Spontaneous emission spectra from GaAs quantum well lasers grown by molecular beam epitaxy show that the radiative recombination rate in (AlAs)(GaAs) superlattice barriers is greater than in alloy barriers of the same average composition (x=0.25) due to reduction in effective gap by superlattice effects. Measurements of emission spectra as functions of temperature show that these radiative processes account for a significant part of the temperature variation of the threshold current and we estimate that the nonradiative lifetime in the superlattice barriers is an order of magnitude longer than in alloy barriers grown under similar conditions.