New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84)

This album slipped across my mind without leaving any trace of it's time there.

This couldn't be more of its time if it tried. It's the musical equivalent of Molly Ringwald doing a Jane Fonda workout while wearing leg warmers and a Walkman. Very 1980s. But the 1980s was the best era for music (it just was alright), so that's just fine.

“ We heard the deacon's hopeful eulogy/ At least in dying you don't have to deal with New Wave for a second time” - The Hold Steady, “Multitude of Casualties” Hard to argue with that sentiment when an album like this comes along. This list is bloated with indistinguishable New Wave records, and this one in particular seems to revel in the genre’s worst overindulgences. Some of the instrumentation is interesting in a sort of curio way, but there was nothing here to make me want to listen again. Favourite track: “Promised You A Miracle”

In listening to this for the first time in nearly 40 years my observations are 1) Jim Kerr's voice is just sooo smoooth, nothing like their first few albums, it's like he hired Mel Torme or Brian Ferry as a vocal coach 2) the band lays down beautiful textures and is happy to stay in the background and let Kerr sing 3) There are so many pop hooks and pop songs in general (!) - it's like they are shooting for that massive hit that would be heard in grocery stores and bus stations for decades to come, but that was still a year or two away. Sue says their prior album was better, which I can't disagree with, and smoe fans would have been disappointed by the less-edgy sound of this album. Before I gave it too high a mark I wanted to make sure the lyrics weren't fluff so I looked up King is White and in the Crowd - it's about the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Good enough for me.

Richly textured beautifully crafted songs making for a complete, cohesive album.

Couple of amazing singles and a big load of rubbish

I just can't stand those 80's synths... this, as much of the decade stuff i've been hearing just did not age well

Every song sounds like it's going to be "Relax" by Frankie goes to Hollywood, but they always turn out to be better.

Pre-listen: I’m so fucking sick of so many fucking 80’s albums. I hope I’m wrong and I look/sound like an idiot, but oh my god, it feels like every other album is from this wretched decade. Post-listen: nope, wasn’t wrong. More terribly boring and dated music to be filed away under the worst, most pretentious genre name: “sophisti-pop.” Spare me your declarations of how “intelligent” it is. It gets a generous bonus star for sounding competently made. 2/5

I along with most people really only know their one big hit, Don't You (Forget About Me), so this was a real treat to hear the band a few years prior. First thing of note to me was how involved the bass playing is; every song has a slick bass line that drives them forward. The layering of the mix with different synth sounds along with the rest of the band makes for a really fun soundscape that shifts with each song. Overall I’d say I was definitely not expecting 80’s pop to be so fine tuned; make no mistake, this is an album firmly planted in the 80’s, but even 40 years on now, it still sounds great. Extra points for so many of the album's 9 songs hitting the 5-minute mark. Top pick from first listen is "Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel." Even though this is the shortest song, the bass line drives the groove right from the get-go, the drum playing perfectly syncopated and I love the sparse hits from the synth, it creates such a vibe. Shout out to the single "Glittering Prize" and it’s ethereal like synths and constantly moving bass line.

A great groover that earns itself a solid, strong 4 from me. Really easy to make a mediocre muck of this genre, but they do it right with catchy hooks, varied production backing the synth-i-ness of it all, and a dramatically romantic lead with a brass voice. No moments where they go above and beyond to me, feels more slow burn on the dance floor in a drug haze type vibes, so at 4 it stays. Standout Tracks: Someone Somewhere In Summertime, Promised You A Miracle, Somebody up There Likes You, Hunter And The Hunted

Fun, dubby basslines. Bright, cracking drumming. Angular, reverb drenched, noisy guitars. Songs about Chelsea Girls and Murder. Jim Kerr's compelling vocals. Yes, Life in a Day is an excellent record. Check it out. . . Except that's not the album I was dealt. I did supplemental research and listening to attempt to get a handle on the one I was dealt. One thing I read is that producer Peter Walsh was tasked with capturing the sound of the band live. If this is how Simple Minds sounds live, it may be the lamest thing I have heard. Was Walsh responsible for turning Derek Forbes onto Stanley Clarke, and recording Forbes slapping in the most generic fashion imaginable? Did Walsh purposefully murder the drums into a mush of cardboard thuds? Can we blame Walsh for the whole band sound sliding into the the kind of AOR 1980s dribble that made worldwide moms think they, too, were "kinda punk". Post-Punk beginning into Air Supply bullshit? People that like this probably voted for Reagan or Thatcher. Get those acid washed Sassoons on. Chop up those baby laxative lines. Get an angular haircut. Find some shoulder pads. Put this on, and let the nothing happen. Recommended for Incels and Conservatives. If I could give this a black hole as a review, I would.

This sucked

Horrible album cover! Nothing standing out for me on this one.

Really didn't think I'd like it but, actually did.

Easily forgettable

If you love early new wave pop this is the album for you. It is painfully terrible.

Hat mir nich gefallen 1

Shite, twaddle, and unredeemable, synthetic trash.

Brilliant 80's album! Every track is good.

One of my favourite new-wave albums.

Brilliant. Was brilliant when released, and still is today

What’s not to like?

New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) It’s one of the obvious things that you don’t think much about, but doing this list you realise that pretty much every British band is influenced either by The Beatles or Bowie, or both. The 80s synth/new wave albums we’ve had in particular have been clearly Bowie influenced, and this is the same. It grew on me a lot over repeated listens. Initially I was struck by the overall hazy and dreamy atmosphere of songscapes, rather than the catchy tunes their pop rock pomp later in the decade. Along with Bowie there seems to be quite a bit of Cure and ABC - a not uniteresting mix. As I listened more, more melodies and moments emerged and I realised what superb bass playing there is on here, and how many of the songs are both melodically and rhythmically driven by the bass, with guitar and keyboard providing texture and embellishment. Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) sets the tone with its insistent groove and atmosphere, the guitar riff sounding a lot like Echo and the Bunnymen. Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel is great, excellent bass with a nagging groove and a nice chorus. A real grower. Promised You a Miracle I know as the single, and it’s definitely the most immediately catchy, although it does sound very ABC. Some great synthesiser parts though. Big Sleep, again some great bass and another grower with its slightly edgy but delicate atmosphere. More atmosphere on Somebody Up There Likes You, this time more hypnotic and mesmeric. I like this one. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) is probably the 2nd most immediately catchy track. Up to now it doesn’t seem obvious that this is the same band as Don’t You Forget About Me and Alive and Kicking, but you can hear the genes of those songs in this, a sense that a massive stadium song is about to burst into life, but is being held back, a great bit of tension making a great track. Glittering Prize is very reminiscent of The Cure, and it sounds slightly odd after New Gold Dream, flatter and less atmospheric, poppier but not as catchy, despite some great bass. Alex James must have heard the bass in the intro to Hunter and the Hunted, a definite Boys and Girls-ness to it. It’s another atmospheric and moody track. Big big Bowie vibes to King is White and in the Crowd, the bass as always is great, and yet more spectral atmospherics. After the first couple of listens I liked this, but found it hard to pick individual tracks, and I felt I couldn’t remember it, but then it started to get its hooks into me, and I found it’s slightly nervy dream-like quality quite seductive, finding new little interesting parts and moments in it with further listens. I don’t think I would have listened to this without doing the list, but I’m very glad it came up. Not quite sure it’s a 5 (yet), so I’ll go for a solid and intriguing 4. 🧠🧠🧠🧠 Playlist submission: New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)

The version of this I listened to showed a 2016 date. I kept saying to myself, “Wow, this sounds a lot like early 80s electronica, but better.” Turns out I was listening to a re-release…or AppleMusic has the wrong date. Either way when I realized it was released in 1982, everything made more sense. New Gold Dream (81/82/83/84) stands above most 80s electronica for me, especially tracks like Someone Somewhere, Hunter and Hunted, and the title track. I can hear snippets of Chromatics, a modern electronica band I dig, in this album. The bass guitar is badass. It carries the album. Derek Forbes, take a bow. The producer, Peter Walsh, should also be commended for pushing the bass so far forward in the mix.

De sacrées bonnes synthpoperies qui auront trouvé leur public au creux de mes oreilles crasseuses.

Cet album vous permet désormais de comprendre pourquoi j'ai interverti mon père avec celui de mon camarade d'écoute robgouttière. En effet, alors que je me rapprochais de plus en plus du père de rob, et de sa caverne a vinyles hard rock, mon propre père tenta de s'interposer, et me glissa un album dans les mains afin de regagner mon coeur. Cet album, c'était New Gold Dream de Simple Minds. Comme vous le savez désormais, cet album est de très piètre qualité, ce qui finit d'entâcher complétement la relation qui me liait à mon père.

Some people should not try so hard. In fact, there’s a lot of people who would benefit from just playing by the rules. Their own hubris and belief that they can break the rules is often their own downfall. Not everyone can be an ✨artiste✨; some of us need to be middle managers. That is how I feel about Simple Minds, especially on New Gold Dream. I fully get what they’re trying to do. They’re viewing post-punk from a new wave perspective, and trying to write post-punk songs that sound like new wave pop tunes. On paper, I like that. I don’t know if it’s really my personal style, but I like the concept a lot. In practice on New Gold Dream, I really dislike it. Minus the opening track and a moment or two sprinkled throughout the rest, this album is a mess. It’s not that the idea is bad, but Simple Minds simply don’t have the minds to make it work. It truly sounds like everyone is playing a part to a radically different song, on every song. There are moments where I sincerely thought, “Are they not playing along to each other’s backing track?” because one instrument would sound so radically out of sync. I think sometimes Simple Minds back into something interesting as a result, like on “Promised You A Miracle,” where the bass sounds off beat, like, literally speaking, yet my brain adjusted and found some positives. But maybe that’s also just Stockholm Syndrome. What’s worse, the new wave approach means a heavy reliance on synths, and to say that the synths being used here sound dated would be severely unselling how antiquated they actually sound. And the whole time, you’re just sitting there waiting for that one big, ginormous, inescapable pop smash à la “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” I hate to break it to you– that never comes, not on this album. However, the mere existence of that song, which is a pretty standard-fare ‘80s pop tune, sheds light on New Gold Dream’s big flaw. Had Simple Minds been humble enough to accept that they just needed to write a set of normal new wave track without trying to push boundaries and blend genres and merge aesthetics, they would have had a great album on their hands. You can see how, with a little bit more restraint, New Gold Dream could be one of the great ‘80s new wave records. Instead, the band overextends their own abilities, and fall flat as a result. Now, you’ll find some people online who retrospectively praise this album for the very fact that it did try to overstep conventions, and you’ll find nerds on Rate Your Music or whatever yapping about how the elements that make New Gold Dream a failure are actually why it’s a masterpiece, and you’re the pleb for not agreeing. To those people, I simple say, I don’t care. I didn’t enjoy listening to this record very much. I respect the attempt, but execution is half the battle. In fact, the attempt is the only thing preventing me from trashing this record more, because I can see a world where this *is* a strong album. We unfortunately do not live in that timeline. Huge waste of time, and a train wreck all the way through.

Don't You (forget about Simple Minds) ...Don't, don't don't you... Unless you're a Ferris Bueller fan, it's pretty easy to forget about Simple Minds. To me they were always a one-hit-wonder that just existed behind the antlers above Ferris' dresser. Ferris Bueller's Day Off was unforgettable. I saw it in the theatre when it was released and had a copy on VHS. There are plenty of memorable scenes like at The Art Institute of Chicago and lines like "you killed the car...", and my favorite "the 'Sausage King of Chicago?'" Sadly, this album isn't as memorable. From the cover art and outset, New Gold Dream looks like it would play from an hymnal at a random new age church. The song titles read like religious brainwashing. "King is White and In the Crowd", "Somebody Up There Likes You", "Promised You a Miracle," etc. All of this religious garbage mixed in with pop music is a huge turn off in the states... but maybe I should turn this album off, get out of my bubble and explore the world because this album was largely a waste of time. ...as everyone knows. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/february-2016/ferris-bueller-bedroom/

I don't like Simple Minds. It's a band that once was great and then... it's just not even ok. I see this album as the begining of their decadence.

This album couldn't sound more 80s if it tried...and not in a good way. All the cliches of the era...cold, emotionless vocals, overproduced, excessive synths. Endless, boring, and repetitive. Truly awful and uninspiring. I'm 32 albums in and this was the worst experience to date.

looks super jesusy. Not great I didn't wanna finish it. 1 star for that. maybe 2 for at least not being too noisy but depends on my mood tomorrow.

Eh

This album made me sleepy. Had some nice bass lines and synths but mostly I had a really hard time finding anything to grab on to. Not a fan of the singer’s voice.

hated it

Not my style

no.

Missing a lot. For example, bass. Really poor.

Really did not like this. Seems like typically the type of thing I can at a minimum tolerate and usually find something to enjoy, but this was not it. It was the first version of 80's Brit Pop I have heard. It all felt like a really bad version of Sledgehammer and Phil Collins mashed up. Did not enjoy.

This one was reeeeally boring. Absolutely no clue as to why people might enjoy this one. It's definitely not for me.

Horseshit

Geneeristä kasarikuraa. Ei jäänyt oikein mitään käteen tästä. Kappaleet oli pitkäveteisiä, eikä hittibiisejä ollut mukana. Kovaa painia että annanko ykkösen vai kakkosen. Kääntyy ykkösen puolelle, kun ei oikein tule mieleen, että mitä tässä on edes yritetty.

Couldn’t get through a single song. Just awful

Didn’t like it

not my thing

YIKES!! This was a hard album for me to get through. I am not sure why this is even on the list? I understand they were a big new wave band but it seems like the worst attempt at Bowie, Roxy Music, electronic dance etc. I can see the attraction in the UK but not sure they were as big in NA until the big hit from Breakfast Club soundtrack. I never thought I would drop to a rating of 1 for anyone but it fits here. Favorite Track: None

Oh man. This was so incredibly boring. I don't remember any of the songs and couldn't tell you difference between any of them. No thanks

4 hours and 19 minutes, should have issued this on a Friday so I could find the time to listen to it all. Oh well no worries 🎧 listened to 4 and said Delete. Must mean I’m not a Simple Mind.

Hate it

I started listening to Simple Minds around the time this album was released. I was impressed when I watched their '82 Cologne show on TV (Rockpalast). I lost track a few albums later but once in a while, I pulled out one of their albums I had and always liked their music, to this day.

Incredible stuff. I love this style of new wave. I honestly had only really ever heard Don't you Forget about me. But I really enjoyed this whole album.

I like it, pure 80s 😅... 4 stars plus 1 for the bass guitar...

Those coming to Simple Minds when they became a stadium rock band often don't know their roots as an influential and important part of the new wave electronica scene. Until this their albums were packed with instrumentals. This is really the bridge to their popular phase but I still really like the nods back to it with "someone up there likes you" and the more proggy/electronica tracks. I like this a lot. It's got depth.

Liked

Jævlig bra

This was one of those albums that was instant love as soon as I put it on. A proper, full, cohesive collection of songs which reminds me why I love the 80s. Also love the album cover, very Catholic school prayer book.

My 80's loving heart adored this album.

This is in my top 10 fave albums of all time

01) Someone Somewhere in Summertime - 10,0 02) Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel - 8,0 03) Promised You a Miracle - 10,0 04) Big Sleep - 8,0 05) Somebody Up There Likes You (Instrumental) - 9,5 06) New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84) - 9,5 07) Glittering Prize - 9,5 08) Hunter and the Hunted - 8,0 09) King is White and in the Crowd - 8,5 TOTAL: 9,00 (90/100) Current ranking: 30/304 This one took me completely by surprise. I thought I knew two songs from the album, but in the end it turned out that I knew five out of nine. And that's a good recipe to get five stars from me. "Someone Somewhere in Summertime" is one of my favorite "summer" songs, "Promised You a Miracle" is a big hit, and when the first notes of "New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)" started I thought, damn, it's Usura's "Open Your Mind", I know this song! "Somebody Up There Likes You" is a wonderful instrumental, and "Glittering Prize" is another hit that was often played on radio stations in the eighties. With the remaining four songs not bad at all, we come to the final five stars that I didn't think would happen today. Great job, Simple Minds!

One of my favourite Simple Minds albums - my favourite track is the last one: "King is White and in the Crowd".

Ethereal melodies, uplifting.

Love the vibe

Huh! Thanks for reminding me if the glorious and Simple Minds. Adding them to my list of "live bands to see before I die' list now.... this album = Gorgeous on headphones - they were loving their work together and everything was just working for them. And they shapes pop music for a decade or more and there are some eternal songs that came out of this period (not all on this album, but you get a sense of how they can make soaring anthems here) . Warm sounds, funky beats, and playful - and most of all the gift for the warm voice of Jim Kerr, which of course have us - a few years later - "Don't you (forget about me)" which a new generation is learning. An excellent and very "tight" pop music style, rich vocals and all the funky electric toys of 80s music here. Yes this band deserves a place on the list. They would groove a stadium live. Something to keep in mind. I just checked. Anyone going to be in Nimes (FR) ON 12 JULY?

This album is sensational. I love Jim Kerr's distinctive vocals and the music is brilliant. Such a great sound. One of my favourite bands. It's worth a listen for the instrumental too. Fabulous 👌

Hell yeah. I know others fatigue of it, but I love the fact I've been able to discover tons of new wave thanks to this list. Bring it on!

Oldie but a goodie!

This album is awesome. Sound slike billy idol a bit

♥️

Good

yes

Super!

First of all, those bass lines! 🤌 I hadn't heard this one at all before, although I of course I knew and liked Don't You Forget About Me. This is one of the dreamier and more ethereal 80s pop/new-wave albums I've heard up to this point... Which of course means it's right up my alley. Sparkling 80s synth + chugging funky bass + layers of reverb + smooth vocals... I mean, yeah, that's plenty enough to love for me already.

An absolutely fantastic album for New Wave alternative. 3 absolutely undeniably great and catchy songs, and the rest exude a kind of haunting electronic beat that makes it a great listen.

I love New Wave so I was bound to enjoy this. The use of actual drums really helps this album, and the bass and guitar parts both jump out as particularly fantastic as well. I can definitely see the influence this album had.

I was surprised how gorgeous, lush and catchy so many songs were from this album. I genuinely went in with the presumption that Simple Minds were a one hit wonder, and here I am leaving with more songs that I genuinely prefer Don't you (forget about me). It's a wonderful cosmonaut of an album that leaves you entranced in it's simple but beautiful synths. It's not only so great on first listen but I think I'm definitely going to be coming back to this regularly. I do however wish the vocals were a little louder or present. I think the group could've put them a bit more into the centre focus. But first impressions are good, I was not expecting this to be one of my favorites of the previous albums I've listened to. And if you just want to listen to some genuinely great synth pop, go nuts!

really good

My favourite Simple Minds album used to be Once Upon a Time (I like the commercial Big Music sound). Then it became this album (the consensus album) but ultimately would go for Real to Real Cacophony. All three albums are very different from each other, but obviously 5 stars. There is not a single weak track on New Gold Dream and the songs are in the "right" order. A perfect album. Overall score: 10/10.

Perfect album!!

Ace!

Iconic music executed at its best. One of my all time favourite groups, who produced a quality of sound that is as fresh today as it was 40 years ago.

Probably their best.

I love this album, capturing a moment where the chilly Euro-fluenced dance music they'd been perfecting on Empires and Dance and the Sister Feelings Call set thaw out with a new pop sensibility. It's really one mood, with pop sunshine ('Miracle') and longer more abstract tracks (King Is White) moving the dial back and forth but never leaving the unique mood they create on this album. From hereon in the law of diminishing artistic returns/bigger sales would kick in, as their writing and arrangements became simpler. But marvel at how complete an achievement this is.

LOVE 80s synth pop. Really enjoyed this!!

Wonderful in the day. Lots of good songs.

oh nice, that one-hit-wonder band this album was really good, I’m not too picky when it comes to this genre solid 9/10

Magnificent as is this band as well.

One of the Best!

Fantastic album.

I've always loved this band. This is a great album.

Loved it

good album

A good album, though very long. I wasn't quite able to finish it all but I liked the music style. My favorite songs were Someone Somewhere (In Summertime), Big Sleep and Glittering Prize - Extended Theme.

Det här var en kul överraskning för mig (inte hört något annat än Don’t you från dem tidigare). Gillar genomgående atmosfären, som jag tycker har lite synthiga men framförallt basdrivna The Cure-vibbar. Mest imponerande är dock att i princip alla låtar (inte bara singlarna) ”har något” och att det är väldigt lite utfyllnad. Kommer definitivt lyssna mer på dem om sisådär tre år när det här vansinnesprojektet är över. Solid fyra.

Chill 80s synthwave vibes

The bass in this album is tremendous, and the production is quite solid, even though it bleeds from the 80's sound. In addition to the production, I also enjoyed the feeling of mistery that the album presents

Rainy 80s Nostalgia

🎧Surprisingly good 80s synth/new wave album. Favorite tracks: Somebody Up There Likes You, Glittering Prize

"New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)" is the fifth studio album by Scottish band Simple Minds. It is regarded as one of the defining albums in the new pop movement of the early 1980's. The album also marked a turning point for the band as they had failed to get any commercial success with their four previous albums and this made it to #3 in the UK and #69 in the US. The album was produced by Peter Walsh. The bandmembers on the album were Jim Kerr (lead vocals), Charlie Burchill (guitar), Michael MacNeil (keyboards), Derek Forbes (bass), Mel Gaynor (drums), Mike Ogletree (drums) and Kenny Hyslop (drums). The album opens with "Someone Somewhere in Summertime." A melodic guitar intro. The vocals, synth and a ticking drum come in. This is very synth heavy with it carrying the melody. Echoing vocals. The song becomes louder with the drums. It's about yearning. Hey, there is one song that I've heard and that is "Promised You a Miracle." Poppy with the synth keys. Very 80's sounding with drums. Oh, more echoing vocals. Side B begins with "New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)." Layered synths. A rock beat and a hypnotic one at that. A catchy and upbeat melody. Lots of imagery. Great song! "Glittering Prize" keeps the positive vibes as Kerr sings about getting a glimpse of something and going out and getting it. Glossy synths with the melody and very much bass forward. Guitars ringing. Another one of the better songs on the album. "Hunter and the Hunted" begins very quietly with a beat and eerie synths. It eventually gets louder. Wow, a funky bass. About giving in to temptation, Kerr almost whispering at points. The song was plodding along and in comes Herbie Hancock giving some funk and psychedelia on the synths. I have to admit, being an American and your initial exposure to Simple Minds being "Don't You Forget About Me," it surprised me to find out that there's whole other side of this anthemic-U2ish band. And that side is the new pop genre where they are much more like ABC and the Human League than U2. This album is very 80's synth pop but the music itself is deeper being dreamy, upbeat and lush. I honestly didn't get into this until the second spin. I really liked the funky bass. The melodies are brilliant in spots. Overall, this is really good album with the highs being quite high. Don't go into this album expecting "The Breakfast Club." The band could have cared less about US teenagers anyway.

Un pop-rock léché et sophistiqué

oh to be a teen in the 80s