Spandau Ballet Release Hidden Gem ‘Eyes’ After Decades in the Vault

Spandau Ballet have dropped the never-before-released song ‘Eyes’, which featured in their early sets at the legendary Blitz Club nights. One of the most influential bands in British music, Spandau Ballet, release a definitive early-years collection, “Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982”, on September 12 through Parlophone.

Today they released ‘Eyes’, which was recorded at Halligan’s rehearsal studio while the band were still called Gentry. It was at the studio that they were given the name ‘Spandau Ballet’ by future broadcaster and journalist Robert Elms. The song can be heard on the ‘Demos’ disc of the box set.

‘Eyes’ was performed on the night which truly launched Spandau Ballet – 5th December 1979 at the legendary Blitz club’s Christmas party.

Spandau Ballet – Tony Hadley (lead vocals), Gary Kemp (guitar, songwriter), Martin Kemp (bass), Steve Norman (saxophone, percussion) and John Keeble (drums) – and the Blitz Club influenced generations of artists following the punk explosion, not only with the New Romantic movement but in the aesthetic of the pop music that would follow.

While ‘Eyes’ didn’t make it onto the band’s debut album, today fans can hear a slice of history ahead of the release on 12th September of the comprehensive 9-disc “Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982″, featuring their groundbreaking first two albums alongside a wealth of previously unavailable material.

Songwriter Gary Kemp said: “Eyes, which we demoed at Halligan’s, was one of the early songs that I wrote with the synthesiser. It’s kind of gothic post-punk. It suits what was going on at the time with Joy Division, Siouxsie and Magazine. We liked the dirty garage quality of that period. We had all been brought up on guitar riffs and now we could riff in a way that was very monophonic and grainy that had a very modern but retro sound. I would write on the synth and on an upright piano in our hallway at home.  Producer Richard Burgess didn’t think Eyes was right for the album. I like it but it went by the wayside.”

Listen to ‘Eyes’ – BELOW: 

Released September 12th on Parlophone, the meticulously curated collection captures the band’s origins and meteoric rise from Blitz Club favourites to chart-topping innovators. The set includes a 44-page book with original photos from fellow Blitz Kid Graham Smith and new commentary from the whole band. It features Spandau Ballet’s seminal albums “Journeys To Glory” (1981) and “Diamond” (1982) on vinyl, plus six CDs of singles, remixes, BBC sessions, demos, and a Blu-ray of Dolby Atmos mixes, videos and rare live footage. A limited quantity are signed by all band members – only available from the band’s online store‘.

The collection showcases the band’s evolution through their formative and revolutionary period, from the electronic-infused new wave of early singles like ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ and ‘The Freeze’ to the funk-influenced sophistication of “Chant No. 1” and “Instinction.”  They were simply the most cutting edge, futuristic band in the world, at the centre of a creative scene that defined the 1980s.

The release coincides with London’s Design Museum’s exhibition ‘Blitz: The Club That Shaped The 80s’ which opens on September 20 (tickets). It explores the ‘Blitz Kids’ who pioneered new music, fashion, film, design and more from the tiny Soho nightclub The Blitz, all to a soundtrack provided by a nascent Spandau Ballet (the only artist to ever play the club). At the debut show on December 5th 1979, they were offered a record contract mid set by Chris Blackwell, owner of Island Records, and the performance pushed the band “through the looking glass” and onto an accelerated ride through the 1980s and into pop culture history and global superstardom.

“The Blitz was a real sweatbox when we performed there,” recalls Tony Hadley, “but we just had this sense that things were changing. As a young person you want to create a stir. And we did.”

The band began to export their music around the world in a series of ground breaking club culture events, including making their first New York appearance in 1981, taking key Blitz Kids with them and staging a concert and fashion show, paving the way for Britain’s second musical invasion of America. Video of this whole performance is included in the box set. On another legendary night, they played new superclub KU in Ibiza, who released a bull on the night to mark the occasion amongst the 3000 fans, and were pivotal in alerting the UK to the burgeoning Ibiza dance scene.

“Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982”

* Comprehensive collection of 7″ and 12″ singles, remixes and versions

* Two complete BBC concert recordings from 1981 and 1982 and a BBC Session from 1981

* Previously unreleased demos including early Gentry recordings

* Dolby Atmos remixes by Steven Wilson

* Rare live footage from NYC’s Underground Club (1981)

* Original albums “Journeys To Glory” and “Diamond” on vinyl

* Includes rare set of remixes for the “Diamond” album. Previously unavailable on CD

* 44 page booklet with all new quotes from every band member and classic photos charting key moments, design and style

The box set features all the band’s early classics including “To Cut A Long Story Short,” “Chant No. 1,” “Muscle Bound,” “Paint Me Down,” “Instinction” and “She Loved Like Diamond,” and presents multiple versions of tracks that trace their development from initial demos to extended 12″ club mixes.

The Blu-ray component includes Dolby Atmos and stereo remixes by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson, alongside original music videos, BBC TV appearances and the complete 56-minute concert from New York’s Underground Club in 1981.

“Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982” stands as the definitive document of Spandau Ballet‘s revolutionary early period, when they helped define the sound and style of a generation.

SPANDAU BALLET

EVERYTHING IS NOW – VOL 1: 1978-1982

0190295216207

CD1: JOURNEYS TO GLORY ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS

CD2: DIAMOND ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS

CD3: DIAMOND – 12” SINGLES BOX SET

CD4: BBC SESSION 1981 / BBC IN CONCERT BOURNEMOUTH 1982

CD5: BBC IN CONCERT PARIS THEATRE 1982

CD6: DEMOS

BLU-RAY (DISC 7): DOLBY ATMOS, PROMOS & EXTRAS

LP1 (DISC 8): JOURNEYS TO GLORY

LP2 (DISC 9): DIAMOND

CD1: JOURNEYS TO GLORY ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS

7 inch A-Sides

1. To Cut A Long Story Short (7” A-side) [3:22]
2. The Freeze (7″ Version A-side) [3:32]
3. Muscle Bound (7″ Version A-side) [3:58]
4. Glow (7″ Version AA-side) [3:49]

7 inch B-Sides

5. To Cut A Long Story Short (Version) [3:22]
6. The Freeze (Version 7” B-side) [4:23]

12 inch A-Sides & B-Sides

7. To Cut A Long Story Short (Mix 1 A-side) [6:32]
8. To Cut A Long Story Short (Version) (Mix 2) [3.59]
9. The Freeze (12” A-side) [4:36]
10. The Freeze (Special Mix 12” B-side) [6:33]
11. Glow (12″ Version) [8:11]
12. Muscle Bound (12” B-side) [4.51]

CD2: DIAMOND ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS

7 inch A-Sides

1. Chant No 1 (7” A-side) [4:07]
2. Paint Me Down (7” A-side) [3:13]
3. She Love Like Diamond (7” A-side) [2:52]
4. Instinction (7” Trevor Horn Version) [3:34]

7 inch B-Sides

5. Feel The Chant (Short – 7” B-side) [4:04]
6. Man With Guitar (B-Side of Paint Me Down) [2:52]
7. Gently (B-Side of Intinction) [4:00]
8. She Loved Like Diamond (Instrumental B-side) [2:56]

12 inch A-Sides & B-Sides

9. Chant No.1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Extended Mix – 12” A-side) [5:52]
10. Feel The Chant (Long – 12” B-side) [5:49]
11. Paint Me Down (12″ A-side) [7:05]
12. Re Paint (12” B-side) [6:53]

CD3: DIAMOND – 12” REMIX SINGLES BOX SET

1. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Remix) [8:04]
2. Instinction (Remix) [6:59]
3. Paint Me Down (Remix) [6:25]
4. Coffee Club (Remix) [6:49]
5. She Loved Like Diamond (Remix) [3:41]
6. Pharaoh (Remix) [6:37]
7. Innocence And Science (Remix) [4:28]
8. Missionary (Remix) [7:02]

CD4: BBC SESSION 1981 / BBC IN CONCERT BOURNEMOUTH 1982

BBC Session – Studio B15, March 15, 1981

1. The Freeze [4:41]
2. Mandolin [4:07]
3. Muscle Bound [4:52]
4. Glow [4:14]

BBC In Concert Bournemouth, April 19, 1982

5. The Freeze [5:13]
6. She Loved Like Diamond [3:10]
7. To Cut A Long Story Short [3:52]
8. Glow [5:13]
9. Paint Me Down [4:45]
10. Instinction / Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) [6:10]

(Medley: Instinction [5:46] / Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) [1:24] 

CD5: BBC IN CONCERT PARIS THEATRE, LONDON 1982

Produced by Jeff Griffin

1. Instinction (Version 1) [5:28]
2. The Freeze [5:11]
3. She Loved Like Diamond [2:59]
4. To Cut A Long Story Short [3:46]
5. Pharoah [6:07]
6. Glow [5:11]
7. Muscle Bound [4:56]
8. Confused [4:07]
9. Paint Me Down [4:56]
10. Coffee Club [6:38]
11. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) [6:56]
12. Instinction (Version 2) [4:28]
13. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Reprise) [1:22]

CD6: DEMOS

1. Toys (Gentry Demo) [4:20]
2. Age Of Blows (Gentry Demo) [3:47]
3. Eyes (Gentry Demo) [5:27]
4. To Cut A Long Story Short (Arista Demo) [3:42]
5. The Freeze (Arista Demo) [4:56]
6. Confused (Arista Demo) [4:10]
7. Reformation (Arista Demo) [4:59]

Component 7 – BLU-RAY: ATMOS, PROMOS & EXTRAS

DOLBY ATMOS, STEREO & INSTRUMENTAL REMIXES BY STEVEN WILSON

To Cut A Long Story Short

The Freeze

Muscle Bound

Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)

Paint Me Down

Instinction

MUSIC VIDEOS

To Cut A Long Story Short

The Freeze

Muscle Bound

Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)

Paint Me Down

She Loved Like Diamond

Instinction

OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST, BBC TV 1982

She Loved Like Diamond

Coffee Club

LIVE AT THE UNDERGROUND CLUB, NYC, USA

MAY 6, 1981 – DURATION: 56mins 25secs

Intro by Jim Fouratt

The Freeze

Mandolin

Reformation

Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)

Toys

Age Of Blows

Muscle Bound

Confused

To Cut A Long Story Short

Glow

EXTRAS

HMS Belfast footage

Component 8 – LP1: JOURNEYS TO GLORY (1981)

Side One
1. To Cut A Long Story Short [3:20]

2. Reformation [4:54]
3. Mandolin [4:07]
4. Muscle Bound [5:06]

Side Two

1. Age Of Blows [4:09]
2. The Freeze [4:35]
3. Confused [4:38]
4. Toys [5:48]

Component 9 – LP2: DIAMOND (1982)

Side One

1. Chant No 1 [4:05]
2. Instinction [4:48]
3. Paint Me Down [3:44]
4. Coffee Club [5:30]

Side Two

1. She Loved Like Diamond [2:55]
2. Pharaoh [6:35]
3. Innocence And Science [4:15]
4. Missionary [7:15]