Holy frijoles! You take a day off blogging to work extra hard, and all heck breaks loose with one’s favorite bands. Let’s discuss this in the order that I found out about it. Today both OMD and Simple Minds have announced deluxe packages that will see each one honoring their 40th anniversary in different ways. First up:  OMD

The OMD package is 5xCD+2xDVD

OMD: Souvenir Boxed Set UK 5xD + 2xDVD [2019]

Disc 1 – The Singles 1979 – 1987

1. Electricity
2. Red Frame/White Light
3. Messages
4. Enola Gay
5. Souvenir
6. Joan of Arc
7. Maid of Orleans
8. Genetic Engineering
9. Telegraph
10. Locomotion
11. Talking Loud and Clear
12. Tesla Girls
13. Never Turn Away
14. So in Love
15. Secret
16. La Femme Accident
17. If You Leave
18. (Forever) Live and Die
19. We Love You
20. Shame

Disc 2 – The Singles 1988 – 2019

1. Sailing on the Seven Seas
2. Pandora’s Box (It’s a Long, Long Way)
3. Then You Turn Away
4. Call My Name
5. Stand Above Me
6. Dream of Me
7. Everyday
8. Walking on the Milky Way
9. Universal
10. If You Want It
11. Sister Marie Says
12. History of Modern (part 1)
13. Metroland
14. Dresden
15. Night Café
16. Isotype
17. The Punishment Of Luxury
18. What Have We Done
19. Don’t Go

Disc 3 – Unreleased Archive Vol I.

1. Brand New Science (06.1981)
2. Dumbomb (01.1986)
3. Violin Piece (09.1982)
4. Untitled 2 (06.1981)
5. Cut Me Down (03.1986)
6. Radio Swiss International (09.1982)
7. Untitled 3 (09.1982)
8. Weekend (04.1985)
9. Organ Ditty (05.1980)
10. Unreleased Idea (06.1981)
11. Cajun Moon (05.1986)
12. Guitar Thrash (09.1982)
13. SMPTE (12.1982)
14. American Venus (04.1990)
15. Liberator (02.1985)
16. Ambient 1 (04.1980)
17. Unused 1 (12.1980)
18. Flamenco (04.1990)
19. Andy’s Song (04.1985)
20. Dynamo Children (01.1985)
21. Flutey (03.1984)
22. Nice Ending (06.1981)

Disc 4 – Live at the Mermaid Theatre, London (03/02/2011)

1. Messages
2. Tesla Girls
3. New Babies New Toys
4. History of Modern (Part 1)
5. (Forever) Live and Die
6. Souvenir
7. Joan of Arc
8. Maid of Orleans
9. New Holy Ground
10. Green
11. Walking on the Milky Way
12. Sister Marie Says
13. Locomotion
14. Sailing on the Seven Seas
15. Enola Gay
16. Electricity

Disc 5 – Live at the Hammersmith Odeon (10/05/1983)

1. Dazzle Ships – Parts II,III & VII
2. ABC Auto Industry
3. Messages
4. She’s Leaving
5. Georgia
6. Almost
7. Julia’s Song
8. Joan of Arc
9. Maid of Orleans
10. Statues
11. The Romance of the Telescope
12. Souvenir
13. Telegraph
14. Radio Waves
15. Bunker Soldiers
16. Enola Gay
17. Silent Running
18. Electricity
19. Pretending to See the Future
20. Stanlow

DVD1 – BBC TV Performances

1. Messages (The Old Grey Whistle Test 15/04/1980)
2. Messages (Top Of The Pops 08/05/1980)
3. Messages (Top Of The Pops 29/05/1980)
4. Enola Gay (Top Of The Pops 09/10/1980)
5. Souvenir (Top Of The Pops 03/09/1981)
6. Joan of Arc (Top Of The Pops 29/10/1981)
7. Maid Of Orleans (Top Of The Pops 14/01/1982)
8. Genetic Engineering (Top Of The Pops 03/03/1983)
9. Locomotion (Top Of The Pops 19/04/1984)
10. Locomotion (Top Of The Pops 03/05/1984)
11. Talking Loud and Clear (Top Of The Pops 05/07/1984)
12. Tesla Girls (Top Of The Pops 13/09/1984)
13. So in Love (Top Of The Pops 30/05/1985)
14. La Femme Accident (The Old Grey Whistle Test 22/10/1985)
15. (Forever) Live and Die (Top Of The Pops 18/09/1986)
16. Dreaming (Wogan 27/06/1988)
17. Sailing on the Seven Seas (Top Of The Pops 02/05/1991)
18. Pandora’s Box (It’s a Long, Long Way) (Top Of The Pops 11/07/1991)
19. Pandora’s Box (It’s a Long, Long Way) (Top Of The Pops 25/07/1991)
20. Call My Name (Pebble Mill 11/12/1991)
21. Stand Above Me (Top Of The Pops 13/05/1993)
22. Walking on the Milky Way (Top Of The Pops 16/08/1996)
23. Enola Gay (Later With Jools Holland 31/05/2013)

DVD2 – Two Concerts [’81, ’85] + Crush: The Movie

Live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (04/12/1981)

1. Almost
2. Mystereality
3. Joan Of Arc
4. Motion and Heart
5. Maid Of Orleans
6. Statues
7. Souvenir
8. New Stone Age
9. Enola Gay
10. Bunker Soldiers
11. Electricity
12. She’s Leaving
13. Julia’s Song
14. Stanlow

Live at Sheffield City Hall (14/06/1985)

1. The Romance Of The Telescope (intro)
2. Crush
3. Messages
4. Secret
5. Tesla Girls
6. White Trash
7. Talking Loud and Clear
8. Maid Of Orleans
9. Telegraph
10. Enola Gay
11. Electricity
12. The Romance Of The Telescope

Crush – The Movie

1. Bloc Bloc Bloc
2. The Native Daughters Of The Golden West
3. So In Love
4. 88 Seconds In Greensboro
5. Hold You
6. Women III
7. Crush
8. La Femme Accident
9. Secret
10. The Lights Are Going Out

The economy pack

Phew! OMD have got a lot of plates spinning here. The baseline first two discs are the bands first 40 singles, spread across two discs perfectly. With the initial band’s discography fitting on disc one, and the Andy solo/reunification era filling disc two. You couldn’t get more succinct than that! Their new single, “Don’t Go” was the final song on the package and that is available today on all of those platforms that I don’t use. I did sample 90 seconds on iTunes and heard another example of the band making another of their songs that used “Europe Endless” gorgeous DNA since Ralf dropped his most sublime sound like a hot potato 42 years ago. The 2xCD “Souvenir” will sate those who don’t have massive OMD collections for the low, low price of just $11.00 in the OMD webstore.

Where things get more…Monastic, is on the BSOG [boxed set of god] version. Seven discs come in a 10″ hardback book package with Paul Morley liner notes [Claudia Brücken’s exes have to stick together, I guess] with disc three being a raid through the OMD archives for demos similar to what Heaven 17 did on their DLX RM of “Penthouse + Pavement” some hears back. Disc four is the BBC show from the Mermaid Theater from the “History Of Modern” tour. I made this into a CD almost immediately, and this was a great snapshot of their return to the stages with new material.

Disc five, was a “Dazzle Ships” concert at the Hammersmith Odeon from 1983, and almost certainly a glimpse of the band at their fevered peak, before the hammer came down and caused the compromise that led to their early demise. Then the other two discs are DVDs, the first being all of their BBC TV appearances. The second disc collects some loose ends with another run of the “Drury Lane” show that was part of the “Architecture + Morality” DLX RM from the early naughts, and a 1985 “Crush” tour when the band was a sextet with the Weir Brothers on horns/synths. This was how I first saw OMD that same year of 1985 and it would be interesting to see that again after so many years. Finally, the second DVD has the copy of “Crush: The Movie” that some have been clamoring for on DVD for ages now. Also included are a poster of the “Souvenir” single cover and  10″ single sleeve prints. This version of “Souvenir” has been described as a “limited edition career box set.” The price in the OMD webstore is a hefty $99.00. Ouch.

Simple Minds have only music, but 4 discs worth

Simple Minds: Live In The City Of Angels DLX UK 4xCD [2019]

Disc 1 [Live At Orpheum, Los Angeles]

1. The Signal and the Noise
2. Waterfront
3. Love Song
4. Let There Be Love
5. Up on the Catwalk
6. Sense of Discovery
7. Glittering Prize [live # Fillmore, Miami]
8. Promised You a Miracle
9. The American
10. Hunter and the Hunted
11. Stand by Love
12. Dirty Old Town

Disc 2 [Live At Orpheum, Los Angeles]

1. Theme for Great Cities
2. She’s a River
3. Walk Between Worlds
4. Hypnotised
5. Someone Somewhere in Summertime
6. See the Lights
7. All the Things She Said
8. Dolphins
9. Don’t You (Forget About Me)
10. New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84)
11. Once Upon a Time
12. Alive and Kicking
13. Sanctify Yourself

Disc 3

1. Book of Brilliant Things
2. I Travel
3. Blindfolded
4. Honest Town
5. In Dreams
6. Stars Will Lead The Way
7. Big Sleep

Disc 4

1. Let the Day Begin
2. Barrowland Star
3. Midnight Walking
4. Summer
5. Big Music
6. Celebrate
7. The Cross
8. Speed Your Love To Me

I had been expecting another Simple Minds live album after their successful US tour last year and they did not disappoint. The have recorded the Los Angeles date at the Orpheum from October 24th, 2018. Just a few weeks after we saw them in Atlanta. The entire L.A. date takes up the first two discs, which are also the standard edition 2xCD. “Glittering Prize” was added from a recording of the Miami date at the Fillmore on November 8th. I’m also betting that none of the ponderous overdubbing and re-recording that made “Live In The City Of Light” what it is has gone on here. There’s no money for that anymore!

That 2xCD is a healthy $15 in the Simple Minds webstore. But all of the serious fans will want the 4xCD version with every track they rehearsed and played for the tour recorded from sound checks and rehearsals. Another 15 tracks and a crazy steal at only $19! That’s some real Scot thrift for our beleaguered wallets. Sure, sure. It could almost fit on 3xCD, but it ultimately couldn’t do that and instead of tossing 2-3 songs, they split the extras across two discs… because they care.

The timing on these is down to me wanting to spend less. So far this year I have! I always say that but this time I’ve kept up my end of the bargain. I’m not inclined to splurge for the OMD box right now. Maybe later. Heck, I still haven’t got the Heaven 17 BSOG and I really want that one! All of this “collecting” takes its toll. And I speaking of Heaven 17, I need to be saving up for that trip to the UK next March to see them perform Human League classics! So OMD… maybe later. It helps that the “core dump” aspect of it seems a bit… perfunctory.

The Simple Minds comes in a hardback book pack and is so inexpensive that I can buy it with money in hand right now. Not that I would. I’m in “saving mode,” but I can see this happening soon. I would like to revisit the band recorded just two weeks after we saw them last. I also have the “Celebrate Live” set from 2013 recorded two weeks after the previous Minds show we caught in 2013! That 2018 set had the best live version of “New Gold Dream” I had ever heard, and none of the live versions out thus far had the sort of cowbell moxie that the song ultimately needed and got from Sarah Brown.

Of course, both acts have vinyl if that’s your thing. Get ready to fork over some more money for less music! And Simple Minds has lots of bundles for the obsessively inclined – including autographs if you don’t already have them clogging up your own personal Record Cell. You can vote with your wallets here:

OMD webstore

Simple Minds webstore

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