Themes for Great Cities

A New History of Simple Minds

Themes for Great Cities
Graeme Thomson
RRP:
NZ$ 60.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 48.00
Hardback
h238 x 160mm - 368pg
27 Jan 2022 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781472134004
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
' Nobody owes us anything, but the Simple Minds story has been too condensed. After Live Aid and ' Don' t You (Forget About Me)' there hasn' t been quite the credit for those first few records. I think they contain some really special music. I can hear the flaws but there' s something about the spirit and imagination in them that feels good. They draw from such a wide range of influences . . . but the spirit of it was always Simple Minds. ' Jim Kerr, to the authorAn illuminating new biography of one of Britain' s biggest and most influential bands, written with the full input and cooperation of Simple Minds, shedding new light on their dazzling art-rock legacy. Themes for Great Cities features in-depth new interviews with original band members Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Mick MacNeil and Derek Forbes, alongside key figures from within their creative community and high-profile fans such as Bobby Gillespie, James Dean Bradfield and Mogwai' s Stuart Braithwaite. The book reclaims and revivifies the magnificence of Simple Minds' pioneering early albums, from the glitchy Euro-ambience of Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance to the pulsing, agitated romance of Sons and Fascination, New Gold Dream and beyond. Emerging in 1978 from Glasgow' s post-punk scene, Simple Minds transitioned from restless art-rock to electro futurism, mutated into passionate pop contenders and, finally, a global rock behemoth. They have sold in the region of 60 million records and remain a worldwide phenomenon. The drama of their tale lies in these transformations and triumphs, conflicts and contradictions. Themes for Great Cities tells the inside story of a band becoming a band. Inspiring, insightful and enlightening, it celebrates the trailblazing music of one of Britain' s greatest groups.
The definitive biography of this most mercurial of bands. Thomson knows how to take it apart - without demystifying the mystery, he gives us the art school band that never had an art school, but went instead on an endless adventure and took a bit of all of us with them * Alan Warner * A deep and thrilling dive into some of the greatest musical minds to have come out of Scotland in modern times * Ian Rankin *
Graeme Thomson is the author of several acclaimed music books, including Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush, described by the Irish Times as ' the best music biography in perhaps the past decade' , and Cowboy Song, the authorised biography of Philip Lynott, published by Constable in 2016. In 2020, Small Hours: The Long Night of John Martyn was a Book of the Year in the Sunday Times, FinancialTimes, Telegraph, Evening Standard and MOJO. Graeme is pop columnist for the Spectator and writes on music, literature and popular culture for a number of publications, including the Guardian, Radio Times, Uncut and Pitchfork.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781472134004
Published: 27 Jan 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Constable
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Hardback
Height: 238mm
Width: 160mm
Spine: 40mm
Weight: 640g
Pages: 368

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information