27 Dec, 2010 Highlights!
It was a productive enough past year and that makes me feels good, always better feast than famine.
To varying degrees of completion, I worked on somewhere around nearly 40 new song ideas over the last 12 months and that easily makes it the most creative period I have experienced.
It is a tally I never thought imaginable previously. I even used to think a year that produced a handful of songs was bountiful enough.
But then again, and as we all know, there are songs and then there are “great songs”. And with that being as is you do need to consider quality in relation to quantity – because who needs a new batch of average songs from anyone. Right?
But there is also no escaping the fact that you have little chance of creating anything of merit unless you set out to do it with full commitment, sometimes that simply means turning up, knuckling down, rolling up the sleeves, (mentally) and just bloody well getting on with it! This I did over the last months and I really like what has come out of it.
Whenever not engaged in songwriting it was all about playing yet more live shows and summer had me juggling between live sets from Simple Minds and Lostboy! AKA. Surprisingly for me that was more a logistical challenge than artistic. I am used to singing powerful SM songs that I find inspirational and uplifting, therefore having a whole new set of songs that were capable of creating a not too dissimilar effect meant that stepping out on stage as Lostboy! AKA was a little easier than first imagined. It was also great fun.
Most challenges are usually that bit more “a piece of cake” when you have a great team to rely on, and with the band I had I found that I had nothing to worry about. Performing songs like “The Wait” among others has become a new highlight for me.
Simple Minds were also on fire. The Bataclan gig was top drawer, as were Rio, Carcassonne and Corsica.
Sydney and Auckland were pleasing and some of the summer nights in Germany hit the mark just right. Back in Paris for a festival at the beginning of September, the band played with an even greater force and a new kind of subtlety.
For the first time in decades we now have a manager fully looking over our affairs and letting us concentrate even more on the creativity. Ian Grenfell and his team came on board earlier this year and I look forward to their effect – on our effect! Recent relationships with producers like Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg added a ton of stimulus in the recording studio. Likewise with Simon Heyward and Iain Cook, both chucked up a new and constant flow of ideas in addition to the already non-stop flow that I get from Paul Statham and Owen Parker. Martin Hanlin really did me a great favour when he introduced me to most of these talents.
Jez Coad, as ever solid, continues to inspire with so much input on every level. He has contributed so much to the revival of SM that occurred within this last decade. In addition both Jez and bassist Ged Grimes, also made a helluva racket when Lostboy! ventured out back in May.
As always, Andy Gillespie put everyone through our paces in preparing SM for this year’s live summer jaunt. Andy´s determination to get things absolutely right is as intimidating as it is inspiring and that is exactly what is needed. As for Eddy Duffy – not once has he let Simple Minds down in all his years of playing live with us. The hilarity he brought to many situations will live with me forever.
Meanwhile new material that was recorded and hopefully set for release by SM next year will in my opinion further prove that Charlie Burchill´s genius is on – going.
Just wait and see if I am wrong when you finally get to hear new songs such as Stagefright and Firefighter.
As is with any live act, our crew remains as ever invaluable. Working with all of them, as well as musicians and singers that are genuinely as great as Mel Gaynor and Sarah Brown, means most of my working days are in fact highlights on top of highlights. Oh lucky me! The fact that I am able to inform of this on these pages is a testament to Kit Cummings who looks after the site with a great commitment.
Of course none of this would make sense or have any point without the people who support us year on year. Some of then take it a step further even by “evangelizing” on our behalf, in the pub, workplace, on line communities etc. In doing so they go about turning others on – or plainly just reminding them that the Simple Minds sound somehow deserve more of their attention.
Well, I am not sure what we deserve and what we don´t, but it deserves to made clear that we appreciate everyone who has given us their time and attention this year.
A happy and peaceful new year to all!
Jim Kerr