| Parade | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 June 1984 | |||
| Recorded | Spring 1984 | |||
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| Length | 40:09 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
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| Spandau Ballet chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Parade | ||||
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Parade is the fourth studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 25 June 1984 by Chrysalis Records. The band wanted the album to sound more like how they played together live, and their guitarist/songwriter Gary Kemp came up with material that he felt would be more appropriate for the arenas in which they performed now since they were attracting larger audiences. Because they would be parading themselves around the world as part of the album's corresponding tour, he hit upon the idea of a parade as the theme of the album and included an international cast of characters taking part in a parade on the album cover.
The album peaked at number two in the UK in its first week of release and achieved platinum certification for sales of 300,000 units there. Critics, however, mostly found it to be a bland retread of their previous album, True. The first of four top-20 singles from Parade, "Only When You Leave", received the most praise from them and was the most successful, reaching number 3 in the UK and the top ten in several other countries, but its lacklustre chart performance in the US caused a rift between the band and their record company. They moved to a new label and hired new producers for their next studio album, Through the Barricades, which was another attempt at the arena rock sound that they were unable to achieve on Parade.