Simple Minds announce ‘Once Upon a Time’ 40th anniversary box set

The set includes the original album, b-sides, rarities, extended mixes, and a live concert

UMe announces details of a forthcoming 40th anniversary cut-down format of the 2016 original Super Deluxe celebration of Simple Minds’ multi-platinum album Once Upon A Time, out on October 17th.

Originally released in October 1985, Once Upon A Time became the British rockers’ most successful album to date, shifting two million copies in two months, hitting the top spot in the UK, and making the top ten in America. It spawned four top-twenty singles and launched a 15-month-long world tour. And with Jimmy Iovine and Bob Clearmountain providing a production dream team, and Anton Corbijn contributing to its instantly recognizable artwork, then Once Upon A Time has all the attributes of a classic 1980s album.

Coming hot on the heels of the global smash single “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” (which recently joined the Billions Club on Spotify), Once Upon a Time was to prove the album that propelled Simple Minds to stratospheric heights of artistic and commercial success. The album contains the classic hit singles “Alive and Kicking,” “All the Things She Said,” “Sanctify Yourself,” and “Ghost Dancing.”

In support of the album, Simple Minds undertook their longest and biggest tour yet, beginning in the USA in October 1985 and visiting mainland Europe, the UK, the USA again, Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This included a series of massive outdoor summer concerts at Ibrox, Milton Keynes Bowl, and Torhout-Werchter. Their first three top 10 singles from the album were signposts detailing the progression of the tour, and the fourth, “Ghost Dancing,” was released as the tour wound up, all profits being donated to Amnesty International. As Simple Minds took a well earned rest, after years of relentless writing, recording and touring, Virgin Records released the lavishly packaged Live In The City Of Light (included in the box set, over two discs), a massive live souvenir of Once Upon A Time recorded over several nights at Le Zenith in Paris, which earned them their third successive UK No. 1.

This incredible 5 CD box set consists of the original album, bonus discs with a wealth of supplementary tracks, including the original and extended versions of “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” single edits, 12-inch mixes, B-sides, rare tracks, and the two-disc Live in The City of Light concert, as well a 36-page booklet with rare photos, interviews with Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill and a track-by-track guide.

The original album will also be released on red vinyl.

Following the completion last year of the first part of their hugely successful Global Tour (their largest tour since 1985), Simple Minds recently played shows in Latin America, performing in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, and have just completed a 24-date leg of the US and Canada.

These dates will be followed by a series of UK and Ireland summer shows, commencing with a very special one-off hometown show at Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park on June 27th, where the band will perform their iconic 1985 album in its entirety to celebrate its 40th anniversary, along with a selection of their greatest hits. It will be the band’s biggest UK headline show in over 30 years.

CD 1: Once Upon a Time

1. Once Upon a Time
2. All The Things She Said
3. Ghost Dancing
4. Alive And Kicking
5. Oh Jungleland
6. I Wish You Were Here
7. Sanctify Yourself
8. Come A Long Way

CD 2: B-Sides / Mixes

1. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – 7″ Single
2. A Brass Band in African Chimes – 7″ Single
3. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – 12″ Single
4. A Brass Band in African Chimes – – Extended Version
5. Alive And Kicking – Edit
6. Alive And Kicking – Instrumental
7. Up On the Catwalk – Live (Barrowlands, Ballroom, Glasgow: 5th January 1985
8. Alive And Kicking – 7″ Remix / Edit
9. Alive And Kicking – 12″ Remix
10. Alive And Kicking – Kevorkian 12″ Remix
11. Sanctify Yourself – Edit
12. Sanctify Yourself – Instrumental
13. Sanctify Yourself – Alternative Edit

CD 3: B-Sides / Extended Mixes

1. Street Hassle – Live – Ahoy, Rotterdam: 3rd December 1985
2. Love Song -Live – Ahoy, Rotterdam: 3rd December 1985
3. Sanctify Yourself – Extended Mix
4. Sanctify Yourself – Dub Version
5. All The Things She Said – Edit
6. Promised You a Miracle – US Remix
7. All The Things She Said – Extended Version
8. Don’t You (Forget About Me) – Live- Ahoy, Rotterdam: 3rd December 1985
9. Ghost Dancing – 12″ Remix
10. Ghost Dancing – Instrumental
11. Oh Jungleland – 12″ Remix
12. Oh Jungleland – Instrumental

CD 4: Live In the City of Light – Live From Le Zenith, Paris 1986

1. Ghost Dancing
2. Big Sleep
3. Waterfront
4. Promised You a Miracle
5. Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
6. Oh Jungleland
7. Alive And Kicking

CD 5: Live In the City of Light – Live From Le Zenith, Paris 1986

1. Don’t You (Forget About Me)
2. Once Upon a Time
3. Book Of Brilliant Things
4. East At Easter
5. Sanctify Yourself
6. Love Song / Sun City / Dance to The Music
7. New Gold Dream