Spandau Ballet - Diamond

 

I initially gave this album a miss, but after enjoying "True", Spandau Ballet's third album, I took the plunge when I saw it was only £1.99 in the bargain bins. I think I hardly played it though, and looking at the track-listing now I couldn't remember any of side two, nor "Coffee Club" on side one.

After their first album, Spandau's main contemporaries were Duran Duran. For their second release it was more like Earth, Wind And Fire or maybe Level 42 or even Haircut 100 on a bad day for side one, and David Bowie and Japan for side two.

I remember radio DJ Danny Baker telling a story of when there was a a serious injury at a Millwall game, and some of the crowd spontaneously burst into "We don't need this stretcher on" to the tune of Chant No 1. 

The funky "Chant No 1 ( I Don't Need This Pressure On )" is the highlight of the album. The horns, conga like bass and the laddish chanting of the chorus are superb, as is the trumpet solo. There is also a tiny bit of rap near the end.

"Instinction" has more funky bass, synthesized brass, call and respond vocals for the verse and a rising chorus. I didn't like it much at the time as it sounded like Level 42, but I thought it was better now, although I could have done without the short bongo drum section in the middle.

"Paint Me Down" was a song that I quite liked when it came out, and despite it not having much of a tune I found it quite hypnotic, with a strong bass line, a toe-tapping guitar riff and some snippets of sax. In parts it reminded me of The Smiths' "Handsome Devil", which came a year later, so perhaps Johnny Marr had been listening to Spandau Ballet ?!

"Coffee Club" has more funky staccato bass but the song is terrible until it briefly bursts into a Haircut 100 style chant. I could have done without the extended brass solos.

Side two begins with "She Loved Like Diamond", a single I had totally forgotten about,  which straight away moves away from the funk inspired side one. It has a poppy intro and a slow verse, but melody is fairly weak although saved by a tremendous vocal from Tony Hadley. Listening to it made me think of Duran Duran's "Rio". However, in truth it sounds like an out-take from True, but it is the only track under three minutes.

"Pharoah" is six and a half minutes with a lot of heavy drums and a slight middle-eastern feel, but it is fairly tuneless and goes on way too long. It is over two minutes before the vocals join the fray. The occasional piano lines are quite nice though and the backing vocals are decent.

"Innocence And Science" has sounds of water at the start then just slow oriental music played by just one instrument, which apparently is a guzheng. Hadley's vocal is unusually soft and the water sounds at the end made me think of Pink Floyd's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". Spandau had probably been listening to David Bowie in his "Low/Heroes" era.  The track closes with a slow pounding drum which continues into the seven minute long "Missionary" and initially I thought is was still "Innocence And Science" but with a clearer vocal. There are synths, some guitar and again the guzheng but it is very dull.

Listening to Diamond again after nearly forty years hasn't changed my opinion and I have already again forgotten all of side two and "Coffee Club". The only tracks worth listening to are the three funky singles. 

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Chant No 1 ( I Don't Need This Pressure On )
2. Instinction
3. Paint Me Down
4. Coffee Club

Side Two :

1. She Loved Like Diamond
2. Pharoah
3. Innocence and Science
4. Missionary

Released 1982
UK Chart Position : 15

Singles : 

Chant No 1 ( I Don't Need This Pressure On ) ( No 3 - 1981 )
Paint Me Down ( No 30 - 1981 )
She Loved Like Diamond ( No 49 - 1982 )
Instinction ( No 10 - 1982 )

Spandau Ballet - Journeys To Glory

I first became aware of Spandau Ballet when the New Musical Express did a feature on a trendy unsigned band who were apparently destined to become the next big thing, and the label New Romantics had already been attached. I was intrigued so it was therefore a bit of a surprise when I came home from school one day shortly afterwards, to hear a session version of "To Cut A Long Story Short" being played on Radio One's Peter Powell's afternoon show, who at the time was far from trendy. However, the song had a fresh new sound, and I was impressed, but not enough to go out and buy a frilly shirt or some tartan !

Several Radio One DJs then played the song on their programmes even though Spandau Ballet didn't have a recording contract at the time, so it was several months before the single was officially released. I didn't buy the song when it came out, and it was 5 to 6 months later before the first album, "Journeys To Glory", hit the record stores.

It was only when the third single, "Muscle Bound" was released that I went out and bought the album, and the sticker shows I paid £3.49. Although I liked the LP, I was actually slightly disappointed with the record, as I was expecting it to be a little better ! 

Looking at the track listing now, I can remember all of the songs on side one, but side two is a bit of a haze, but I expect it will all come flooding back after the opening couple of bars of each song !

The album begins with "To Cut A Long Story Short", with its sizzling synthesizer riff, a commanding vocal, a rising middle 8 and an interlude of just bass and drums before the synth returns. It is by far and away the standout song on the album.

"Reformation" is a synthpop track, with a bouncing Euro/Cossack disco beat intro. "Bleak and tired western skies. Silence crashing with quiet lies. Shattered glass reflects elation. Reformation, reformation".

The Ultravox influenced "Mandolin" has a big synth intro before leading to softer bass lines for the verse. No mandolin is played on the song...."Mandolin, oh mandolin, waiting in the dark. Centuries passed down upon your smooth Venetian skin".

"Muscle Bound" has dramatic heavy drums and a stomping Russian/Cossack guitar/bass beat for the intro, and laddish "Work till you're muscle bound all night long" chanting backing vocals in the chorus. Ironically, a mandolin is played in the outro !

The fast paced instrumental "Age Of Blows" opens side two, with the guitar and synths sounding like something from a 1960's spy thriller or a detective show. There is a hint of Joy Division in bass line and there's a bit of Gregorian chanting with the "la la la"s near the finish. 

The punk-funk "The Freeze" has funky choppy guitar and bass for intro and a delightful cartoonish synth solo break in the middle. Unusually there is no chorus, with instead the guitar and synth filling in. Furthermore there is only one verse, which is repeated two and a half times. I had forget this was a single ! "Blue sing La Lune, sing Lagoon. These visions are making me stay. The art in pretending it's art.The question is where do you pay?

The toe-tapping "Confused" has a circular guitar riff throughout that reminded me of something else, but maybe it's this song ! The synth towards end is similar to the that at the end of Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Lucky Man" !

The six minute long album closer "Toys" has a much slower pace, but a big dramatic vocal. It has a slight Siouxsie And The Banshees feel to it but is probably the weakest track on the album. "They'll look for reasons again and again. Let them go,let them go let them go".

Listening again after over 40 years, "Journeys To Glory" is a good album, and was much better than I expected it to be ! 

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. To Cut A Long Story Short
2. Reformation
3. Mandolin
4. Muscle Bound

Side Two :

1. Age Of Blows
2. The Freeze
3. Confused
4. Toys

Released 1981
UK Chart Position : 5

Singles :

To Cut A Long Story Short ( No 5 - 1980 )
The Freeze ( No 17 - 1981 )
Muscle Bound ( No 10 - 1981 )