It starts with the idea of an idea: a five-headed writing machine, built from necessity, each part imperfectly locked into the other, leaving room for the accidental miracle, the magic of chance. There is a no fixed stance, no stated cause. It is all atomised atmosphere, movement and mystery. The music is a unified projection of something more potent and profound than the sum of its individual parts. Simple Minds have been many different bands and several great ones. Emerging in 1978 from Glasgow's post-punk scene, they transitioned from restless art-rock to electro Futurism, mutated into passionate pop contenders and, finally, a global rock behemoth. The drama of their story lies in these transformations and triumphs, conflicts and contradictions. Written with the full input and cooperation of the band, in Themes for Great Cities Graeme Thomson reclaims and revivifies the magnificence of Simple Minds' pioneering early records, from the glitchy Euro-ambience of Real to Real Cacophony and Empires and Dance to the pulsing, agitated romance of Sons and Fascination, New Gold Dream and beyond.

It is a fast story. Things move quickly. Between spring 1979 and autumn 1982, Simple Minds released six albums and toured constantly. Nothing mattered but the music, forged from perpetual motion. Creation without reflection. Make and move. Brimming with youthful energy and a powerful sense of collective mission, the sounds they made were bold, intense, extraordinary. Featuring in-depth new interviews with Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and the original band members, alongside key figures from within their creative community, Themes for Great Cities tells the inside story of a band becoming a band.

It covers a period of transition lasting several years, celebrating the ground-breaking work made by a group continually testing its capabilities. Inspiring, insightful and enlightening, Themes for Great Cities gives long overdue credit to the trailblazing early music of one of Britain's greatest and most influential bands.