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
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,679 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

SPANDAU BALLET True (2003 US issue limited edition digitally remastered 8-track enhanced CD album including Gold CD-Rom video plus Home Video Footage Photo Gallery and Weblink picture sleeve)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 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 (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True (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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

Steven Reynolds (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True (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.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spandau Ballet Strike "Gold", March 26, 2004

By 

The Doctor "headshrnker" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True (Audio CD)

Spandau Ballet was one of the most successful New Romantic bands of the 1980s in large part because of this 1983 masterpiece, which includes their US and UK smash hit "True" as well as the popular "Gold." Also includes the third single, "Communication," which unfortunately failed to chart here in the States. The album was followed by the excellent "Parade" LP, but Spandau Ballet's career was essentially over in the U.S. This remastered version is well worth the $$, though the extras fail to impress (a DVD of the videos for True, Gold and Communication would have been much nicer). Standout tracks: True, Gold, and the fantastic "Pleasure."