running time of individual tracks may differ slightly between the editions; also, the CD version of the first edition had "Banging on the Door" split into two tracks in the disc's table of contents (running time was 1:16 + 4:22), but the music as such did not indicate any break between the parts. On the 2002/2003 reissue, the track is indexed as one. Reception The album received mostly negative reviews. In Rolling Stone, Paul Evans said, "What might have been the band's most cohesive record misses, if only by frustrating inches." Allmusic's Alex Henderson opined, "Real Life isn't terrible, but play it next to any of [the band's previous three] albums, and you're reminded how much less inspired their writing had become by the early '90s." Track listing Personnel Simple Minds Jim Kerr – vocals Charlie Burchill – guitar, keyboards Mel Gaynor – drums Additional musicians Alfred Bos – shaft guitar on "African Skies" Andy Duncan – percussion Malcolm Foster – bass Lisa Germano – violin Carol Kenyon – backing vocals Stephen Lipson – production, bass, keyboards, odaiko Wil Malone – orchestral arrangements Sonia Morgan Jones – backing vocals Peter-John Vettese – keyboards Gavyn Wright – string conductor, string section leader Studio personnel Dougie Cowan – technical master Giles Cowley – mixing, mixing assistant Tony Donald – equipment coordinator, equipment technician Simon Fowler – art direction, design, photography, stylist Efren Herrera – engineer Simon Heyworth – mastering Ted Jensen – mastering Paul Kerr – logistics Will Malone – orchestration, orchestral arrangements Heff Moraes – engineer, MIDI engineer, MIDI manager Stylorouge – art direction, design Gary Thomas – engineer Au Yeung, Ying Ho – catering Jane Ventom – A&R Charts Weekly charts Year-end charts Singles Certifications References External links 1991 albums Albums produced by Stephen Lipson Simple Minds albums Virgin Records albums