The Singles Collection (Spandau Ballet album)

Spandau Ballet had their first pop hit in the US in 1983 when their number 1 UK single "True" {{cite web|url= https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/18710/spandau-ballet/|title= Spandau Ballet {{!}} full Official Chart History|publisher= Official Charts Company |access-date= 4 April 2023}} reached number 4 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/spandau-ballet/chart-history/hsi/ |title=Spandau Ballet Chart History: Hot 100 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=4 April 2023}} Their next single, "Gold", went to number 2 in the UK and made the top ten in several other countries{{efn|"Gold" reached number 2 in the Netherlands, number 3 in Belgium,{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/23dc/Spandau-Ballet-Gold|title= Spandau Ballet – Gold – ultratop.be|publisher= Ultratop|access-date=10 December 2022}} number 4 in Ireland{{cite web|url=http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&search_type=artist&placement=spandau%20ballet|title= The Irish Charts – Search Results – Spandau Ballet|publisher= Irish Recorded Music Association|access-date=6 April 2023}} and Spain, number 8 in New Zealand{{cite web|url= https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Spandau+Ballet&titel=Gold&cat=s|title=Charts.org.nz – Spandau Ballet – Gold |publisher= Hung Medien |access-date= 11 December 2022 }} and number 9 in Australia.{{harvnb|Kent|1993|p=286}}}} but only reached number 29 in the US. The band's guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp began to suspect that the American office of Chrysalis Records was neglecting them, and the fact that their next US single, number 12 UK hit "Communication", stalled at 59 on the Hot 100 was further proof.{{Harvnb|Kemp|2009|p=224}}{{efn|"America was not going to plan. 'Gold' had been a hit, although not as big as 'True', but 'Communication' and 'Only When You Leave' had fallen away early{{nbsp}}... While we were selling large amounts in Europe and the rest of the world, Chrysalis America were not pulling their weight."}} "Only When You Leave", the first single from their next album, Parade, went to number 3 in the UK and also made the top ten in several other countries{{efn|"Only When You Leave" reached number 2 in Ireland{{cite web|url= http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&search_type=title&placement=Only+When+You+Leave |title= The Irish Charts – Search Results – Only When You Leave|publisher= Irish Recorded Music Association |access-date= 24 March 2023}} and the Netherlands, {{cite web|url=https://www.top40.nl/top40-artiesten/Spandau-Ballet|title=Spandau Ballet – Top 40 Hitdossier-artiesten |publisher=top40.nl |access-date=24 March 2023}} number 3 in Greece, {{cite magazine|title=Top 3 in Europe |magazine=Eurotipsheet |volume=1 |issue=19/20 |date=13 August 1984|page=12|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/80s/84/M&M-1984-08-13-OCR-Page-0012.pdf|oclc=29800226 |via=World Radio History|access-date=25 March 2023}} number 4 in Spain,{{cite book|author= Fernando Salaverri |title= Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 |edition= 1st|date= September 2005 |publisher= Fundación Autor-SGAE |location= Spain |isbn= 84-8048-639-2}} number 5 in Belgium,{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/song/466/Spandau-Ballet-Only-When-You-Leave|title= Spandau Ballet – Only When You Leave – ultratop.be|publisher= Ultratop|access-date=25 March 2023}} number 8 in Norway{{cite web|url= https://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Spandau+Ballet&titel=Only+When+You+Leave&cat=s|title=norwegiancharts.com – Spandau Ballet – Only When You Leave |publisher= Hung Medien |access-date= 24 March 2023}} and number 10 in New Zealand,{{cite web|url= https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Spandau+Ballet&titel=Only+When+You+Leave&cat=s|title=Charts.org.nz – Spandau Ballet – Only When You Leave |publisher= Hung Medien |access-date= 24 March 2023}}}} but only managed a number 34 showing in the US.

Kemp felt certain the disappointing US numbers were because Chrysalis founders Chris Wright and Terry Ellis had an interpersonal conflict that was distracting them from promotional efforts.{{efn|"The spat between Wright and Ellis, the two company owners, was worsening and it seemed to us we were being affected like the children of a disintegrating marriage."}} Wright refused to license the band to a bigger label in the US, so they first sought legal advice to get out of their contract.{{Harvnb|Hadley|2004|pp=237–238}} They eventually sued Chrysalis for breach of contract in 1985 because they felt they had "not received the 'support and promotion' stipulated" therein.{{cite magazine|last=Jones |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Jones (journalist) |title=Special Report: U.K. Newsline |date=23 February 1985|magazine=Billboard|page=9|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1985/BB-1985-02-23.pdf|access-date=1 April 2023}} Chrysalis released The Singles Collection during the dispute but only notified them of the album a week before it was in stores.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Mutterings |journal=Smash Hits |date=20 November – 3 December 1985 |volume=6 |number=23 |page=90 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/49692969218/in/album-72157713605327406/|access-date=1 April 2023}} An out-of-court settlement was reached in which Chrysalis was given access to their back catalog but had no rights to any new recordings.{{cite magazine|last=Smith |first=Robin |title=Spandau Come Back Fighting |date=21 June 1986|magazine=Record Mirror|page=2|url= https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/86/Record-Mirror-1986-06-21-OCR.pdf|access-date=3 April 2023}}

The Singles Collection was released on 4 November 1985 and entered the UK Albums Chart on 16 November to begin a 54-week run, during which time it peaked at number 3. It reached double platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry on 16 December of that year for reaching the 600,000 units of shipment threshold. It got as high as number 2 in New Zealand, number 3 in Australia, number 9 in Spain, number 17 in the Netherlands and number 32 on the European Albums chart.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r18560|tab=review |label="Spandau Ballet: The Singles Collection > Review" |first=Dave |last=Thompson |access-date=18 September 2011}}

| rev2 = Record Mirror

| rev2score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/50494700756/in/album-72157716490775098/|title= Spandau Ballet: The Singles Collection (Chrysalis)|last=Culp |first=Nancy |work=Record Mirror|volume=32 |issue=46 |date=16 November 1985 |access-date=3 April 2023}}

| rev3 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev3score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{cite book |chapter=Spandau Ballet |last=Evans |first=Paul |title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide |title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |editor1-last=Brackett |editor1-first=Nathan |editor1-link=Nathan Brackett |editor2-last=Hoard |editor2-first=Christian |editor2-link=Christian Hoard |publisher=Simon & Schuster |edition=4th |year=2004 |isbn=0-7432-0169-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/764 764]}}

| rev4 = Smash Hits

| rev4score = {{Rating|8|10}}{{cite magazine |last=White |first=William |date=6 November 1985 |title=Album Reviews |magazine=Smash Hits |volume=7 |issue=22 |page=46}}

}}

The Singles Collection had mostly negative reviews from music magazines upon its release, the one exception being Smash Hits, whose William White described it as a "plainly-packaged compilation" that gave "everyone an opportunity to appreciate Gary's consistently developing talent as a songwriter." Number One's critic Max Bell replaced the star-rating system in its 16 November 1985 issue with the categories "Buy It", "Hear It" and "Forget It", the last of which he used to summarize his thoughts on the compilation.{{cite magazine |title=Spandau Ballet: Singles Collection (Chrysalis) |magazine=Number One |issue=126 |date=16 November 1985 |last=Bell |first=Max |page=53|url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/49542621831/in/album-72157713132475573/|access-date=3 April 2023}} Nancy Culp of Record Mirror was not as terse in her review:

{{quote|From the gauche plinkety-plod of "To Cut a Long Story Short" to the Mecca ballroom tack of "Gold", this album shows just how much money you can get for a bit of old rope. There is, however, a diamond in the dustbin—"Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)". It still manages to evoke the essence of the club scene circa 1981. It's the closest to the edge they ever got and still steams and crackles like sweat hitting a hotplate. "If only" could be the motto of this band. If only the singer had tried less to be a Las Vegas trouser splitter. If only the bad had not knocked so many rough edges off that they had skid marks on their G majors. In 1981 Spandau looked set to scale the heights—but tastefully. Come 1985 the money spoke louder than their hearts.}}

Retrospective reviews were more complimentary. Dave Thompson of AllMusic described it as "excellent". Paul Evans wrote a brief summary review of most of the Spandau Ballet album discography in The Rolling Stone Album Guide and gave The Singles Collection two-and-a-half stars out of five while describing it as "an all right greatest hits package ".

All tracks are written by Gary Kemp and taken from the 7" single recordings.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| total_length = 29:58

| extra_column = Original album

| title1 = Gold

| extra1 = True (1983)

| length1 = 3:54

| title2 = Lifeline

| extra2 = True (1983)

| length2 = 3:21

| title3 = Round and Round

| extra3 = Parade (1984)

| length3 = 4:34

| title4 = Only When You Leave

| extra4 = Parade (1984)

| length4 = 4:48

| title5 = Instinction

| note5 = *

| extra5 = Diamond (1982)

| length5 = 3:35

| title6 = Highly Strung

| note6 = **

| extra6 = Parade (1984)

| length6 = 4:10

| title7 = True

| extra7 = True (1983)

| length7 = 5:36

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| total_length = 30:07

| extra_column = Original album

| title1 = Communication

| extra1 = True (1983)

| length1 = 3:25

| title2 = I'll Fly for You

| extra2 = Parade (1984)

| length2 = 5:10

| title3 = To Cut a Long Story Short

| note3 = **

| extra3 = Journeys to Glory (1981)

| length3 = 3:20

| title4 = Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)

| note4 = **

| extra4 = Diamond (1982)

| length4 = 4:06

| title5 = She Loved Like Diamond

| note5 = **

| extra5 = Diamond (1982)

| length5 = 2:55

| title6 = Paint Me Down

| note6 = **

| extra6 = Diamond (1982)

| length6 = 3:43

| title7 = The Freeze

| extra7 = Journeys to Glory (1981)

| length7 = 3:30

| title8 = Muscle Bound

| extra8 = Journeys to Glory (1981)

| length8 = 3:58

}}

*Same version also released on 12" single

**Same version also released on original album

Initial copies of the vinyl album included a limited-edition bonus disc titled The 12" Collection. All tracks were taken from the 12" single recordings, except the "Chant No. 1" Remix, which was released with the Diamond 12" box set in 1982.

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| total_length = 22:43

| title1 = To Cut a Long Story Short

| length1 = 6:30

| title2 = Chant No. 1

| note2 = Remix

| length2 = 8:03

| title3 = Glow

| length3 = 8:10

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| total_length = 17:07

| title1 = Communication

| note1 = Club Mix

| length1 = 4:28

| title2 = Gold

| note2 = Extended Version

| length2 = 7:12

| title3 = Highly Re-Strung

| length3 = 5:27

}}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for The Singles Collection}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Spandau Ballet|title=The Singles Collection|award=Platinum|type=album|relyear=1985|id=1986-04-11|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|certyear=1986}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Spandau Ballet|title=The Singles Collection|award=Platinum|number=2|type=album|id=7306-212-2|relyear=1985|certyear=1985|date=16 December 1985|access-date=29 January 2022|refname="BPI"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{Cite book|last=Hadley|first=Tony|author-link=Tony Hadley|year=2004|title=To Cut a Long Story Short|publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson|isbn=978-0-283-07386-1}}
• {{Cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}
• {{Cite book| last=Kemp | first=Gary | year=2009 | title=I Know This Much: From Soho to Spandau | place=London | publisher=Fourth Estate | isbn=978-0-00-732330-2 }}

{{Refend}}

{{Spandau Ballet}}

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Category:1985 greatest hits albums

Category:Chrysalis Records compilation albums

Category:Spandau Ballet albums