In 1977 friends Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill formed a band called Johnny And The Self Abusers in Glasgow, and after gigging around the city, their reputation reached London, and they attracted some record company attention, finally signing to the indie label Chiswick, run by ex-record store boss Ted Caroll. By now their line-up was Kerr on vocals , Burchill on guitar, John Milarky on vocals/saxophone , Tony Donald on bass, Alan McNeil on guitar and Brian McGee on drums. In November 1977, they released their debut single 'Saints And Sinners'/'Dead Vandals', but on the day it hit record shops, the group split up. Next Kerr and Burchill formed Simple Minds, with the band name taken from a lyric in the David Bowie song 'Jean Genie', and although they were seen as punks, they had a host of influences which included Bowie, The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, Genesis, Eno and The Velvet Underground, and so they possessed a more experimental approach to music. On 17 January 1978 Simple Minds played their first ever gig at Satellite City, supporting reggae band Steel Pulse, and also on the bill was The Nu Sonics, who later became Orange Juice. On 11 & 12 May the band recorded their first demo at Ca Va Studios in St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, where they laid down six tracks. The group hawked the demo around London's major labels, and support slots followed with Siouxsie And The Banshees, Generation X and The Pleasers followed, bringing more attention across Scotland. Within the group there were line-up changes, with Donald dropping out, and second guitarist Barnwell moved on after just four months, so with the band's nucleus now Kerr, Burchill and McGee they recruited Derek Forbes from punk band The Subs, and in April they added a keyboards player Mick MacNeil.
During their string of gigs at The Mars Bar, the group were watched by Bruce Findlay, who ran a chain of independent record stores called Bruces', and he had formed his own record label, Zoom, in 1977. Findlay was hooked by their dark, haunting sons and striking almost glam image, and he became the group's driver, then manager, and after touting the band's demo around London, he found interest from Arista Records. After a gig at Pollock Halls in Glasgow, Simple Minds signed to Zoom Records, in a special licensing deal through Arista. In December 1978 the band went back into Ca Va Studios to lay down demos for what would evolve into their first album, and in the new year they began to make plans for their debut record. Impressed by his work with Magazine, the group approached John Leckie to see if the was interested in working with them, and after catching a show at Dundee University, Leckie agreed to produce the band. The early sessions produced a new song called 'Life In A Day', which quickly stood out and became the record's title track, and when the album was released in March 1979, it sold well, despite critical opinion in the music press being mixed. The title track was released as Simple Minds' first single and reached No. 62 in the UK singles chart, with the album reaching No. 30 in the UK Albums Chart, and in June 1979 'Chelsea Girl' was released as the second single, this time failing to reach the charts. In 1998 MindMood Records put together a compilation of demos from this period of the band's career, titled 'The Early Years 1977-1978', and comprising the Johnny And The Self Abusers recordings from Ca Va Studios in 1977, and Simple Minds first demos at the same studio in 1978. However, after only a week it was withdrawn from sale, as nobody could remember who financed the original recordings, and therefore who had ownership of the rights. Until this issue is resolved, this album will remain unreleased.
Track listing
01 18-18
02 Tonight
03 Little Bitch
04 Pablo Picasso
05 Subway Sex
06 Lies
07 Wasteland
08 Act Of Love
09 European Son
10 Cocteau Twins
11 Chelsea Girl
12 Did You Ever?
13 Pleasantly Disturbed
