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Tuesday 12 May 2020

Vinyl #46 - Spandau Ballet

"The Freeze" (12" single)

No-one can begrudge a band commercial success and popularity, but there was a time when they first released records that Spandau Ballet were incredibly hip and were leading lights in changing the musical landscape in the UK, 

The 'New Romantics' were a new movement and Spandau were a key part of it; I didn't follow the fashion but the initial rush of music was great; Gary Kemp has always had a great sense of melody and when coupled with the force of a new youth movement it sounded and felt great - the early Spandau singles were fantastic.

"The Freeze" was their second single and I bought the 12" version, the remix on the B-side is still a terrific dance track; a great slab of electronic dance-funk; it's easy to forget how synth-orientated they were in the early days, the Kraftwerk and Bowie influences clear for all to hear. I remember requesting this song repeatedly at parties and the subterranean club I used to frequent in Portsmouth on Thursday nights in 1981.

I stopped buying Spandau Ballet records after this - they chose the mega-stardom route and by definition the music softened and appealed to me less and less. 

But for a few months, Spandau's music hit the spot. Here's the remix in all it's glory:

https://youtu.be/gCHVAFq3UT0