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new album #16
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- "We really are flowing with ideas at the moment
and as I already mentioned a few weeks ago I do feel that we are possibly writing two
albums simultaneously at present. With every passing day I genuinely
feel that is becoming a real possibility. That would indeed be a fine
occurrence - here in our thirtieth year - just to know that far from
feeling jaded through time etc, that the very opposite seems to be
occurring and that creatively speaking it may be that 'we have more
gas in the tank' currently than we did as obsessive teenagers
desperate to make a name for ourselves!" - Jim during the recording of Graffiti Soul
- Several tracks were omitted from Graffiti Soul so the album had more focus.
Possible candidates include:
Six Degrees Of Separation,
Lotus Effect and
Shaman.
- "The afternoon as glorious as it was outside was spent working on two new songs that I am delighted with.
They are coming on really well and I can say seriously that I don’t recall previous times like this when it all
felt so prolific. How different from ten years ago when nothing was easy, and ideas were not only elusive but more
like getting blood from a stone. No one back then could surely have guessed ten years in future we would be in such
form as currently. Or maybe they could, even if we ourselves could not!" - Jim 4th May
- "Four days after I finished in Rockfield, I demoed some vocals on four new tracks; we’ve finished them off in demo form.
I’ll tell you why; the world just feels like a better place when you’ve got a few new songs up your sleeve." - Jim talking to Todd Richards
- "Just last week we were in London doing a video shoot and some photographs, but in the morning Charlie dropped
me off a two minute piece of music that I wrote on and we’ve got a new song called Concrete And Cherry Blossom and it's just fantastic. It’s really,
really something. And it just goes on." - Jim talking to Todd Richards
- "Working on a new song titled Photograph,
the seventh new song I have demoed since the tour finished last week! It's been a prolific time!" - Jim, Facebook
- By September during a lull between tours, Jim wrote about working with Andy Gillispie on the latest batch of ideas;
and mentioned another song called Made From Rock And Rain.
- "Andy Gillespie worked like a Trojan last week. He spent eleven hours daily in a windowless room.
Writing and programming, he was also playing drums, keys and guitars, on four new songs that we created and
demoed. His effort is always impressive, but I found him to be on a whole other level, one previously unknown by me.
As we wrapped up at the end of it all, I was pretty ecstatic with some of the potential of what was already created but also
by the realisation that much more was possible in future." - Jim.
- "Met up with Charlie last week to demo some of his new tunes. Seemed to be on
a roll as we worked on three new songs that had us feeling very good. Working titles are Stagefright,
Ulysses and
Fire Fighter. Already Stagefright had both agreeing
that it would make a great show opener!" - Jim.
- By February 2010, eight new songs were demoed, along with so many good ideas that there was talk of a double album.
"Although it was a busy year with so much touring commitments, Charlie and I managed
to do some writing over the last months. However it was only when we had the chance to demo the newer ideas in London last week that
we really got a chance to realise the potential. Having done that we are very pleased with the results. In particular I would say that
Stagefright and another tune called
Concrete And Cherry Blossom are two songs that have immediate impact. Another song called
Human Trafficking that we wrote in Hamburg last summer is causing some excitement among
those who have heard it so far. In terms of direction I would have been happy to work more within the direction of
Graffiti Soul but it seems that Simple Minds is like a train that only
knows how to move forward, being so I have to say that none of these new songs sound like anything we have done previously. It is
all new territory and although that can be a gamble, it also gives great confidence that we are still capable of reinventing ourselves
with each and every release" - Jim, simpleminds.com journal, 8th February 2010.
- Stagefright opened the show at Le Bataclan, Paris on the 18th June 2010 with
Fire Fighter. It was planned to play Concrete And Cherry Blossom
as part of the encore, but time constraints meant it was dropped.
- "This evening we saw four proud musicians in a dimly lit studio. All of them transfixed with their task
as they routined the song time and time again. Each one a masters at what they do. In the adjoining control room
another group gathered. About twelve in total made up from producers, technicians, friends, girlfriends etc. All entirely
mesmerised by what was coming out the speakers. It's really that good!" - Jim, September 6th
- In September 2010, a new line-up of Simple Minds (with bassist Ged Grimes)
used a gap in the touring schedule to record several new tracks for an extensive new compilation album,
and the forthcoming new Simple Minds album, at the Sphere Recording Studios in London.
- The new songs were produced by Andy Wright and engineered and mixed by
Gavin Goldberg.
- Four songs were recorded and mixed including an eight minute long version of
In Every Heaven (originally recorded and shelved for
New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84)),
Broken Glass Park (originally a Lostboy! AKA song),
Stagefright and
On The Rooftop.
- It's expected that In Every Heaven and
Broken Glass Park will appear on the compilation which will be
released in 2011.
- "The recordings went extremely well, super actually! Confidence had been high especially since the band had sounded
so good live throughout the summer shows, with that in mind we decided somewhat spontaneously to go into the studio and throw
somethings down. It's different from our usual method but I would guess that next year we will do a few more of theses short
sharp bursts of recording - it's a sort of wham, bam, thank you ma'am, approach that surprisingly seems to suit very well!" - Jim
- "Human Trafficking: Enjoying listening to this new
Simple Minds tune, it might not be finished quite yet but it has me pretty excited tonight!" - Jim, 25th November 2010
- "Tsunami....spent this evening working on this new tune. It reminds me much of the early
Simple Minds sounds - Sons And Fascination
album in particular. Dark and powerful... trance-like... sweeping you away till you forget all... leaving you somehow in a better place!" - Jim, 1st December 2010
- Charlie had demoed a song called Blindfolded by March 2011 and a song called
Liaisons in late April 2011.
"Planet Zero is the title of the new song that we will record next
week in London studio. Planet Zero has been so much fun to work on to date,
a thundering "space - rock" track with music written by Charlie Burchill
and featuring arguably one of his best ever guitar melodies. Our tour finishes this weekend in Zurich - but we never stop!" - Jim, 23rd August 2011
"The Duo: Charlie Burchill and myself have been in a songwriting partnership for 36
years. We continue that next week when we return to the studio to work on new songs. We will stretch ourselves once again as
writers to try and come up with something that we feel is good enough to be added to the catalogue of music that we have
already created. We will support each other, encourage and inspire. Will we challenge, dispute, piss each other off to the point
of near screaming matches? Yes! Most probably we will!" - Jim, 24th August 2011
"Zurich... I hung on for a bit while everyone else left for home this morning. Went for a walk around the
lake, it is a great city in all weather but particularly when it is nice like today. Heading for London now or should
that be Planet Zero since we start recording that song this week? Summer is over... thanks to everyone who came to see us
over these months - you really made us feel good!" - Jim, 29th August 2011
Both Planet Zero and Liaisons were recorded in
London in September 2011 with Steve Hillage producing. Hillage was also back in the
producer's seat when more ideas were recorded just prior to their 600 Sounds Concert
in Australia.
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