True [Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Spandau Ballet | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 6, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 1983
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000063V8Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,417 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pleasure

2. Communication

3. Code Of Love

4. Gold

5. Lifeline

6. Heaven Is A Secret

7. Foundation

8. True

Editorial Reviews

Digitally Remastered Edition of their Most Popular Album, featuring the Hit Single of the Title Track 'true'.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars 20 Years Later, the Music Still Rings "True." September 23, 2003

By The Groove

Format:Audio CD

Spandau Ballet had a respectable string of hits in their native Britain, but they were a one-and-a-half hit wonder in the U.S., where they scored the Top 10 smash "True" and the Top 30 hit "Gold." But if this 1983 album is anything to go by, the band deserved far greater success on these shores. At 8 tracks and clocking under 40 minutes, "True" is a tastefully crafted hybrid of new romantic pop and blue eyed soul. Singer Tony Hadley was always one of pop's most underrated singers; his expressive vocals perfectly complimented the intricate melodies of guitarist and songwriter Gary Kemp. The singles "Gold" and "Communication" may be dated in production, but at their core, the songwriting is still fresh. Other album cuts such as "Code of Love" and "Foundation" also hold up, but the disc saves the best for last: the title song which goes down as one of the best and most familiar ballads of the 1980s. "True" has been remastered for its 20th anniversary, and the disc has an enhanced portion which has an attractive set of extras including the video for "Gold" as well as home footage of the group. It's one of those records that triumphs equally in both style and in substance.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The smooth sound of Spandau October 31, 2005

By Steven Reynolds

Format:Audio CD

This is the only Spandau Ballet album that everyone has (or should have) in their collection, and it's easy to understand why. In the band's brief journey from innovation to irrelevance it was the moment they set aside the baroque, art-disco theatricality of their earlier New Romantic work and offered up something original, innocent and pure - a white-soul antidote to the tedious excesses of punk and 70s rock. It's essentially a suite of eight modern love songs, carefully crafted by producers Steve Jolley and Tony Swain from the simplest of arrangements - funk guitar, a super-tight rhythm section, occasional keyboards, and some beautiful percussion and sax neatly deployed, often to spine-tingling effect. But the real star is vocalist Tony Hadley, who at last dropped the artsy, melodramatic edge from his performance and demonstrated that he has one of the finest pop voices ever recorded. Even Gary Kemp's whispery falsetto backups don't sound too ridiculous here. The album contains two classic tracks - "Gold" and "True", which were actually the band's career highlights (matched only by the well-deserved late hit "Through the Barricades"). Spandau's career went south shortly after this early peak as they sought to commit to record the more vibrant energy of their live shows. The results were mixed. "Parade" (1984) was moderately successful, but super-smooth Jolley and Swain were perhaps the wrong men for the job. On "Through the Barricades" (1986), Gary Langan captured a harsher guitar-driven sound, but apart from the brilliant acoustic title track it just wasn't credible. "Heart Like a Sky" (1989) saw the band revert to a smoother sound wrapped in a lush late-80s mix, but the magic had fled and so had the fans. Kemp's writing was arguably still strong, and Hadley's voice was better than ever, but the moment had passed. Pop had moved on, and the band members were sadly left to squabble over the spoils of a brief but memorable career. Some listeners at the time called "True" a MOR sellout, but its slick surfaces remain tough to resist even today. It's Spandau's most consistent and best all-around album.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly Great 80's Album December 11, 2000

By Thomas Magnum HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

Spandau Ballet was an exteremly popular band in their native U.K., releasing two albums and hitting the top of the album and singles charts prior to this release. True was their third album and breakthrough release in America. They rode in on the coattails of Duran Duran and other video-friendly English acts. The band are members of the New-Romantic movement which backed R&B styled vocals with 80's synth-beats. The movement's main influence was Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music and Tony Hadley clearly is a Ferry devotee. He has an incredibly smooth and expressive voice and songs like "Code Of Love", "Communication" and "Lifeline" show it off. "Gold" was a minor hit in America and was England's theme song at the '84 Summer Olympics. With its soaring vocal and uptempo beat, it does provide an inspirational theme.. The real gem on this album is the title track. It is a heart-breakingly beautiful track and is one of the ten best songs of the 80's. It encapsules the styles of the era, but its melody is timeless and could be a hit today. The song was remade by PM Dawn as "Set Adrift On Memory Bliss" in '91 and hit number one and was featured at the end of The Wedding singer. The band's version hit number four in the fall of '83 and was their only top ten hit in America. Sadly, after scoring a minor hit with "Only When You Leave" on their next album, Parade, the band fell off the music scene in the States. They disbanded in '86.