Picture

Of yourself and Nazli, former colleague who listens to death metal and progressive rock. The picture was taken last Sunday, before she returned to the town "with ugly and narrow sidewalks".

Across The Borders, and Through The Barricades

"Live from the NEC" was filmed on December 16th & 17th, 1986.

DVD concert track listing:

• Cross The Line
• Highly Strung
• Virgin
• How Many Lies
• With The Pride
• Gold
• Lifeline
• Through The Barricades
• Chant No. 1 (I Don't Need This Pressure On)
• To Cut A Long Story Short
• True
• Revenge For Love
• Fight For Ourselves

Music video listing:

• Fight For Ourselves
• Through The Barricades
• Raw
• Raw (Amnesia mix)
• Be Free With Your Love
• Crashed Into Love
• plus a short documentary on the making of "Fight For Ourselves"

All the extra music videos are culled from the two albums recorded under the Columbia Records-Sony Music label, "...Barricades", and "Heart Like A Sky". The DVD is released by Sony Music, so little surprise that videos of songs recorded during Spandau's contract tenure with Chrysalis Records have not been included.

The DVD also contains a commentary track, by Gary and Martin Kemp. Here is an excerpt. As Gary explains: "'[Through The] Barricades' is a song about a relationship across the religious divide of Belfast." Spandau was based in Dublin for the recording of the Barricades album. Gary traveled to Belfast, and as he recalls, he saw barricades, literally. This was to provide inspiration for the song, as well as the full title of the album promotion tour: Across The Borders, and Through The Barricades.

Cross The Line, and Fight For Ourselves

Today you went shopping and to the movies with Burcu and Nazli. While at Best Buy, you picked up Dream Theater's 2-DVD "Live at the Budokan", and Spandau Ballet's "Live from the National Exhibition Center (NEC)" remastered DVD. The latter was filmed during Spandau's "Through the Barricades" tour. "Barricades" is one of your favorite albums, because several of its tracks are unabashedly socio-political, about the right to question, to resist, and to love across divides: Cross the Lines, Fight for Ourselves, How Many Lies, and of course, Through the Barricades, etc.

And it is a fitting coincidence that Burcu suggested we watch "V for Vendetta". Lots of thanks and gratitude, Burcu, for your excellent choice.

More on "...Vendetta" and "Live from the NEC" in subsequent entries.

love and marriage is not

like accounting, or about keeping score, or asserting who loves who more, or claiming who has sacrificed more. none of those. when either or both parties to the relationship/marriage start to quibble in such a manner, it is the beginning of their end.

付出多少 是不是就要拿回多少?
在感情的世界里 多少算多? 多少算少?
我对你好 是不是要你也对我好?
在感情的天平上 什么算好? 什么算不好?

我们一路跟时间赛跑 我们一直和未来计较
跟往事的是是非非 对对错错 苦苦煎熬
哪一天我们才能清楚知道 我们曾在同一个地方停靠
将往事的是是非非 对对错错 抛在脑后 都抛在脑后!

--伍思凯, "我们之间"

rough translation:
when one gives, should the same amount be taken in return?
in terms of feelings, what is a lot? what is a little?
am I good to you, because I want you to be good to me too?
if feelings were measured on a scale,
what is good? what is not good?

we've been racing against time all this while
we've been quibbling about the future all this while
plus our past rights and wrongs, and trials and tribulations
when will we realize that we had been docking at the same port
that we should leave our past rights and wrongs,
and trials and tribulations
behind!