As one of the leading New Romantic bands, Spandau Ballet racked up a number of British hits -- as well as one Top Ten American hit, "True" -- during the early '80s, becoming one of the most successful groups to emerge during new wave. The only other new romantic band to enjoy greater commercial success was Duran Duran, yet Spandau Ballet was there first, scoring three Top Ten hit singles during 1981 with their synthesized dance-pop. By 1983, the London-based quintet had shed its Roxy Music-inspired robotic art-disco and picked up on Bryan Ferry's latter-day crooner persona, revamping themselves as a slick, stylish white soul act. It was in this incarnation that Spandau Ballet experienced its greatest success, as "True" reached number one in Britain and number four in America. However, their time in the spotlight was shortlived. Though they had a few more hits in Britain, none of them were particularly big, and in America they disappeared at the end of 1984. By the end of the decade, the group had split, with their core members, brothers Gary and Martin Kemp, launching acting careers with the 1990 film, The Krays.

The Kemps -- who played guitar and bass, respectively -- founded Spandau Ballet in 1979 with Tony Hadley (vocals), Steve Norman (rhythm guitar, saxophone, percussion), and John Keeble (drums). The group hired their schoolfriend Steve Dagger as manager. Spandau Ballet began playing nightclubs in London that had responded to punk by embracing exaggeratedly fashionable clothes and makeup. Soon, the band was one of the most popular attraction on this scene, which subsequently dubbed by the British press as "New Romantic." Chris Blackwell, the head of Island Records, saw the group at a London party and offered them a contract on the spot. They rejected his offer, choosing to set up their own label, Reformation. Early in 1980, the group licensed Reformation to Chrysalis, giving their label the distribution power of a major label.

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"To Cut a Long Story Short," Spandau Ballet's first single, shot to number five in Britain upon its fall 1980 release. It was quickly followed by the number 17 hit "The Freeze" in early 1981, and "Musclebound," which reached number ten in the spring. The singles made their way over to America, where they received play in dance clubs. By the spring, their debut album, Journey to Glory, had been released. In the summer, they released a new, non-LP single, "Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)," which boasted a funkier beat and soulful flourishes. The group continued to pursue this direction on their subsequent singles, including the gold-selling Top Ten UK hits "Instinction" and "Lifeline," as well as their 1982 album Diamond, but it didn't reach its fruition until the 1983 album True.

True was a full-fledged white-soul album, much like the sophisticated pop of late-'70s Roxy Music albums. The title ballad reached number one in Britain during the spring and a few months later, the single and album became a hit in America, peaking at number four and 19 respectively. Spandau Ballet managed to hit the Top Ten once more in the UK with "Gold," which peaked at number two; in the US, it reached 29. "Communication," a third American single from True, fizzled in the spring of 1984. Its failure was the beginning of the band's commercial downfall. "Only When You Leave," the first single from 1984's Parade, was a number three hit in the UK, yet it only reached 34 in the US; furthermore, it was their last American hit ever. Parade was a success in Britain, yet it wasn't as big as its predecessor. In 1985, Spandau Ballet sued Chrysalis, claiming that the label wasn't providing enough promotional support for the band, especially in the US, and thereby harming its career. The suit was settled in 1986, and the group jumped ship for CBS/Columbia (Epic in the US), where they released Through the Barricades that same year. The title track was a Top Ten hit, but its follow-up, "How Many Lies?," became the group's last Top 40 hit ever. Following the release of Heart like a Sky in 1989, the group quietly disbanded the following year.

Gary and Martin Kemp played the notorious British mobsters the Krays in a 1990 film of the same title. Gary Kemp pursued acting as his vocation during the '90s, appearing in The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston, HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, and Embrace of the Vampire with Alyssa Milano. Tony Hadley released a solo album, State of Play, in 1993. ~ All Music Guide 

Source: Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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In their small snowy country of Norway, members of the 1980s super group A-ha are considered close to royalty. The pretty boys of Oslo were the first Norwegian band to make it big in pop-music. By the end of 1980s, they had amassed numerous awards and platinum albums.

Two of the band members, Magne Furuholmen and Pal Waaktaar, grew up in Oslo. Their first band together, Spider Empire—formed in 1977—was heavily influenced by the music of the Doors and Jimi Hendrix. Spider Empire evolved into another band called Bridges in 1979 and took on a bassist and drummer. Soon they released their first album, Fakkeltog —Torchlight Procession—on their own label, Vakenatt. The Bridges were working on their second album when Morten Harket entered the scene. Influenced by the falsetto of Freddy Mercury of Queen, Harket had been singing in other Oslo bands.

After deciding to work together, the band, with Harket on lead vocals and Furuholmen writing many of the lyrics, the band began tossing around ideas for a new name. They decided upon A-ha because, as Furuholmen explained, it was easily memorized and familiar exclamation in any language. "Originally, we were trying to find a Norwegian word that people would be able to say in English. Eventually Harket spotted a song called "a-ha" in Waaktaar's song notebook. It was a terrible song, but a great name. I mean, you say it, a-ha, all the time," Furuholmen said online. 

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In 1982, the band began changing its tune and started working on becoming a more commercial, synth-pop sounding band, like pop kings Duran Duran. The trio began looking toward England for a record label to offer them a contract. Even with their chiseled good looks and snappy sound, success would take a while.

983 was to be the dawning for the Norwegian music marvels. After ringing in the new year by relocating to London in January, the trio managed to purchase some recording time at Rendezvous Studios. One demo, "Lesson One," caught the ear of John Ratcliff, manager of the recording studio. Ratcliff in turn played it for Terry Slater, a former record company executive who once worked with the Everly Brothers. Slater was so impressed with the band that he agreed to manage the trio immediately and arrange a series of influential auditions.

As a Christmas present for their families and compatriots, A-ha brought home a worldwide contract with Warner Bros. Records. The first album Hunting High and Low, included the single "Take On Me." Released in early 1984, it was re-worked version of "Lesson One." The band experienced a successful Norwegian debut, but failed to reach audiences over in England and abroad. Only 300 copies of the album were sold outside its native Norway. In 1985, the band, at the urging of Slater, remixed and re-released the single.

During the summer of 1986, Warner Bros. Records decided to invest some money on a revolutionary video for the struggling band. "Take On Me," directed by Steve Barron, was a charcoal animation of the band members was a fore-runner in semi-animated video-market. At the third MTV Music Awards in 1986, the video won for Best New Concept Video, Best New Artist Video, Best Special Effects, Best Direction, Most Experimental and the Viewers Choice awards, among others awards. According to the Encyclopedia of Rock Stars, it was a record number of wins by one act for both the fledgling ceremony and band. 

In 1986, A-ha released it's sophomore album, Scoundrel Days. Although less successful than Hunting High And Low, the album did include the hit single "Cry Wolf." A year later, the band was commissioned to create the theme song for the new James Bond movie, The Living Daylights. Their third album, Stay on These Roads, almost entirely written by guitarist Pal Waaktaar continued A-ha's popularity in England while marking its journey into obscurity in the United States. The album entered the English charts early in 1988 at number two.

After a two year holiday, A-ha released their fourth album, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, in November 1990. This new album shows a departure from the heavy synth-ladled albums of the past. In 1991, after a string of little noticed singles,, A-ha released a six year retrospective album entitled Headlines and Deadlines, The Hits Of A-ha. 

During the fifth annual World Music Awards, the darlings of Norwegian pop music were named Best Selling Norwegian Artist of the Year two years in a row 1992-93. In 1993, the band releases Memorial Beach, which featured the single "Dark Is the Night." More than previous A-ha albums, this album highlighted the talents of the other band members including new members bassist J.B. Bogeberg and Per Hillestad on drums. Much of the album reflects time spent in America.

After feeling "spent out" artistically, the band took a two year sabbatical according to an online interview at http://www.wwiv.com/a-ha/a-ha-faq.html. The trio decided to pursued individual artistic challenges. Furuholmen co-wrote the soundtrack for the Norwegian movie Ten Knifes in the Heart, which world premiered in 1994. He also created a wood carving for the cover design for the album Songs from the Pocket, a solo project of his fellow tour mate J.B Bogeberg. During this time apart, the band did regroup to record "Shapes That Go Together, " theme song for the 1994 Special Olymics that were held in Lillehammer, Norway.

Harket recorded the Frankie Valli hit "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" for the Coneheads soundtrack in 1983. The movie was directed by Steve Baron, the gentleman behind the record shattering "Take On Me video." In 1995, Harket released Wild Seed, his first solo album with Warner Brothers Records International. In 1996, Pal Waaktaar also released an album with Warner Brothers Records International. With his band Savoy, he released Mary is Coming in early 1996 in Europe and the United States writing all the songs on the album.

For The Record:

Members include Magne Furuholmen (born November 1, 1962), keyboards, vocals; Morten Harket (born September 14, 1959), lead vocals; and Pal Waaktaar (born September 6, 1961), guitar, vocals. 

Group formed in 1977 as Spider Empire, changed name to A-Ha in 1982. Released debut album Hunting High and Low on Warner Bros. Label, 1986; other releases on the Warner Bors. Labes include: Scoundrel Days, 1986; Stay on These Roads, 1988; East of the Sun, West of the Moon, 1991; Headlines & Deadlines, The Hits of A-Ha, 1991; Memorial Beach, 1993. Contributed "The Living Daylights" for soundtrack of the same name, 1987. 

 Awards: MTV Video Awards for Best New Concept Video, Best New Artist Video, Best Special Effects, Best Direction, Most Experimental and Viewers Choice Awards, all in 1986.

Address: Record company—Warner Bros. Records, 10907 Magnolia Blvd., Box 419, North Hollywood, CA.

Source: Gretchen Monette

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