Through the Barricades | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 17 November 1986 | |||
Recorded | September 1985 – Summer 1986 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 40:00 | |||
Label | CBS | |||
Producer |
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Spandau Ballet chronology | ||||
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Singles from Through the Barricades | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Through the Barricades is the fifth studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 17 November 1986 by CBS Records in the United Kingdom and by Epic Records in the United States. The album reached number seven and remained on the UK Albums Chart for 19 weeks. It spawned three UK commercially successful singles: "Fight for Ourselves" (No. 15), "How Many Lies" (No. 34) and the band's final top-10 entry, "Through the Barricades" (No. 6). [4]
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. [5] [6]
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." [3]
All tracks are written by Gary Kemp.
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |
No. | Title | Length |
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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 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Netherlands (NVPI) [24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [26] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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