SDE Blu Ray #32 and #33......Simple Minds Sparkle in the Rain and New Gold Dream! Released February 7th, 2025

[Steve Bruzonsky]

Have you seen the bits delivering food with a human bicyclist following for training bot purposes? We have them here in the Phoenix area for like 6 months now. Will this be the future of the USPS - bots sorting and delivering mail?

 

[BillTubes]

My package has been lost as well. Last tracker said it is out for delivery, that was Mon. Hopefully it will turn up.

 

[JulesRules]

My package is supposedly still "out for delivery" but I already got it

 

[hi-res_edition]

I was talking with another collector how the USPS works so well for us in the Southwest. I am pretty convinced that the problems are region related, and likely directly related to the distribution center. Sorry to read about these delays for collectors in other parts of the USA.

 

[The Rang]

My bundle is scheduled to be delivered today.
Once again being smacked by taxes and handling. I get that theoretically I should be paying on all incoming shipments but larger/more expensive shipments that arrived this week from CD Japan and Dutton Vocalion had no problems.

It’s only on SDE shipments, there is something in the way they ship that seems to result in extra scrutiny.
Even more exasperating considering I already paid VAT.

Rant over

 

[splinter7]

My package has been lost as well. Last tracker said it is out for delivery, that was Mon. Hopefully it will turn up.

Crazy - it sounds the same as my situation. First time that an SDE shipment was lost. In fact, I think the last international shipment that was lost to me was a Marillion shop order back in 2019. The empty box arrived about 4 months later. Soggy cardboard and the bottom torn out.

Man - I am so bummed. It is (was ) the bundle. I doubt that it can get replaced even if I wanted to pay that much again. Not SDE's fault of course

 

[fetchmybeer]

I've listened to New Gold Dream just once and didn't really take much of the mixing in, but it sounded fine. Sparkle I've listened to a few times and am pleased with both mixes. Oddly, the SW mix seems to have the vocals a little low, sometimes overshadowed by the rest of the instrumentation. I've never had that be a problem before with a SW mix. It's a small thing, but unusual. His mix is still stellar as usual. The Clearmountain mix is also very good, perhaps more active in the panning.

But more to the point, both of these albums are excellent. If all you know from Simple Minds is that song from the Breakfast Club or maybe a few songs from the follow-up album, you should give these a whirl. Sparkle is closest in sound to their well-known stuff, whereas New Gold Dream is a bit of a transition into it.

 

[Perp]

My previous SDE order for Bryan Ferry arrived in 7 days. The current one with the Simple Minds discs took only 5 days. That is normally what it takes to get my orders from SDE to Southern California, Ventura County. Over the Holidays, it was taking two weeks. So, I’m happy that USPS is back on schedule again.

 

[SomethingAnything]

I'm really enjoying playing both of these albums. They take me right back to my fun, wild, clubbing days when life was so utterly carefree!

I'm even enjoying the screenshots, though usually I prefer a static picture. I totally relate to how they look. It was exactly my look too in those days ... coincidentally, I even had the same leather bomber as Jim (he wears it in the Belfast Child video from a different album, no doubt we picked it up in the same London store). They're such pretty boys aren't they? As I was too, comes with us all growing up with Bolan and Bowie, I guess. And unexpectedly happy and smiley (while staying cool, not easy!), especially in the Sparkle in the Rain pics.

I'm also enjoying the stereo instrumental versions (upmixed with Auro 3D). There's a fair bit of nice intricacy that you spot without Jim's dominant vocals, as great as they are.