More Spandau vinyl news incoming! And, following our recent announcement of the double-ruby vinyl Best Of, this one’s very much more for the aficionados, which is good news.
Tomorrow’s the 40th anniversary of the monumental synthpop classic To Cut A Long Story Short. Conceived and released way before Spandau became sophistipop pioneers, this was the group at peak kilt, peak synth, and sounding and looking all the better for it.
The new two-track reissue is out now on HD streaming and there follows on 180g 12″ on 27 November a/k/a Record Store Day Black Friday. The 6:30 extended version is on the A-side, with the rare 3:56 Mix 2 dub on the B. It’s a dub very much of that early 80s time – fitting perfectly with the likes of The Human Leagues’ Love & Dancing and Explode Together-era XTC.
Opt for the vinyl version, as we’re sure you will, not least because the artwork for the digital reissue of To Cut A Long Story Short is relatively hideous by comparison, feeling the need to cram all the track data onto a small JPG packshot.
The vinyl sleeve, on the other hand, retains it’s original die-cut feel.
Official announcement below. Shop for Spandau vinyl on Amazon.
Forty years ago this month Spandau Ballet signed their first recording contract on bassist Martin Kemp’s 18th birthday. As soon as they had finished, they headed straight to Jam Studios in Finsbury Park to cut their debut single ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’, which was released forty years ago tomorrow.
Within a month the single had been released and two weeks later the band were on Top Of The Pops. The song is now acknowledged as the very first New Romantic single, a sound and movement that changed the world.
27th November sees a reissue of the 12” single in it’s original die cut sleeve on 180g vinyl featuring the ground breaking extended and dub mixes of the track by the visionary producer Richard James Burgess, the practice of which was unheard of at the time. The impact of the 12” was felt on the dance floors of the world, the track was an instant club hit ushering in a new sound for a new decade.
The two track digital single is out now featuring ’To Cut A Long Story (Version)’ which has not been available since the release of the 12” single forty years ago.
The band defined the 80s in the way that The Who defined the 60’s, Bowie defined the 70’s and Oasis defined the 90’s. ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ is taken from ‘40 Years – The Greatest Hits’ celebrates both the band’s musical and cultural impact. The 3CD set features all the hits, fan favourite album tracks as well as classic 12” versions, and a previously unheard version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic ‘The Boxer’ recorded in 1990 with legendary producer, arranger and film composer Michael Kamen.