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"No sooner had Jim Kerr
and Charlie Burchill checked in at their new recording home,
Chrysalis Records, than they were off on an odyssey involving thousands of miles, every kind of
live engagement, audiences totalling over a million, and the creation of a brand new record in their
towering body of work."
"Neapolis is that album, described by Kerr as
a "road record," a series of wide-exposure musical snapshots of this breathless and exhilarating new
phase in the band's history. It's a return to the spirit and substance of
Empires And Dance and
Sons And Fascination, the mighty turn-of-the-80s albums that
put Simple Minds slap bang in the engine room of cutting-edge British music."
Neapolis Press Release
March 1998
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- "We felt really happy with Good News From The Next World,
but it was a rock record made in America, you could hear that. We felt it was very complete, we couldn't go further
down that road. It wouldn't have entertained us, never mind anyone else. So there was a touch of 'back
to the drawing board' to come up with a fresher us." - Jim
- The last commissioned remix from the Good News From The Next World era
sowed the seeds for the band's new direction. Tim Simenon's (Bomb The Bass) radical Malfunction Mix
of Hypnotised was a stripped down minimalistic retelling of the song,
but as it faded out, familiar swoops and synth trills elbowed in to fill the space. From these elements, the first version of
War Babies started to germinate. "Key songs are always a matter of opinion. However
in terms of the song that defined the style and therefore really got the album project underway, it
is safe to focus on the track War Babies." -
Jim, Travelling Man #1, 1998
- From the beginning, many of the sketches and outlines included dark ambient synths, multi-textured rhythms and
Indian-sounding sitars. These early demos were much darker than previous Simple Minds material, much more
experimental, and featured the dense, electronic effects and elaborate rhythms which would later characterise the
album itself. "One of our biggest influences in the earlier days was the whole Krautrock thing.
Charlie was hearing it that way, the long grooves and scenic
vistas, thinking, 'This has a relationship to our past and where we'd like to be just now.'" - Jim
- "From day one, we avoided bombastic drums and stuff like that, the obvious rocky elements. Neapolis has much more to do
with hypnotic, rhythmic sequences, bass riffs and sequenced patterns, married to the band's natural potency. It's a much more
interesting backdrop. A lot more abstract. I think we wanted to veer away from the rock element.
That was something we were bored with and a bit tired. And also, there was a sort of return to many years ago when we were
more sequence based. A bit more experimental. A bit more European, dare I say it." - Charlie
- Sessions began at Loch Earn in January 1996 with a reunited Simple Minds in the form of
Jim, Charlie,
Derek Forbes and Brian McGee.
Old school jamming sessions began with a cover of Waiting For The Man
and a new song called Lightning.
According to Brian, Jim wanted to reunite
the old band."Derek and I
agreed to go up to his studio in Lochearnhead and I stayed for four weeks. Jim wanted to get
the original line-up back together and see if we could get back that old magic again."
- Jim's recollections about the temporary reunion were slightly different.
"We wanted to get some people on the stuff early. And we'd been in touch with Derek and
Brian. Derek had always kept in touch so he was always
in the frame. And Brian had come to the last Glasgow gigs and was around for it bit. It wasn't a thing to
try and reform - without being unkind to Brian, it was a bit like 'We need drums now' and
Brian will play. ... He was great on those Simple Minds records. But he hasn't been
playing for ten or fifteen years on a regular basis. He's more a producer and into computer rhythms and so it was never
going to go past that." - Jim, WDTDN #5, 1998
- By the end of January, they had assembled a collection of over eleven new ideas, including an
almost finished demo of Lightning, a recognisable precursor of
Killing Andy Warhol and songs which contained the initial
ideas and riffs of Glitterball and
Androgeny.
- But Brian McGee only lasted that one month. "I went up open minded but
too much time had passed and they weren't the same. It was all about big business and we were treated like session
musicians and not band members. I didn't like the way Jim treated me, I
was in the exact same position I was in when I'd left the first time so I just never showed up for work one day."
- The collection of new songs included a couple of earlier ideas.
Tears Of A Guy, originally recorded at
Wisseloord back in 1989 as a Real Life demo, and reshaped and restyled during the
Good News From The Next World sessions,
was now given extra instrumentation and ideas. Song To The Siren,
recorded as a possible B-side during the Live In The City Of Light sessions,
was also resurrected, but appeared in a new mysterious and delicate form, almost unrecognisable from the earlier version.
- Another song worked on during the album sessions, and not taken forward, was
Island Life. Jim and
Charlie simply couldn't make it work and so it was shelved.
- The band continued working on these ideas during the early months of 1996, only being briefly interrupted by Alan Stivell.
Stivell is a Breton and Celtic musician, known primarily for his harp playing, and he'd featured with Simple Minds the
previous year on the French TV show Taratata where he'd joined the band, with harp, for a unique performance of
She Moved Through The Fair. Now the subject of a Music Planet documentary
for the French channel ARTE, he was asked for input and ideas, and suggested it would be great to do something in Scotland
with Simple Minds. In the finished documentary, he was shown in the gardens of Loch Earn talking to Jim
and Charlie about celtic music, before they moved indoors to jam on
Song To The Siren and a unique combination of
She Moved Through The Fair and
Belfast Child.
- New record company Chrysalis checked in with the duo that June with a camera team in tow to begin work on an EPK. They interviewed
Jim and Charlie about the new record, and took establishing
shots of the exteriors of the studios. None of the footage was released but it revealed the band's ideas about the direction of the record
and their future touring plans.
Int: What are you up to at the moment?
JK: We're in Perthshire which is just at the foot of the highlands in Scotland. We're in our studio where we're
writing songs for our new album. Our first album for Chrysalis. An album you'll be hearing at the end of this
year. Actually you'll be hearing it sooner than that if JF [Jean-Francois Cecillon] has his way.
JK: But this stage is really exciting for us because when you're at the seeds of the ideas you look at all the
potential. We'll come up with about 20-25 pieces of music and then look and see what kind of direction it's going.
And hone in on the 10 or 12, and see what kind of record we're going to have.
Int: Have you started recording?
JK: Well, because computers are involved and such, we're always recording but Charlie is
down the mine, throwing up all the ideas. And then I take them away, see what images are, what the words will be, and then once we get
it into shape, we'll bring in the band. Although we sit here looking extremely lonely, Simple Minds are a band.
When you say Simple Minds you usually think of the whole live thing and the group; but that's the next stage from
where we are just now. It's starting to get exciting.
Int: So you've got a band who you're working with? You're putting a band together? What's the rest of them?
CB: I think this time around we'll work with different people again. It's great in this set-up, because we get
to work with so many people. I think we'll pick a band and try and record an entire album with them. We don't
really know who yet. But it's great to work with different people. There are a few people already who've started
doing little things with us. Hopefully we can keep that continuity and work right through the recording.
JK: It's almost like the music dictates the style of the band. Maybe we'll need this kind of bass player, or
that kind of drummer. If it's something loud and noisy, it takes you one place - if it's something more subtle...
it's the music that dictates the next stage.
Int: Have you got the feel for the music. Are we going to have something wildly new or is it going to be something...
JK: The task is always to write better songs first and foremost. This will be our eleventh album - we didn't know
this thing would last more than eleven days. But you don't want to repeat. It is attempting to find a new attitude
although I think the spirit of the music is alway maintained.
JK: But when we look back on the past you can see different phases of the band. The initial thing was more of an
electro thing, then there was the rock thing, and so on and so forth. It's amazing how the music takes us on a
journey and then we step back and find out where's its gone. We're not the type to sit back and come up with a
concept and then build the music around it. That's what makes it interesting because where is this going? It could
go here. It's taking us there. That makes it more mysterious than it is. It is a spontaneous thing. We're working on
this album for three or four months - and you could say what's this record like - and this week it's gone this direction.
And the next week it takes a U-turn or such. But at some point you have to have to get cohesive and say 'You don't really
want a piece of this and a piece of that.' We're going to go down this road. But the thing we're most excited about
is the melodies. And that's the hard stuff really.
Int: And are you planning to go out live at some point soon?
CB: Probably next year. Around Easter or something like that. ... It's something we really enjoy even though
it's a great creative thing. Certainly it's a great feeling to get some sort of feedback. And you can learn a lot
about the songs when you play live.
JK: I think the last tour we did was a test for us because it had been four or five years since we played and
we found there was quite a new generation coming to see us play. And we could feel their excitment. And it didn't
feel like 'Oh. This again.' It should never feel like that. But when we go out, we do tend to go on these mammouth
type slogs. When we go out, we think 'Let's play everywhere.' It feels great but after a few months there's not
a lot you can do creatively inside a show because the songs - people want to hear that song or those songs - so I
don't think you learn alot after a few months. But I'd find it really difficult to imagine a day when we'd put out
an album and not tour. It goes hand in hand. And it's probably the touring that's been a life blood throughout
the years.
Untitled EPK
June 1996
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- Work continued throughout the year at B>Loch Earn in Scotland and Home Studios in Dublin (actually
Jim's home recording studio) where sketches and ideas continued to evolve.
"There was a year of sketching and doodling and setting up, and coming up with a premise for the record." said Jim.
- The album's working title was Album 97.
- Like the initial sessions of Good News From The Next World, Jim
and Charlie didn't have a producer in mind when they started the project. "We were almost
six months into the writing. And normally there's a record you love, or there's a couple of records, and someone has done them and it's an
Iovine or Clearmountain or Lipson.
But gradually we were running out of producers as such. But we certainly didn't want to do it ourselves because ... you need that outside
perspective. Peter had got in touch and it was a kind of thing of 'Actually what are you doing
in a couple of weeks?' because it wasn't that we were going to start the album, but it was like we were going to do some preparation. And
one thing led to another. And it was more the very nature of Pete. He obviously knows the band, knows
the spirit of the band, and at the same time is very youthful." - Jim, WDTDN #5, 1998
- Pete Walsh started working on the album in September 1996: "We had always remained in contact.
If they were present locally, I'd go and see them in concert and have a chat with Jim and
Charlie backstage. But for this new album they wanted to change style completely, change direction.
They were finished with the pure rock-and-roll big stages, the spectaculars, the huge drums. The group wanted to return to the charm of their
beginnings with their new record company Chrysalis. It was rather natural that they considered me. As often with them, recordings and
mixing were spread out over more than one year. We recorded a little everywhere, primarily in Bonnie Wee Studios, their home studio
in Scotland, equipped with a DDA mixing desk and Pro Tools. Some additional songs were recorded at Olympic, plus
Mel Gayor's drums in particular and a little in Dublin at Jim's
house. For mixing, we went to Olympic, Plus XXX and Capri."
- Album sessions began at Loch Earn, Jim's Dublin studio and Olympic in late 1996. With
the backing tracks and vocals now recorded, the trio returned to Olympic in March 1997 to begin mixing. The first songs mixed were
If I Had Wings,
Glitterball,
Tears Of A Guy and
War Babies (which was already appearing in alternative and edited mixes in preparation for a single).
If I Had Wings and
Glitterball were largely finished whilst the chorus and coda of
War Babies still needed work and
Tears Of A Guy was still finding its way having lost its melodic structure and arrangement.
- All the songs were considerably overlaid with ideas and effects, weighed down by extra instrumentation and ideas. Some other tracks, in particular
War Babies were still unfinished, the chorus and the coda still underdeveloped and bare. It was this
version they played during the Festival Tour where the differences, especially in the
sparce chorus, can be heard. (Jim once joked that the final
album sounded like two records played at the same time; the Olympic sessions sounded like three).
- Other songs were worked on but the tape trail is sparse and sporadic. A lone cassette from May includes a Work-in-progress mix
of Killing Andy Warhol, the song instantly recognisable, but too streched and requiring numerous
nips-and-tucks.
- The top brass as Chrysalis were not impressed and expressed concern. Jim and
Charlie hunkered down, and decided to road-test some of their new work during the
Festival Tour where crowd reaction would become the ultimate arbitrator. The largely
completed Glitterball and the fledgling War Babies
were added to the set, a surprise for concert goers who expected a continuation of the Good News From
The Next World Tour. "A defining thing was when we took time out to play those
European concerts last summer," said Jim. "Not only did we get a perspective, but
encouragement as well. We came back to the record and said 'We have the cornerstones, let's go ahead and fill in what's what.'"
- That 'filling in' took place during gaps in the tour schedule. At the end of June and in mid July, Jim,
Charlie and Pete Walsh continued work at Plus XXX
in Paris. Pete Walsh wanted to work at William Tell but the studio was too small, too expensive and he
wasn't familiar with its new mixing desk. He then discovered Plus XXX where extra overdubs and mixing took place.
- Surviving tapes from the June sessions revealed almost completed versions of
Androgeny,
Superman v Supersoul,
Killing Andy Warhol and
Lightning.
- Further recording sessions took place at Jim's home studio in
Dublin and Metropolis in London where more drums were recorded. That September at
Metropolis, Mel Gaynor returned to Simple Minds for
overdubbing on War Babies. (This was very similar to his role on
New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) where he was called in to help with
the backing tracks.) Further work was also done on
Glitterball,
Tears Of A Guy and
Song For The Tribes.
- The return of Derek and
Mel suggested a concious return to past glories.
Jim was careful to explain that this was not the case.
"I can definitely feel some musical flashbacks and in terms of the personel, the fact that
Derek Forbes is playing with
us again and Mel is playing again. It does seem to have come some sort of a circle. But I think to go
back and try and create the past - not only do I not really think it's possible, but it wouldn't have interested
us. I mean. whatever we did is there - it's still there - you can still get the records or the CDs or whatever
and so much has changed - we've changed - every cell in your body has changed since, say, we made
New Gold Dream.
Technology's changed - everything - but I suppose if you have a long history there are certain themes that
are always there, the genetics, and at different times, they for whatever reason make sense again. Maybe
it's just the fact that they become fresh because you haven't been in that kind of territory for along time."
- "...Anyone could be forgiven in mistakenly assuming that the recording was also an attempt
at aristically turning back the clock. However we believe it is impossible to turn back
as of course we are no longer the same people as the ones who made those records, and at any rate
so much water has already gone under the bridge that it is the future that interests us." - Jim, Travelling Man #1, 1998
- Song For The Tribes was a late addition to the recording roster.
It had originally been recorded during the Street Fighting Years sessions
as Power In The Darkness but was abandoned and left in the library.
For the Neapolis sessions, the song was completely stripped down and reformed, barely recognisable in
a new acoustic guise with its new lyrics. Clues to its provenance could be found in fragments of the original
lyrics i.e. "Feel real power in the darkness", and the band tenaciously holding onto its original title
where it appeared as Power (Acoustic) on recording lists.
- Some other songs never shook off their demo titles. These appeared on the various session tapes, even gracing the
album master tape. Joining Power (Acoustic) was
Morrison's Grave (the original
title of Superman v Supersoul) and
War Baby.
- "After Paris, we went back to Dublin, then to Metropolis to record some more drums. The project finished in Capri,
in the studio which was the most pleasant for me to travel to. In October 1997, more than one year after having touched the 'Record' button
for the first time, we were finished." - Pete Walsh
- In the final weeks of October, Jim, Charlie
and Pete were at Capri Digital in Naples, Italy, where the
nine tracks of the album were finally mixed. The DAT masters were delivered to Chrysalis along with
an 11-track CD; this included the full album plus proposed single edits of Glitterball
and War Babies.
- The album was still called Album 97.
- Production masters were cut at Metropolis on the 17th Novemer 1997.
- The first photo session took place in Naples, at the culmination of the final mixing session, with
photographer Andy Earl who'd previously worked with the band during
Street Fighting Years. The four-piece group were pictured on
the streets and in the railways station. The brief was simple: it was to get away from their "mean, moody,
wild Scotsmen on a hillside image."
- The shoot wasn't without incidents: Earl hadn't realised photography in the railway station required
special permission as it was controlled by the military. He had his equipment confiscated by irate officials until
a phone call to the Mayor, who was a huge Simple Minds fan, resulted in immediate permission, the return
of his cameras, and Earl being given the freedom of the city for his stay. At another location, whilst
taking pictures by the port, an Italian businessman barged into shot claiming his usual seat.
- Several of the pictures were taken in the Poggioreale district of the city where the modern elevated roadway
crossed over several older buildings. This was a short walk from the Napoli Centrale railway station
where the front cover of the album was shot.
Google Maps
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"This record was pretty much recorded on the move, I mean, the whole thing about our band is that
every time you put out an album you are tempted to say that was a phase or this was a phase. That
was another phase... but with Charlie and I things are much
more seamless than that and we sort of began this band 20 years ago really. We were on a hitchhiking trip
when the idea, or you could
say, the determination to see it through began and in some ways that trip is still going on. I mean,
we're known probably first and foremost as a live band and even in the making of this record we
chose to be on the move and primarily most of it out of Britain. Our sense of timing again, when
everyone's listening to Brit Rock and 'Brit' this and 'Brit' that and London's the place, we go to the
South of Italy or Amsterdam or Paris or Dublin or something. These places, they don't have to be
hip. they're always... there's always stuff going on, but it's hard to say it influenced us because of
this or that but I'm sure the backdrop to wherever you are... if you feel good in a place then it is
bound to come out in the music or is bound to be reflected in the music so it's not really a specific
thing, it's more the thing that this is our way of life and therefore the music is obviously such a part
of that."
Jim
Interview Transcription
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- The art director for the project was Stuart Mackenzie, who'd previously worked with Simple Minds
as part of Stylorogue for Real Life,
Glittering Prize 81/92 and
Good News From The Next World. He was now working as a
freelancer under the name Toorkwaz (a play on Turquoise).
- Jim felt the title would come from the artwork and they should've
added the time and date as well. "Well, you know. Naples was where that particular journey ended. The album was
taken out of our hands then, it was time to hand it over and I suppose for us it was almost like saying 'This is
a postcard from where we are - here and now,' and with some albums a phrase appears that seems
to tie it all up. You know, like the Street Fighting Years
with songs like Belfast and
Mandala and
such, that was one example of a concept but it wasn't quite the case with this record. So, as I say,
it was more a fullstop on the journey that we ended in Naples ... and why not?" - Jim.
- Rather than simply call the album Naples or Napoli, Jim used its Greek derivation:
"Nea" (New) and "Polis" (City), which was the original name given by the founding Greeks. This had more
to do with the photographs on the album sleeve than any direct link to the songs.
- (They returned to the idea of adding an album's completion date to the title with Black And White 050505
which was finshed on the 5th May 2005).
- "WHENEVER I HEAR A NEW SONG IT'S USUALLY NOT WHAT THE SONG IS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THAT IS OF IMMEDIATE INTEREST TO ME; no - by
far it's whatever emotion conveyed that seems to be of more consequence. This, then, is the thing that grabs me - this is the
thing that strikes a chord - and when this happens, any other meaning is surplus to demand - in other words, I don't need it."
"Presently two pieces of music I choose for continual listening are Tangled Up In Blue by Bob Dylan and
Night by Fateh Ali Khan. Now the fact that I find the lyrics of hte former both stunning and puzzling
is proof that I need no more meaningful explanation, even if I'm not sure what this classic is actually about, even if I find it all
bamboozling - the melodic effect is enough to create this overwhelming sensation that leaves me falling in love with this song, time AND
TIME AGAIN. It's just genius at work, simple as that. Moving onto the latter, the fact that this songbird sings in a language both
ancient and wholly alien to me, only serves to enhance the living spirit of such incredibly powerful music, a music wholly capable of
joyfully reducing me to tears - a music of real wonder."
"The point being that with music - you either get it! Or you don't! And in my opinion, if you need to ask for an explanation as to what
a song is about - well I'm afraid the signs are not so good. The secret is to listen carefully and both your imagination and emotions
will tell you what's going on. They're never wrong. For those who could do with some help, here are some of our
impressions behind the music of the latest new album. [Click on each song title for those]."
"Firstly, I'm not so sure that there is an overall lyrical theme to this set of recordings. Sometimes during the creation of
an album a concept that seems to focus all the songs under one theme turns up and presents itself; almost as some natural conclusion. Often
this concluding theme goes on to be the eventual album title as in both
New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) and
Street Fighting Years although at no time did we sit down
and try to come up with concepts and albums titled thus; in these cases it's just something that we arrived at. On other records there is
no binding theme lyrically, the songs are connected only in some sonic sense and I feel pretty confident that this is the case
with the current situation. I could be wrong though, maybe there is some theme that I'm too close to recognise. I wouldn't be surprised
were that the case."
"Therefore if this is to be an album without any obvious overall theme, as in other albums like
Once Upon A Time,
Sparkle In The Rain,
Real Life etc, let's try to discover some "impressions" from the songs individually, and
who knows we may even find some theme after all. For anyone interested, this is the first time I will have tried to articulate the songs to
any extent since their creation, the reason being that we feel you can "talk away a song" at a too early stage and it's so much more
interesting to work away at the ideas, following them through and letting the art determine whatever falls rightfully into place. The best
ideas both lyrically and muscially seem to happen at random, the skill is how to then elaborate these ideas; but even more crucially perhaps
is possessing the ability to be able to spot them when they initially occur."
"At the risk of making the whole process sound overtly mystical it still has to be said for me at least that the level of
concentration involved does indeed border on some kind of meditation; and it's at this point - when you feel so
engaged with the music that "it" seems to be "speaking" to you - almost telling you where to go with the musical flow. Poor
as it therefore is, this is only a skeletal description of the "improvisation" involved in the early states of our writing -
I am always able to tell how things "strike" me but please don't be so mundane as to ask what it's all about because it's then
that I become truly lost for words"
Jim
e-mail
11th March 1998
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- "Everybody talks about the sounds and such on this album. But I think on this album we've - imagewise and wordwise - I
think either we found our voice, our own language back or else we're inventing again. Whereas maybe on
the last album the lyrics were a bit more generic." - Jim, WDTDN #5, 1998
- "The ideal with any record is always first and foremost to come up with great songs
that entertain and intrigue us primarily, and then on completion achieve the same result
with whoever else may be listening. That is a fixed goal each time we record, however it is always
the emphasis on sound that is the ever changing criteria with each new album, and on this
album we really were trying to depart from the American trademarks of
Good News From The Next World. We were
hoping to acheive small emotional music that was big on atmospheric style and low on dramatic
bombast, and the key to the background atmospheres became the computerised technology that is
playing an increasing role in our sound." - Jim, Travelling Man #1, 1998
- Chrysalis immediately started a promotional campaign that December, planning a March release for
the album, and pencilled in three potential singles: Glitterball,
War Babies and
Tears Of A Guy.
- Only nine tracks were recorded and delivered to Chrysalis. The record company knew there would be a
lack of B-sides, so recorded Base Du Malsucy, Belfort, France (6th July 1997)
to amass potential live material.
- In the end, they elected to ask contemporary artists to remix classic Simple Minds songs instead. These artists
were supposed to be influenced or fans of the band, but only Utah Saints and Johnson Somerset had expressed any affinity with them
beforehand. Was it a coincidence that all the other remixers were signed to Chrysalis and its subsidiaries? To prompt their memories,
Chrysalis commissioned Virgin to put together a six or eight track CD (sources differ) of their most famous songs.
- When asked, Fila Brazillia stated they chose Theme For Great Cities as it was the only instrumental on
the sampler CD Chrysalis sent to them - not the response expected with a group presumably familar with
Simple Minds' back catalogue:
"The Simple Minds work was simply a commissioned work. The reason we chose that particular track from the six they sent was the fact that it
was an instrumental."
- "It's a bit par for the course marketing wise now. The thing with the band is, in general, people in record companies are a lot
younger than us and they're coming from a generation where remixes are the norm. You don't have to do it - you don't have to do anything.
But I should say we'd be cutting off our nose to spite our face if we didn't." - Jim, WDTDN #5, 1998
- Promo pictures started circulating in December 1997 as information about the forthcoming album started
to emerge. This included Mike Pattenden's trial-blazing Dotmusic Review which was the first
real information to emerge about the project. It was also fan's first view of the Naples photoshoot which would come to dominate the album's
campaign.
- Chrysalis really pulled out all the stops for the album, undertaking one of the largest promotional campaigns seen for a Simple Minds
release. Not only was there a plethora of press releases and presenters, posters, adverts and
three different promotional versions of the album (including the round-tin box-set which has since become one of Simple Minds' most sought-after
items) but also an extensive radio and TV campaign. The band played on the National Lottery,
Top Of The Pops and TFI Friday. The latter was particularly notable as Chris Evans was in an especially manic mood, playing up
superstitutions on this Friday 13th show, and smashed several glitterballs before the band closed the show. Luckily they'd decided to play
War Babies instead of
Glitterball, paving the way for the second single.
- The album was issued on cassette, CD and as a special limited edition CD in a square tin case which included the
Glitterball video and
the Glitterball EPK.
- For the first time, a Simple Minds album was not available on vinyl. (The previous album,
Good News From The Next World was
only pressed on vinyl in very limited numbers). However, rumours in collector circles spoke of a tiny number of vinyl test pressings. But no
vinyl production masters were ever produced, so there are no test pressings of the 1998 album.
- Some copies of the standard CD were sent out as promos. These have promo stickers on the back:
- The album was considered a flop. Some fans didn't like its direction, the mix came in for some criticism, and it only reached #19 in the UK chart.
The album's poor performance directly led to EMI/Capitol vetoing its option to release it across the North American territories.
Jim reached out directly to fans, communicating through the official site and Dream Giver, suggesting
they fight for its release:
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This is a letter especially to our fans in AMERICA who are destined to be frustrated by the decision of E.M.I./CAPITOL in their "rejection" of our
new album NEAPOLIS. Obviously we are bewildered (and insulted) by such negativity. Especially as we feel that with this record our band is truly
back on both artistic and commercial form, and therefore without doubt worthy of the opportunity to re-launch Simple Minds in a country where we
still thankfully have such a loyal and wildly enthusiastic fan base!
Quite frankly I don't think it's too much in saying that we all deserve a lot more respect than is being currently offered by E.M.I./CAPITOL.
Let me further explain by saying that to date we have had no official written explanation as why our record has been "cold shouldered", but
until this happens (due soon!) we do not feel it appropriate to comment further. Other than to say that quite obviously
"SOMEBODY UP THERE (AT EMI/CAPITOL) DOES NOT LIKE US" - or at least the music we are currently making, and therefore does not seem to think
that there is a place in your record shops, or on your radio stations, for SIMPLE MINDS.
Surprising then to say the least!!! For if it were true that there is no interest in AMERICA for SIMPLE MINDS then who are you many
thousand Americans out there that are visiting our website by the minute!!!!! And could it really be that you have nothing better do do!! Pardon
me for thinking it unlikely indeed!
As to where we go from here then, in terms of getting a release elsewhere etc. Well at this point who knows! As soon as we do though, you will also,
that is for sure! In the meantime maybe you would like to find out more about this situation for yourself by calling Gary Gersh directly at
EMI/CAPITOL Los Angeles and perhaps letting him know how you feel about this particular situation. Ask him why his company will not be
releasing our album and e-mail us with whatever reply you get from him or any of his cohorts! Let him know about both your and our obvious
disappointment.
Also on our behalf it would also be great if you called the radio stations and harangued them into giving the new album a chance, because have
no doubt - we want to come to AMERICA and play shows for you. But we will "die", at least in your country, without the necessary promotional
support. Do it for us and we will always do it for you! KEEP THE FAITH!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Simple Minds
11th March 1998
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- Having read the room, and clutching a two album deal with Chrysalis, Jim and
Charlie were quick to start work on the follow-up, with Charlie
booked into studios to begin work even before the short Neapolis Tour began.
- "It's not something I really think about though. I know it is a cliche but commerical success is not the key to happiness. For
instance our most successful period was during the Once Upon A Time era, and yet
as a result of many personal issues I was deeply discontent. However I always want things to be as successful as they can be
on all levels, artistic and commerical. Nevertheless, it is the same as with criticism in that you cannot let so called failure
damage you or the condifence that resides in what you do. I am confident that the people who actually bought the music or came to the
concerts were entertained and really that is what matters. We make great music! What else can we do? We love what we do and we love doing
it! In this we feel very successful!" - Jim, Travelling Man #2, 1999
- The album was remastered in 2002 as part of an extensive Virgin campaign.
It was released as a limited edition vinyl replica CD and standard edition CD. As no vinyl edition was released in
1998, this left the designers some leeway, and they chose to present the limited edition mini vinyl version as a gatefold.
The standard jewel-cased version remains on catalogue.
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JK: "I listened to Neapolis when I was in Italy. It sounded like two records being played at the same time.
Charlie had all these ideas when Pro Tools came in, but it needed to be co-ordinated. The
melodies were strong - if we had the conviction to see it through, it would have been great. But by that time, we thought, no matter
what we do, no one wants to know."
Record Collector Interview
Record Collector #364
July 2009
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- The album celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023 when, finally,
a vinyl version was pressed up for Record Store Day. It was
decided to use the mini-vinyl 'replica' CD from 2002 as a guide, so the album was packaged as a gatefold. It was pressed up on
green vinyl (to match the colour of the original CD), included the lyrics (which were only previously available
with the Japanese CD) and included new photos across the gatefold which were
found in the Universal archive.
- "In countless conversations the question comes up "So what was your biggest hit?" A far more interesting question I
reckon is "So what was your biggest flop?" Tough question. Had many of them and quite proudly so in the case of our album
Neapolis. No-one except both Charlie and I
seemingly have any time for that record and as unfortunate as that may be - we just don't care. Continuing down our merry path all
these years later - still liking it, despite its terrible mix and absurd modern weirdness. But you can rest easy. I won't be playing
anything from Neapolis tonight during the first of the shows that I present for
Absolute Radio. But I might listen to it all the same, on the way back from the studio. Because, well, that
is just the kind of mood I am in." - Jim, 13th February 2016.
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