Simple Minds / Sparkle in the Rain: hi-res blu-ray audio with 5.1

Simple Minds Sparkle in the Rain reissue is due for release next month and it you aren’t convinced by the £40+ super deluxe box set then the blu-ray audio is an fine alternative and excellent value for money.

The blu-ray is a ‘pure audio’ disc and so doesn’t have any video content, but what it does include are three different audio versions of the 1984 album.

• 1. A brand new Steven Wilson 5.1 surround sound mix of the album
• 2. A brand new Steven Wilson STEREO remix of Sparkle in the Rain which like the 5.1 was created from the multi-track tapes.
• 3. The original 1984 mix newly remastered at Abbey Road by Andrew Walter.

All the mixes are of course hi-res. I’ve heard the Steven Wilson surround mix and it’s excellent. All of the above are included in the box set but on a DVD-Video/Audio disc. Of course the box offers lots of bonus audio not included o the blu-ray. This Simple Minds release and the formats very much follows the pattern of Tears For Fears’ Songs For The Big Chair reissue from November last year.

The icing on the cake is that you can pick up the blu-ray for about £15 at the moment if you purchase from Amazon Italy, that’s about 25% cheaper than in the UK.

Sparkle in the Rain is re-released on 16 March 2015.

Blu-ray audio

• • UK Pre-order: Sparkle In The Rain
• • USA Pre-order: Simple Minds
• • FRANCE Pre-order: Sparkle in the Rain *best price

5-disc super deluxe box set

• • UK Pre-order: Sparkle In The Rain box set
• • USA Pre-order: Sparkle in the Rain