''Silver Box'' is a 5-CD

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977. They have released a string of hit singles, becoming best known internationally for " Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United S ...

, released in October 2004. It includes ''Our Secrets Are the Same'' (as disc 5), the band's long-delayed (1999/2000) twelfth studio album of original material.

Overview

''Silver Box'' is mostly made up of previously unreleased demos,

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sessions and various live recordings from 1979 to 1995. It also includes, as a final bonus disc, their genuine twelfth studio album (of original material), ''Our Secrets Are the Same''. Originally recorded between April and June 1999 and originally planned to be released on its own in early 2000, ''Our Secrets Are the Same'' was delayed many times and even cancelled until its final inclusion in the box set.

Critical reception

The few professional reviews the compilation received commented on the previously elusive album ''Our Secrets Are The Same'' positively. Adam Sweeting, writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' newspaper, opined, "The album, dating from 1999, was scuppered by legal wranglings, but it's some of the best music the band have made in 20 years. Tracks such as "Death by Chocolate" or "Happy Is the Man" recall something of their old pioneering spirit, and show a fascination with the process of recording rather than with prancing about in front of a sea of cigarette lighters." He dismissed most of the third and fourth discs as evidence of the band's progression into "overblown" stadium rock, but admitted: "If you chucked out most of discs three and four from this beefy five-disc box, you'd be left with some fascinating insights and lost nuggets from the past and near-present of

. Rob Fitzpatrick writing for the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' agreed, saying, "By CD3, " Waterfront" – a neat throb of a single – is bloated into ten-plus minutes of pointless noodling and "Ghost Dancing" is so clearly similar in sound to U2's "

The Unforgettable Fire ''The Unforgettable Fire'' is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and released on 1 October 1984 by Island Records. The band wanted to pursue a new musical direction following the hard ...

" it's embarrassing. By CD4 it's time for "

Belfast Child "Belfast Child" is a song by Simple Minds, first released as the lead track on the ''Ballad of the Streets'' EP on 6 February 1989. The EP also included "Mandela Day" (originally its B-side). The record reached number one on the UK Singles Char ...

". God no! Miraculously, though, CD5 the band's 1999 'lost' album has some really good music on it in fact it's a lost gem that some fans have never heard or even know about. ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'' meanwhile admitted that the new album would be the main source of interest, but thought that the music still owed much to U2, writing, "It finds

Kerr Kerr may refer to: People * Kerr (surname) * Kerr (given name) Places ;United States * Kerr Township, Champaign County, Illinois * Kerr, Montana, A US census-designated place * Kerr, Ohio, an unincorporated community *Kerr County, Texas Other ...

and

Burchill Burchill is a variant form of the English surname Birchall (surname), Birchall, deriving from the settlement of Biekel, Lancashire, and meaning Birch - hill.U2 – tastefully epic, techno-fringed and extravagantly exasperated ("Death By Chocolate" and "Neon Cowboys") with the wickedness of a world gone wrong."

Martin C. Strong Martin Charles Strong (born 1960 in Musselburgh) is a Scottish music historian known for compiling discographies of popular music including ''The Great Rock Discography''. Strong has been described in broadsheet newspaper profiles as a "compiler ...

meanwhile, in ''The Essential Rock Discography'', complimented the band's new music: "The album's savvy pop smarts harked back to their early 80s purple period, only underlining the shortcomings of '' Néapolis'', while the sassy momentum of "Jeweller to the Stars" could've easily regenerated

and Co's contemporary credibility."

Track listing

Adapted from the box set liner notes. ''Silver Box'' (November/2004. Virgin Records)

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

Disc 4

Disc 5: ''Our Secrets Are the Same''

Personnel

Credits adapted from the box set liner notes, except where noted. ;Musicians *

Jim Kerr James Kerr (born 9 July 1959) is a Scottish singer and the lead singer of the rock band Simple Minds, becoming best known internationally for " Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. ...

– vocals *

Charlie Burchill Charles Burchill (born 27 November 1959) is a Scottish musician and composer, best known as the guitarist of Simple Minds. He is one of the founders of the group. Style During Simple Minds' early to mid-1980s period, Burchill's guitar had a dis ...

– guitar *

Mick MacNeil Norman Michael MacNeil is a Scottish songwriter and keyboardist born 20 July 1958 on the Isle of Barra, Scotland. He is best known as a former member of the group Simple Minds. MacNeil joined the band in 1978 and left in 1990. He released the ...

– keyboards (disc 1; disc 2; disc 3: 1-8) *

Derek Forbes Derek Forbes (born 22 June 1956) is a Scottish bassist, vocalist, and occasional guitarist. He is mostly associated with the Scottish band Simple Minds, having joined in time to record their early demos in 1978 and stayed with the band during ...

– bass (disc 1; disc 2: 1-11) * Brian McGee – drums (disc 1; disc 2: 1-4) *

Kenny Hyslop Kenneth John Hyslop (born 14 February 1951 in Helensburgh, Scotland) is a Scottish drummer. He joined the band Salvation with Midge Ure, which later became Slik and, after Ure's departure, some of the remaining members formed the Zones. He al ...

– drums (disc 2: 5, 6) * Mike Ogletree – drums (disc 2: 7-9) *

Mel Gaynor Mel George Gaynor (born 29 May 1959) is a British drummer, best known as the longtime drummer for the rock band Simple Minds. Biography Gaynor was born to a Jamaican father and an Afro-Brazilian mother. He began drumming at age 11 and had ...

– drums (disc 2: 10-12; disc 3: disc 4: 1-10) *

John Giblin John Giblin, is an active session musician, contributing mainly as an acoustic and electric bass player, and spanning genres of jazz, classical, rock, folk and avant-garde music. Best known as a studio musician, recording film scores and cont ...

– bass (disc 2: 12; disc 3: 1-8) *

Robin Clark Robin Clark is an American vocalist known for her work as a vocalist on David Bowie's 1975 album '' Young Americans'' and Simple Minds' 1985 album '' Once Upon a Time''. Clark was born in New York. In 1966, when Clark was 16, she and future ...

– vocals (disc 3: 1-7) * Sue Hadjopoulos – percussion (disc 3: 1-7) * Malcolm Foster – bass (disc 3: 9,10; disc 4) *Mark Taylor – keyboards (disc 3: 9,10; disc 4) * Mark Schulman – drums (disc 4: 11-13) *

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...

– vocals (disc 2: 11) ;Technical *

Trevor Dann Trevor John Dann (born 6 November 1951) is an English writer and broadcaster best known for his radio and print journalism with BBC Radio, ''Q magazine'', '' Mojo'', and ''The Guardian'', and his critically praised 2006 "Darker Than the Deepest S ...

– producer (disc 1: 4-7) * John Owen Williams – producer (disc 2: 5,6) *John Sparrow – producer (disc 2: 7-10) *Nick Gomm – engineer (disc 1: 4-7) *Mike Robinson – engineer (disc 2: 5-10) *Simon Heyworth – mastering (disc 1-5) ;''Our Secrets Are the Same'' *Jim Kerr – vocals *Charlie Burchill – guitar, keyboards, producer, mixing *

Kevin Hunter Wendy Williams Hunter ( Wendy Joan Williams; born July 18, 1964) is an American broadcaster and writer. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show ''The Wendy Williams Show.'' Prior to television, Williams w ...

– guitar, backing vocals, producer *Eddie Duffy – bass, additional percussion *Mark Kerr – drums, backing vocals *Chris Fudurich – additional keyboards, engineer, mixing *Recorded April–June 1999 at

CaVa Studios Ca Va Studios or Ca Va Sound is a professional recording studio based in the West End of Glasgow, Scotland. CaVa has previously had bases both in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The studios began in 1974 started by founder Brian Young and his team. ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

and Jim Kerr's house.

References

{{Authority control 2004 compilation albums Simple Minds compilation albums Virgin Records compilation albums 2004 live albums Demo albums Virgin Records live albums