Early this month, Mercury Studios re-issued its presentation of Simple Minds’ live recording, Acoustic in Concert on a new expanded package. Originally released in 2016 exclusively on CD, the new package presents the concert both on CD and Blu-ray. That new presentation of the concert serves as the center of the recording’s appeal among the band’s fans. It will be discussed shortly. While the new expanded presentation forms a solid foundation for the recording, the show’s set list proves somewhat intriguing, considering its very limited nature. This will be discussed a little later. Knowing that the set list is not enough to doom the recording, its liner notes make for their own interest (and concern). They will be examined later, too. Each item noted here is important to the whole of Acoustic in Concert. All things considered they make this new presentation of the band’s 2016 concert one that will find a very targeted appeal among audiences.
Mercury Studios’ newly re-issued 2016 concert by iconic 80s pop outfit Simple Minds is an intriguing presentation whose appeal will prove to be quite targeted. More specifically, it will find the majority of its appeal among the most devoted of the band’s established audiences. That is due in large part to its very presentation. For the first time ever, Mercury Studios has taken the concert, which originally aired in 2016 on BBC 2’s renowned “In Concert” series and presented it not only on its original CD release, but also now on a companion Blu-ray platform. Both the CD and Blu-ray are presented together in the package, giving the noted audiences the opportunity to enjoy the concert in their cars and at home (and the homes of family and friends). It gives those audiences the opportunity to take in the concert in full as it was originally meant to be enjoyed, not just as an audio presentation. To that end, the concert’s new dual platform presentation forms a solid foundation that is certain to appeal to the noted audiences.
While the very presentation of the new concert is unquestionably positive, the set list proves to be something of an issue for the concert. That is because it is so limited in its reach. The 16-song concert pulls primarily from four of the band’s 21 total albums, 1982’s New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), its next two its follow-ups, 1984’s Sparkle in the Rain and 1985’s Once Upon A Time, and 1991’s Real Life. The former is represented in the set list by four tracks while Sparkle in the Rain, Real Life and Once Upon a Time are each represented by two tracks. The concert also features a pair of covers – one from Hosh Turner and the other from Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel (whom the band cites as a direct influence in the liner notes. This will be addressed a little later) – while also reaching back to the band’s debut 1979 album, Life in a Day, its 1986 record. The band also seemingly randomly reaches back to its 1998 album, Neopolis as part of the concert, too, while also making sure to add its biggest hit of all time, ‘Don’t You (Forget About me)’ into the mix, too. Again, the overall makeup just feels somewhat targeted. Sadly the liner notes do not necessarily address why such a limited portion of the band’s catalog is featured here, even for all of the information that they provide. It just would have been nice to have some background on that aspect.
Speaking of the liner notes – crafted by BBC Radio Scotland personality Billy Sloan — they do offer some interesting history on how the 2016 concert came about. Audiences will be interested to learn from Slan that the concert featured herein essentially happened by chance. As Sloan points out, the very idea for the concert (and tour from which this concert happened) came about as the result of a 2014 acoustic performance by the group on the Chris Evans Show on BBC Radio 2. He cites front man Jim Kerr as saying of the brief performance, “It was only supposed to be a Friday morning busk. But by the end of the day our promoter was suggesting a full acoustic tour and was already working on dates and venues. It was as quick as that.” He adds that guitarist Charlie Burchill expressed some reticence about the band going acoustic versus its established electric sound. His comments, shared by Sloan here, will be left for audiences to read for themselves. They are definitely insightful. There is also discussion on the addition of new percussionist Cherisse Osei that offers high praise for the veteran musician that is certain to engage audiences and help set the stage for the group’s performance in its own right. As if all of this is not enough, other personal insights from the band and more background helps to tell the story of how the unlikely acoustic tour and concert came to life and changed the band’s history forever. That overall history is certain to engage and entertain audiences from the story’s beginning to end.
As much as the liner notes do to engage and entertain the very targeted audiences, there is still one concert about the notes. That concern is the font size used in printing the information. The font size looks to be in the single digits. The result is that even those with glasses will find themselves having to hold the package at a certain angle and certain distance from their eyes in order to even be able to read them without squinting too much. That is a little troublesome but also not enough to doom the recording, either. Keeping that in mind, the background that the liner notes offer audiences works with the very presentation of the concert in its new dual platform packaging to make for all the more appeal. To that end, they make this new re-issue of Acoustic In Concert an offering that the most devoted of the band’s established audiences will appreciate.
Mercury Studios’ recently re-issued presentation of Simple Minds’ Acoustic In Concert is an intriguing presentation that will appeal to a very specific audience base. That is due in large part to the concert’s expanded platform presentation. Where the original 2016 presentation came exclusively on CD, the new expanded re-issue adds in a full video performance of the BBC Radio 2 concert on Blu-ray as well as its original CD platform. This gives the noted audiences the full concert experience. It means those listeners will be able to enjoy the concert anywhere they go, whether on the road or at home (and those of family and friends). As much as the new, expanded presentation does to help the concert’s presentation, the set list detracts somewhat from the engagement and entertainment. That is because the set list is so focused. More than 20 albums make up the band’s catalog, but the band pulls from only four of those albums and the records in question come largely from a very specific point in the band’s history. The liner notes offer no explanation as to that directed focus, definitely making for some concern. At the same time, the liner notes do offer a lot of interesting insight into how the concert featured here (and a related acoustic tour) came to life entirely by chance and fan reaction. That story itself is certain to engage and entertain audiences. Keeping all of this in mind, the whole of the noted elements makes Acoustic In Concert an offering that Simple Minds’ most devoted audiences will find appealing.
Acoustic In Concert is available now through Mercury Studios. More information on the recording is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
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