Spandau Ballet

起初他们并不叫Spandau Ballet，他们甚至不是一个乐团，而是一群被称做Angel Boys、少不更事的年轻人，他们来自伊斯陵顿，对苏活区和Covent Garden 的新潮音乐深深着迷。这群年轻音乐人的核心Gary、Martin Kemp兄弟，加上主唱Tony Hadley、鼓手John Keeble及Steve Morman, 并由来自北伦敦的Steve Dagger充当这个乐团的经纪人。融合了他们对美国黑人舞曲的热爱、David Bowie和Roxy Music 有个性、活力十足的音乐，以及当时欧洲正流行的迪斯可电子音乐，Spandau Ballet 成功地将这些音乐的精华结合在一起。79年他们首次在伦敦找一个废弃的仓库举办一场演唱会兼派对，从这狂野的一晚开始，Spandau Ballet成了伦敦正在茁壮的舞厅和时尚界重要乐团，也使他们成为新浪漫主义的先驱。他们走在时代尖端的演唱会，从不做任何宣传，人们藉由口耳相传得知演唱会消息。演唱会场地包括废弃的装饰艺术风格电影院、巴洛克教堂，以及停泊在泰晤士河上的贝尔法斯特HMS战舰。在签下唱片合约之前时，他们已是有许多引人入胜的流行歌曲的乐团。然而尽管缔造如To Cut A Long Story Short和Musclebound等红遍半边天的畅销单曲，他们仍然坚持自己属于舞厅文化的一部分。虽说在占据几年乐坛顶尖乐团的地位后，他们的企图心已不若从前。但是Spandau Ballet已完成同侪渴望达到的成就，成为世上最有名的乐团之一，也带动新一代的伦敦年轻人正在创造属于他们自己的舞厅音乐的活力。
 
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
 
As one of the leading New Romantic bands, Spandau Ballet racked up a number of British hits — as well as one Top Ten American hit, True — during the early 80s, becoming one of the most successful groups to emerge during new wave. The only other new romantic band to enjoy greater commercial success was Duran Duran, yet Spandau Ballet was there first, scoring three Top Ten hit singles during 1981 with their synthesized dance-pop. By 1983, the London-based quintet had shed its Roxy Music-inspired robotic art-disco and picked up on Bryan Ferrys latter-day crooner persona, revamping themselves as a slick, stylish white soul act. It was in this incarnation that Spandau Ballet experienced its greatest success, as True reached number one in Britain and number four in America. However, their time in the spotlight was shortlived. Though they had a few more hits in Britain, none of them were particularly big, and in America they disappeared at the end of 1984. By the end of the decade, the group had split, with their core members, brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, launching acting careers with the 1990 film, The Krays.
 
The Kemps — who played guitar and bass, respectively — founded Spandau Ballet in 1979 with Tony Hadley (vocals), Steve Norman (rhythm guitar, saxophone, percussion), and John Keeble (drums). The group hired their schoolfriend Steve Dagger as manager. Spandau Ballet began playing nightclubs in London that had responded to punk by embracing exaggeratedly fashionable clothes and makeup. Soon, the band was one of the most popular attraction on this scene, which subsequently dubbed by the British press as New Romantic. Chris Blackwell, the head of Island Records, saw the group at a London party and offered them a contract on the spot. They rejected his offer, choosing to set up their own label, Reformation. Early in 1980, the group licensed Reformation to Chrysalis, giving their label the distribution power of a major label.
 
To Cut a Long Story Short, Spandau Ballets first single, shot to number five in Britain upon its fall 1980 release. It was quickly followed by the number 17 hit The Freeze in early 1981, and Musclebound, which reached number ten in the spring. The singles made their way over to America, where they received play in dance clubs. By the spring, their debut album, Journey to Glory, had been released. In the summer, they released a new, non-LP single, Chant No. 1 (I Dont Need This Pressure On), which boasted a funkier beat and soulful flourishes. The group continued to pursue this direction on their subsequent singles, including the gold-selling Top Ten UK hits Instinction and Lifeline, as well as their 1982 album Diamond, but it didnt reach its fruition until the 1983 album True.
 
True was a full-fledged white-soul album, much like the sophisticated pop of late-70s Roxy Music albums. The title ballad reached number one in Britain during the spring and a few months later, the single and album became a hit in America, peaking at number four and 19 respectively. Spandau Ballet managed to hit the Top Ten once more in the UK with Gold, which peaked at number two; in the US, it reached 29. Communication, a third American single from True, fizzled in the spring of 1984. Its failure was the beginning of the bands commercial downfall. Only When You Leave, the first single from 1984s Parade, was a number three hit in the UK, yet it only reached 34 in the US; furthermore, it was their last American hit ever. Parade was a success in Britain, yet it wasnt as big as its predecessor. In 1985, Spandau Ballet sued Chrysalis, claiming that the label wasnt providing enough promotional support for the band, especially in the US, and thereby harming its career. The suit was settled in 1986, and the group jumped ship for CBS/Columbia (Epic in the US), where they released Through the Barricades that same year. The title track was a Top Ten hit, but its follow-up, How Many Lies?, became the groups last Top 40 hit ever. Following the release of Heart like a Sky in 1989, the group quietly disbanded the following year.
 
Gary and Martin Kemp played the notorious British mobsters the Krays in a 1990 film of the same title. Gary Kemp pursued acting as his vocation during the 90s, appearing in The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston, HBOs The Larry Sanders Show, and Embrace of the Vampire with Alyssa Milano. Tony Hadley released a solo album, State of Play, in 1993.