Gold : The Best of Spandau Ballet

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
In the days when boy bands played their own instruments, Spandau Ballet--a bunch of pretty boys from north London with kilts, shoulder pads, bad 1980s hair, eyeliner and unmistakable good looks--caused quite a stir and soon had both major record labels and teenage girls monitoring their every move. Major-league players among the New Romantic movement, the five piece lived the high life and churned out hit after hit between 1980 and 1986. This compilation features pretty much all of their offerings ("Gold", "True", "Lifeline", "Highly Strung")--some more memorable than others. Gold's sleeve notes boldly proclaim "...this is where it all began. Club culture, endless nocturnal adventures, white boys high on soul and funk-making electric dance music which moves the city." It's hard to imagine music like this doing that now--on the cover they look like a bunch of old guys in polo necks--but it was the 80s. --Ronita Dutta

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-07-07 rating:
Only for Fans
Not one the best bands that emerged out of the eighties, not even in the top 100, however, if your a Sapandu Ballet fan, this album is the greatest thing happening. I only like the classic "True", I grew up with it, other than that, it's not worth it.

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review by: date: 2008-06-07 rating:
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
Spandau Ballet "Gold" sums up for me everything that was wrong from the greatest musical decade, the 80's.

Now, I'm in my early 40's and my formative years were spent listening to both obscure and chart music from the time.

Spandau have always struck me as the kind of insipid cabaret dross that you get in working mens clubs. This gets two stars simply because of "To Cut A Long Story Short" which was a great little single, downhill after that, I'm afraid.

It's not big and it's not clever to hold your pencil thin microphone between thumb and forefinger.

Begone Spandau! back to obscurity!

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review by: asb3003 date: 2006-03-17 rating:
The Gold Comes True
Spandau Ballet were the best Band in early 80's with Duran Duran

and Adam Ant,Tony Hadley and the Kemps having taken the UK Top 10 in the early years by Storm,they Could entry on the U.S Hot 100 three

times at high Positions,this Collection Containing their Greatest Hits on their Golden Years 1981-1988.

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review by: rowland17 date: 2002-08-25 rating:
From New Romantic Inovators to... something else
Like Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet recorded an inovative New Wave debut album, which successfuly blended guitars and synths in a manor which made Ultravox a household name and has rarely been done since. Both bands soon eschewed this sound for something altogether more commercial. However, while Duran wisely choose to spend the rest of the early eighties as a fun bubblegum pop/rock group, Spandau reinvented themselves as slightly dull stadium-filling balladeers, the turning point being when Norman switched from guitar/miscellanious to saxophone).
The analogue synth-driven sound of "Journey's to Glory" does slap a "79-81" date on it, but seeing as it was the newest most exciting thing around at the time it remains enjoyable. In twenty years nothing has come along which sounds like "Reformation" or hit single "The Freeze" (included here). The other singles TCALSS and "Musclebound" are raw but catchy and brilliant: "Virginia Plain" and "Pyjamarama" for new romantics.
Second album "Diamond" was a bit more funky (and slightly dirgey!), with less synths and guitars and more bass/precussion but overall caried on from the first album in a satisfactory manor for 1982. Included here is the famous "Chant No. 1" and the near flops "Paint Me Down" and "She Loved Like Diamond"
The Trevor Horn Remix/Overdub of "Instinction" is brilliant: Roxy Music meets Haircut 100. The single mixes an ingeneous presenter with an already decent song and is one of Spandau's best moments.
Good as it was, "Instinction" pointed towards the pure pop of most of Spandau's future career. "True" the album is best represented by the title track; it consists mostly of lovesongs, and though the writting is undoubtbly a step up from before, it wont be enjoyed by fans of the earlier stuff. The "Instinction" rewrite "Lifeline" is fun though, as is (though I hate to admit it) "Gold"(except the bloody sax solo!)
"Parade" may as well have been called "Mediocre". My favourite single is the least well-known, "Round and Round" has a nice synth sound and would be the kind of ballad they would have written for the 1st album (musically not lyrically). The other singles are trite though some love "Only when you leave"
"Through the Baricades" was a brave, but ultimately unsatisfying album, though the right tracks were choosen as singles. "Fight for Ourselves" is standad stad-rock fare, the title track is too twee and air(brushed/headed) for my tastes but has obvious mass appeal. Third single "How Many Lies" is not included to the dissapointment of no one.
Last album (to date) "Heart Like a Sky" (1989) couldn't break even the top thirty, is not represented here, and is truly worth skipping over.
Overall this album handily charts the decline of a once creative band. Of course many will be looking for "True", "Gold", "Only When You Leave" and "Through The Barricades". If you are get this or a similar compilation, it will give you all you want. If your looking for music in the style of "To Cut A Long Story Short" or "Chant No. 1" get the first two albums. In all honesty I can probably recommend waiting for the tripple CD "Retrospective" "Reformation" out September 2002 which promises to be more ballanced and interesting.


review by: date: 2001-09-07 rating:
Totally fantastic! A brilliant list of amazing tracks.
This CD contains the best tracks that Spandau Ballet recorded.It starts with one of the most well known tracks "Gold", and finished with what i would call,the best track of them all, "Through the Barricades"."Gold" is a very strong, lively song to begin the album with."Through the Barricades" has such a strong feeling to it, which touches the heart, and soul.An absolutely beautiful song,to end such a fantastic album with.All in all this is the best CD I own.Well worth buying!

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