Simple Minds - Once Upon a Time

Import only reissue of 1985 album. Their 10th and very popular release featuring the tracks 'Alive And Kicking' & 'Sanctify Yourself'. Album Description

Excellent

I'm a late-comer to the Simple Minds, so I have a bias in favor of their later work over their earlier work. This album has 3 of their bigger hits (All the Things She Said, Alive and Kicking, and Sanctify Yourself). The other songs are also very good, and give you a better feeling for the band than just listening to the "best of" hits. This album is well worth the purchase price.
August 30, 2008

this is a major work

This is maybe the kind of album that should come along later in a band's career when everyone is paying attention to them. Though a big hit when released, I'm not sure how many people are aware of it now or the band. To my ears it has aged very well in that some 80's music has too much synthesizer for today's tastes. There are several brilliant songs and every song is enjoyable. The bridge for "Alive and Kicking" is one of my favorite moments on the album. June 17, 2008

Top 5 best recording of the 1980s.

This one one the the top 5 best recording of the 1980s.

I bought this a year later in 1986 and was so mezmerized by the strange sound to it. It sounded like a recording from choirs boys educated in music who matured into skilled adult musicians who took some LSD and recorded this in a some medieval cathederal.

Really cool strange sound. This was one the the top 5 best sounding recordings of the 1980s in my opinion.

The politics & preaching of Simple Minds I could do without though. October 19, 2007

Spacious, Full 5.1 DTS Audio Mix!

This DVD Audio/Video disc is absolutely stunning. I'm somewhat new to 5.1 audio mixes, so perhaps I'm not the best judge since I've only started listening to music this way recently. Nonetheless, I am amazed at how amazing 1985 era audio sounds by today's standards. I cannot tell any difference between something mixed in 5.1 today versus this Simple Minds 'Once Upon A Time' 5.1 mix from 1985. It is truly a gem!

The music is spacious, crystal clear, and crisp. The vocals and music soar all around. The discrete 5.1 DTS mix makes use of the center channel, which is where the majority of the lead vocals are heard. Background vocals are scattered throughout the channels. It's amazing hearing Jim Kerr's voice come through just one speaker. It really allows one to hear the true dynamics of the original studio recordings, and the quality production that accompanies throughout. I'm hearing pieces of music that I've never heard before in the original stereo recordings.

Included on this DVD Audio/Video Disc:

The original 8 tracks in both 5.1 Surround Sound (DVD-A 96/24 + DTS 96/24) and PCM 2.0 Stereo (48/16).
01 Once Upon A Time
02 All The Things She Said
03 Ghost Dancing
04 Alive And Kicking
05 Oh Jungleland
06 I Wish You Were Here
07 Sanctify Yourself
08 Come A Long Way

Note that some songs are actually a few seconds longer than the original CD/vinyl versions.

Bonus features include:
Lyrics
Videos - All The Things She Said + Alive And Kicking
Discography
Weblinks

This DVD Audio/Video is a Virgin/EMI 2005 release made in the EU.
UPC: 7 2438-13016-9 2
NTSC
All Regions

The original 24-track analog master tapes were used to create this release. The mix was mastered by Simon Heyworth at Galaxy Reference Mastering.

My only complaint regarding this release is Virgin/EMI not including all promo videos for the album. Notably missing are promos for "Sanctify Yourself" and "Ghost Dancing". Additionally, although this is a minor complaint, perhaps it would have been wise to include "Don't You (Forget About Me" as a bonus 5.1 track and video, simply because it belongs with this project and will probably never see the light of day on a future Simple Minds 5.1 DVD-Audio album release.

On a brighter note, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that both music videos presented in this package play in the discrete 5.1 audio as well.

Highly recommended! June 21, 2007

Timeless

I purchased this in junior high school from those Columbia house 12 cassettes for a penny deals and of all the things I got over 20 years ago, I still listen to it.

It stands the test of time in terms of production value, solid lyrics and compelling rythms.

The last album of Simple Minds I can remember is in 1995 the did something, quite good, but this is their benchmark. November 17, 2006

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