The roots of Simple Minds go back to 1977 when a group of musically aware young Glaswegians began writing and performing under the ungainly name of Johnny And The Self Abusers. After one single the band dissolved. Jim Kerr, Charles Burchill and Brian McGee formed the embryonic Simple Minds.

The line-up was finalised by Spring 1978 with the addition of Michael McNeil and Derek Forbes. December 1979(sic) the band signed to ZOOM Records (Arista). The first album Life In A Day (April 1979) reached no 30 in the BBC/BRM chart.

December '79 saw the release of the Minds' second album Real To Real Cacophony which, like the first, was produced by John Leckie.

Despite the ecstatic critical reception the band were still commercially ignored. Empires And Dance was the band's final recording-work for the Arista label. Released in 1980 the album once more mirrored a change in Mind's material and was voted one of the albums of the year by UK's music-press.

In February 1981, Virgin signed the band and they immediately recorded a new single The American. Their debut album for Virgin, the twinned Sons And Fascination and Sister Feelings Call saw the light of day in August 1981 with the two UK hits Love Song and Sweat In Bullet. Real success however came after Brian McGee's replacement by Scot Mike Ogletree, (formally of Cafe Jacques) and the single Promised You A Miracle.

The new album New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) recorded in the summer 1982 and released September 1982, is produced by Pete Walsh and will undoubtably be their most successful album (including another hit single Glittering Prize).

Distributed as a single-sided black-and-white piece of A4 paper. Found in European releases (Virgin 204 965).