Spandau Ballet To Release Definitive Early Years Box Set ‘Everything Is Now

Spandau Ballet, one of the defining names of 80s British pop, will revisit their origins with the release of Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982, a nine-disc box set capturing their most creative and radical formative years. The collection, due September 12 through Parlophone, brings together their groundbreaking debut albums, singles, BBC sessions, demos and rare live footage in the most comprehensive archive of the band’s first chapter ever assembled.

The package includes Journeys To Glory (1981) and Diamond (1982) on vinyl, six CDs of singles, remixes, live recordings and previously unreleased demos, and a Blu-ray of Dolby Atmos mixes and rare video. A 44-page book of never-before-seen photos from Blitz Kid photographer Graham Smith and new commentary from all five members completes the set.

For a group that stood at the epicentre of the Blitz Club scene, the cultural laboratory that produced much of the sound, fashion and attitude of the 1980s, this release functions as both a musical document and a cultural time capsule.

Spandau Ballet’s story begins at the tiny Soho nightclub The Blitz, a hotspot where fashion, art and music converged. The club was the incubator for the so-called “Blitz Kids,” a flamboyant collective that included Boy George, Steve Strange, Siobhan Fahey and Spandau Ballet themselves.

On 5 December 1979, the band performed their first gig under their new name – suggested by friend Robert Elms – at the Blitz Christmas party. In attendance was Island Records boss Chris Blackwell, who was so impressed he offered the band a record deal during the set. Overnight, the boys from Islington were transformed into the torchbearers of a new era.

By the time their debut single To Cut A Long Story Short landed in late 1980, Spandau Ballet had captured the restless energy of European electronic music and reframed it as sleek British pop. Armed with a Yamaha CS-10 synthesiser, they created icy soundscapes that perfectly matched the angular fashion of their Blitz cohort.

That first single hit the UK Top 5, and follow-up The Freeze cemented their status as one of Britain’s most innovative new groups.

The debut album Journeys To Glory (1981) marked Spandau Ballet as a band apart. Lean, minimal, and visually aligned with the art-school aesthetic of the time, it was a statement of intent. Singles like Muscle Bound and Glow pushed beyond electronic pop into funk and soul textures, hinting at the stylistic diversity that would define their catalogue.

Its successor Diamond (1982) saw the band embrace more ambitious production and a broader palette. The Trevor Horn-produced Instinction and the brass-driven funk of Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) demonstrated their move toward a sound that would later conquer global charts with True.

Both albums are included in their original vinyl pressings within the new set, alongside three discs of single versions and remixes, including hard-to-find 12-inch mixes of Chant No. 1 and Paint Me Down.

For long-time fans, Everything Is Now goes far beyond a simple reissue. Among its treasures are early recordings from when the band were still known as The Gentry, including the demo Eyes, recorded at Halligan’s rehearsal studio. This was the tape that captured the moment Robert Elms bestowed the name “Spandau Ballet.”

The Blu-ray disc contains a complete 56-minute concert filmed at New York’s Underground Club in May 1981, when the group brought Blitz style to America for the first time. They didn’t just play gigs – they exported British club culture wholesale, staging concerts as immersive fashion events. A subsequent show at Ibiza’s KU Club became legendary when organisers released a live bull into the venue in front of 3,000 stunned fans – one of the moments that put Ibiza nightlife on the map.

Also featured are full BBC concert recordings from 1981 and 1982, live radio sessions, and Steven Wilson’s new Dolby Atmos mixes of their earliest singles, providing fans with the most sonically detailed version of Spandau’s first phase ever released.

The release coincides with the Design Museum’s exhibition Blitz: The Club That Shaped The 80s, opening September 20 in London. The show highlights the Blitz Kids and their influence across music, fashion and film, with Spandau Ballet as the only band to ever play live at the club.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of Spandau Ballet’s role in shaping 1980s pop culture. Before True and Gold became radio staples, the band were at the cutting edge, defining the futuristic aesthetic of a new decade. They were, as many contemporaries remarked, “the most stylish band in the world,” combining visual theatre, electronic experimentation and funk innovation.

Track Highlights
– Among the standout inclusions in the new collection:
– A suite of 7” and 12” mixes of To Cut A Long Story Short, including the full-length 6:32 version.
– Multiple versions of The Freeze, from its B-side dub mix to Steven Wilson’s modern Atmos remaster.
– The Trevor Horn-produced single mix of Instinction, a document of Horn’s early genius as a producer.
– Entire discs of 12” remixes for tracks from Diamond, previously unavailable on CD.
– Rare b-sides such as Gently and Man With Guitar.

The title Everything Is Now captures both the urgency of Spandau Ballet’s rise and the enduring relevance of their music. From art-school experiments to global pop, the band’s first five years were a blueprint for 80s culture.

The nine-disc set is subtitled Vol 1: 1978-1982, suggesting further volumes may explore later phases of their career – possibly including True (1983) and Parade (1984), albums that transformed them from Blitz innovators into mainstream chart titans.

For now, this first volume presents the definitive word on the years that shaped them.

SPANDAU BALLET
Everything Is Now – Vol 1: 1978-1982
Released September 12, 2025 – Parlophone

Contents
2 LPs: Journeys To Glory (1981) / Diamond (1982)
6 CDs: Singles, remixes, demos, BBC sessions, concerts

Blu-ray: Dolby Atmos mixes, BBC TV appearances, NYC live concert
44-page book with photos and new commentary
Featuring classics To Cut A Long Story Short, The Freeze, Muscle Bound, Glow, Chant No. 1, Paint Me Down, Instinction, She Loved Like Diamond.

SPANDAU BALLET
EVERYTHING IS NOW – VOL 1: 1978-1982
CD1: JOURNEYS TO GLORY ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS
CD2: DIAMOND ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS
CD3: DIAMOND – 12” SINGLES BOX SET
CD4: BBC SESSION 1981 / BBC IN CONCERT BOURNEMOUTH 1982
CD5: BBC IN CONCERT PARIS THEATRE 1982
CD6: DEMOS
BLU-RAY (DISC 7): DOLBY ATMOS, PROMOS & EXTRAS
LP1 (DISC 8): JOURNEYS TO GLORY
LP2 (DISC 9): DIAMOND

CD1: JOURNEYS TO GLORY ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS
7 inch A-Sides
1. To Cut A Long Story Short (7” A-side) [3:22]
2. The Freeze (7″ Version A-side) [3:32]
3. Muscle Bound (7″ Version A-side) [3:58]
4. Glow (7″ Version AA-side) [3:49]

7 inch B-Sides
5. To Cut A Long Story Short (Version) [3:22]
6. The Freeze (Version 7” B-side) [4:23]

12 inch A-Sides & B-Sides
7. To Cut A Long Story Short (Mix 1 A-side) [6:32]
8. To Cut A Long Story Short (Version) (Mix 2) [3.59]
9. The Freeze (12” A-side) [4:36]
10. The Freeze (Special Mix 12” B-side) [6:33]
11. Glow (12″ Version) [8:11]
12. Muscle Bound (12” B-side) [4.51]

CD2: DIAMOND ERA SINGLES, REMIXES & VERSIONS
7 inch A-Sides
1. Chant No 1 (7” A-side) [4:07]
2. Paint Me Down (7” A-side) [3:13]
3. She Love Like Diamond (7” A-side) [2:52]
4. Instinction (7” Trevor Horn Version) [3:34]

7 inch B-Sides
5. Feel The Chant (Short – 7” B-side) [4:04]
6. Man With Guitar (B-Side of Paint Me Down) [2:52]
7. Gently (B-Side of Intinction) [4:00]
8. She Loved Like Diamond (Instrumental B-side) [2:56]

12 inch A-Sides & B-Sides
9. Chant No.1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Extended Mix – 12” A-side) [5:52]
10. Feel The Chant (Long – 12” B-side) [5:49]
11. Paint Me Down (12″ A-side) [7:05]
12. Re Paint (12” B-side) [6:53]

CD3: DIAMOND – 12” REMIX SINGLES BOX SET
1. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Remix) [8:04]
2. Instinction (Remix) [6:59]
3. Paint Me Down (Remix) [6:25]
4. Coﬀee Club (Remix) [6:49]
5. She Loved Like Diamond (Remix) [3:41]
6. Pharaoh (Remix) [6:37]
7. Innocence And Science (Remix) [4:28]
8. Missionary (Remix) [7:02]

CD4: BBC SESSION 1981 / BBC IN CONCERT BOURNEMOUTH 1982
BBC Session – Studio B15, March 15, 1981
1. The Freeze [4:41]
2. Mandolin [4:07]
3. Muscle Bound [4:52]
4. Glow [4:14]

BBC In Concert Bournemouth, April 19, 1982
5. The Freeze [5:13]
6. She Loved Like Diamond [3:10]
7. To Cut A Long Story Short [3:52]
8. Glow [5:13]
9. Paint Me Down [4:45]
10. Instinction / Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) [6:10]
(Medley: Instinction [5:46] / Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) [1:24]

CD5: BBC IN CONCERT PARIS THEATRE, LONDON 1982
Produced by Jeﬀ Griﬃn
1. Instinction (Version 1) [5:28]
2. The Freeze [5:11]
3. She Loved Like Diamond [2:59]
4. To Cut A Long Story Short [3:46]
5. Pharoah [6:07]
6. Glow [5:11]
7. Muscle Bound [4:56]
8. Confused [4:07]
9. Paint Me Down [4:56]
10. Coﬀee Club [6:38]
11. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) [6:56]
12. Instinction (Version 2) [4:28]
13. Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On) (Reprise) [1:22]

CD6: DEMOS
1. Toys (Gentry Demo) [4:20]
2. Age Of Blows (Gentry Demo) [3:47]
3. Eyes (Gentry Demo) [5:27]
4. To Cut A Long Story Short (Arista Demo) [3:42]
5. The Freeze (Arista Demo) [4:56]
6. Confused (Arista Demo) [4:10]
7. Reformation (Arista Demo) [4:59]

Component 7 – BLU-RAY: ATMOS, PROMOS & EXTRAS
DOLBY ATMOS, STEREO & INSTRUMENTAL REMIXES BY STEVEN WILSON
To Cut A Long Story Short
The Freeze
Muscle Bound
Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)
Paint Me Down
Instinction

MUSIC VIDEOS
To Cut A Long Story Short
The Freeze
Muscle Bound
Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)
Paint Me Down
She Loved Like Diamond
Instinction

OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST, BBC TV 1982
She Loved Like Diamond
Coﬀee Club

LIVE AT THE UNDERGROUND CLUB, NYC, USA
MAY 6, 1981 – DURATION: 56mins 25secs
Intro by Jim Fouratt
The Freeze
Mandolin
Reformation
Chant No. 1 (I Don’t Need This Pressure On)
Toys
Age Of Blows
Muscle Bound
Confused
To Cut A Long Story Short
Glow

EXTRAS
HMS Belfast footage

Component 8 – LP1: JOURNEYS TO GLORY (1981)
Side One
1. To Cut A Long Story Short [3:20]
2. Reformation [4:54]
3. Mandolin [4:07]
4. Muscle Bound [5:06]

Side Two
1. Age Of Blows [4:09]
2. The Freeze [4:35]
3. Confused [4:38]
4. Toys [5:48]

Component 9 – LP2: DIAMOND (1982)
Side One
1. Chant No 1 [4:05]
2. Instinction [4:48]
3. Paint Me Down [3:44]
4. Coﬀee Club [5:30]

Side Two
1. She Loved Like Diamond [2:55]
2. Pharaoh [6:35]
3. Innocence And Science [4:15]
4. Missionary [7:15]

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