Artist: Spandau Ballet | Album: Through the Barricades | Released: 1986, 2017 | Genre: Synth Pop, New Wave | Country: UK | Duration: 01:19:18

By the time Spandau Ballet’s fifth album appeared in 1986, the sun had set on the synth poppers of the second British Invasion and guitars were all the rage once again. Never ones to miss a trend, the former new romantics — who’d signed with a new label, Epic, and were determined to make a big splash stateside — declared their admiration for bands like Bon Jovi and made an album that likely surprised their diminishing fan base with its AOR aspirations. Rocking up Spandau Ballet’s smooth white-boy soul, Through the Barricades manages to avoid utter disaster via the tuneful creations of songwriter/guitarist Gary Kemp. Some would argue Kemp had finally evolved into a first-class hack, but while his songs never avoid a cliché if it can be helped (and occasionally offer much worse; see “Virgin”), he does a credible job of supplying his bandmates with arena-ready material like “How Many Lies.” Unsurprisingly, melodramatic vocalist Tony Hadley digs in with real gusto, but the production and mix prove the undoing of this effort. Most of the tunes demand guitar and drum bombast; instead, the riff-rocking “Cross the Line” and “Fight for Ourselves,” in particular, are undercut by the polite-sounding rhythm section. Given that weakness, which affects much of the album, it’s unsurprising that the best song by far is the title track, a Bic-flicking acoustic ballad that became a deserved hit.

Tracklisting:

01. Barricades (Introduction) [Remastered] (1:17)
02. Cross the Line (Remastered) (4:08)
03. Man in Chains (Remastered) (5:41)
04. How Many Lies? (Remastered) (5:21)
05. Virgin (Remastered) (4:23)
06. Fight for Ourselves (Remastered) (4:23)
07. Swept (Remastered) (4:53)
08. Snakes and Lovers (Remastered) (4:35)
09. Through the Barricades (Remastered) (6:00)
10. Fight for Ourselves (Extended Remix) [Remastered] (7:27)
11. Fight… The Heartache (Remastered) (4:12)
12. Through the Barricades (Extended Version) [Remastered] (7:09)
13. Cross the Line (Extended Version) [Remastered] (6:17)
14. How Many Lies? (Instrumental) [Remastered] (5:24)
15. Fight… The Heartache (Alternate Version) (3:15)
16. Through the Barricades (One Track Vocal Guide Demo) (4:52)

Single download
Spandau Ballet – Barricades Introduction
Spandau Ballet – Cross the Line Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Man in Chains Remastered
Spandau Ballet – How Many Lies? Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Virgin Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Fight for Ourselves Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Swept Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Snakes and Lovers Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Fight for Ourselves Extended Remix
Spandau Ballet – Fight… The Heartache Remastered
Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades Extended Version
Spandau Ballet – Cross the Line Extended Version
Spandau Ballet – How Many Lies? Instrumental
Spandau Ballet – Fight… The Heartache Alternate Version
Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades One Track Vocal Guide Demo

Category:Synth Pop
Main catalog

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