Editing Simple Minds (section)

===''Street Fighting Years'', ''Real Life'' and hiatus (1988–1993)===
{{Quote box
| quote  ="When we first heard the live album I thought, What a great night! What dynamics! But is that it for us – rousing choruses and crashing drums? There didnae seem any room for subtlety, and we always seem at our best when we're not trying to be powerful, but there's an underlying power coming through."
| source =—Jim Kerr reflecting on Simple Minds' change of emphasis in the late 1980s (Q Magazine)<ref>"Do Not Disturb – article by Mat Snow in 'Q' Magazine, June 1989</ref>
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By 1988, Simple Minds had built their own recording premises — the Bonnie Wee Studio — in Scotland. Following the lengthy period of touring to support ''Once Upon a Time'', the remaining core members (Kerr, Burchill and MacNeil) began new writing sessions in Scotland: Gaynor and Giblin pursued session work elsewhere while waiting to be called in. Initially the band began work on an instrumental project called ''Aurora Borealis'' (mostly written by Burchill and MacNeil). This project was then supplanted by an increase in the band's political activism, something which they had begun to stress in recent years (by giving all of the income from the "Ghostdancing" single to Amnesty International, and playing cover versions of Little Steven's "(Ain't Gonna Play) Sun City" on tour), inspired by [[Peter Gabriel]] with whom they had toured in the early 1980s.

Simple Minds were the first band to sign up for [[Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute|Mandela Day]], a concert held at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], London, as an expression of solidarity with the then-imprisoned [[Nelson Mandela]].<ref name="Larkin"/> Bands involved were asked to produce a song especially for the event – Simple Minds were the only act which produced one. This was "[[Mandela Day (song)|Mandela Day]]", which the band played live on the day (alongside cover versions of "Sun City" with Little Steven and a cover version of Peter Gabriel's "Biko" on which Gabriel himself took on lead vocals). "Mandela Day" was released on the ''Ballad of the Streets'' EP, which reached No.&nbsp;1 in the UK Singles Chart (the only time the band did so).<ref>[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search.php "Belfast Child" No.&nbsp;1 in UK Singles Chart] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729033254/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search.php |date=29 July 2007 }}. Retrieved 19 August 2007.</ref> Another EP track, "[[Belfast Child]]", was a rewrite of the [[Celtic music|Celtic folk]] song "[[She Moved Through the Fair]]"<ref name="Larkin"/> (which had been introduced to Kerr by John Giblin) with new lyrics written about the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland). The single was also an expression by Simple Minds of their support for the campaign for the release of [[Beirut]]-held hostage [[Brian Keenan (writer)|Brian Keenan]], kidnapped by the [[Islamic Jihad Organization|Islamic Jihad]].{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

The next album ''[[Street Fighting Years]]'' (produced by [[Trevor Horn]] and [[Stephen Lipson]]) moved away from the American soul and gospel influences of ''Once Upon a Time'' in favour of soundtrack atmospherics and a new incorporation of acoustic and folk music-related ingredients. The lyrics were also more directly political, covering topics including the [[Poll tax (Great Britain)|Poll Tax]], the [[Soweto]] townships, the [[Berlin Wall]] and the stationing of nuclear submarines on the Scottish coast. The band underwent further line-up changes during the recording of ''Street Fighting Years''.<ref name="Larkin"/> Mel Gaynor and John Giblin both contributed to the recording (and, in Giblin's case, to some of the writing) but both had left the band by the time of the album's release, by which time the band was officially listed as a trio of Kerr, Burchill and MacNeil. In a new development for the band, various bass guitar and drum tracks were performed by high-profile guesting session musicians. Gaynor's departure from the band was brief (he was rehired for the following tour).

Released in 1989, the album rose to No.&nbsp;1 in the UK charts<ref>[http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search.php ''Street Fighting Years'' No.&nbsp;1 in UK] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070729033254/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/search.php |date=29 July 2007 }}. Retrieved 19 August 2007.</ref> and received a rare five-star review from ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine. It received a less positive review in ''Rolling Stone'' which criticised the band for what the reviewer considered to be political vacuity.  "This Is Your Land" was chosen as the lead single for the U.S., and even with guest vocals from [[Lou Reed]], the single failed to make a mark on the pop charts. Reunited with Mel Gaynor, Simple Minds hired Malcolm Foster (ex-[[Pretenders (band)|Pretenders]]) as the new bass player, following a failed attempt to re-recruit Derek Forbes (who declined due to family reasons and a lack of affinity with the new music).<ref>[https://postpunkmonk.com/2023/11/20/simple-minds-bassist-extraordinaire-derek-forbes-unleashes-his-autobiography/ "Simple Minds’ Bassist Extraordinaire Derek Forbes Unleashes His Autobiography"] - review in ''Post Punk Monk'', 20 November 2023</ref><ref>[https://crazyonclassicrock.com/2024/01/05/book-review-a-very-simple-mind-on-tour-by-derek-forbes/ "Book Review: A Very Simple Mind: On Tour by Derek Forbes"] - review in ''Crazy on Classic Rock'' by angiemoonthemod, 5 January 2024</ref> The live band was once again expanded by recruiting three additional touring members: Level 42 backing singer Annie McCaig, percussionist Andy Duncan and violinist [[Lisa Germano]]. Touring began in May 1989, and included the first and only time that the group headlined [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]],<ref>{{cite web |website=WembleyStadium.com|title=Wembley Stadium Concerts history|url=http://www.wembleystadium.com/GloriousPast/greatmemories/stadiumConcerts/stadium+concert+artists.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109022230/http://www.wembleystadium.com/GloriousPast/greatmemories/stadiumConcerts/stadium+concert+artists.htm|archive-date=9 January 2011|access-date=26 September 2011}}</ref> where they were supported by fellow Scottish bands [[The Silencers (band)|The Silencers]], [[Texas (band)|Texas]] and [[Gun (band)|Gun]]. In September, the concert in the Roman amphitheatre [[Verona Arena]] in Italy was recorded for the live video ''Verona'', released by Virgin in 1990, and later included on the ''Seen the Lights'' DVD in 2003.

At the end of the Street Fighting Years tour, Simple Minds laid plans to go to Amsterdam to begin recording a new album. Just before the end of the tour, keyboardist Michael MacNeil announced to the band that he would not be joining them as he needed a break. MacNeil played his last concert with Simple Minds in Brisbane a week later. At the time, MacNeil's departure was put down to health concerns, but he had been gradually suffering disillusionment with the band's lifestyle and touring schedule (as well as what Kerr has referred to as "a number of animated quarrels".<ref name="diary">[https://www.simpleminds.com/2009/12/01/the-spirit-of-macneil/ "The Spirit of MacNeil"] (Jim Kerr online diary entry on Simple Minds website, dated 1 December 2009)</ref>) At around the same time, long-term manager Bruce Findlay was dismissed and over the next few years the band gradually altered to the point where it was a shifting set of musicians around the only remaining core members, Kerr and Burchill.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}} In December 2009, Kerr retrospectively defended the changes in an online diary entry, although he said that MacNeil's departure had been a "colossal fracture". He also paid tribute to his former bandmate and said that MacNeil had been irreplaceable.<ref name="diary" /> 

Simple Minds continued to record, hiring keyboard players as and where required. The first of these was session keyboard player [[Peter-John Vettese]] who played live with the band at the Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert and on a short German tour. He was subsequently replaced in the live band by Mark Taylor.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

In 1991, Simple Minds returned with ''[[Real Life (Simple Minds album)|Real Life]]''. The album's cover showed a trio of Kerr, Burchill and Gaynor and the writing credits for all songs was Kerr/Burchill.<ref name="Larkin"/> The album reached No.&nbsp;2 in the UK, where it also spawned four Top 40 singles. In the US, "[[See the Lights]]" was the band's last Top 40 pop single. The band toured to support the release, playing as a basic five-piece (Kerr, Burchill, Gaynor, Foster and Taylor) and cutting down on the extended arrangements of the last few large tours. Mel Gaynor left the band in 1992 to pursue session work and other projects, and for the next two years Simple Minds were on hiatus, releasing the compilation album ''[[Glittering Prize 81/92]]'' in 1992.