OH JUNGLELAND
In the countryside of Scotland yesterday I could easily sense the change of season in the air. With less tourists around, the roads were already a good deal quieter than a month ago, and with daylight no longer stretching anywhere near 9pm, those seemingly recent evenings where darkness held off until way past 10 - already seem in the distant past.
It could have been the landscape that set my mind in motion? (Startlingly similar to the countryside of Upstate New York) For some reason or other, while I was driving back into the city I had a strong recollection of making another drive, also one late -ish evening back in August... 1985.
I was the passenger then. The driver instead was our friend and sometimes band photographer, Anton Corbijn. It was also a Sunday evening, and we were making our way from our then Woodstock base, where we had spent the previous weeks recording the backing tracks for what was to become our Once Upon A Time Album. Successfully taken care of, Simple Minds now aimed to meet a 10 day solid working deadline, one that hopefully would see those songs mixed and finished off perfectly within Right Track studios in the heart of Manhattan.
Delighted with the results of the work so far, and also knowing without doubt that "king of all mixers," Bob Clearmountain, would do a supreme job in polishing off the recording, there was naturally plenty of excitement with regards to getting into New York City and completing the project. We were also looking forward to spending time with Anton, hired to photograph as much as he could, not only for the album sleeve and press releases but also for our tour brochure and whatever else we would need visuals for. And so with all of that to be discussed, I decided to forgo the "limo drive" with rest, and instead accompany the (now very famous) Dutch photographer/film director in his hired car, crammed full of photographic equipment.
While I would never say that decision was a mistake, I recall that Corbijn's dubious driving skills, mixed with my own lousy sense of direction, (I had been given the task) meant that the journey took nearly twice as long as it should have.
The plus side? Well, Anton had compiled some great mix cassettes that featured among many, Yello, John Martyn, Miles Davis and favourite of all...Magazine. So good I insisted in listening to just about all that he had put together.
However it was the newly recorded Simple Minds tracks that Anton was most curios to hear. And I was finally happy to oblige, more towards the end of our journey, and just as we were starting to pass some of those famous landmarks that seemed to be welcoming us to the city.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HWPCa5yRRE
BARCELONA - LAS RAMBLAS CRIES BUT IT'S ALIVE.
Almost 48 hours later and still full of thoughts for a city, and a country, that we know and love. For all our friends in that part of the world.
"And life goes on.The blood flowing through the veins, the grass growing in the soil, the trees, oh the trees swaying in the wind."
HERE COMES THE FLOOD: PETER GABRIEL
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww9JS8dJ9fY
Beautiful JK....my son said this morning after seeing a clip of the news ''How about if all the bad people turned to good people mummy. Then the world would be full of good people." ❤ The innocence of a child's mind is beautiful. If only it was that simple?
In the words of John Coffey : I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time.
Thank you Jim ❤ for your beautiful words, it has been horrible, all those dead and wounded of different nationalities who came to enjoy a few days of my city, and they encounter this barbarism, this has to end, you can not live with this fear, I just wish there was peace in the world, I can not say much more, I have a knot in my stomach, take care, have a good day 🌷
Bridgewater hall Manchester 2017..acoustic tour..i took this picture..simple minds and there supporters showing a minutes silence..this was night after the Manchester bombing...when will this all end?
Memories still so fresh from your gig in April and my one and only trip to Barcelona. Such a vibrant city. Hope the vibrancy continues which will ensure these nutters never win ! YNWA
Quel plus bel hommage que vous venez de poster à travers cette chanson de Peter Gabriel!!!Simple Minds et Peter Gabriel, un groupe et un chanteur qui accompagnent mon existence depuis tant et tant d'année et qui dit un peu qui je suis!
I have been lucky enough to visit Barcelona twice and everyone who visits walks down alas Ramblas I'm sure - it really could've been any of us - just so dreadful for everyone
First of all let me send my biggest hugs to Barcelona, to the victims to their families and to its citizens. I have visited and felt in love some years ago with you Barca and like I made for Nice i wish i can come back. All this we are witnessing to nowadays Jim is a Third World War warp as Pope Bergoglio called it helas. And there is very little to be happy about. Take care everyone, love. Adri
These mindless atrocities committed against innocent people achieve what? My thoughts are with all the people around the world who have fallen victim to senseless hate such as this. What a troubled world we are living in.
There are NOT enough appropriate words in the English language to describe the feeling of utter disgust of those attacks!! It seems that this is the new 'trend' these days!! The world is changing fast, and we can do very little about it, unfortunately, these bams are always one step ahead 😣 unbelievable cowardice!! God bless Barcelona and all affected!! Shocking 😔😔😔 much love xx
My heart goes out to all of thepeople and families that have been inflicted by this pure evil event. I hope that dear little boy is found and reunited with his mother. This is happening far to often. Stay safe .
JK your becoming more a poet and finer scripter in your posts, which is a calming item/ reflection on The Rambles situ.. Thanks 🙏 for that with all my thoughts to the victims and family's caught up in the horrible atrocitie...🤗
Those people didn't choose the thug life So sad. That came again lot of civil victims there in Spain.... A really insane act. Again a terrorist attack my deepest condolences to all for them who lose to the families of killed & injured in the Barcelona terror attack I will never forget this this day,this was a cowardly act!
A new tragical and abominable event on our old continent ! Deep compassion for the victims, their kinfolk and spanish people 😥..."Here comes the flood" is one of my favorite songs if not my favorite I discovered many years ago by listening to the Album "CAR". It was like an hymn for my friends and I !
We live in difficult times now. It's heartening to see so much resilience from people in cities affected by these atrocities. The acts of kindness from strangers to one another is amazing.
Like Peter Gabriel, we must continue to stand up for peace. Hugs to all ❤️
And why ? It's so so sad, I can't watch the news any more today .
Desde España os agradecemos que nos tengáis en vuestros pensamientos. Os queremos Simple Minds
Truly heartbreaking how people's lives can change or end in a few moments of utter pointless madness 💔
Thank you. Kisses and hugs from Barcelona, Catalonia.
Saw this graffiti recently, so true in a situation like this...
das kommt von der viel zu liberalen Einwanderungspolitik unter Führung einer Merkel regierten EU
Simple Minds, band with soul and heart. God bless Jim Kerr, Mel Gaynor, Charlie Burchil, Mick Mcnail. Thanks guys
Thank you <3
Beautiful thanks JK and PG. 'And if we break before the dawn, they'll Use up what we used to be'. 🙁
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Promised You A Miracle Acoustic
Featuring KT Tunstall.
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Yes that is the place exactly...Thanks to Andy Stuart.
The video for Alive and Kicking, barring Mel's look of sadness through the whole thing, is just perfect, so uplifting with great scenery, although I thought it was filmed in Scotland. Was actually in the Catskills. I know it's a long time ago but a much treasured video even to this day. Feeling down, put on that song.
One of the most iconic photo locations in the world. Quite a nice part of town too. 😊
Pre- GPS. We all know that men would drive around for hours aimlessly rather than ask for directions. It challenged the very essence of their masculinity to admit that they were lost. As for women, they didn't have a clue in which direction they were headed unless they rotated the map to face the direction of the road they were on. The challenge to females of nominating left and right correctly could even possibly precipitate a few terse words and eye-rolling or , worse still, from the kids "aren't we there yet?" in a particular kind of whining tone. It created some unique memories though, to your point, Jim, and all contributed to the theatre of the road trip.
Great story Jim. If I remember this photo session, Let me tell you your shoes were more important than the Brooklyn Bridge. Fashion monument ? 😊 (of course, Fashion victim in the 80's !!?). Here you'll see the portrait of "Ze Famouz" Anton Corbijn I took (Paris 2015, the day of his 60th birthday).
I love how you weave words. Please share more of those photos. I've never been to Scotland but I'd always imagined it would be much more beautiful than the Catskills. I'm now up for a job that might take me back to the UK a lot so I have my fingers crossed - it may be possible.
Great story. I remember driving through a small village with my husband on the way to Stranraer...he thought the road sign "haste ye back" meant you could go back to the upper speed limit. That's how we'd driven around Scotland before he mentioned it.
Funnily enough i listened to once upon a time last night 😊😊😊 Ghostdancing is just simply amazing and i wish it would be played more at gigs, especially the hometown ones, but the past few years i been itching to hear oh jungleland live too....... Enjoy reading all yer wee stories, great reading 😊😊😊
I love hearing your stories of your travels You must have seenso many amazing things. Mytravels all end up with my daughter and myself laughing as the whole journey is spent lost and arguing with Sally the sat nav lady. The last journey we went on should have taken around 5hours we got there in 8..
Haha, I love ur memories, I'm lousy at directions too, the thought of short dark days fills me with dread. You don't notice these things as much when your young, what fantastic things you've experienced through your life. You clearly love and appreciate it, and we love hearing about it. 😊💜
Every time I click in the link, I get a completely different track! Lol But I love the album 'Once Upon A Time'. And if you need a few photos for a new tour brochure, Jim, I would be more than happy to assist.... 😀
Fabulous work indeed. Must be wonderful to have such a good recording of your history. Perhaps you can post a few of the photo's which never did make it to the official daylight. Would be great to see pictures of the working process within Simple Minds..
Yes!! It is true that this phenomenon happens, when we are arriving at the end of August and darken earlier, come to our thoughts that the summer is over and that we have to get to work, at least to me also happens to me, there are people That even has post-vacation depression 😕 "Oh Jungleland", what a wonder of song....
Listened to Oh Jungleland a number of times through the day today in fact 🙂 After all the wonderful commentary following your Live in the City of Light post a few days ago, I've been playing that amazing live album over and over.........thanks for sharing yet another insightful excerpt from your rich and colourful memory Jim.
I've been saying the same about the changing of the seasons on the springwatch fans page there seems to be a chill in the air now and there doesn't seem to be so many bees around.If you look at the leaves on the trees there are tinges of red in them yes autumn is certainly on its way Take care of yourselves 😀
Going to Sicily again back end of oct. Doing the s coast this time so looking for things to see and do please and places to stay? Is villa Angela open still that late? Love to call in again maybe Also any plans to play in Taormina again I d like heads up if you are,cheers
The season is changing, the easy going white nights are over - at 10 pm it's pitch black here in Denmark too - it seems only a short time ago the summer lit our hearts and eased our minds. Now the swallows gather and are about to leave - and it gets so quiet here - it all spins too fast to grasp.
I played Once Upon A Time until the tape in the cassette became weak! Love that song and takes me back to so many great memories of high school. Cheers, Mr. Kerr!
I just smashed out Jungleland about an hour ago training on bike. Than this popped up. Maybe I'll play it more and SM will play at my 50th next year. Just sayin.
Can't go past the lyricism and musicality of Magazine. I hope you caught them when they briefly reformed with Noko a few years ago Jim! <3
Jim remember for the Next Tour. Oh Jungleland never played live since 1991!! 😉😉 My favorite song from OUAT.
Every track of this album is a nugget of pure gold. So many memories flood back and the best place to listen to this album is in the car. Pure genius!
Your shot reminds me of this shot of the Tyne Bridge. 💜 This one is by Ashley Corr (not one of mine unfortunately).
love the line there's a kid called hope and he's holding out his hand
I am a big fan of Anton Corbijn's work, specially the movie he made about Ian Curtis
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