Today we finally cross the finish line with commentary on how to find the last two bonus tracks that, ideally, would have been a part of the new Simple Minds X5 boxed set of CD reissues if there was sufficient room on the already overburdened “New Gold Dream [81, 82, 83, 84]” RM with bonus tracks. All the better to better appreciate the totality of their achievement in the comfort and security of your own home – Monk style.

Glittering Prize [theme]

Virgin | UK | 12" | 1982 | VS 511-12

“Glittering Prize” was tepidly extended on 12″ and the A-side is on the NGD RM but the flip side of the 12″ is a.w.o.l. Being that it was merely the backing track for the A-side, not remixed in any way, it’s not earth-shattering in the least. Unless like me, you’re an aficionado of Mr. Derek Forbes’ athletic basslines, whereupon the omission of Jim Kerr’s vocals allows one to focus more fully on its liquid majesty! It sits in my Record Cell on a 12″ bought at the time of release, but fear not, analog impaired. One can get this track in digital form in the following places.

Virgin | UK | 5xCD | 1990 | SMTCD 2

The second of the Simple Minds “Themes” volumes begins with the “Glittering Prize” 12″ single, duly rendered in CD format, with the addition of the German 12″ extended remix of “New Gold Dream [81, 82, 83, 84]” added as a bonus track to make up for the scant pair of cuts. One caveat about these original “Themes” volumes from 1990; the plastic used for the disc hubs glued to the heavy paper was chemically unstable, when in proximity to the CD surface! After owning my sets for a year or so, I discovered to my horror, that many of the discs had reacted against the white plastic hubs and had developed a “haze” that caused the discs to fail in playback!! My salvation was heavy application of Pioneer Laserdisc Cleaning Fluid with CD wipes until the haze was removed. All of the discs have resided in chemically stable jewel boxes ever since!

Virgin | UK | CD | 1990 | THEME 6

As with all of the discs in the “Themes” boxed sets, Virgin released the component singles as individual CD singles in slimline jewel boxes after the full boxes had all been issued in that year.  The same three tracks are on this disc: both mixes of “Glittering Prize” and the glorious “New Gold Dream [81, 82, 83, 84]” German remix, which is included in the X5 box. Those who bought these individual CDs at least had no worries about the packaging reacting with the material of the CD itself to make the discs cloudy and unpayable.

Virgin | UK | CD | 1998 | CDVIP224

The instrumental “Theme” to “Glittering Prize” also exists on this 1998 low price “Brilliant Eighties: Two” compilation CD featuring a host of Virgin “80s” acts salted with acts thematically appropriate yet conspicuously not originally on Virgin Records, such as Ultravox or Spandau Ballet. Of course, by this point in time, EMI had absorbed their original label, Chrysalis, for most of the 90s, so it was all one big happy family. I always thought that Ultravox should have signed to Virgin and not Chrysalis, quite frankly. I’ll bet that Simon Draper agrees with me!

Disky | DUTCH | CD | 2001 | DC 991222

Hate stock photos? Then be glad that Dutch EMI subsidiary Disky issued the “Brilliant 80s” comp above in the Netherlands three years later with a cover featuring photos of the actual artists contained within. Notice that it has a subtitle appended that is in fact, the name of the song we’re concerned with here. Ugh. That’s still only a cover a mother could love, but for those of you who could care less about such accoutrements, their is yet another option available to score this missing bonus track elsewhere. All you need is a little money and an internet connection.

Of course, I’m talking about iTunes. As mentioned yesterday, all of the “Themes” volumes that I had to track down and buy for about $50 each in 1990, are now available as downloads for a fraction of that cost for ungrateful youth who never had to lift more than their mouse finger to get music that was often a test of one’s mettle just finding back in the day! Not that I’m complaining!

King Is White + In The Crowd [BBC version]

Virgin | UK | 12" | 1982 | VS 538-12

The last “missed opportunity” as it were, is a BBC recording of “King Is White + In The Crowd.”  The group recorded this in the BBC studios for David “Kid” Jensen’s program in 1982 and it’s a much drier, arid in fact, version of the song that appears on the “Someone, Somewhere [In Summertime]” single.  That’s appropriate when considering that the assassination of Anwar Sadat was the impetus for the song. For many years, this was the only BBC session of the band’s released  legally. The release of the “Silver Box” in 2004 had many BBC sessions included to its credit, but not this one. The band held it back from that set since this had already appeared elsewhere.

Virgin | UK | 7" | 1982 | VS 538

The 7″ version of “Someone, Somewhere [In Summertime]” had the alternate recording of “King Is White + In The Crowd” on its B-side, so techically, you can make do with the 7″ single in this instance, but the fidelity is better on the twelve inch. Of course, for the detail oriented, the track is also available digitally in the usual places: The “Themes” volume 2 boxed set, the individual “Someone, Somewhere [In Summertime]” CD single, and of course, in the iTunes store as an AAC download._The latter is certainly the cheapest and easiest way to buy the cut, if not the best way.

Virgin | UK | 5xCD | 1990 | SMTCD 2

Virgin | UK CD | 1982 | THEME7

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Now, those who have read this series have the tools at their disposal to take the X5 box from mandatory but flawed to rarefied boxed set of god® territory, should they desire to walk in The Monk’s shoes. But I’ll warn you. It can get expensive.

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