Be One of Us #39 - "Book of Brilliant Things"
@teamfreak16 (43669)
Denver, Colorado
August 22, 2019 9:53pm CST
Out of curiosity, I went through this countdown "of" 50 songs with "of" in the title, and added up the bands on the list that I've seen in concert. 19 (19, 19, nuhnuhnuhnuh19) of them. I'm doing these in no particular order, just what I'm feeling at the time, and these guys are one of those 19 groups. We are at #39: "Book of Brilliant Things" by Simple Minds.
And holy crap, these guys are a great live band! There's a hell of a lot more to Simple Minds than "Don't You (Forget About Me)," a song the group had no desire to record in the first place, despite it being written with them in mind. Go figure.
There is, as I said, much, much more to the band than their international smash hit. Just give a listen to their brilliant 1984 album, Sparkle in the Rain, if you don't believe me. And be sure to pay close attention to track #2, "Book of Brilliant Things," a beautiful tune that builds and builds into a grandiose crescendo that was tailor-made for live performance. Utterly brilliant!
And it wasn't even released as a single. But damn, is it great in concert!
I've linked to a fantastic live performance from 1985 because it shows off just how great Simple Minds is onstage. If you are interested, there is another live clip on You Tube, with backup singer Sarah Brown doing the vocals as vocalist Jim Kerr awaits backstage. I recommend checking it out when you have the time.
(Info verified by Wikipedia)
3 people like this
2 responses
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
23 Aug 19
I am a big Simple Minds fan. Have a countdown planned on them. Jim Kerr is one of the great singers of the 80s. The band now embraces Don't You (Forget About Me) which is among my top 5 favorite songs of all time.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43669)
• Denver, Colorado
23 Aug 19
Only opening act I've ever seen get called out for two encores!
1 person likes this



