Good News from the Next World

Good News from the Next World
Studio album by Simple Minds
Released	30 January 1995
Recorded	1993–1994
Studio	Bonnie Wee (Scotland) Windmill Lane (Dublin, Ireland) Conway, Westlake & Track Records (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Pop rock rock
Length	48:20[1]
Label	Virgin
Producer	Simple Minds Keith Forsey
Simple Minds chronology
Glittering Prize 81/92 (1992) Good News from the Next World (1995) The Promised (1997)
Simple Minds studio albums chronology
Real Life (1991) Good News from the Next World (1995) Néapolis (1998)
Singles from Good News from the Next World
"She's a River" Released: 11 January 1995[2] "Hypnotised" Released: 27 March 1995[3]

Good News from the Next World is the tenth studio album by Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released in January 1995 by record label Virgin.

The album's recording started in the band's own studio in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1993, and finished in Los Angeles, US, in summer 1994.^[4] The two original band members – singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill – wrote all nine tracks on the album. They were joined by a number of guest musicians for recording sessions. Keith Forsey, who had previously worked with Simple Minds on their breakout single "Don't You (Forget About Me)", shares producing credits with the band.

In some markets the album performed somewhat better than their previous record, Real Life (1991), but it quickly faded from public attention, producing only two moderately successful hit singles.^[5]

Commercial performance

The album garnered moderate commercial success. In the UK, it reached number 2 and produced two UK top 20 hits: "She's a River" (number 9) and "Hypnotised" (number 18).

• "She's a River", inspired by Herman Hesse's novel Siddhartha,^[6] was also a commercial success worldwide, reaching number 3 in Canada, number 6 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart (now the Mainstream Rock chart) and number 52 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was their first hit in the United States since "See the Lights" in 1991.^[7]

• "Hypnotised" was less successful globally, though it charted in Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland and Italy.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Canoe.ca	[9]
Q	[10]

Good News from the Next World received favourable reviews among critics in the United States.^[11][12] In the UK, it received mixed reviews. John Harris wrote in Melody Maker that the album "approximates the noise that would be made if the entire contents of a music shop were strapped to an Empire transport ship from Star Wars", adding "for all its cod-Wagnerian vastness, there are no tunes."^[13] A positive review appeared in Q magazine: "Good News From The Next World is as good as they'll ever get. It's a scream, in the best possible sense", John Aizlewood wrote.^[10] Good News from the Next World also received a favourable review from Time Out,^[14] while Vox gave an unfavourable review.^[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill

No.	Title	Length
1.	"She's a River"	5:32
2.	"Night Music"	5:24
3.	"Hypnotised"	5:53
4.	"Great Leap Forward"	5:56
5.	"7 Deadly Sins"	5:11
6.	"And the Band Played On"	5:32
7.	"My Life"	5:16
8.	"Criminal World"	5:03
9.	"This Time"	4:58

Japanese edition bonus track

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Celtic Strings"	5:15

Personnel

Simple Minds Jim Kerr – vocals Charlie Burchill – guitar, keyboards Additional musicians Mark Browne – bass Malcolm Foster – bass Marcus Miller – bass Lance Morrison – bass Mark Schulman – drums Tal Bergman – drums Vinnie Colaiuta – drums Stefani Spruill – backing vocals Pat Hodges – backing vocals Maxann Lewis – backing vocals Julia Walters – backing vocals

Technical Keith Forsey – producer Simple Minds – producer Brian Reeves – recording Tom Lord Alge – mixing Chris Fogel – assistant engineer Sean O'Dwyer – assistant engineer Rob Kirwan – assistant engineer Gil Morales – assistant engineer Kenny Polakovich – assistant engineer Doug Cowan – technical direction Tony Donald – equipment Clive Banks for CBL – worldwide representation Alan McBlane – coordination Stylorouge – art direction and design David Scheinmann – band photography Rob O'Conner – textural photography Stuar MacKenzie – textural photography

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Good News from the Next World Chart (1995) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 20 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 6 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 21 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[19] 11 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[20] 37 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 5 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[22] 2 Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts)[23] 10 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[24] 4 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 8 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[26] 5 Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 1 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 2 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[29] 1 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 2 US Billboard 200[31] 87

Year-end charts 1995 year-end chart performance for Good News from the Next World Chart (1995) Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[32] 47 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 46 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] 19 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[35] 84 European Albums (European Top 100 Albums)[22] 22 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 41 Swedish Albums & Compilations (Sverigetopplistan)[37] 94 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[38] 22 UK Albums (OCC)[39] 81

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Good News from the Next World

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[40]	Gold	25,000^*
France (SNEP)[41]	Gold	100,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[42]	Gold	250,000^^
Italy	—	150,000[43]
Norway (IFPI Norway)[44]	Gold	25,000^*
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[45]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46]	Gold	100,000^^
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Good News from the Next World". Amazon Germany.
2. "シーズ・ア・リバー | シンプル・マインズ" [She's a River | Simple Minds] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
3. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 25 March 1995. p. 35. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
4. "Good News From The Next World". simpleminds.com. 30 January 1995. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
5. Good News from the Next World - Simple Minds | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 8 August 2021
6. "She's a river". simpleminds.org. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
7. "Simple Minds Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
8. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Simple Minds: Good News from the Next World at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
9. Sakamoto, John (1995). "Simple Minds – Good News From the Next World – Articles & Reviews". Canoe.ca. Quebecor Media. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
10. Aizlewood, John (February 1995). "Good News from the Next World". Q. Bauer Media. ISSN 0955-4955. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
11. Roger, Donna (1995). "Simple Minds – Good News From the Next World – Articles & Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
12. "Simple Minds: Good News from the Next World". Rolling Stone. Straight Arrow. 2 February 1998. ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007.
13. Harris, John. "Good News from the Next World". Melody Maker. IPC Media. ISSN 0025-9012. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
14. Davies, Laura Lee (1995). "Simple Minds – Good News From the Next World – Articles & Reviews". Time Out. Time Out. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
15. McLean, Craig (February 1995). "Simple Minds – Good News From the Next World – Articles & Reviews". Vox. IPC Media. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
16. "Australiancharts.com – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
17. "Austriancharts.at – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
18. "Ultratop.be – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
19. "Ultratop.be – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
20. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8012". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
22. "1995 Year in Review" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 52. 23 December 1994. p. 14. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
23. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
24. "Offiziellecharts.de – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
25. "Charts.nz – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
26. "Norwegiancharts.com – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
27. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
29. "Swisscharts.com – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
30. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
31. "Simple Minds Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
32. "Jahreshitparade Alben 1995". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
33. "Jaaroverzichten 1995". Ultratop. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
34. "Rapports Annuels 1995". Ultratop. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
35. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1995". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
36. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
37. "Årslista Album (inkl samlingar) – År 1995" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
38. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1995". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
39. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
40. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1995". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
41. "French album certifications – Simple Minds – Good News From the Next World" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
42. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Simple Minds; 'Good News from the Next World')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
43. "Simple Minds, sacerdoti dell'antico rito rock". La Stampa. 20 March 1995. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
44. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
45. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Good News from the Next World')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
46. "British album certifications – Simple Minds – Good News from the Next World". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 26 May 2019.

External links

• Good News from the Next World at Discogs (list of releases)