Last Friday saw the release of a documentary made by three (actually four: Mel Gaynor also features) former members of Simple Minds, united under the name TH3 MINDS: Brian McGee, Derek Forbes and Mick MacNeil. Every Simple Minds fan should watch this documentary. The title Our shares are not the same is a paraphrase of Our secrets are the same, a biography of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill published a few years ago.
The book caused quite a stir amongst the former members, and they felt it was time not only to respond, but also to bring to light indisputable truths from the band’s early days that were unknown to the public. In short, it boils down to the fact that the credits for composing and writing the songs were rather unevenly distributed. The documentary offers a revealing glimpse into the practices of that time. Put simply: the music came first, then the lyrics. This did not stop Jim Kerr from claiming 50 per cent of the royalties from the first albums for himself.
Be that as it may, the real slap in the face for any true Simple Minds fan – and I haven’t read this in a single comment or reaction yet – is the instrumental (no doubt partly demo) versions of many Simple Minds songs from the period 1979–1985 featured in the documentary. Just one – and a very intriguing example at that – can be found at 29 minutes, 29 seconds: ‘70 Cites as Love Brings the Fall’ (from Sons and Fascination, 1981). Instantly recognisable. Why? The bass! Here we hear the bass isolated, and we can already hear the whole song in itself! I remember a book about Simple Minds which stated that New Gold Dream was such a success because Derek Forbes was now ‘on the ball’. Good morning… just how much more ‘on the ball’ could Derek Forbes possibly have been on the early albums? Once again, just listen to that isolated bass from 29 minutes, 29 seconds.
The documentary isn’t all serious. Yes, there’s laughter too. It turns out the monkey noises on ‘Veldt’ (from Real to Real Cacophony, 1979) were made by… none other than Derek Forbes himself (who always wanted to play guitar in the band – lo and behold, perhaps the blessing in disguise was that he played his bass like a guitar, producing that unique sound). There’s plenty of laughter about it all, amidst all the – justified – changes.
But the hidden gem of the documentary is, as mentioned, the background music accompanying the interviews. Instrumental. In versions you’ve never heard before. Every demo or alternative instrumental version of the track in question is a delight to listen to. There is a passage in the documentary in which one of Jim Kerr’s comments from Our Secrets Are the Same is shown. In it, he expresses surprise that – in the case of Mick MacNeil, for example – there was so little creative output after he left Simple Minds. That is a double slight towards a musician who spent ten years with Simple Minds. In those ten years, he contributed so much creativity across such a diverse spectrum that, without his sound alone, Simple Minds would never have existed. To reiterate: first came the music, then Jim would write the lyrics to go with it. The double slight lies in completely overlooking what Mick MacNeil demonstrated in *Peoples. Places. Things (1999), which, in my view, offered an even more bizarre showcase of the man’s abilities. This was followed up with *Themes from Glory Days* (2026). And let’s not forget Derek Forbes’ Echoes (2016), his project with Anni Hogan, Zanti – Broken-Hearted City (2018), and his project Derek and the Dark (2020), shall we? And hey – Brian McGee – that you still had time to drum for Simple Minds for three years! Once again, I’m down on my knees before these gentlemen! You’ve been the common thread running through my mind for over forty years! The measure of all things. My life would certainly have been a whole lot more boring without your musical foundation and contribution to my musical experience. You’re the Bible! A very unconventional Bible! Hallelujah!
For decades, fans have wondered what ever became of Brian, Derek, Mick and, for the past few years now, Mel as well. Some personal contact online over the years, but above all the documentaries by THE 3MINDS, showed that they had survived this period, physically speaking, of course. However, as the documentary shows, it must have caused irreparable damage. Moreover, the lack of commensurate royalties is just one manifestation of the failure to recognise not only the talent, but also the predominant contribution of Brian, Derek and Mick to those – in hindsight – superior albums of yesteryear. Tracks from those albums, each of which, in its own right, can be played in ten different ways – isolated or reworked, performed instrumentally – and still sound brand new, without a single line of vocals.
Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill have brought the monster back to life and will soon be amazed to realise just how great the monster – Brian, Mick and Derek – were, are and always will be. This is evident not only from the alternative versions of songs in this documentary, but also in a new present, which will hopefully extend for a long time to come.
Simple Minds is dead. Long live THE 3MINDS (AND Mel Gaynor!)
Thomas Kamphuis 