Duran Duran - song-by-song rate & discussion thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Blame The Machines, May 5, 2019.

  1. Paul Rymer

    Paul Rymer Forum Resident

    Albums changed for the US market - Adam & The Ants "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" included a couple of b-sides but dropped The Human Beings.
    Japan didn't have "Polaroids" or "Tin Drum" released in the US (unlike in Canada) - a combination of the two was released instead.
    Simple Minds albums were similarly altered. New Musik had a combination of their first 2 albums released.
     
  2. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    Should be a punishable offence for crimes against music

    Also IIRC Rio was remixed for the US market
     
  3. Colocally

    Colocally One Of The New Wave Boys

    Location:
    Surrey BC.
    Yes, since coming to Canada I have been collecting a lot of late 70s and early 80s albums and there are lots of track differences. When I first played a North American copy of Vienna and it didn't start off with Astradyne, I wondered what was going on.
     
  4. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    theres is small list of them here;
    Albums where two countries' versions should have been combined for CD release

    later
    -1
     
  5. Scott Davies

    Scott Davies Forum Resident

    Plenty, Classix Nouveaux, Pete Shelley, Fingerprintz...
     
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  6. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Night Boat - As other have mentioned.... The first two instrumental minutes of this brooding, eerie, slightly ominous synth pop track are stunning. The biggest disappointment is Simon's amateur dramatic vocals on the studio version. Hence, I'm scoring this 3.5/5

    The frustrating thing was even at the time it sounded better live:


    Duran Duran - Night Boat (Old Grey Whistle Test 07/07/1981)
     
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  7. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Today's track is .....

    010 Sound Of Thunder



    "Sound of Thunder" is a song by Duran Duran, released on the band's debut album Duran Duran by Capitol-EMI on the 15 June 1981.

    The song was originally a poem by Simon Le Bon, written in his lyric book about a man who creates WWIII. The poem was put to song the night he joined the band in 1980, when he realized he had a poem that fitted well with the music already written by the band.

    In 1981, a promo single of "Sound of Thunder" was released in the UK, backed with "Tel Aviv" and "Anyone Out There" (which was also previously released as a promo single).
     
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  8. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Sound of Thunder

    A more experimental DD tune, again not something I'd regularly spin but works well in context of the album. Strong performances from all on here too.
     
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  9. Colocally

    Colocally One Of The New Wave Boys

    Location:
    Surrey BC.
    I have always felt, and revisiting the album bolsters my thoughts, that Side 1 is a stratosphere above side two. There is only one song on side two which really grabs me, whereas I find all of side one enjoyable.
    Night Boat and Sound of Thunder are quite forgettable as Duran Duran tracks go. I find Late Bar would have fit much better on this album and is a lot more memorable as a song. I think that they could have maybe re-sequenced the album so that it wasn't so front loaded with hits.
     
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  10. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    Sound of Thunder - another awesome song, great lyrics, and cool beat.
    yes, simon is way off key here also, but who cares. i like it : 5/5

    they had a lot of energy, great harmonies, and the rock side of it
    works well with the synth sounds too.

    Again, another lost opportunity for a single or a remix, i like this fanedit.


    here's an official live version:
    Sound Of Thunder (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 17th December 1981)

    later
    -1
     
  11. Scott Davies

    Scott Davies Forum Resident

    I love Sound Of Thunder. It always sounded like a should-have-been single to me. I considered it part of a trilogy with Planet Earth and Careless Memories because each song was built around a variation of that clicky sound that runs throughout each song.
     
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  12. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    Sound of Thunder - 4/5. Starts off great but kind of meanders on without impact!
     
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  13. RobRoyF

    RobRoyF Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southland
    Sound of Thunder

    Decent album track. I always enjoyed this one.


    4/5
     
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  14. AFOS

    AFOS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brisbane,Australia
    Sound Of Thunder ***

    Okay album track but not one of the best
     
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  15. Sea Within a Sea

    Sea Within a Sea Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Can't believe some don't like "Sound of Thunder"! It's always been one of my very favorite DD tracks. This paired with "Friends of Mine" rivals anything on Side One, to me. If "Tel Aviv" and "Night Boat" were better than just "okay" (to me) then this album would rank even higher than Rio, which is one of my favorite albums by anyone.

    My only question: why the hell has Simon been in the grass for ten hours?
     
  16. mr_spenalzo

    mr_spenalzo Forum Resident

    Waiting for the sound of thunder. He didn't have a lot or hobbies, so he waited for boats, sounds... The next line offers a big clue: "my mouth isn't dry". He's been drinking again.
     
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  17. Sea Within a Sea

    Sea Within a Sea Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    You know, I've had this album for nearly 40 years and I'd NEVER considered that two back-to-back songs are about Simon waiting for something. We should rename this "The Waiting Album."

    Still, ten hours is a bit excessive.
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2019
    RevolutionDoctor likes this.
  18. mr_spenalzo

    mr_spenalzo Forum Resident

    Maybe it was peer pressure because in the next song he concludes his friends were a waste of time.
     
  19. Paul Rymer

    Paul Rymer Forum Resident

    Sound Of Thunder - I think I read that this was the first song that the 5 piece Duran put together and played live as a complete piece in rehearsal. This was a number that went down really well live back in the classic era, along with Hold Back The Rain. In retrospect it isn't exactly the most sophisticated song they ever released, or even on the debut album, but for the happy memories and energy I have to give it 5/5.
     
  20. mr_spenalzo

    mr_spenalzo Forum Resident

    Sound Of Thunder ★★
    This was always my least favourite song on the debut, and it's now two songs in a row where Simon's the weak link. Even when I was twelve and could hardly speak or understand English I felt these lyrics were a bit off, and so are his vocals (particularly at the "I might fly off" bit). I once got into an argument with a Duranie when I said I hoped they wouldn't play the song because it's sh!t. She disagreed.
     
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  21. SJP

    SJP Forum Resident

    Location:
    Anaheim
    Sound Of Thunder is a slightly less-than-solid song on a strong album. Not a dud but certainly the weak link. No dislike here, just holding the song to a higher standard as demonstrated throughout this debut. 3.25/5
     
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  22. Chris Bernhardt

    Chris Bernhardt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago IL
    Man that rhythm section is good. It just reminds me how John Taylors bass playing retreated into the mix once Roger Taylor left, and it took a long time for him to come out again.
     
  23. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Sound Of Thunder 4/5

    Another great song on that album. Can't say anything else.
    Quote of the day! "Amateur dramatic vocals" just made me laugh out loud. Not on a Birmingham night bus but a Berlin subway train! Ace!! :righton:
     
  24. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Sound Of Thunder - For me this is the weakest track on their debut album. It is far from a bad track (we all know they plunged to some very low depths throughout their lengthy & varied back catalogue), but more for two reasons: 1. It lacks the mysterious avant-garde/electronic rock of the previous two tracks on the album (& the instrumental to come), and comes across as a failed attempt to compose a catchy pop tune that might be single worthy. 2. With hindsight it feels like the prototype to a track on their next studio album (see video medley below). Yet again the three Taylor's sound great on this, but the top line medley lets this down a bit. 3.0/5

     
  25. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Next up:

    011 Friends Of Mine



    "Friends of Mine" is a song by Duran Duran, released on the band's debut album Duran Duran by Capitol-EMI on the 15 June 1981.

    Written by Duran Duran, the song was produced by Colin Thurston and recorded during December 1980 at EMI's Manchester Square Studios in London, UK. A demo track was made on the 8 December, which is available on the Duran Duran: Special Editions album released in 2010.

    The BBC recorded "Friends of Mine" on 16 January 1981 for the Richard Skinner Sessions radio show to be aired at a later date. Duran Duran also performed the track on the BBC Saturday morning TV show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop that aired on 27 February 1981 in the UK.

    The band performed the song during The Careless Memories Tour in 1981, and was a regular on their live set throughout their "Fab Five" days (1981-84). It has been revived in concert sporadically since 1999.

    George Davis was the 1970s Kent born armed robber who became known through a successful campaign by friends and supporters (such as The Who's Roger Daltrey) to free him from prison after his wrongful conviction in March 1975 for an armed payroll robbery at the London Electricity Board (LEB) offices in Ilford, Essex, on 4 April 1974.
     

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