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walk between worlds

  • "The title of the new album is Walk Between Worlds. It's the seventeenth studio album. There's a couple of tracks on the album which are about an abstract idea of faith, and it's interesting that the first song Magic opens the album with that. It's from a young person's point of view. Probably us realising when putting the band togther that the odds of finding success, the odds of making this thing work around the world were stacked against us. You'd have to had some faith to get by. The album ends with Sense Of Discovery which is also about faith but from a much older person's point of view." - Jim.

  • Work began on the demos for this album in September 2014, just after the competion of Big Music.

  • Possible new songs for consideration included Chrome Heart, Fire Fighter, Harmonize, Human Trafficking, Love's Bonfire, Machines, Photograph, Planet Zero, Signal And The Noise, Solstice Kiss, Traffic, Tsunami and Utopia.

  • "As we started work on some of the material that would go on to become 'Walk Between Worlds' both Jim and Charlie encouraged us to continue in a similar vein to Big Music, so in that sense they were lifting the pressure early on. Often the problem can be ‘right, we’ve done a great album, what are we going to do differently now?’ I think, in truth, we’ve progressed a lot from that point, but that was our opening." - Andy Wright

  • "It has become a tradition for us to begin work on future music before the current new album has even been released. That tradition continues. Big Music - our 16th album will be released in a matter of days and we hope you'll enjoy listening to it, perhaps it will be embraced in the same way as much of our music has been? Meanwhile, we have already started work on songs for the next phase - for what will be our 17th album. It will be a while before it sees the light of day of course, nevertheless the future of Simple Minds has already begun." - Jim, 26th October 2014

  • "Some have been asking about the countless tunes/songs that although worked on over the last years have nevertheless not been included on the soon to be released Big Music. Among those is a song called Planet Zero which although a favourite of ours, was deemed not quite ready, and therefore not quite good enough... yet. Nothing strange about that though. Some ideas need to "find their time." The idea for the song Big Music first surfaced over a decade ago for example. But it was not until last year that we were finally happy with the finished result. Planet Zero will see the light of day however, I am sure of it. But only when it is good enough." - Jim, 27th October 2014

  • "There's this song I'm very excited about – that you introduced to me, a guy called Steve Eddie, a song called Fireball – God, I've had that for seven or eight years and I played that this last month and I just know that its time has come." - Jim, The Real McCoy, January 2015

  • "Very excited on hearing an update of our first post Big Music work. The new tune written by Ged Grimes, has been buzzing around our heads for a while. Hearing it come out the studio speakers is another experience entirely. Feels good to know that just six months from our latest album release, and coming on the back of a recently completed three month long tour, that Minds have begun work on a brand new album of original material. Our 17th...I think?" - Jim, 28th May 2015

  • "In London it is hot today. But it is time for Simple Minds to mobilise again. No time to hang around. Time to crack on, get moving forward, thinking about new music and make the early manoeuvres of what will be some new future record." - Jim, 24th September 2015

  • "Back to work: Began yesterday and it's all good! Working on a Charlie Burchill tune called A Silent Kiss. Kind of dark, very romantic, related in style to both Liaison and Bittersweet from Big Music. Some songs you seemingly have to dig very deep to create. Others seem like they just want to jump out of you - somehow already fully formed. Some come easy, some more elusive. This one feels great already" - Jim, 4th January 2016

  • "We're writing [the new album] and recording it, yes. Before we'd even finished Big Music, I was adamant that it wasn’t going to be a flash in the pan, some little purple patch. I think that to get 15 really good songs, you've got to be messing with about 30 to 40 pieces of music. We’re motoring again." - Jim, 25th January 2016

  • "Looking forward to spending a couple days with Andy Gillespie - working on some new tunes. The last one we worked on together was Midnight Walking. Turned out pretty good!" - Jim, 3rd February 2016

  • "A bit breathless after the frantic pace of last week. Thanks to Paul Statham and Gavin Goldberg for helping out so much with the "new stuff." Thanks also to Gorbals Sound in Glasgow. Got some good work done there thanks to Andy Gillespie no less. Although in great creative form, Andy was a little distant, not that communicative verbally, sort of... in his own world. But that's fine, the music sounded wonderful." - Jim, 14th February 2016

  • The album's recording was delayed during 2016, when the band switched track, and recorded Acoustic. "This experience [the acoutic album] has reinvigorated and excited us about the potential of new songs, which we’ll begin recording soon."

  • "[We're in] London today. As always we'd love to get to the Natural History Museum, but no time? There is now a few days break from the Night Of The Proms tour of Germany, but no real break. That explains this London trip where we are pushing on recording the follow-up album to Big Music - released two years ago. Some will immediately want to know when it is scheduled to be released? It is scheduled to be released when we think "this is the very best we can do at this moment in time!" Why is it important to continue writing/recording at all? Don't we have enough songs already etc? Do audiences want to hear new stuff from classic acts? Questions like these are valid. However it is the fact that we continue to write and record that helps us continue to evolve. And if you are not evolving artistically - then you are already dead. Great new songs, worthy of getting excited about, help keeps things fresh. Rejuvenation takes hold naturally. And that feeling alone results in Simple Minds not feeling that they are merely a museum piece... yet!" - Jim, 5th December 2016

  • "Lots happening. Aussie tours, Acoustic tours and other stuff about to be announced as well. But let's not forget we are pushing ahead/getting excited with the follow up to Big Music. And that bring us today to London where we don't even have time for tea breaks. - Jim, 19th January 2016

  • Recording of the album finished in late March 2017, with the tracks still needing mixing and mastering. At that point, Simple Minds had embarked on their Acoustic live tour.

  • "The snow is falling in Glasgow as I write. And although it might be hard to imagine while looking out the window, officially yesterday was the first day of Spring. Time marches indeed. Today is Charlie's last day of recording on what is destined to be our new album - Simple Minds 17th to date. In a few hours he will pick out the last few beautiful notes, and most probably blast out some last minute ideas. The guitars will then go back in the cases, to be packed away until next week when rehearsals for the Acoustic Live tour begin. With the exception of the odd backing vocals to be added at a later date, I have also finished with my involvement in the recording. And so that is that! Another chapter in our story written, another effort complete. I like this current momentum in particular. Two and a half years since the release of our last album Big Music, and only 4 months since the release of Acoustic. In between we have toured extensively, while trying to also have some semblance of lives outside of the music. One that involves family and all that other crucial stuff. We've certainly had one or two "slow motion" career periods, but our own "march of time" has thankfully never really stopped since we started writing songs 40 years ago. It shows no sign of doing so either. So what will we do tomorrow, the day after an entire album recording has been concluded? We will get up early and start thinking about our next album - our 18th. This is how we live, it is the rhythm of our lives." - Jim, 21st March 2017.

  • The band considered releasing two albums simultaneously. Material by Simple Minds would've been on one album with ideas, contributions by other composers and covers on the second. (This would've been similar to the Sons And Fascination and Sister Feelings Call releases). At this point the albums were called Utopia and Nostalgia. The idea was eventually abandoned in favour of a single LP.

  • Other ideas for titles were Magic and New Light On No Man's Land (an instrumental which was eventually dropped). Another song which didn't make the final album was the cover For One Night Only, which was recorded as a demo, but finally finished and released on 40: Best Of: 1979-2019.

  • The album was produced by Andy Wright, Gavin Goldberg and Simple Minds. This was the same team who produced Big Music and Acoustic.

  • Photography of the band for the album artwork took place on 16th October 2017.

  • The campaign started in November 2017, exactly 40 years after Simple Minds formed. Two teaser videos appeared on the 15th and 17th November, revealing the album's artwork and tour dates. A fuller promotional video, press release, tour details, track listings and album formats appeared the following Monday.

  • The album was realeased on five different formats, the most for any Simple Minds album.

  • There were two basic track listings; the eight-track standard album, and an eleven-track deluxe album. The deluxe album included the bonus tracks Silent Kiss, Angel Under My Skin and a live version of Dirty Old Town.

  • Dirty Old Town was recorded at the London Palladium on the 27th May 2017 during the Acoustic Tour.

  • "The album was always intended for release on vinyl, and I think we all felt that it was the most important format for this piece of work. They focused very hard on the running order, to create a classic album feel – and I think that’s an aspect that’s genuinely paid dividends." - Andy Wright

  • The limited edition blue double vinyl LP and limited edition picture disc LP were only available through the Simple Minds Shop.

  • Likewise a limited edition fuschia double vinyl LP was only available through independent record stores.

  • A limited edition 7" single was also released, and was made available through the Simple Minds Shop as part of several different bundles. The single was later revealed to be Magic.

  • The Simple Minds Shop offered the following bundles:
    Super Deluxe Signed Bundle
    LP
    Deluxe LP (Blue)
    Picture LP
    Deluxe CD
    Magic 7" Single
    12"x12" artwork print signed by Jim and Charlie
    Official band photograph signed by Jim and Charlie

    Deluxe Signed Bundle
    LP
    Picture LP
    Deluxe CD
    Magic 7" Single
    12"x12" artwork print signed by Jim and Charlie

    Deluxe Bundle #1
    LP
    Deluxe CD
    Magic 7" Single

    Deluxe Bundle #2
    Deluxe LP (Blue)
    Deluxe CD
    Magic 7" Single

  • The artwork print was a 12"x12" display flat of the album's cover. All copies were signed by Jim and Charlie.

  • The band photograph was a black-and-white 8"x10" print from the album's photograph session with Dean Chalkley. Again, all the copies were signed by Jim and Charlie.

  • Extra test pressings were made and 50 were made available for purchase through the Simple Minds Shop as an extra limited edition.

  • "I've just completed a week of travel in order to take part in more than 30 interviews in Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and the UK. Now completed, I’d say that the signals are looking good for Walk Between Worlds in terms of reception from the media. Still early days of course, but I’m starting to feel that the same sort of positive glow that Big Music achieved critically, may well be extended to the new album. Who knows? Interviews certainly help promote and create on-going awareness of Simple Minds, and that is why we do them. But we also enjoy the banter with the journalists, many of whom have been interviewing us for longer than we can remember. Some of them have even been interviewing us from when they were kids starting out in their own careers. Right now however we’d much rather let our new music, and indeed our new live shows do all the necessary talking on our behalf. That is the only statement we really care about making. Because when the music starts it is time for all else to do as the Italians say and "Stai zitto!" Or perhaps even better "Stai zitto e baciami." - Jim, 2nd December 2017

  • Magic was chosen as the first single from the album. It was premiered on RTL Radio in France on the 15th December; an unannounced move, and given that download links were quickly removed, it was probably erroneously released before an embargo was lifted.

  • Magic received its official worldwide premiere on the 4th January 2018 when it was exclusively played on Chris Evans' BBC Radio Two breakfast show. Video and downloads of the song were released the same day.

  • The Signal And The Noise was also premiered on the 4th January, with Steve Lamacq playing it on his BBC Radio 6 show in the afternoon.

  • And Lamaqc got the exclusive again on the 24th January when he played Sense Of Discovery at the end of a long interview with Jim and Charlie. It was made available on streaming channels the same day.

  • The album was made BBC Radio Two's Album Of The Week on the 27th January. And was Absolute Radio's Album Of The Week starting on the 5th February. And was BBC6Music's Album Of The Day on the 7th February.

  • A stripped down version of the line-up - Jim, Charlie, Gordie and Cherisse - appeared on various radio shows in the week before the album's release. During the interviews, they played acoustic versions of severals songs, including Promised You A Miracle, Don't You Forget About Me, Magic and a surprise cover of Billy Idol's White Wedding.

  • Jim and Charlie signed copies of the album at the HMV record store in Argyle Street, Glasgow, on the album's release day. Standard editions of the album were used. Some extra copies were signed and sold with Signed By The Artist stickers.

  • The album reached #4 in the UK chart, their best UK chart performance since 1995's Good News From The Next World "We are overwhelmed with such a positive response to our new album, both in UK and throughout Europe. We want to thank all our fans for supporting our music. Now we look forward to going out and doing what Simple Minds do best, by playing some of these great new songs live." - Simple Minds

  • "In contrast to producing a mixed bag of compostions tenuously strung together, as is the case with too many overlong and messy albums. It is true that with Walk Between Worlds we tried to create a piece of work - with an effect that hopefully made the listener yearn for the "old school album listening experience." By this I mean, arriving (hopefully) not only complete with quality throughout the approximate 40 minutes (8 song) running time. But also suggesting an underlying narrative between all songs contained. Giving off a feeling of focused connectivity, as the 8 musical pieces flow into each other. Adding to this, we choose the running order to suggest that there is both a side 1 and side 2 - as of course was the case with the classic vinyl albums that our generation grew up listening to. Each side distinctive, yet very much attached. Like two sides of the same vital story. We believe that with invention of the CD, albums in general lost the feeling of focus as everyone (under pressure) rushed to bung anything from 10 to 13 tracks on their new releases. Far from giving value for money etc. Unfortunately what you got was all this extra filler music, with songs that were obviously lesser in quality sitting side by side with a few really good ones. The result? The loss of the classic album. And focus is everything for us. An example. Of all our new songs, one of our faves is the bonus track Silent Kiss. Many fans also like it as a fave. So why not include it on the main album then if it is so good? The answer is that it is nothing to do with the quality the track that made us want to ditch it from the main disc. It is simply the fact that we feel it is "an outsider." A thing to itself. A scene from another movie entirely. Result? Its inclusion would have blurred the main 8 song focus of the album. The seamless thread would have been broken. The journey would have taken the wrong turn, and no matter how pleasant the view - right now we feel the need to get where we want to go with little patience for screwing around. And so, with Walk Between Worlds we finally put our foot down. A "no more filler" policy was put in place. In turn, we gave ourselves the challenge of trying to create something that made you want to listen throughout. So that when it finished, far from being exhausted and a little befuddled, you'd might want to immediately listen again. And again even." - Jim, 10th February 2018

  • "The first track on the album, Magic, and the last track on the album, Sense Of Discovery, they're about faith. And when I said faith, I didn't mean it necessarily in the religious context. I just meant all manner of faith, and different faiths. And why we would write about that stuff is that it's always been in our music. There are certain themes going back to New Gold Dream. I don't make the music. I write the words. And what I do is try to translate the feeling in the music. The thoughts. The sentiments that the music evokes in me. And I can understand sometimes why people would think it's religious, because when you say faith, most people think of a religious context. But it does not have to be." - Jim, Songfacts

  • "You can release something out there, and it can send different ripples. And if they get something that makes them feel good - and when I say good, I mean it in a profound sense, in that it reinforces something good - then no one's happier than me about that. The world seems a very divided, torn-up place at the moment. But this album, with song titles like Magic, Sense of Discovery, In Dreams is all positive language. How come I'm not writing about all that other stuff? Well, I write what I hear in the music. I transcribe what I hear in the music. Apart from that, what can I tell you about all that other stuff that you don't already know? Art takes your feelings and thoughts above that. You kind of avoid the gravity." - Jim, Songfacts



walk between worlds: quick reference
LP     Walk Between Worlds LP BMG 4050538347289
A1. Magic(4:35)
A2. Summer(4:57)
A3. Utopia(4:14)
A4. The Signal And The Noise(5:18)
B1. In Dreams(4:15)
B2. Barrowland Star      (6:25)
B3. Walk Between Worlds(5:13)
B4. Sense Of Discovery(6:25)


2XLP     Walk Between Worlds Deluxe LP (Blue) BMG 4050538347326
A1. Magic(4:35)
A2. Summer(4:57)
A3. Utopia(4:14)
A4. The Signal And The Noise(5:18)
B1. In Dreams(4:15)
B2. Barrowland Star      (6:25)
B3. Walk Between Worlds(5:13)
B4. Sense Of Discovery(6:25)
C1. Silent Kiss(4:57)
C2. Angel Underneath My Skin(3:43)
C3. Dirty Old Town[Live](3:43)


2XLP     Walk Between Worlds Deluxe LP (Fuschia) BMG 4050538349733
A1. Magic(4:35)
A2. Summer(4:57)
A3. Utopia(4:14)
A4. The Signal And The Noise(5:18)
B1. In Dreams(4:15)
B2. Barrowland Star      (6:25)
B3. Walk Between Worlds(5:13)
B4. Sense Of Discovery(6:25)
C1. Silent Kiss(4:57)
C2. Angel Underneath My Skin(3:43)
C3. Dirty Old Town[Live](3:43)


LP     Walk Between Worlds Picture LP BMG 4050538349696
A1. Magic(4:35)
A2. Summer(4:57)
A3. Utopia(4:14)
A4. The Signal And The Noise(5:18)
B1. In Dreams(4:15)
B2. Barrowland Star      (6:25)
B3. Walk Between Worlds(5:13)
B4. Sense Of Discovery(6:25)


CD     Walk Between Worlds CD BMG 4050538349672
A1. Magic(4:35)
A2. Summer(4:57)
A3. Utopia(4:14)
A4. The Signal And The Noise(5:18)
B1. In Dreams(4:15)
B2. Barrowland Star      (6:25)
B3. Walk Between Worlds(5:13)
B4. Sense Of Discovery(6:25)


CD     Walk Between Worlds Deluxe CD BMG 4050538349689
1. Magic(4:35)
2. Summer(4:57)
3. Utopia(4:14)
4. The Signal And The Noise(5:18)
5. In Dreams(4:15)
6. Barrowland Star      (6:25)
7. Walk Between Worlds(5:13)
8. Sense Of Discovery(6:25)
9. Silent Kiss(4:57)
10. Angel Underneath My Skin(3:43)
11. Dirty Old Town[Live](3:43)







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Magic


The Signal And The Noise


Sense Of Discovery


Summer