Duran Duran: Classic or Dud?

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It is time to revive this time-honored topic once again. I would just liike to point out that the lead singer's name is something as cool as Simon Le Bon, I mean come on now, how can you not love that? Their songs don't make any sense, which is brilliant. Taking Sides: Trance version of Ordinary World or Duran Duran version?

Ally, Tuesday, 20 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

For me total dud
For once I have to agree with Dr.C. I can't believe it. Everyone else thinks they are classic. Maybe ILM should be renamed ILP like in I Love Pop. And this is not even good pop. Utter rubbish.

alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

duran duran = music so no namechange needed

duran duran = roXoR also

mark s, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

alex in mainhattan = long-lost German cousin of Alex in NYC

Robin Carmody, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Death to rockists.

Ally, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Death to music! Now we'll see who cares.

Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Search: The grammar school dance troupe Sparkle Motion and their spellbinding routine to "Notorious" in Donnie Darko.

Arthur, Wednesday, 21 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

eight months pass...
I would say DUD but last night I heard 'Save a Prayer' for the first time in years and it felt strangely affecting, sad, beautiful, very lonely ....a one-night-stand as fleeting glimpse of paradise/intimacy never to be fully attained. I almost blubbed, maybes its the weather...

stevo, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

i love barbarella. i also love duran duran - the band. at the moment i'm really into "seven and the ragged tiger" - its got those gems "reflex" and "new moon on monday".

di, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

"New Moon on Monday" = most underrated hit from the early days. I remember being mad as heck it wasn't on the original Decade compilation [thankfully Greatest corrects this omission].

Ned Raggett, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

The first eponymous album (1981) is now available on CD with "Is There Something I Should Know?" (1983) slap bang in the middle, not even dumped at the back as an extra track. Eh? The cover photo is amusing, Andy Taylor clearly wishes he was in Whitesnake.

I dug out the 12" of The Reflex a few days ago and the extended version is called the "Dance Mix". Now it would have to be something like the "Chics For Free mix".

Mike Ratford, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

ten months pass...
I'm going to start a Duran cover band called 'Night Version'!

Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 20 June 2003 04:47 (twenty years ago) link

spencer i want to be in your band!!

geeta (geeta), Friday, 20 June 2003 05:51 (twenty years ago) link

You guys all know what my answer's going to be in regards to the question posed, right?

If not, you are obviously very thick and need to check out some prime swampland real estate I'm about ready to sell to you. Either that or you've just started reading this forum.

Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:07 (twenty years ago) link

Duran Duran album tracks - search and destroy, anyone?

Tico Tico (Tico Tico), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:11 (twenty years ago) link

Anyone who cannot see the brilliance of "Do You Believe in Shame?", "Palomino", "Michael You've Got a Lot to Answer For", "Sin of the City", "Love Voodoo", "Big Bang Generation", "Winter Marches On", "Hold Me", "Playing with Uranium", "Fragment"/"Last Day on Earth", or any one of the other beyond brilliant post-1985 Duran songs just does not understand Duran Duran. Period. So THERE. ;)

Search & destroy? For me, I'd have to search just about every single Duran song out there, with the possible exceptions of "Shotgun" and "UMF" (off The Wedding Album) and "911 is a Joke" and "I Wanna Take You Higher" (off Thank You). Those four could be destroyed, thank you very much.

Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:17 (twenty years ago) link

C'mon Dee, Arcadia vs. Power Station: what's the verdict?!

Mr. Diamond (diamond), Friday, 20 June 2003 06:26 (twenty years ago) link

that alex in mainhattan 'ilp' post above is so classic

James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:16 (twenty years ago) link

oh and duran duran - classic obv.

James Blount (James Blount), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:16 (twenty years ago) link

Does anyone really need to know my opinion on this matter? I think you can guess. Classiclassiclassiclassic!

Hungry Like The Wolf is about ORAL SEX?!?!?!? Oh my god, I never knew that. Hey, I mean, I was 12 when it came out, it never dawned on my horny prepubescent brain! That makes it somehow ever better!

I think I've told the story about my Durannie friend and her super-indie boyfriend who sneered at Duran. She said "What would you say to a band who wanted to be a cross between the Sex Pistols, Chic and Brian Eno?" And he went "That would be my NEW FAVOURITE BAND EVAH!!!" and she shoved Rio at him and said "meet your new favourite band evah, suckah."

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 07:24 (twenty years ago) link

Amazing. I thought no one agreed with me on my choices of Duran Duran's best and worst songs, but I could have written down exactly what Innocent Dreamer did above!

And don't forget to search for Arcadia, another fantastic album.

Tijn, Friday, 20 June 2003 08:26 (twenty years ago) link

no one's mentioned the single "please please tell me now" yet. i think that's my favourite. also "new moon on monday", 'cos it has that classic cold war pop vibe, at least the video kinda did.

cameron, Friday, 20 June 2003 09:28 (twenty years ago) link

no one's mentioned the single "please please tell me now" yet.

Because it was possibly the worst single they ever released! Come on, even at the age of 13 or whatever, I knew that.

New Moon On Monday was actually kinda ace. Yeah. I have the tendency to completely write off Seven and the Ragged Tiger, but it definitely had its moments.

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 09:30 (twenty years ago) link

"New Moon on Monday" is good, but can't get with the revival. Hated them then, and still do. Maybe the third time around I'll get it? They just sound like a crap Japan to me.

(Also, considering how much everybody loved "Ordinary World" at the time, notice how it sounds even more shit now than their 80s stuff does?)

dave q, Friday, 20 June 2003 09:33 (twenty years ago) link

kate , maybe puberty made the difference; i was only about eleven. i haven't heard it in years either.

cameron, Friday, 20 June 2003 09:51 (twenty years ago) link

Cameron, I think perhaps I hated it so much because it was stuck right in the middle of the re-release of the first album. So I associate it with the butchery of the singles/running order of that order. Heard in its own context, it might not be so bad, but on Duran Duran, it just sounds out of place and jarring and wrong.

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 09:54 (twenty years ago) link

and plus it does have the line "you're about as easy as a nuclear war" (more cold war paranoia blah blah)

cameron, Friday, 20 June 2003 09:55 (twenty years ago) link

Oh dear lord... ::ROTFL:: ... you should have seen the fun that the DD fan fict community had with that line!

Oh, and DD are ace, simply for having such an incredible body of work dedicated to their fan fiction. Maybe it's just cause I've only read good DD FF, (thanks, UMF/Lovely Blue Planet Of There) but it's of such a blatantly higher calibre that you think they must be doing something right.

(The one time that a band's fans can be held in their favour)

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 10:02 (twenty years ago) link

Has anyone mentioned 'Careless Memories' yet, their follow up to 'Planet Earth'? Coooool track. The first and last example of, ahem, New Romantic Minimalism.

colin s barrow (colin s barrow), Friday, 20 June 2003 10:11 (twenty years ago) link

The first time I heard that song, I thought the lyrics were "with a girl named St.Marie."

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 10:14 (twenty years ago) link

for The Chauffeur, Careless Memories, Do You Believe in Shame, Come Undone, Ordinary World, Girls on Film, Planet Earth, Save a Prayer and the videos for Wild Boys, The Chauffeur, Girls on Film and Union of the Snake, undisputed CLASSIC.

They spoilt it with mortifying spin off bands (Arcadia were ok - Power Station.... oh dear), their pro-Thatcher stance throughout the 80s and their ludicrous make up and dress sense.

And their mystifying arrogance (I've never encountered an arrogant Brummie in my life, have you?).

But a welcome return....

russ t, Friday, 20 June 2003 10:21 (twenty years ago) link

their ludicrous make up and dress sense.

Oh, if that isn't part of what made them so classic I don't know what is. Nick Rhodes dyed for our sins!

Nicole (Nicole), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:02 (twenty years ago) link

It wasn't ludicrous to me, it was What Should Be. Yup.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 June 2003 14:15 (twenty years ago) link

...but they were always the cheap store version of Sylvian and Bowie... I mean,Nick Rhodes looked like he dressed himself head to toe, including hair dye and eyeliner, for about £12.50 throughout the whole of the 80s. A bit cut price couture, really, I always thought. Too 'Poundstretchers' to look anything other than hilarious.

russ t, Friday, 20 June 2003 15:02 (twenty years ago) link

That's what made Nick Rhodes so much BETTER than David Sylvian. Nick Rhodes looked slightly rough enough that he seemed actually accessible. You don't want to touch David Sylvian, you want to put him in a box and look at him. Nick Rhodes had this sort of vulnerable pretention about him that you wanted to take him home and give him a cuddle and show him the correct way to bleach his hair and do his makeup.

http://www.middlemoon.com/sandra/img/nick_rhodes.gif

uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh...

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:05 (twenty years ago) link

I love google images. I wish this were bigger, so it could be my new wallpaper:

http://www.b3ta.my-webserver.co.uk/colossus.jpg

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:06 (twenty years ago) link

Oh my goodness!

http://members.tripod.com/rant58/7535eb80.jpg

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:08 (twenty years ago) link

http://members.tripod.com/rant58/7535eb80.jpg + http://www.dandywarhols.com/images/photos/peter/pic6.jpg = http://migoto.net/pastiche/durandroid/droidenter.jpg ???

(Why is it so hard to find a decent picture of Peter on the web?)

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:15 (twenty years ago) link

Since we're going into purely aesthetics here (hee)....

This is my favorite picture of Nick Rhodes:

http://www.hanksnet.com/callingplanetearth/nick6/images/nickwht88fash_jpg.jpg

He looks simply gorgeous there.

This is my favorite picture of John Taylor:

http://www.hanksnet.com/callingplanetearth/john4/images/jtjap1_jpg.jpg

This is my favorite pic of the two of them together:

http://www.hanksnet.com/callingplanetearth/misc/images/48d53964_jpg.jpg










*licks computer screen*

Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:20 (twenty years ago) link

"911 is a Joke"

PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS A COVER

Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:21 (twenty years ago) link

Speaking of licking the computer screen, have you ever seen that photo of John strung out, wearing some black lace shirt he must of picked off the floor of whatever meeja whore's pad he crashed at the night before, uuuuuuuhhhhhhh... I wish I could find it. It gave me wet dreams for weeks.

I've got to stop or I'll be hitting UMF in a mo...

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:23 (twenty years ago) link

John Taylor is nearly totally ungooglable. I got through three pages of images before I actually found one that was him. :-(

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:27 (twenty years ago) link

I'm going to start a Duran cover band called 'Night Version'!

Spencer, I love you. If I wasn't an Anime robot, I'd have your children.

Anyway, there's really nothing wrong with "Is There Something I Should Know" (apparently aka "Please Please Tell Me Now"). It's just there's nothing great about it either. Except for the video, which features this bizarre angle shot of Simon singing his brains out with this extrodinarily angry face on, which I mean seems like it'd work with the title of the song but really it makes no sense about the lyrics when it comes down to it.

I changed my mind on "Notorious" but it's still not really that good. It's all about the lyrics to "The Reflex" people, trust me.

Oh, and Sean, that "fuck off" story is still the most amazing thing I've ever heard.

Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:28 (twenty years ago) link

Dan, it is a cover. Of the Public Enemy song. It's all Simon's fault. He's the rap fan of the group.

Kate, you mean this?

http://www.hanksnet.com/callingplanetearth/john3/images/jt34_jpg.jpg

Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:28 (twenty years ago) link

Oh yes, and the real title of the song is indeed "Is There Something I Should Know?", or if you don't feel like typing all of that out, "ITSISK?".

Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:30 (twenty years ago) link

Dee, I kiss you! That is the one!

(OK, I am kissing the screen right now, but that's besides the point...)

kate (kate), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:31 (twenty years ago) link

You know what is the best thing about Duran Duran besides all the other things? If you put on Barbarella it's really funny the way they keep pronouncing Duran Duran, and then you walk around pronouncing it like that all the time. I remember, my ex-fiance was all into Duran Duran and then he saw Barbarella and was like, so, what, are these guys just soft porn freaks? That's so weak.

Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:32 (twenty years ago) link

*giggles* Interesting thing is that the photo was taken a long while after he had his cocaine period. (Remember the video for "Do You Believe in Shame?" Remember how painfully skinny he was there?) This was ca. "Trust the Process", when he was starting to open up about his prior addictions. Ergo, I tend to view his gaze as a CFM one.










But that's still a damn good picture. Yum. And as for Barbarella, the only reason I watched that damn movie was because I wanted to know who this Duran Duran character was supposed to be, and every time I heard his name being spoken I just had to giggle like the little fangirl I am. The ex-fiance did have a point, though. Barbarella does seem to be a touch bit soft core porn-ish, what with all the overt sexuality and all.










*goes back to licking computer screen*

Innocent Dreamer (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:37 (twenty years ago) link

DoooRAN DoooRAN. Hahaha still priceless.

Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:42 (twenty years ago) link

Rio= pop perfected²

Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Friday, 20 June 2003 15:49 (twenty years ago) link

Anthology and The Compleat Beatles are the only good ones!

(xpost)

Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Wednesday, 10 April 2019 14:28 (five years ago) link

one month passes...

wow, never realized American Science wasn't a single... that was an oversight.

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 23 May 2019 01:59 (four years ago) link

such awful manners!

recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 May 2019 02:02 (four years ago) link

I would've rather seen "American Science" be a single than "Skin Trade", because as much as I enjoy "Skin Trade" I find "American Science" a far superior song. But the #1 gem of Notorious is absolutely "Hold Me", which is way too good to be a single. In fact, I feel DD excels with their album tracks and b-sides, not their singles (though I will forever defend the great ones such as "The Reflex", "Ordinary World", and "Union of the Snake").

The Colour of Spring (deethelurker), Saturday, 25 May 2019 21:22 (four years ago) link

Notorious isn't my favourite album of theirs, but I think the production on it has held up very well and it sounds to me that Nile spent a lot of time working with Simon on the vocals for that record.

Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Saturday, 25 May 2019 23:16 (four years ago) link

"American Science" sounds like a Power Station leftover: the use of horns is what I hate about mid eighties use of horns.

recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 26 May 2019 03:30 (four years ago) link

I never thought the Reflex was as good as New Moon on Monday.

the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Sunday, 26 May 2019 04:25 (four years ago) link

Definitely not

Mario Meatwagon (Moodles), Sunday, 26 May 2019 04:26 (four years ago) link

"American Science" sounds like a Power Station leftover: the use of horns is what I hate about mid eighties use of horns.

Nah, it's too poppy to have fit with the Power Station ethos, in spite of the brief Andy Taylor rock guitar riff in the song. Also, re: your remark about the "mid eighties use of horns", you're crazy.

I never thought the Reflex was as good as New Moon on Monday.

Could it be simply that you've never listened to NMOM as much as you've listened to "The Reflex"? Also, while the Nile Rodgers dance remix of "The Reflex" is a little on the cheesy side, the original album mix is pure gold. It's definitely better than NMOM, though not as good as "Union of the Snake", the best single from 7&TRT. BTW, I have very fond associations with that album because my late dad actually sat down with me when I was about 13 - 14 and listened to the album to experience his little girl's favorite musical artist, and had nothing but complimentary things to say about the second half of the album.

The Colour of Spring (deethelurker), Sunday, 26 May 2019 14:10 (four years ago) link

you're crazy

well, sure. What do you mean? I dislike the use of horns as a garish sound effect -- they work quite well, on the other hand, on "Notorious."

recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 26 May 2019 14:13 (four years ago) link

I dig the horns throughout the album: title track, "American Science", "Skin Trade". Lot more tasteful than many of their contemporaries, though I kind of dig tacky horns in the right mood too. The production of Notorious comes off less dated than any of their other 80s albums nowadays, I find

Vinnie, Sunday, 26 May 2019 14:57 (four years ago) link

this is a "dated"-free zone, son.

recriminations from the nitpicking woke (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 26 May 2019 15:14 (four years ago) link

Don't get me wrong, Rio still slays Notorious, even if Rio sounds more of its time. Maybe that's a better phrase to use, I didn't mean "dated" to sound too pejorative

Vinnie, Monday, 27 May 2019 01:07 (four years ago) link

one year passes...

I've been biting my tongue on this since late 2018, it's surreal + exciting to be able to share with you that I've produced the next @duranduran album, which features the ace @grahamcoxon on guitar.

Here is a taster of what we've been up to:
'INVISIBLE' https://t.co/1R89ke287e pic.twitter.com/fPCaqKF4Ov

— erol alkan (@erolalkan) May 19, 2021

groovypanda, Wednesday, 19 May 2021 08:42 (two years ago) link

five months pass...

Surprised how much I'm enjoying the new album. I can't remember the last album they did where I didn't really want to skip a single song. The song with Chai keeps getting stuck in my head.

kitchen person, Saturday, 23 October 2021 02:27 (two years ago) link

Yeah it's quite good, like they balanced out their addiction to guests with creating a pretty solid front to back listen.

Ned Raggett, Saturday, 23 October 2021 02:50 (two years ago) link

Haven't listened to the new album yet but have enjoyed all the singles they released from it beforehand

groovypanda, Saturday, 23 October 2021 06:36 (two years ago) link

I'm loving Future Past. The previous one (Paper Gods) has it's moments but I find it often very in-your-face(-not-in-a-good-way) poppy & like an older band way too desperately trying to sound contemporary. I'm relieved the new one doesn't have that at all. It's very consistent in its high quality. Simon sounds amazing!
Graham Coxon is featured on 9 of the 15 tracks (deluxe edition) and shares songwriting credit. Can they please make him a fulltime member of the band, at least for as long as Blur isn't doing anything?

Can't totally agree with kitchen person's comment though, as 2010's All You Need Is Now might actually be my favourite Duran Duran album.

Valentijn, Sunday, 24 October 2021 14:00 (two years ago) link

two months pass...

DON’T SAVE A PRAYER FOR ME NOW
SAVE IT TILL THE MORNING AFTERRRRRRRR

mardheamac (gyac), Sunday, 2 January 2022 10:50 (two years ago) link

one year passes...

They've gone goth on us

https://duranduran.com/2023/71443/

Ned Raggett, Thursday, 31 August 2023 05:21 (seven months ago) link

Ghost Town, Paint It Black, Spellbound, Psycho Killer... Those who forget the lessons of Thank You are doomed to repeat them

you can see me from westbury white horse, Thursday, 31 August 2023 05:58 (seven months ago) link

Joking of course. I'll certainly listen to it if the preview singles don't put me off.

you can see me from westbury white horse, Thursday, 31 August 2023 05:59 (seven months ago) link

The spectre of Thank You looms large - one of the worst albums I've ever purchased. Cool to see Andy and Warren contributing again, certainly makes me more intrigued to check it out

Vinnie, Thursday, 31 August 2023 09:18 (seven months ago) link

I don't hate Thank You. It's partly silly in a way I can still enjoy and I also think there's some good stuff on there. It makes me happy to hear that Andy and Warren both feature on the new one.

Valentijn, Thursday, 31 August 2023 09:40 (seven months ago) link

they sounded pretty great from outside the Grandstand at the fair last night, now wishing I'd gotten a ticket

soup of magpies (geoffreyess), Saturday, 2 September 2023 02:06 (seven months ago) link

Alas, this would have been the perfect context for a cover of Japan's "Ghosts".

Halfway there but for you, Saturday, 2 September 2023 02:31 (seven months ago) link

chic opened for them in Sacramento, it sounded pretty sweet. Simon still sounds great.

brimstead, Saturday, 2 September 2023 04:34 (seven months ago) link


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