Big Music (Simple Minds album)


Big Music is the sixteenth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds. It was released on 31 October 2014 by Sony Music. "Honest Town" was released as the lead single on 10 October 2014. The album was available to stream from 28 October 2014.

Background

During the recording of Simple Minds previous studio album Graffiti Soul, Jim Kerr stated: «We really are flowing with ideas at the moment and I do feel that we are possibly writing two albums simultaneously at present.» Several tracks were omitted from Graffiti Soul so that the album had more focus. Possible candidates include "Six Degrees Of Separation", "Lotus Effect" and "Shaman".
According to Simple Minds lead singer Jim Kerr, Big Music has lots of power and passion, urgency and momentum, adding "it is energetic, it's got a raw power and a lot of vitality".

Recording

On 19 May 2014, it was announced that Simple Minds had just finished recording Big Music. Even so, a final recording took place on 27 August 2014.

Release and promotion

The album's release campaign started on 4 September 2014 with "Blindfolded" being issued as a video teaser. The album's logo was revealed on 4 September 2014.
On 23 September 2014, Simple Minds announced that Jim and Charlie would be special guests of The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Friday morning 26 September 2014 where they'd be performing 4 tracks acoustically for the first time ever.
Previously announced for October 2014, the album was released on the 31 October 2014 in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland and on 3 November 2014 in other territories.
The album was released on Caroline Records in the UK and Ireland, the Embassy Of Music in Germany and by Sony in other European territories.

Singles

The title song "Big Music" was intended to be the first single but the idea was later dropped. On 23 September 2014, Simple Minds announced that the first play of their new single "Honest Town" would have its worldwide premiere the following morning on the Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2. "Honest Town" was released as the lead single on 10 October 2014.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Big Music received generally positive reviews from music critics. In the review aggregator website Metacritic, the album has a score of a 75 based on 12 selected critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The Guardian rated the album three stars out of five, commenting that "the band have managed to craft an album of pop that’s both true to their sound and interesting enough to give it a contemporary edge."

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, Big Music debuted at number 12 on the UK Albums Chart. The album sold 10,207 copies in its first week, and became the group's 17th top 75 album.

Track listing

Notes
Adapted from album liner notes.

Simple Minds

Weekly charts

Year-end charts