Surprise, surprise... ;D

Today, Simple Minds release the John Foxx & The Maths remix of their new single 'Blood Diamonds', out via Virgin Records.




Foxx and Benge give the track an almost wholesale analogue synth re-envisioning, as well as adding in a track of his own backing vocals, with Foxx saying of the remix: "I loved Simple Minds from the first moment I heard them...

Listen and read more via The Quietus :

It's all just go, go , go isn't it

It's also available from Amazon...

Rob

Stunning, absolutely stunning. This came out of nowhere! Wasn't expecting this at all. I've played it on the Quietus site numerous times already. This is begging for a vinyl release.

Excellent.

Jim Kerr has just posted the following on the Simple Minds Facebook page...

"Being such fans of John Foxx, we are especially delighted to have this remix of Blood Diamonds by John Foxx And The Maths. Along with Magazine, the early Ultravox albums featuring John Foxx were a major influence on Simple Minds. For us, John remains one of the greats." Jim Kerr

The John Foxx And The Maths remix of Blood Diamonds can be previewed and purchased from Amazon and Beatport.

Rob

But not in Canada. Beatport says "We're sorry for the inconvenience but the item you tried to view is restricted in your territory." And by restricted they mean not available. As for Amazon, they do not sell any mp3s to Canadians.

I hypothesized on this pairing on my blog earlier this year, so I'm not at all shocked that this came to pass. But I am dismayed that the download is not for sale to American fans. This had better get a physical release since it is the only way this music can cross the Territorial Barrier®! But Record Store Day is a long way off from now and I fear that this will be forgotten by then. Maybe it could be bundled with a DLX copy of the next Simple Minds album? Until such time I wail and gnash!

LOVE this! Count me in for the North American market.

Black Friday's Record Store Day is in just a couple of weeks, although it might be too close. (Do countries other than the U.S. also have a second Record Store Day?)

If they're holding off the release until the Foxx/Simple Minds North American tour, however, all will be forgiven.

I'm lucky because I'm a huge fan of John Foxx + The Maths in addition to Simple Minds and OMD. So when the band remix my other favorite acts of 30+ years, it's pretty much catnip to my ears, to put it mildly. But surveying the vast bulk of opinions on Simple Minds unofficial or the official OMD forums you would have thought that some layperson had repainted a fresco by the outrage that these efforts have engendered. Are all fans so conservative in their tastes? While I've not heard the Simple Minds remix [I don't YouTube] but I can only state that the OMD remix took the music where it desperately needed to be!

Well, well. I wondered if this ever finally made it to a store where American fans could buy it, and I was well pleased to see that it finally happened. So I immediately bought it! It's an elegant remix with a great vibe. I love the random wave giving it a loose funkiness even as it is filled with a shimmering energy. The touch of acid was elegant as well. I liked the respect given to Kerr's vocals, which were fantastic and subtle. In a perfect world, Simple Minds would be making straight tracks like this and having no need of remixers to take them places. But if you're going to see what remixers can do, at least they went to the masters! The all analog mix is lush and gorgeous yet still has a beat! It's almost like a mashup of Cathedral Oceans and Nation 12 material! Another stunning winner from the hands of JF+TM! Keep in mind that I have not heard the original mix of this track yet. I still need to buy the 3xCD of "Celebrate." Now that I am not running all over America for shows, this can finally happen.