When I saw this collection I jumped at the chance to buy it.

For Spandau Ballet fans like myself this is the ultimate collection.

It covers their years on Chrysalis as well as their not so good years on Virgin - in which "Through the Barricades" was not a good CD but they managed to put 2 of the 3 good songs on this CD including the title "Through the Barricades" and "Fight For Ourselves", surprisingly missing was the first single from this CD "How Many Lies".

However they go from beginning to ALMOST end of their musical career including songs from their first album "Journeys to Glory" through "Through the Barricades". What is missing are some cuts from their last album in 1989 "Heart Like A Sky". Which I have and put Spandau Ballet back in top form with songs like "Be Free With Your Love", "Raw" and "Crashed Into Love", unfortunately those are missing too.

Otherwise this is still a 5 star effort with "Chant No.1", "She Loved Like Diamond", "Gold" (peaked at no.29) in the US, "True" (peaked at no.4) in the US, and their last top 40 hit-my favorite "Only When You Leave" (peaked at no.34) in the US. Though they weren't a smash here in the US they remain one of my favorite bands of all time and of the 1980s.

Half a lifetime ago when I was 19 (I am 38 now) I saw them in concert in San Francisco at the Warfield and they were fantastic with Hadley at top vocal form, John Keeble on drums, and of course the fantastic Steve Norman on sax.

A great band that is missed. Hadley went onto a solo career with 2 albums his later he did a remake of Duran Durans "Save A Prayer" and totally out did the original, making it a new classic.

Back to this set, a definite buy for the Spandau enthusiast. Spans their careers full circle omitting their last album, but there are so many songs you can put on one CD.

Maybe next "The Best of Spandau Ballet 2 CD Collection".

Spandau Ballet. Warming us with their Brittish charm and James Bond good looks across the decades. This original boy band still inspires some of the greats today with their vast variety of music and sound. The versitile musicians with their many chart topping hits, intrigued us in the 70's, astounded us in the 80's, and wowed us in the 90's. Here in the new Millenium, their greatest hits are imortalized in CD and DVD format. Gold, the title of this CD is just that. Gold, and not to be missed.

Spandau Ballet were one of the more popular names in the British New Romantic trend in the early 1980s. Owing a debt to Roxy Music, among other bands, the five-man British group wrote smooth, polished pop tunes that often blended blue-eyed soul, new wave, and lite jazz. By the time Spandau Ballet broke into the American market with their famous Top Ten ballad "True," they were already stars in England with a handful of hits. "Gold: The Very Best of Spandau Ballet" is a 2000 compilation released by Capitol/EMI, and it's the best collection on the American market, as it features the band's singles from 1980-86, apparently remastered. (Material from their final album, 1989's "Heart Like a Sky," is MIA). Aside from "True," there's the effortlessly elegant "Only When You Leave," the soaring "Gold," "I'll Fly for You," and the title track of their 1986 CBS release "Through the Barricades." Soon after, the band dissolved, and lead singer Tony Hadley went on to pursue a solo career. But we can always turn to this collection, which gives a clear snapshot of one of the most stylish bands of the 1980s.

I admit, I rediscovered Spandau Ballet after hearing the song "Gold" over and over while playing Grand Theft Auto-Vice City in 2003. So I bought this CD recently. It's a very complete Spandau collection for the casual fans. Die hard fans may find a missing song they think should be included but the major hits--"Gold," "True," "Communication," "Chant No. 1," are all here. I'm not too much feeling the black and white cover, but the booklet and interior design make the set a very impressive "best of" collection.

Together with such great groups as Duran Duran or Human League, Spandau Ballet is a very important part of the history of the 80's pop music. Their charm, elegance, perfect domination of the binomial vocal/instrumental, the fine british appearence, are trademarks of their own. "Gold" is essencial for those who, like me, feel the 80's as an era of great music. And also for those who want introduce themselves in this genre. The music of Spandau Ballet is almost perfect in terms of execution. "Gold" is just the right name for it...