Every time I think of Simple Minds I immediately gravitate to their mega-hit Don't You Forget About Me, and that brings Pretty In Pink to mind and the flood of John Hughes films from the period. But Simple Minds were a lot more than a footnote in Popular Culture of the late 70's/early 80's. Most bands don't start off wanting to be associated with Teen Angst. But truths to tell, it wasn't anybody's fault that happened. It did amazing things for Simple Minds as a popular band, and the mega hit was highly evocative of a place and time, and I don't begrudge them any of the notoriety that came with that. Good on them, as they say.

But I wanted to go back a bit further, towards the beginnings of the band, just at the tipping point between Punk, Post-Punk and the evolving New Wave, to get an idea of what they sounded like early on.

So tonight it's a session Simple Minds cut for the John Peel Program at the BBC. Recorded December 19, 1979 the four numbers on the player are:

1. Changeling
2. Premonition
3. Citizen (Dance of Youth)
4. Room

A good and popular band who are still together who made some great music.

(Psychedelic Furs - Quintessential 80's)

A sort of homage to the passing of John Hughes tonight. I remember what impact his films had on that decade, more or less defining yet another generation of misunderstood youth - but not in a malevolent way. The music changed too - the rough edge of Punk smoothed out and New Wave took center stage, at least for a while.

One of those bands that seemed to epitomize the 80's was Psychedelic Furs. Maybe because you couldn't think of "Pretty In Pink" without thinking of them, or of Molly Ringwald, or both for that matter.

I dug this BBC Transcription out, a Radio One concert from May 28, 1984 featuring an hour with The Psychedelic Furs recorded live at The Hammersmith Odeon.

A visit to the 80's seemed like a good thing to do tonight.