Through the Barricades

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Through the Barricades
Spandau Ballet - Through the Barricades Coverart.png
Studio album by
Spandau Ballet
Released17 November 1986
RecordedSeptember 1985 – Summer 1986 at Musicland Studios (Munich, West Germany) and Studio Miraval (Correns, South of France).
GenrePop rock, blue-eyed soul, new wave
Length40:00
LabelEpic (US/Canada), CBS Records
ProducerGary Langan Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet chronology
The Twelve Inch Mixes
(1986) 		Through the Barricades
(1986) 		Heart Like a Sky
(1989)
Singles from Through the Barricades
  1. "Fight for Ourselves"
    Released: September 1986
  2. "Through the Barricades"
    Released: October 1986
  3. "How Many Lies"
    Released: February 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2/5 stars[1]

Through the Barricades is the fifth studio album by Spandau Ballet. It was released in November 1986 by Epic Records. The album reached number seven and remained on the UK album chart for 19 weeks. It produced three UK hit singles: "Fight for Ourselves" (No. 15), "How Many Lies" (No. 34) and the band's final top ten hit, "Through the Barricades" (No. 6).[2]

The lyrics to the title track were inspired by love prevailing over the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the murder of a member of the crew in the Troubles, by a British soldier.[3][4]

Reception[]

In a mainly critical retrospective review for AllMusic, Dan LeRoy claimed: "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." LeRoy argued "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." However, he praised the title-track, which he said "became a deserved hit."[1]

Track listing[]

All tracks are written by Gary Kemp.

No.TitleLength
1."Barricades ‒ Introduction"1:17
2."Cross the Line"4:07
3."Man in Chains"5:40
4."How Many Lies?"5:21
5."Virgin"4:23
6."Fight for Ourselves"4:22
7."Swept"4:53
8."Snakes and Lovers"4:36
9."Through the Barricades"5:58
2017 Remastered Edition Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Fight For Ourselves" (Extended Remix)7:27
11."Fight... The Heartache"4:12
12."Through The Barricades" (Extended Version)7:09
13."Cross The Line" (Extended Version)6:17
14."How Many Lies?" (Instrumental)5:24
15."Fight The Heartache" (Alternate Version)3:17
16."Through The Barricades" (Original One Track Gary Kemp Vocal Guide Demo)4:52

Personnel[]

Spandau Ballet

Additional musicians

  • Toby Chapman – keyboards, synthesizers
  • Ruby James – backing vocals
  • Shirley Lewis – backing vocals
  • Helena Springs – backing vocals

Production[]

  • Spandau Ballet – producers
  • Gary Langon – producer, engineer
  • Stephen Wissnet – assistant engineer
  • Andy Pearson – drum technician
  • Catherine Bell – project coordinator
  • Jackie Vickers – project coordinator
  • Zoe Vickers – project coordinator
  • Gary Movat – design
  • Assorted Images – design
  • Nick Knight – sleeve photography
  • Steve Dagger – management
  • Tony Smith – equipment manager

Charts[]

Chart (1986/7) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 26
Canada 84
New Zealand (RIANZ) 48
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[6] 7

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[7] Gold 50,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[8] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b LeRoy, Dan. "Spandau Ballet: Through the Barricades > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  2. ^ David Roberts British Hit Singles and Albums, Guinness World Records Limited
  3. ^ "Gary Kemp: When we played Through the Barricades in Belfast the reaction was incredible". Belfast Telegraph. 13 February 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  4. ^ "British soldier sentenced to life". United Press International. 15 December 1984. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 286. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ^ "SPANDAU BALLET - Artist - Official Charts". Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  7. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 20 September 2019. Enter Through the Barricades in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  8. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 20 September 2019.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Through the Barricades in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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