SIMPLE MINDS – SPARKLE IN THE RAIN LP – Nr MINT A2/B1 UK 1984 NEW WAVE ROCK

Simple Minds – Sparkle In The Rain
(Virgin Records  1984  V2300)
Matrix No’s: A2/B1 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

Sleeve in Nr MINT- condition
– a little wear on the corners & a tiny dink/tear at the opening edge
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.

The band produced a number of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their No. 1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, from the soundtrack of the John Hughes film The Breakfast Club. They are also known for the No. 3 US hit single “Alive and Kicking” and the No. 1 UK hit single “Belfast Child”. The band has sold more than 60 million albums since 1979.

The core of the band is the two remaining founder members – Jim Kerr (vocals, songwriting) and Charlie Burchill (guitars, keyboards after 1990, other instruments, songwriting) – and drummer Mel Gaynor (who first joined the band in 1982). The other current band members are Andy Gillespie (keyboards) and Ged Grimes (bass guitar). Significant former members include bass guitarist Derek Forbes and keyboard player Michael MacNeil (the latter credited as a significant band composer during the band’s rise in the 1980s).

Sparkle in the Rain is the sixth studio album by Simple Minds, released on 6 February 1984. A breakthrough commercial success for the band, the record peaked at number one in the UK Albums Chart on 18 February 1984, and reached the top 20 in numerous other countries around the world, including New Zealand, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and Australia. Receiving mostly positive reviews in the United Kingdom and the United States, Sparkle in the Rain was ultimately certified double platinum in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry, and significantly increased media interest in the band.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Simple Minds, except where indicated.

Personnel

• Jim Kerr – vocals
• Charlie Burchill – acoustic and electric guitars
• Derek Forbes – bass, vocals
• Mel Gaynor – drums, vocals
• Mick MacNeil – keyboards, vocals

Additional personnel

• Kirsty MacColl – voice on “Speed Your Love To Me” and “Street Hassle”