Simple Minds
Street Fighting Years

THE REVIEW

Spectacular! Monumental! "Street Fighting Years" is a masterpiece! 
It's the blessed year of 1989, and when the EP "Ballad Of The Street" is released, it's clear that what follows will be a committed and divinely played album.
Along with John Giblin on bass, who leaves the touring position to Malcolm Foster, this album features contributions from Lou Reed, Steve Copeland, Lisa Germano on violin, and Manu Katche on percussion.

The album opens with the title track, featuring the first 25 seconds of introductory acoustic bass for a deeply introspective and overwhelming piece that gives you goosebumps. Other notable songs include "This Is Your Land", with Lou Reed's cameo; the extraordinary ballad "Let It All Come Down", composed by Giblin, and "Kick It In".
Before closing with the instrumental "When Spirits Rise", the album offers the trilogy of "Mandela Day", written in honor of South African leader Nelson Mandela, "Belfast Child", which talks about the difficult Irish situation, and "Biko", a cover by Peter Gabriel dedicated to Steven Biko, another prominent figure in the fight for black emancipation in South Africa.
"Mandela Day" is a masterpiece of simplicity: a warm and soft rhythm based on bass and percussion, while Gaynor accompanies with brushes and guitar and lyrics intertwine to complete each other.
"Belfast Child" has its roots in the traditional Celtic song "She Moved Through The Fair" but becomes a masterpiece of orchestral and keyboard sounds, suffering guitar and vocals, and a dry and incisive rhythm.
As you go through this album, it should be noted the impeccable arrangement of the tracks, often embellished with orchestral sounds (as mentioned); rhythms with "hints of Africa"; Burchill's suffering guitar, and the epic nature of McNeil's keyboard, on his last album with Simple Minds.
The atmosphere that this album exudes is refined, sophisticated, intoxicating, all surrounded by Kerr's voice, which is fantastic.