Spandau’s “Instinction” video shoot look
[…continued from previous post]
Let’s get the topic right out of the way. I can never get enough of “Chant No. 1 [I Don’t Need This Pressure On]!” The 4:00 single/LP version is awe-inspiring enough to act as a tease. The 6:00 12″ mix begins to go places; the spoken middle eight by Tony Hadley was a step in the right direction. But for the full effect of all that “Chant No. 1” has to offer you must spin the re-mix version from the Diamond boxed set! It’s eight full minutes of high pressure funk shot through with swaggering, jazzy horns by Beggar + Co. In fact the horns got emphasized right up front. The re-mix started with a second or two of chuckling dubbed into the mix before the coiled, serpentine guitar lick of Gary Kemp heralded the onset of the number before a conga roll courtesy of Steve Norman heightened the tension, which was broken by the first jagged stab of horns. Then the big beat began in earnest. John Keeble would be performing two kinds of beat on this album. Dead simple, monolithic 4/4 slabs of percussion, or elaborate and nimble Latin rhythms. This song was the former.
The infamous Simmons SDSV kit used for the first time on “Chant No. 1”
The how and why of the beat came down to the secret weapon their producer Richard James Burgess gave them on this song. It was the first time that the iconic Simmons SDS-5 drum pads were used commercially. Burgess had hypothesized and built the kit with Dave Simmons and although his prototypes had been used on the second Landscape album and the singles by Shock he produced in 1981, the first use of a commercial unit appeared on this record. The dry, distinctive “thwack” sound that would define the first half of the eighties began here.
Before a measure of beats occurred, what sounded like a boozy trombone playing riffs over the beat expanded the parameters of the intro to let the listener get their bearings before kicking the energy levels upward. Now that I listen carefully, I suspect that Burgess was playing the trumpet solo of Canute Wellington at half speed here. Burgess let the riffs cook until he introduced tape splice “scratching” to break the tension as the single-minded riff plowed inexorably forward. Kemp’s rhythm guitar was then joined by a single, long, nasty, whammy bar chord that was the filthiest thing to ever grace a Spandau Ballet record. It was at that point where Tony Hadley began to sing.
I certainly hope we all know the insistent, high pressure funk concoction that is “Chant No. 1.” It’s a brutally simple ascending E-F#-G-A-B riff that builds in intensity through much repetition. The arrangement of the re-mix here by Burgess managed to keep it interesting with strategic dropouts from the instrumentation and generous applications of reverb where needed to lubricate the machine. The climax has a touch of jazzy flute sophistication that echoed the trumpet riffs that had driven through the heart of the eight minute song. Burgess even added occasional backwards reverb applied to keep things fresh throughout the running time. This monster of a tune is so fresh that it still needs no preservatives 36 years later. It managed the neat trick of being fleet of foot and brutal at the same time. And…wouldn’t you know it. I got off on a tangent on one of my favorite songs and we still have a lot to discuss about this release. Which we’ll pick up tomorrow.
Next: …Instinction Distinction
![Chris Cross: 1952-2024 [part 2]](https://i0.wp.com/postpunkmonk.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ultravox-cross.jpg?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Post-Punk Monk 
Just as you have all the time in the world for listening to the song, I have all the time in the world for diversions about this song. Your deft description filled my head with memories of its incredible construction, creating a mental 12-inch soundtrack. Now to go summon up the real thing!
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The Chasbah – I’ve been listening to it all week. Why not join me? It’s on iTunes.
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Diamond, in every respect, is a leap of faith record. But in the hands of Spandau Ballet and Richard James Burgess, it was easy to see they had no expectation other than to be successful. There’s a bravado that permeates Diamond from the intense, brassy pulse of Chant No.1 to the dirty, creeping funk of Pharoah and the ‘Goa Goes To Japan’ tinged Innocence + Science and Missionary. This may be the same men who made Journeys To Glory, but they were also men not interested in repeating themselves.
I’ve always felt that Diamond felt like a good fit with later Japan albums more than anything coming from Duran Duran. And with Instinction, they laid the groundwork for a sound that FGTH/Trevor Horn would take to the bank. It’s obvious that Horn heard something in that song that he found pretty close to perfect as he did mostly a tighten up job on his remix of the song. I’d even go as far as to say that Yes even benefited from this on their Horn produced 90125 album.
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Echorich – Hell yeah, Yes benefited from TCH! It’s a rare day indeed when you can dance to a Yes song!
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I believe the brass part on the intro to this mix is actually reversed as well as slowed down. I’m lucky enough to have owned the 4×12″ vinyl box set of Diamond since 1982 so know these mixes better than the regular album! This Chant remix was also included on the 12″ b-side to the TCH Instinction release (presumably to make up for there not being a TCH extended mix of Chant!)…
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That should have read “…TCH extended mix of Instinction”…
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Colin Baldwin – Then I need to throw that brass into the computer and play with it! I’ve had the “Diamond” box since ’83. It might have been the first version of the album that I had bought. A friend bought it and didn’t like it so I took it off of his hands. The fool!!!!
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I did think “I must drop that mix into Ableton tonight and reverse the sample just in case I’ve got that wrong!” :) I saw the Diamond tour in the UK (Futurist Theatre, Scarborough ’82). Started with “Stealing cake to eat the moon” echoing around the venue, IIRC. They even played tracks from side 2 (“Pharaoh”, for sure). One of the most under-rated albums of the early 80s, I think.
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Colin Baldwin – That any tracks from side two of “Diamond” were ever played live astonishes me! Was there an opening act, and if so, who was it?
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I couldn’t recall there being a support act and when researching came across this article:
which suggests former Dr Who Peter Capaldi did some stand-up as support on that tour!
The 2nd disc on the 2010 CD includes live material from the 1982 tour, so you’ll have heard a live version of She Loved Like Diamond from Side 2 :) I used to have that concert taped from the radio but I think it got thrown away when I had a big purge of all my old cassettes :( I was hoping to see if they did Innocence or Missionary – pretty sure they did play Innocence but it’s hard to remember details from 36 years ago!!
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Colin Baldwin – Fascinating! So Peter Capaldi was still doing standup around the time he would soon be in “Local Hero.” That was where I first saw him in ’83 and I had no clue about his NewRo beginnings.
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