Through the Barricades

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" (#15), "How Many Lies" (#34) and the band's final top ten hit, "Through the Barricades" (#6).[2]

Through the Barricades
Studio album by
Spandau Ballet
Released17 November 1986
RecordedSeptember 1985-Summer 1986 in Munich, Germany & the South of France
GenrePop rock, blue-eyed soul, new wave
Length40:00
LabelEpic, 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
AllMusic[1]

The song lyrics were inspired by love prevailing over the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the death of a member of the crew in the Troubles.

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
  • Helena Springs – backing vocals
  • Ruby James – backing vocals
  • Shirley Lewis – backing vocals

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1986 UK[3] 7

Singles

Year Song Chart Position
1986 Fight For Ourselves UK[3] 15
1986 Through The Barricades UK[3] 6
1987 How Many Lies UK[3] 34

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Netherlands (NVPI)[4] Gold 50,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[5] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Platinum 300,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. 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. "SPANDAU BALLET - Artist - Official Charts". Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  4. "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.
  5. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  6. "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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