Duran Duran: Classic or Dud?

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

uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhh...

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

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

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

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*

PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS A COVER

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

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.

Kate, you mean this?

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

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

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*

Premise: The boys are apparently leading a revolution in a small European town. Their cause is aided by handing out flyers, an old woman using an Apple IIe computer, and Andy & Roger flying a kite. For no obvious reason a guy in face paint starts acting out something on a stage, and that shows up a couple times. By the end people have lit their torches and fireworks while police on horseback do just about nothing. The whole band coems together and begins jumping at the end.

Based out of the movie "Arena". The video begins showing a post-apocalyptic setting of school desks, with the few students breathing fire. For awhile we see a video screen (like the one in "The Reflex") showing Simon, Andy & John performing in individual shots, with a robotic sculpted head nearby observing the action. When the second verse arrives, the video changes to color, creature-humans appear, and Simon is now strapped to a windmill that churns through a pool. the creatures move around the video set, flying, dancing, crawling, tossing firey ropes and riding elevators. A white funnel moves through the set, while Simon falls off the windmill and is nearly killed by a pirhana-like creature. A photographer walks through a nearly-empty set, then we see Nick in a cage with lots of computers. Andy, strapped up in the air, fights off other creatures with his guitar, and Simon pulls some into the pirhana lake. John is strapped to the top of an upright car, forced to watch images of himself on the video screen. Roger is in an airborne chair, fighting off still more creatures. Simon, now on dry land, nearly takes a mysterious hand before the video ends with the creatures dancing, video clips of old Duran videos, the "Wild Boys" video and other tv clips, and ends with Dr. Duran Duran himself (from the movie "Barbarella") laughing (there are clips from "Barbarella" interspersed throughout the video).

The video takes place at the Eiffel Tower, and integrates footage from a chase scene in the James Bond film of the same name. It starts with Roger being transported from the front of a truck to the rear cabin, where he enters a chair and launches a spy camera (an image of a minicam that flies across the screen). Simon is on one level of the tower with a Walkman, John is looking through a telescope, Andy is a blindman with an accordian, and Nick is conducting a fashion shoot. Simon's Walkman allows him to blow up a helicopter and blimp (scenes taken from the film). Nick uses his camera for spying, and John uses a gun disguised as a gun to shoot down one of the flying cameras. Andy uses the accordian to kill off Nick (something goes off in Nick's ear, then his camera explodes). At the end, a woman comes up to Simon, asks who he is, and he replies "Bon, Simon Le Bon". Her tug on his arm causes him to enter a code in the Walkman to blow up the Eiffel Tower -- which leads to a shot of a postcard of the tower blowing up.

The phrase 'a gun disguised as a gun' is such beauty.

Its the only album where I felt hurt and violated from having to heard.

Favorite DD album tracks: I know I've said elsewhere that Rio is great for it's non-singles, so search all of those.

Has anyone picked up the Singles 81-85 box, with replica sleeves of all the original artwork? It's a thing of immense beauty.

It's a shame that people are completely ignoring Thank You. For one, yes, the cover of "White Lines" is lovely. It's a great crowd-pleaser at concerts! Secondly, I think the cover of "Watching the Detectives" is at least as good as the original (i.e. the Elvis Costello version). Third, I love what the band did with "The Chauffeur" with their original, "Drive By". Fourth, I do quite like the cover of "Thank You" and "Crystal Ship", because with those songs you can tell how into classic rock Simon really was and still is, going at least as far back as his first interviews (where he mentions how much he loves Led Zeppelin). Finally, I do like the cover of "Lay Lady Lay". Sure, the rest may be a bit confounding, but it's certainly unexpected and that is, from my perspective, quite good.

Kate, you mentioned the Lovely Blue Planet of There before -- I'm addicted to that site! I love reading horribly bad fan fiction, and you can't get much cringingly worse than the slashfic. Sometimes, though, some of the regular fanfic is quite nice. You know the Nikkolys series? I like that. Have you written fanfic before? If so, what are some of the ones I might know?

It's fantastic! I might have to eat it!

That is the greatest album review in the history of mankind, what the fuck? I have literally sat here for 10 minutes laughing at this, and not just because I'm drunk, honestly.

On B-sides: the one B-side of theirs everyone should hear is Secret Oktober, found on Union Of The Snake and much better than anything on Seven And The Ragged Tiger.

*spins around, falls to floor*

God, if you're listening, I want to look like Simon LeBon for just one day, please, please, please...

Only real spunk in Duranduran lookslwise was Roger Taylor.

John Taylor was the first male heartthrob of every lesbian I know. Work that out for yourself.

In defense of Thank You, however, it should be noted that Elvis Costell and Lou Reed both love Duran's cover versions. I think it the artist likes your cover, then everyone else can fuck off.

Oh, and between Arcadia and Power Station, I vote Arcadia. It was Nick Rhodes in the "Election Day" video that propelled my 12-year-old-self to the chemist's for black hair dye for the very first time. But, erm, in terms of musical purity, Power Station wins. Bernard Edwards making JT play until his fingers bleed beats backing vocals from Sting and Grace Jones any day.

GIMME GIMME GIMMEEEEE!!!