewart praised the lyrics and arrangements despite noting the overt influences of 1970s music, and rated "Murder Story" the standout track. Although noting the album as overproduced and undermining the band's sound, he rated the album favourably.[3]
In a 2012 interview, the band's frontman Jim Kerr has expressed regret that the album's production had resulted in the tracks lacking "a real spark" that was part of their live performances, and described his feelings about the album as "bittersweet".[8] He recalled at the time, " as we were about to drive up to Scotland, someone gave me a cassette of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division... and I thought, we've completely blown it."—ruing that their live material had sounded more like Velvet Underground and less like the Boomtown Rats.[9]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Jim Kerr; all music is composed by Charles Burchill and Jim Kerr
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Someone" | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Life in a Day" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Sad Affair" | 2:45 |
| 4. | "All for You" | 2:51 |
| 5. | "Pleasantly Disturbed" | 7:59 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "No Cure" | 3:34 |
| 7. | "Chelsea Girl" | 4:34 |
| 8. | "Wasteland" | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Destiny" | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Murder Story" | 6:17 |
| Total length: | 43:10 | |
Personnel
- Jim Kerr – vocals
- Charles Burchill – guitar, violin, vocals
- Derek Forbes – bass, vocals
- Brian McGee – drums, percussion, vocals
- Michael MacNeil – keyboards, vocals
References
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Simple Minds: Life in a Day > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ The Essential Rock Discography - Volume 1: 970. 2006.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ a b Stewart, Tony (21 April 1979). "Secondhand Simplicity (Life in a Day)". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ Starr, Red (17–31 May 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits: 25.
- ^ "A Life In A Day". ChartStats.com. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ^ a b Simple Minds. OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved on 31 January 2013.
- ^ a b Thompson, Deve. "Chelsea Girl " Allmusic.com. Retrieved on 31 January 2013. Cite error: The named reference "masonam" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Hogwood, Ben (2012). "Interview: Simple Minds". Music OMH. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ Stubbs, David (21 February 2012). "A Glittering Prize - Jim Kerr Of Simple Minds Interviewed". A Quietus Interview. Quietus. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
External links
- Simple Minds – Life in a Day at Discogs (list of releases)