My mission in life, via this blog at least, is to share with you those songs and bands that have stood the test of time – the sort of stuff that doesn’t lead to ridicule. But I reckon, every now and again, its worth throwing out the musical equivalent of the curve ball – something that is rather unexpected in comparison to what you normally read about and listen to in here.
So here’s probably the best bit of bass slapping by anyone who ever appeared in Eastenders.
mp3 : Spandau Ballet – Paint Me Down (12″ mix)
This was the follow-up to Chant No.1 and was expected to maintain the sort of momentum that comes from having a radio-friendly single that goes Top 3 and which dominated the airwaves in the summer of 1981. But Paint Me Down didn’t do the business, stalling at #30, and as such indirectly led to the band taking the MOR journey to glory and its accompanying fame and fortune.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Oh dear!
Iove this and the lp it came from
Ha, you forgot the ‘best’ part about this song. I was totally shocked as a teenager when the blatantly homo-erotic video played on Saturday morning TV. Buffed men only wearing loin cloths smearing paint over their naked bodies not the norm for music videos.
You’ve crossed a line today JC.
JC, you have an army of fans of Spandau Ballet’s second album Diamond out here on the blogosphere ready to take up arms and defend you and them. The debut, Journeys To Glory, was full of Blitz Club bravado and self importance, but when it came to following that up the band found some focus and let the funk fly – they took a chance and it really worked to these ears. The disappointing chart climb of Paint Me Down would be avenged when Instinction, the final single off of Diamond would get as far as #10. All three songs were massive on the dancefloor and I listen to them still.
Indeed Echorich….
https://thenewvinylvillain.com/2015/02/23/stealing-cake-to-eat-the-moon/
Good for you, JC. Can’t say I had a lot of time for the Kemps, but every time you admit to something like this, you make all my own many sins against cool just that little bit more acceptable.
Very proud to have this one and a few other singles from this era. A little less proud to have some from later in the band’s career. In fact, I didn’t just write that.
JC you inspired this Spandau Ballet fan to let some of it out over at my place. http://thatperfectbeat.blogspot.com/2017/04/just-another-play-for-today.html