Editing Simple Minds (section)

===''Our Secrets Are the Same'' and ''Cry'' (1999–2005)===

Having delivered ''[[Silver Box#Disc 5: Our Secrets Are the Same|Our Secrets Are the Same]]'' to Chrysalis, Simple Minds then found themselves caught up in record company politics while Chrysalis, [[EMI]] and other companies attempted to merge with each other. Originally due for release in late 1999, the album remained unreleased after the band mired themselves in lawsuits with Chrysalis. In 2000, the situation became even more complicated when ''Our Secrets Are the Same'' was leaked on the internet. Discouraged with their label's failure to resolve the problems, and with both momentum and potential album sales lost, the band once again went on hiatus. Eddie Duffy, Mark Taylor and Mark Kerr all moved on to other projects. Jim Kerr moved to Sicily and took up a part-time career as a hotelier, although both he and Burchill continued working together on various business interests and kept the idea of the band alive. 

In 2001, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill began working with [[multi-instrumentalist]] Gordon Goudie (ex-[[The Primevals (band)|Primevals]]) on a new Simple Minds album to be called ''[[Cry (Simple Minds album)|Cry]]''. Mark Kerr also contributed to the project (this time as an acoustic guitarist and Burchill's co-writer on several songs) while Kerr brought in various Italian musicians as collaborators, including Planet Funk and Punk Investigation. In parallel to ''Cry'', Simple Minds also recorded an album of covers called ''[[Neon Lights (album)|Neon Lights]]'', featuring Simple Minds versions of songs from artists including [[Patti Smith]], [[Roxy Music]] and [[Kraftwerk]]. ''Neon Lights'' was the first to be completed and released (later in 2001). In the video for the ''Neon Lights'' single "Dancing Barefoot", the band consisted of Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill, Gordon Goudie and Mark Kerr. A 2-CD compilation, ''[[The Best of Simple Minds]]'', was released soon afterwards.

''[[Cry (Simple Minds album)|Cry]]'' was released in April 2002. Although the album did not sell in great numbers in the U.S., Simple Minds felt confident enough to mount a North American leg of their Floating World tour (named after the instrumental track which closes ''Cry''), their first in seven years. With Goudie opting to remain studio bound (and Mark Kerr leaving the band again), Simple Minds once again recruited Mel Gaynor as tour drummer. The live band was completed by the returning Eddie Duffy on bass guitar and by new keyboard player/programmer Andy Gillespie (of SoundControl). On 28 October 2003, Capitol released ''Seen The Lights – A Visual History'', the first-ever Simple Minds commercial (double) DVD, featuring over four hours and twenty minutes of archive footage. The first disc includes the majority of the band's promotional videos. The second disc is devoted to ''Verona'', the band's first live home video release, which was originally released in VHS format in 1990. It was upmixed to 5.1 surround sound for the DVD, but otherwise remains the same as the original VHS copy. 

On 18 October 2004, Simple Minds released a five-CD compilation entitled ''[[Silver Box]]''. This mostly comprised previously unreleased demos, radio and TV sessions and live recordings from 1979 to 1995, but also included the long-delayed ''[[Silver Box#Disc 5: Our Secrets Are the Same|Our Secrets Are the Same]]''. In July 2005, the band embarked on the "Intimate Tour", a series of low-key European and UK gigs at smaller venues which ended in December 2005. Andy Gillespie was unable to appear at all the gigs, and Mark Taylor returned to cover for him on several occasions. From this point onwards, the two alternated as Simple Minds' live keyboard player, depending on Gillespie's schedule with his other projects.