Spandau Ballet in my mind

Mamma Mia marked the return of Abba to the charts and got us all thinking of the happy ‘70s. The decade that comes after that is the ‘80s. So how do you remember the music of the ‘80s? Is there a definitive sound that easily brings back memories of the era? Is it Michael Jackson’s Thriller? What about the soulful ballads of Lionel Richie? Maybe it was Donna Summer and disco. Then maybe it is the New Romantics?

The New Romantics were bands made up of attractive, aristocratic looking boys, mostly from Europe. They wore makeup and strutted in cavalier costumes. The music they did was called new baroque. It was actually a mix of dance, synthesizer pop and chanting. It was also characterized by a decided move not to be identified with rock by eschewing guitar solos.

New Romantics performances were more theatrical than other bands of the time. These were seen as a glamorous antidote to the punks, Sex Pistols, to the rockers, Billy Idol and to electronica, Eurythmics. Considered the leading figures of this movement and the chief rivals for the top berth were Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.

I do not know if there is any truth to it but legend says that Spandau Ballet was named for the “dance performed” by Nazi war criminals while hanging from a rope. That is certainly creepy. But true or not, Spandau Ballet is now also the famous band formed by Gary Kemp, singer and songwriter; Steve Norman on guitar, saxophone and percussion; John Keeble, drums; Tony Hadley, vocals; and Martin Kemp, bass.

Duran Duran was here for a one-nighter a few months ago. As fans of the band know very well though, there is no Spandau Ballet breezing in for a show anytime soon. They disbanded in 1990 and are in no mood for a reunion yet. However, we are getting Hadley this week. The famed vocalist together with drummer Keeble, will perform in a show billed as Gold at the Clark Expo in Pampanga on Aug. 8 and at the Araneta Coliseum on Aug. 9.

Hadley is now a solo act but he will perform several Spandau Ballet songs in his show. It was his voice at the forefront and it is the one we remember most so these will surely sound like the originals. Gold and True are the titles that easily come to mind but it turns out there were more and proof is in Singles Rarities & Remixes, the best Spandau Ballet collection ever.

The well-annotated two-disc collection with great photographs traces the band’s development from New Romanticism to pop. It is a varied, interesting lineup and shows how much further Spandau Ballet could have grown had these lads stayed together. Hits make up Disc One. Gold, Round and Round, Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On), With the Pride, Highly Strung, Musclebound, Communication, I’ll Fly for You, Heaven is a Secret, Paint Me Down, Instinction, To Cut a Long Story Short, Reformation, The Freeze and True.

Disc Two also has hits like Through the Barricades, Only When You Leave, Always in the Back of My Mind, Revenge for Love, Mandolin and 12 Inch versions of some songs. Those 12-inch discs from the ‘80s look like LPs with one cut, a long version of the single used in clubs so people could dance them for longer than the usual three minutes. Then there are live takes from a Saddler’s Well concert of Pleasure, True, Gold and Lifeline, plus an instrumental version of Gold.

80’s Disco: A CD of dance songs

Now just in case you remember the ‘80s as the age of disco, now available is the CD aptly titled 80’s Disco. The two-disc collection gives an excellent overview of the dance scene of the era. It does not have Michael Jackson but maybe we can put that down as R&B. It does not have Blondie either but that should go under New Wave. Otherwise 80’s Disco has almost everything particularly one hit wonders whose albums you might not want to keep.

Some titles are Giorgio Moroder, Together in Electric Dreams; Bananarama, I Heard a Rumor; When in Rome, The Promise; New Order, True Faith; Rick Astley, Together Forever; Art of Noise featuring Tom Jones, Kiss; KC & the Sunshine Band, Give It Up; Billy Idol, Mony Mony; Laura Branigan, Self Control; Superfreak, Rick James; A-ha, Take on Me; Murray Head, One Night in Bangkok; Debbie Gibson, Shake Your Love; Toni Basil, Mickey; The Real Thing, You to Me Are Everything; Fine Young Cannibals, She Drives Me Crazy; Yazoo, Don’t Go; Erasure, A Little Respect; Duran Duran, Wild Boys; Nena, 99 Luftballoons; Chic, Le Freak; and Sister Sledge, We are Family.