Spandau Ballet released the second single from their second album 'Diamond' in November 1981. 'Paint me down' managed to reach number 30 in the UK singles chart, which was their lowest chart placing up to that point.
Spandau Ballet debuted in 1980 with the single 'To cut a long story short'. According to the blurb on the back of the sleeve of the Spanish pressing: ''To cut a long story short' es un tema de fuerte ritmo en el que destaca especialmente la voz de su solista y el trabajo de la guitarra y la percusión. Pero es realmente toto el equipo de Spandau Ballet el que consigue que su nombre se haya catapultado hacia el estrellato en solamente unas cuantas semanas.' Which probably means the song is quite good.
I bought both the UK and Spanish pressings in one go, mainly because the Spanish version had such an interesting sleeve. Since I bought quite a few singles, I got a discount, which basically means I got it for free.
Spandau Ballet's career seemingly came to an end in 1990 with the release of 'Crashed into love', the fourth and final single from their 1989 album 'Heart like a sky'. The previous single 'Empty spaces' had stalled at number 94 in the UK singles chart and this one did no better, as it only reached number 96.
As the Eighties drew to a close, the career of Spandau Ballet was also seemingly coming to an end. The album 'Heart like a sky' did not meet the expectations commercially speaking, and the singles taken from the album also had little success in the charts.
After a hiatus from recording during which Spandau Ballet band members Gary and Martin Kemp established themselves as credible actors in the gangster film 'The Krays', the band released 'Heart like a sky' in September 1989. Although the album was not the commercial success they'd hoped for, several singles were released, with varying degrees of success.
'How many lies' was released in early 1987 as the third and final single from Spandau Ballet's 1986 album 'Through the barricades'. The single featured a live version of 'Communication', recorded at the NEC in Birmingham on the B-side.
'Through the barricades' is the title track of Spandau Ballet's 1986 album. It was released as the second single from the album. The lyric of the song was inspired by love prevailing over the troubles in Northern Ireland. The single was released as a limited edition with a gatefold sleeve.
'Instinction' was taken from Spandau Ballet's 1982 album 'Diamond'. It was released as the fourth and last single from the album and it reached number 10 in the UK singles chart. In Australia, the single peaked at number 30. In other territories, the single did not chart.
'Round and round' was the fourth and last single from Spandau Ballet's 1984 album 'Parade'. It was a hit in the UK, but it performed less well in the chart than its three predecessors, stalling at number 18.
'Only when you leave' was the first single from Spandau Ballet's fourth album 'Parade'. The previous album, 'True', had brought the band a lot of success, and so the new album explored the territory of smooth and commercial pop songs a little further, without taking too many chances.
'Highly strung' was released in the autumn of 1984 as the third single from Spandau Ballet's fourth album 'Parade'.
Back in 1983, Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran were the two biggest bands around. While Duran Duran's biggest peak would be 1984's 'The reflex', Spandau delivered their two flagship songs in 1983.
'She loved like diamond' sounds a bit like a rough demo, and so it is quite a surprise to find that it is actually Spandau Ballet's sixth single, the third single taken from their second album 'Diamond'. Earlier singles like 'Muscle bound' and 'Chant no. 1' sound a lot more sophisticated than this track.
The song 'True' was a definite change of style for the band Spandau Ballet. It was a slow pop-ballad, paying tribute to Marvin Gaye and the sound he helped to establish. It was released a year before Gaye was murdered in 1984.
'Chant no. 1 (I don't need this pressure on)' was the first single taken from Spandau Ballet's second album 'Diamond'. Released in the summer of 1981, it became the band's biggest hit up to that point, peaking at number 3 in the UK singles chart and number 30 in Australia.
Spandau Ballet formed in 1976 as 'The Cut' and subsequently named themselves 'The Makers'. When they changed their name again to Spandau Ballet and performed in clubs in London, they created quite a buzz. The band was involved in a major bidding war, but eventually signed to Chrysalis Records and released their debut album 'Journeys to glory' in 1981.
It doesn't happen often that I find an unknown single from a famous band, but here it is. 'Cross the line' was apparently released by Spandau Ballet as a single from their 1986 album 'Through the barricades'.
'Pleasure' was released as the fifth and last single from Spandau Ballet's 1983 album 'True'. After the massive hits 'True' and 'Gold', this single was a commercial disappointment, failing to reach the chart almost everywhere.
