u/w versus simple minds

[crazysugarboy]

Have just been listening again to Simple Minds' album "Sons and Fascination/Sister Feelings Call", produced by the legendary Steve Hillage and released in 1981 just prior to the band becoming mainstream, which I bought all those years ago. For me personally, there are defo similarities with elements of u/w - tracks 5-8 ("Love Song", "This Earth that you Walk Upon", "Sons and Fascination", "Seeing Out the Angel") in particular have a similar vibe to the recently released proto-dubnobass tracks.

I used to have a copy of the late lamented Sounds newspaper, featuring an article and interview with Simple Minds at the time of the albums' release. They cited 1970's German electronica as one of their major influences (where have I heard that before??).

Some of you may pick holes in my thesis i.e. 1980's music = 1980's music. However, early Simple Minds is characterised by rythm/bass driven tracks, linear structure rather than the traditional "verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle bit, chorus", and very random/esoteric lyrics.