* * * * <i> Great Balls of Fire</i> * * * <i> Good Vibrations</i> * * <i> Maybe Baby</i> * <i> Running on Empty : </i> : LIVE, OVERWEIGHT

* * “LIVE: IN THE CITY OF LIGHT.” Simple Minds. A&M.; Simple Minds’ studied ethereality has greatly benefited from brevity--a quality sorely lacking on the Scottish group’s first live album, an overweight two-record set that tends to make some strong, impressionistic material sound more precious than it really is. The longer songs aren’t padded out with more complex arrangements or instrumental jamming, but just much vain repetition. The quivering timbre of Jim Kerr’s baritone can grow grating as he struggles to achieve pitch, and the players rarely offer any instrumental support that wasn’t done up just the same in a more sonically impressive studio rendition. A slowed-down, stripped-down version of “East at Easter” provides an unexpected break, but it’s not enough to compensate for a ludicrously soulless medley of “Sun City” and “Dance to the Music.”