Released 31 years ago, Simple Minds’ seventh album, Sparkle in the Rain, remains an astounding work and the artistic pinnacle of the Glaswegian band’s lengthy career. As I’ve detailed before, the record is a unique combination of sonic grandeur and songwriting big in both eloquence and hooks. But with the band having resumed activity last year and with Sparkle now reissued in several expanded forms—most notably a five-disc boxset and a “four-disc” digital set—by Universal, it certainly is worth once again recounting this album’s many attributes.

While Simple Minds’ superb release from last year is called Big Music, there is something truly epic in feel about Sparkle in Rain. Every element feels larger than life without the cumulative sum seeming bloated. Indeed, there is a sense of expansive space, with each player seemingly occupying his own precipice in some Lord of the Rings–type mountain range. Producer Steve Lillywhite, U2’s goto guy for their early records, no doubt contributed to the album’s grand atmosphere, but it’s hard to imagine songs like “Speed Your Love to Me,” “Waterfront,” and “White Hot Day” on a smaller scale. And with the five-disc set containing a Blu-ray with the entire album in 5.1 surround sound, it’s now possible to make the album sound even bigger.

Of course, like most sets of this nature, included here are multiple versions and edits of the singles, the aforementioned “Waterfront” and “Speed Your Love to Me,” as well as several outtakes and some BBC recordings. Truthfully, while these alternate versions are interesting, they do little to deepen one’s appreciation of the songs. Besides, completists will already own the “Waterfront” 12-inch or will be purchasing the picture disc version being released next month for Record Store Day. No, the real bonus here is the live set from 1984, played just three weeks after the album’s release in the band’s hometown. The set is split between Sparkle and songs from its nearly as brilliant previous record New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), including a thrilling run through “Glittering Prize,” with a smattering of cuts from prior records thrown in for good measure.

Of course, Sparkle in the Rain came before Simple Minds had made their mark on America with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from The Breakfast Club, released a year later. (The movie is marking its 30th anniversary this year by returning to theaters and the soundtrack album being re-released.) But while the band would enjoy its greatest popularity in the years to come, it never reached the artistic heights of Sparkle in the Rain again. Subsequent albums retained some of Sparkle’s largeness, but epitomizing the term “stadium rock,” they seemed devoid of emotional earnestness and musically bland by comparison. Still, it’s probably unfair to expect a repeat performance of this magnitude, and Simple Minds gifted us with more than its fair share of truly spellbinding music. As such, this reissue is a poignant reminder to count its blessings.