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Spandau Ballet: Journeys to Glory

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Chrysalis Records
Released: 1981.03.06
Time:
 31:55
Category: Synthpop, New Wave
Producer(s): Richard James Burgess
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.spandauballet.com
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] To Cut a Long Story Short (G.Kemp) - 3:20
[2] Reformation (G.Kemp) - 4:54
[3] Mandolin (G.Kemp) - 4:07
[4] Musclebound (G.Kemp) - 5:06
[5] Age of Blows (G.Kemp) - 4:09
[6] The Freeze (G.Kemp) - 4:35
[7] Confused (G.Kemp) - 4:38
[8] Toys (G.Kemp) - 5:48

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Tony Hadley - Vocals, Keyboards
Gary Kemp - Guitar, Keyboards
Steve Norman - Guitar, Percussion, Saxophone, Vocals
Martin Kemp - Bass Guitar
John Keeble - Drums

Richard James Burgess - Producer
John Etcham - Engineer (Jam)
Stephen Short - Engineer (Trident Studios)
Andy Jackson - Engineer (Utopia)
Hugh Padgham - Engineer (The Manor)
Marlis Duncklau - Engineer (The Manor)
Graham Smith - Design & Photography
Lee Andrews - Hair
Simon Withers - Lighting

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


The roots of the complaint that British synth pop acts were all haircuts and no skill lie in the new romantic movement, despite the fact that several of its associated bands (Ultravox, Duran Duran, Visage) were musically quite credible. Spandau Ballet's first album, however, generally lived up - or down, perhaps - to that assessment, showcasing the sound of a group not quite ready for prime time. To be fair, the teenaged quintet did offer a hint or two of promise; the first single, "To Cut a Long Story Short," grooves along on a catchy electro riff, and "Musclebound," although far outdone by its video, does capture the new romantics' talent for making the even the mundane (a song about backbreaking labor!) exotic. But those two songs are still pretty skimpy in the melody department, and the half-dozen other tracks offer even less. Instead, you get crisp but tuneless dance-rock that at least offers plenty of leeway for Tony Hadley's dramatic tenor, which frequently wanders in search of a key. While most of the output from the band's peers now sounds dated, this is one album that suffers irreparable harm when separated from the accompanying costumes and visuals.

Dan LeRoy - All Music Guide




As Spandau Ballet return to live performance for the first time in 19 years, Jonathan Ross tells the story of five mates from Dame Alice Owen's School in Islington, North London, who became one of the biggest UK bands of the 80s.

Jonathan Ross has been a fan of Spandau Ballet since he was a regular at the Blitz, the club where they performed and which some consider the birthplace of New Romanticism. All five band members - Tony Hadley, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble - contribute to the programme. It covers the band's beginnings, the heady days at the Blitz, the glory days of chart topping singles and platinum albums, and outrageous 80s fashion. Followed by decline, a bitter break up, years of legal arguments and the eventual reformation earlier this year, with a new album and tour.

The Spandau Ballet story remembers the massively popular, but indulgent 80s music scene, when New Romantic bands evolved from fashion driven icons to become major international rock stars. Theirs is a traditional rock 'n' roll story of indulgence, disintegration and eventual re-incarnation, told in an open and frank style by the five guys who first dreamt of stardom as school mates back in 1976.

Copyright © 2015 BBC



Journeys to Glory is the first studio album by Spandau Ballet. It was released on 6 March 1981 by Chrysalis Records, just ten days after its recording at Trident Studios. The first editions of the vinyl version had an embossed cover. Early CD releases featured the original white cover. The album was re-released in a remastered and expanded 2 CD Special Edition on 8 March 2010.

When it was released the album was considered "fresh, bold, and even somewhat avant-garde". Many fans feel that the spare, drum-led, funk-undertones are more original than the group's later soul-influenced recordings. One reviewer describes the recordings as "completely unforgettable" and Hadley's semi-operatic vocals as "really strong" and demonstrating a "willingness to experiment". Another reviewer suggests that the slow final track "Toys" was "one of the 1980s' most tragically under-rated tracks".

In November 2009 BBC Radio 2 broadcast Journeys to Glory: The Spandau Ballet Story, a retrospective of the band presented by Jonathan Ross.

Wikipedia.org
 

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