Once More (Spandau Ballet album)
| Once More | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 October 2009 (UK) | |||
| Recorded | 2009 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 55:11 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Danton Supple | |||
| Spandau Ballet chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Once More | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| BBC | (favourable)[3] |
Once More is the seventh and final studio album by British band Spandau Ballet. It was released by Mercury Records on 19 October 2009 in the UK and Ireland. The album includes eleven re-recordings from their back catalogue and two newly written songs. The first single, the title track "Once More", one of the two brand new songs, was released as a promotional single on 5 October 2009 and as a digital download on the same day as the album was released. The music video for "Once More" was filmed. The album entered at number 7 on the UK Album Chart on 25 October 2009.
Background
Once More is the first new recording by Spandau Ballet since 1989. Eleven of the thirteen tracks are re-recordings of previously recorded songs by the group. The first and the last track on the album, "Once More" and "Love is All" are new songs written during the band's reunion. The title track is written by Gary Kemp and Steve Norman, while "Love is All" is the first Spandau Ballet song written by Tony Hadley.[4] The album is produced by Danton Supple, who co-produced Coldplay's X&Y album.[4]
Singer Tony Hadley said about the new recordings: "When we got back together and the tour dates went on sale, none of us could believe the fantastic reaction we got from fans and the press alike. When the opportunity came to get into a studio and play music together, we couldn't pass it up."[1] Gary Kemp said about the title track that "the new song was a way for us to show that Spandau Ballet are back, not just to play the hits on tour but also to take on our contemporaries in the pop charts!"[1]
The re-recordings of the eleven older songs are made in a semi-acoustic, unplugged-like style, which gives their songs a 21st-century flavour, according to sax player Steve Norman, taking them to some "very dark, different place".[5] According to Gary Kemp the sound of the album is not only the sound of Spandau Ballet reinvented for the 21st century, but also "how we would have made these songs the first time around if we had the maturity and know-how to achieve it".[4]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gary Kemp, except "Once More" composed by Kemp and Steve Norman, and "Love Is All" by Tony Hadley
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Once More" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "To Cut a Long Story Short" | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Gold" | 4:17 |
| 4. | "True" | 5:45 |
| 5. | "Chant No. 1" | 3:33 |
| 6. | "I'll Fly for You" | 5:22 |
| 7. | "Only When You Leave" | 5:08 |
| 8. | "Through the Barricades" | 4:47 |
| 9. | "She Loved Like Diamond" | 3:24 |
| 10. | "Communication" | 3:15 |
| 11. | "Lifeline" | 4:06 |
| 12. | "With the Pride" | 3:25 |
| 13. | "Love Is All" | 4:05 |
(Mercury 060252719809 (UMG) / EAN 0602527198095)
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[6] | 7 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[7] | Gold |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Silver |
References
- ^ a b c "New recordings and free download". spandauballet.com. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Schnee, Steve "Spaz". "Spandau Ballet: Once More > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ Lester, Paul (22 October 2009). "Spandau Ballet Once More Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ a b c "Spandau Ballet to Release New Album Once More". musicnews.virgin.com.[dead link]
- ^ Johnson, David (4 October 2009). "Spandau Ballet, the Blitz kids and the birth of the New Romantics". The Observer. London: Guardian Media Group. ISSN 0029-7712. OCLC 50230244. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
- ^ "Spandau Ballet | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
- ^ "Italian album certifications – Spandau Ballet – Once More" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 10 April 2015. Select "Tutti gli anni" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Once More" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
- ^ "British album certifications – Spandau Ballet – Once More". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 April 2015. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Once More in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.