Recorded primarily at Le Zenith in Paris on the last date of a world tour in August 1986 and released as a stopgap to satiate fans while the group spent another two years crafting its studio follow-up to Once Upon a Time,
Simple Minds' double-album
Live in the City of Light was a good summation of the band's rise to worldwide fame between 1982-1985. Except for the 1981 "Love Song" (paired in a medley with covers of Artists United Against Apartheid's "Sun City" and
Sly & the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music") and the inevitable movie song hit "Don't You Forget About Me," all the selections came from
New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84),
Sparkle in the Rain, and Once Upon a Time, and they were played in a heavily echoed, big-production style in keeping with
Simple Minds' status as stadium-fillers. ~ William Ruhlmann