Taking Sides: Spandau Ballet vs. Frankie Goes To Hollywood (don't bother contributing to this if you're still in your twenties)

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I know....weird one coming from me, but this particular debate is rooted in a vehemently heated argument that took place between myself and my wife earlier in the week. The Missus insists that the `Ballet were hugely superior FGTH, which made me practically scramble for a divorce lawyer.

As far as I'm concerned, SPANDAU BALLET FUCKIN' STUNK! Thought that then. Think that now. And despite not being at all gay, THEY SUCKED A BIG BAG OF DICKS! Meanwhile, Frankie Goes to Hollywood -- HUGELY gay and invariably quite fond of dicks -- fuckin' ROCKED! (something Spandau Ballet never managed). There is no debate.

So, you know where I stand.

But what say you? Is my wife right?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, I believe it was only Holly and Paul in FGTH who are gay, but y'know what I mean.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:11 (twenty-one years ago)

ageist

― Lee F# (fsharp), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:12 (twenty-one years ago)

frankie were produced by trevor horn, spandau wasn't.
frankie wins.

― frenchbloke (frenchbloke), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

1) I'm 29.
2) SPANDEAU PWNS.
2a) Meaning your wife is right.
3) Most wives are right most of the time.
3a) Except when they're wrong.
3b) This isn't the case here, though.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:15 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm 26, why don'tcha do sut'n

frenchbloke otm, tho 'Chant No.1' and the one that sounds like 'Echo Beach' are firm favourites

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Frankie all the way, even my wife would agree with me.

― The Ghost of Two Tribes Had The Most Fucked-Up Video (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Same amount of American hits, ie two ("True"/"Gold" vs. "Relax"/"Two Tribes"). My childhood memory was that "Relax" provoked WTF? reactions from me where Spandau never did. "Come....WOARGH!" These days some of the earlier Spandau stuff makes me scratch my head, though -- "Musclebound," I ask you.

Frankie for the sheer insanity of the first album *and* the pop hits but "True" so ridiculously great that it's actually kind hard to choose in the end. It's one of the few songs that I think constantly recycles back up in my memory on a regular basis (along with everything on Faith by the Cure, of course).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:19 (twenty-one years ago)

4) BTW, for me, given my relative lack of exposure to either of these bastions of musical goodness, boils down to "Relax" v. "True", and I cannot deny "True" my love.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG Daver you should really hear "Two Tribes", like IMMEDIATELY.

― The Ghost of Ronnie/Gorby THROWDOWN (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

to cut a long story short was the first single i ever bought. but two tribes got me wanting to play the bass. i guess i owe both of them some sort of respect, but i choose..... ooooooh dammit. frankie! if only cos spandau probably spawned the bravery.

― bg, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Spandeau spawned the Bravery my butt. THE SMITHS spawned the Bravery, if you're gonna take that questionable Blame Game route.

Dan, if you could GMail me some "Two Tribes", that'd be hottt.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

27, The 'Ballet, your wife rules, bite me.

was 'The Power Of Love' never a US hit? ah, the Huey Lewis one was better anyway. those three #1 singles dominated '84 over here, which otherwise should have been The Year Of The Smiths. 'nuff reason to dislike them.

'Gold' and 'True' are awesome. and imagine a world without PM Dawn. go on - try! i bet you can't.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

A world w/out PM Dawn is a world w/out the PM Dawn spoof in Fear of a Black Hat, and that is a world bereft of laughter and poo jokes.

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"I'm just a human being..."

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Some songs serve a higher purpose. In the case of "True," it was made to get sampled by PM Dawn, a greater song. I prefer "Only When You Leave," or better yet, "Gold."

"Two Tribes" is awesome! "A point is all you can...SC-O-O-O-O-O-O-A-A-A-H!"

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Y'know Alex, I reckon it's like this myself:

Relax and Two Tribes > a handful or so of Spandau Ballet's best singles (Chant No. 1, Instinction, Communication, Gold, True, Through The Barricades....) > everything else FGTH ever did > everything else Spandau Ballet did.

You can call me Dr. Ruth.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh and I am just out of my 20's now btw.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

holy mfkr, i forgot about 'To Cut A Long Story Short'! case closed. what a fantastic song.

― Lee F# (fsharp), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait a sec - did I say I was 29? I'm 30! OMG I'm getting old AND senile!

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Trevor Horn did produce Spandau - though only the "Instinction" single.

― Peteski, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, ranking their respective UK hits in order of greatness:
1. The Power Of Love - FGTH
2. Relax - FGTH
3. Two Tribes - FGTH
4. Chant No. 1 - SB
5. Instinction - SB
6. Lifeline - SB
7. To Cut A Long Story Short - SB
8. Glow - SB
9. The Freeze - SB
10. Welcome To The Pleasuredome - FGTH
11. True - SB
12. Gold - SB
13. Paint Me Down - SB
14. Only When You Leave - SB
15. Musclebound - SB
...after which it gets a bit tedious.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Frankie all the way, for their appearance in the movie Body Double alone. They had a much creepier vibe about them than the hairdressers in SB.

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not in my twenties yet! Frankie, pas question.

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

A world w/out PM Dawn is a world w/out the PM Dawn spoof in Fear of a Black Hat, and that is a world bereft of laughter and poo jokes.
-- David R. (quoteidio...), March 23rd, 2005. (later)
"I'm just a human being..."

-- Sven Bastard (stevem7...), March 23rd, 2005. (later)

Hahaha. Great film, great moment. "We all flush it down..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 15:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Definitely gonna go with Frankie here, not much of a contest. Although I took a listen to an early Spandau album last summer and it sounded better than I expected - they were obviously influenced by Chic just as Duran were. Never really went wild over them, though. And the album "True" came from was boring as hell, even at the time.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Gold is the greatest song of all time, you fools.

― Leon Bluth (Ex Leon), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Spandau Ballet did some great songs. Frankie Goes To Hollywood may have been sonically interesting, which was anyway thanks to Trevor Horn (and he also worked with Spandau Ballet on "Instinction" anyway)

Spandau Ballet, clearly. "True" is a huge classic!

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

'True' is a pile of shit

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I never owned a Spandau Ballet T-Shirt.
But my "Frankie Says Relax" shirt got some milage back
in the day.
Frankie wins.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh and I am just out of my 20's now btw.

Sorry I don't buy that, Stewart. :)

Alex - is your wife in her twenties?

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you saying I look younger than that Bimble?

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually I'm not merely just out of my twenties, I'm just out of my twenties twice!

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha ha ha. You're a great sport, Stew.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

With a thrill in my head an a pill on my tongue
Dissolve the nerves that have just begun
Listening to marvin all night long
This is the sound of my soul

Live those dreams
Scheme those schemes
Got to hit me
Hit me
Hit me with those laser beams
I’m coming

I prefer the psuedo-Brian Ferryisms of "True." Sue me.

― J (Jay), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

'True' is a pile of shit

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:Ep9gIGXCVEIJ:http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~jilliank/hooray.jpg

WE WIN!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 16:59 (twenty-one years ago)

"Listening to marvin all night long . ."

perhaps, but you didn't learn a damn thing about singing, did you?

Frankie wins.

― Soukesian, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:00 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Freeze" is one of the greatest and most ridiculous of rock's greatest, most ridiculous tradition: the homoerotic come-on.

― Alfred Soto (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex get that lawyer on the phone quick. Spandau sucked shit. (say that five times in a row really fast)

― dave q (listerine), Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Spandau Twins! No, Thompson Ballet! ARGH!

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Wednesday, 23 March 2005 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm actually going to have to change my mind here and agree that Spandau Ballet do indeed suck. I took a listen to the CD I remembered liking from last summer, just to see if I could come to a conclusion on how much I really liked it, and in a totally objective, sober, non-biased mindset, I must say I couldn't see the worth in it at all. It really did seem like they were just jumping a bandwagon without much talent to show for it, and the mannered way Tony Hadley sings is very annoying in the sense that it's a distraction if you find yourself thinking about how the singer in a band is trying much too hard (kindof like how the band Marion had a similar problem with their singer, although I'd argue Marion had a lot more going for them than SB).

On the bus to work today I found myself thinking of that skinny microphone Hadley sang into in the "True" video and a big grin came over my face at how funny that seemed.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 06:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Spandau Ballet: a couple of decent singles

FGTH: never mind the songs for a moment, they had a nine minute video that featured Reagan and Chernyenko impersonators biting each other's ears off.

Two Tribes video vs Spandau Ballet's entire career -- no contest!
The fact that the Frankie singles were brilliant only makes this more of a runaway.

― MindInRewind (Barry Bruner), Friday, 25 March 2005 06:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Frankie's Power Of Love man, I really like that one. I had the picture disc 12" with all those little red crosses all over a black background.

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 06:39 (twenty-one years ago)

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