Acoustic (Simple Minds album)

Background

The genesis of Acoustic can be traced back to a rare live session the band recorded for the BBC Radio Two's Chris Evans Breakfast Show on 26 September 2014, promoting then their 16th studio album, Big Music. The reaction, to the band's surprise, was overwhelmingly favourable.

The band performed acoustic sets during some other one-off live appearances (radio sessions or showcase events) including one held on 22 November 2014 in Paris by French radio station RTL notable for a rare outing of "Mandela Day".

Besides Kerr and Burchill the band consists of Ged Grimes (bass), Sarah Brown (backing vocals), Gordy Goudie (guitars) and Cherisse Osei (drums).

Singles

The acoustic version of "Promised You a Miracle", featuring Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall, was released on 28 September 2016.

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 16 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 10,427 units, and becoming Simple Minds' 14th top 20 album.

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews, with Timothy Monger from AllMusic noting that the band "missed out on an opportunity to dramatically shake up their repertoire". Andy Gill in The Independent found it "a welcome spring clean" and noted the folk influences. David Quantick, writing for Classic Rock, described it as "a strange album, seeking as it does to homogenise the Minds’ ever-changing sound" but concluded that it was "a consistent collection", highlighting the Richard Hawley cover "Long Black Train" as "movingly effective".

Track listing

1. "The American"
2. "Promised You a Miracle" (featuring KT Tunstall)
3. "Glittering Prize"
4. "See the Lights"
5. "New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)"
6. "Someone Somewhere in Summertime"
7. "Waterfront"
8. "Sanctify Yourself"
9. "Chelsea Girl"
10. "Alive and Kicking"
11. "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
12. "Long Black Train"

Double LP bonus tracks

1. "Stand by Love"
2. "Speed Your Love to Me"
3. "Light Travels"

Notes