Thirty years ago, when I was in high school, a German foreign exchange student lent me a cassette tape of this Scottish band. I stayed up all night listening to that tape over and over again, and I wouldn't give it back to him until I was able to make a copy (just a bit more logistically difficult back then than today, you see.)

Everything about music changed for me that day. I had never heard the combination of sounds and energy before...or really ever quite again.

The band was Simple Minds. Very different from the "Don't You Forget About Me" band they are remembered for today (it's a great somg, but the band was so much more creative and artistic before, it's a shame much of that is lost.) Formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1977 out of the remains of Johnny and the Self-Abusers, half of which split off to form the Cuban Heels.

Thirty years ago, Simple Minds was a HUGE band, much bigger than U2, regularly selling out arenas all over Europe. Jim Kerr was Bono's favorite singer/frontman. Bono wouldn't have been able to learn how to become Bono without Jim Kerr showing him how.

Sparkle In The Rain was a tremendous album, and that was what was on my friend's tape. It still is an amazing recording achievement, yet never quite translated nearly as well live as it does on the recording, which is simply an amazing listen. So hard to believe it's been 30 years.

This short TV performance clip captures just a tiny bit of the energy I'm trying to convey, though the bottom end (bass) is almost nonexistent from the sound in the clip, which is a real shame):

Artist: Simple Minds
Songs: "Speed Your Love To Me/Up On The Catwalk"
Album: Sparkle In The Rain
Release Date: February 1984