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South African Music Zine
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Amuzine Contributors MUSIC ON-SITE-LOPEDIA, Looking for a CD? Can't name that song? Got a question? Ask Sugar! |
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Simple Minds - Neapolis 
Back in the Sixties, little Jimmy Kerr would always hang out with Paulie
Hewson in the little shed in the backyard. There they would dream about
the bands they would front, the songs they would write and the political
issues they could sing about to crowds all over the world. Jim's first
band, Johnny and the Self Abusers, made a minimal impact on the punk
audiences of the day but his next one caught a ride on the more style
and musicianship orientated New Wave movement. Simple Minds' debut 'A
Life In A Day' was mature and tuneful and was the first in a long line
of rock 'n rhetoric albums. John Hughes used the song 'Don't You Forget
About Me' over the closing credits of his teen bonding movie 'The
Breakfast Club' and the image of Judd Nelson raising a triumphant fist
took Jim Kerr and his gang to stadiums all over the world.
But little Paulie Hewson became Bono and his U2 gang eventually eclipsed Simple Minds (and all other contemporary competitors) with the hugeness of their PopMart tour. So Jim Kerr has decided to forget about those Belfast kids and Sarajevo victims and South African freedom fighters and has released 'Neapolis', a rock-steady piece of work that sounds current and futuristic, all at the same time. There's echoes of Bowie, Kraftwerk, the Rolling Stones and, strangely enough, U2, scattered all over this surprisingly un-boring CD. All these 11 tracks were written by Jim and his faithful old mucker, Charlie Burchill. 'Song For The Tribes' is a restrained but menacing opener that is followed by Jim Kerr doing his homage to 'Boys And Girls'-period Bryan Ferry on 'Glitterball'. Electronica waltzes nog! The third winner in a row is the first single 'War Babies' which is a 'Vienna'-ish Euro ballad that casts a spell over you and keeps you interested all the way through. 'Superman v. Supersoul' is a mid-album strong point with its sweet melody drifting over an insistent percussive underbed. 'Killing Andy Warhol' sees Jim letting his new cool mask slip slightly although only with the naff lyrics. Generally, though, 'Neapolis' (meaning "new city") is a brave attempt on Jim Kerr's part to win back some late Nineties cred, fans and respect. It's not as important what he's saying as how the lyrics combine with the music to create a well-rounded and frontline rock album. He's stopped competing with U2 and seems comfortable knowing that he can still put out an album as good as anything little Paulie can. Don't you forget about Jim! Stephen "Sugar" Segerman  |
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Lots of SA CDs to buy online at One World. There's also the Two Oceans Trading online shopping mall where you can purchase Springbok rugby merchandising, SA books, jewellery and CD-ROMs, amongst many other items. Any thoughts, requests, problems, complaints, praise or interesting and relevant SA music news, please email it immediately to: sugar@cd.co.za
Contributors Copyright © 1996-98 Amuzine. All rights reserved. |
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