Wipes Away Syndrome

Heard this on the radio, shocked by how good it was. An original sound, at a time that abounded with original sounds.

Never actually listened to the whole of the album it's from

Underrated band, Simple Minds.

Another candidate for "Drops Away Syndrome".

But in their case, an example of how the latter half of their career almost completely erased the critical stature - even the memories - of the first part of it.

For a long time I just forgot about the existence of this masterpiece.

What a striking sound  -- somewhere between Low and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, but fronted by a de-bluesed Jim Morrison and with some "Working the Midnight Shift"/"Beat the Clock" worked in there too. Yet ending up sounding completely its own thing, to be neither followed up by the group or imitated by others

Then they started to get into their stadium stride. Never really got to grips with the Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call  double slab of  sound - but loved these singles

"Sweat In Bullet" the first one I bought; the other two taped off Stubbs

And then this brace of beauties (although I think I only bought "Glittering Prize" - funds were tight!)

Even the next album had its moments, "Waterfront" and "Catwalk"

"Alive and Kicking" is where it's getting a bit overblown / positivity-bombastic. But "All The Things She Said" is quite nice - and you gotta oddly admire their unabashed uncool in the video

But then... oh dear

When they were bad, they were so very bad - hence the retroactive partial eclipse of their own prior majesty

So perhaps "Wipes Away Syndrome"?


(further reading - "from plateaux to platus: a tale of decline" i.e. my 1990 review of a Simple Minds box set)