Sons and Fascination by Simple Minds

Sons and Fascination was Simple Minds' fourth album and their first for Virgin, issued in September 1981 as one half of a double set alongside Sister Feelings Call. Steve Hillage produced, and the Glasgow band finally broke out of the cult corner: after a run of records that won critics over but barely sold, this became their first UK top twenty album and the first to find listeners far beyond home.

Jim Kerr croons and declaims over a sleek, machine-steady pulse, Charlie Burchill's guitar glints and slices, Mick MacNeil's keyboards shimmer and Derek Forbes' bass does the real driving. It's cool, rhythmic, hypnotic dance-rock, and "Love Song" is the glistening proof, with "The American" and "Sweat in Bullet" the other singles. The breakthrough of New Gold Dream was one album away.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.