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house of blues : information

  • Aware they'd used most of Good News From The Next World's bonus material for the She's A River single (namely E55 and Celtic Strings), Virgin needed to work fast to collect potential B-side filler for the forthcoming Hypnotised single. This explains why Simple Minds were recorded so soon in the tour (at the Spreckles Theatre in San Diego on the 12th February 1995).

  • The tapes were rolling again at the House Of Blues, the last gig of the American leg (on the 2nd March 1995). By now, the band and the new song arrangements were firmly established, and so Virgin had a much better potential source of live recordings for future singles.

  • There was also the question of promoting a second US leg that May. So, this recording was broadcast by The Album Network as part of their Concert Broadcast series at the end of March. This gave Simple Minds extra visibility and promotion which would hopefully translate into more ticket sales. Unfortunately the band didn't return to the States that tour, but the broadcast did attract the attention of the bootleggers who quickly pressed up the 95 Sunset Strip CD.

  • Interestingly Virgin distributed a handful of CDs and cassettes of the concert, a small number of which escaped into collectors' circles. It isn't known why they promoted the concert this way. Were these review copies to whet the appetite of journalists for the forthcoming European leg? Or advance promotional copies of a potential live album? Or handy copies of The Album Network broadcast?

  • Unfortunately, the reason for this release will probably never be known. Virgin didn't release any singles after Hypnotised and Simple Minds left the label after the tour. House Of Blues remains a highly sought-after artifact and one of the last releases by Virgin whilst Simple Minds were still signed to the label.



house of blues : quick reference
MC    House Of Blues Virgin
1-1. She's A River[Live]   (6:10)
1-2. And The Band Played On[Live](5:20)
1-3. Waterfront[Live](4:30)
1-4. Stand By Love[Live](4:30)
1-5. Don't You (Forget About Me)[Live](6:00)
1-6. Hypnotised[Live](7:00)
1-7. Sanctify Yourself[Live](6:20)
2-1. Alive And Kicking[Live](8:10)
2-2. White Light/White Heat[Live](4:27)


CD    House Of Blues Virgin
1. She's A River[Live](6:10)
2. And The Band Played On[Live](5:20)
3. Waterfront[Live](4:30)
4. Stand By Love[Live](4:30)
5. Don't You (Forget About Me)[Live](6:00)
6. Hypnotised[Live](7:00)
7. Sanctify Yourself[Live](6:20)
8. Alive And Kicking[Live](8:10)
9. White Light/White Heat[Live](4:27)









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