NewsSpandau Ballet / Through The Barricades: two-disc deluxe edition
Sony Legacy will issue a two-disc deluxe edition of Spandau Ballet‘s 1986 album Through The Barricades in September.
After a split with Chrysalis, the album was the band’s first on the CBS/Epic and their fifth overall. It had been almost two and a half years since Parade and their old label had wasted no time in issuing two greatest hits sets The Singles Collection and The Twelve Inch Mixes, in 1985 and 1986 respectively.
With an extensive world tour planned, the album saw Gary Kemp and bandmates adopt a harder edged, ‘rockier’ approach and to facilitate this, they moved on from the Jolley & Swain production team, that had successfully delivered the pop of True and Parade, to employing the services of engineer and Art of Noise member Gary Langan to produce Through The Barricades.
It’s probably fair to say that more was expected, commercially, of ‘comeback’ single Fight For Ourselves (the first track recorded for the album) which stalled at number 15 in the UK charts, but the album delivered one bona fide big hit single with the title track (#6 in Nov ’86) which while not rivalling True and Gold in the public’s affections, is still an anthemic signature tune, of sorts. How Many Lies was a minor hit in 1987.
In terms of this reissue, it’s a CD+DVD package. The album has been newly remastered (at Air Studios in Hampstead) by Gary Langan and includes seven bonus tracks. These comprise the 12-inch versions of all the singles including the rare extension of Cross The Line which was only issued in Spain. A previously unreleased version of Fight For Ourselves B-side Fight… The Heartache also features, along with a recently unearthed demo of the title track.
The DVD element includes the promo videos and an hour-long documentary created especially for this release. Through The Barricades: Remastered / Revisited tells the story of the album from the new material’s first outing at Live Aid to rehearsing in Ireland and through to the band recording in France and Germany before undertaking a yearlong tour in support of the album. The film features previously unseen home movies as well as a wealth of rare, unseen and newly recorded footage.
Gary Kemp told SDE “I feel that this was the era that the band was really in its pomp. This was our biggest tour and when we were at our best – I wanted to really capture that whole era as much as we could, in terms of getting as many videos and films from the time, that hadn’t been used in the Soul Boys Of The Western World film, on the reissue.”
Specifically referencing the remastering, Kemp added “We got the first generation masters digitised and and without any doubt, this sounds SO much better than the original CD. We’ve got more ‘air’ into the vinyl and certainly more bottom end”.
The vinyl comes with a replica of the original poster and a limited red vinyl edition is available exclusively from the Spandau store. The CD+DVD package includes notes by Daryl Easlea featuring new interviews with band members, previously unseen photographs and outtakes from the album photo shoot.
Through The Barricades deluxe edition will be issued on 22 September 2017. SDE will have more from Gary Kemp and producer Gary Langan on this reissue, closer to the release date.
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Spandau Ballet
Through The Barricades - CD+DVD deluxe
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Spandau Ballet
Through The Barricades - black vinyl LP
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CD
- 1. Barricades (Introduction) (Remastered)
- 2. Cross the Line (Remastered)
- 3. Man in Chains (Remastered)
- 4. How Many Lies? (Remastered)
- 5. Virgin (Remastered)
- 6. Fight for Ourselves (Remastered)
- 7. Swept (Remastered)
- 8. Snakes and Lovers (Remastered)
- 9. Through the Barricades (Remastered)
Bonus tracks
- 10. Fight For Ourselves (Extended Remix)
- 11. Fight… The Heartache
- 12. Through The Barricades (Extended Version)
- 13. Cross The Line (Extended Version)
- 14. How Many Lies? (Instrumental)
- 15. Fight The Heartache (Alternate Version)
- 16. Through The Barricades (Original On Track Vocal Guide Demo)
DVD
- 1. Fight For Ourselves (Video)
- 2. Through The Barricades (Video)
- 3. How Many Lies (Video)
- 4. Through The Barricades Remastered: Revisited (Documentary)
Through The Barricades – vinyl LP
Side 1
- Barricades (Introduction) (Remastered)
- Cross the Line (Remastered)
- Man in Chains (Remastered)
- How Many Lies? (Remastered)
- Virgin (Remastered)
Side 2
- Fight for Ourselves (Remastered)
- Swept (Remastered)
- Snakes and Lovers (Remastered)
- Through the Barricades (Remastered)
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By Paul Sinclair
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