Twelve overlooked but excellent live albums from the 1980s

Simple Minds - Live In the City Of Light

To be fair this this superb album released in May 1987 by Scottish rock band Simple Minds was pretty popular, but it's so good it deserves a mention. It was recorded in Paris, from which it takes its name, the previous August. The album has a huge sound and production, befitting of the stadium and arena rockers the band had become by then. That suits their range of big and grand songs. 

The majority of those chosen for the double album come from their big sellers, New Gold Dream (), Sparkle in the Rain, and Once Upon a Time, studio albums number six to eight in their long catalog. That in turn makes the album a great live summary of the band’s music at their peak from 1982 to 1985. 

One exception to those albums on the track list is the rock anthem “Don’t You Forget About Me” from the movie The Breakfast Club. It was a huge hit as a single for the band and a breakthrough for them in North America. You can hear the crowd enjoying and participating in this favorite tune and its callout chorus. Not one to forget on an album like this. 

There are plenty of other great songs, hits and album tracks, crowd participation, and all you'd expect that's good from a live album on this one. It filled a gap from Once Upon A Time in May 1985 through to their next studio release Street Fighting Years in May 1989. But what a way to fill a gap!

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