Lifeline - Spandau Ballet

Released in September 1982, 'Lifeline' became Spandau Ballet's fourth top 10 hit in the UK, peaking at number 7. Produced by Steve Jolley and Tony Swain, this track is a sign that the band were slowly moving away from their earlier, rougher work and taking a slightly more commercial-sounding approach.

This picture disc was a limited edition release, which probably helped the sales of the single in the UK.

My collection: 7" single no. 3627

Found: Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Lifeline' / 'Live & let live'

Communication - Spandau Ballet

You could say that 'Communication' was the last credible single by Spandau Ballet before they sold out to smooth middle-of-the-road pop blandness. Although it was the second single from the album 'True', it wasn't until the title track was released as the third single that the band was put down by critics.

'Communication' was Spandau Ballet's first hit in America, reaching number 59 in the Billboard Hot 100. In Europe it didn't do much, although it reached number 12 in the UK. I bought the single after I'd seen the video on TV, and I was pleasantly surprised by the short but sweet remix on the B-side.

My collection: 7" single no. 374

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1985

Cost: 2 guilders

Tracks: 'Communication' / 'Communication (edited club)'

Download: here

I'll fly for you - Spandau Ballet

Yes, I know, I wrote about the 12" single of 'I'll fly for you' in December, but it was exactly that piece which made me realise that I didn't actually have the 7" single. And so I bought it, quite recently. And not just any old 7" single: it's the limited edition, apparently, released in a poster bag. And quite a creepy one: it shows the Spandaus without a shirt on. I wish I hadn't now...

The single version is just as powerful as the extended version, only shorter. It reached number 27 in the Netherlands in the autumn of 1984. In the UK, it went to number 9.

My collection: 7" single no. 3573
Found: eBay, received February 2, 2009

Cost: 3 pounds

Tracks: 'I'll fly for you' / 'To cut a long story short (live)'

Download: here

Highly Strung - Spandau Ballet

Just like on previous 12" single 'I'll fly for you', Spandau Ballet fans got their money's worth when they got the 12" single of 'Highly Strung': it contained two remixes of that track. The A-side was called 'Highly Re-Strung' and on the B-side there was an extended version of 'Highly Strung'. It was the third single taken from their million-selling album 'Parade', which would be their last album on the Chrysalis label. 'Highly strung' reached number 15 in the UK singles chart.

I bought this 12" single yesterday during a shopping spree in Amsterdam. It's good to know that old vinyl is still on the market when you know where to look.

My collection: 12" single no. 473
Found: Record Mania, Amsterdam, December 27, 2008
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Highly re-strung' / 'Highly strung (extended version)'

Do they know it's Christmas? - Band Aid

The song that embodied the Christmas spirit in the Eighties was Band Aid's 'Do they know it's Christmas?'. The project initiated by Midge Ure and Bob Geldof started when the two met up and worked out this song Bob had written in a rather rudimentary way. They phoned up the musician friends they knew and before you knew it you had a media spectacle of unprecedented size.

I bought the single as soon as it came out, although, strangely, I didn't like the song that much. There were just so many of my eighties idols participated that I felt I couldn't pass up on this historic single. Two decades later, it's somehow reassuring (or troubling) that everything has stayed the same in Africa: it's still a continent of war, hunger and drought.

My collection: 7" single no. 249

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1984

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Do they know it's Christmas?' / 'Feed the world'

Download: 12" single 'Do they know it's Christmas?', including both tracks (password: burningtheground-djpault.blogspot.com )

I'll fly for you - Spandau Ballet

One of the hottest bands around in the eighties, along with Duran Duran, was Spandau Ballet. Their album 'Gold' was a huge success and the follow-up 'Parade' did just as well. 'I'll fly for you' was the second single from that album and it reached no. 9 in the UK singles chart. The 12" single featured not one, but two remixes of the track: a 'long version' and a 'glide mix'. Creative listeners could even cut and paste the two after another, and listen to a 12 minute version of the song.

I didn't like the song at first, especially considering the boring video for it, but in the end I still appreciated its worth. When I bought the 12" I played it endlessly.

My collection: 12" single no. 29

Found: Free Record Shop, Den Haag, 1986

Cost: 6,95 guilders

Tracks: 'I'll fly for you (long version)', 'To cut a long story short (live)' / 'I'll fly for you (glide mix)'

Download: here