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

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

  1. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Duran Duran timeline:

    Jul 15th 2002: The Devils, featuring Nick Rhodes and original Duran Duran lead singer Stephen Duffy, release the album Dark Circles in the UK to critical acclaim.

    Sep-Dec 02:
    Nick team up with the The Dandy Warhols to produce their new album Welcome To The Monkey House. Simon supplies some backing vocals.

    Apr 03: Duran announces their first tour dates together in eighteen years with the original line up of Simon, Andy, Nick, John and Roger. The first shows (in Japan) go on sale and the renowned 8,000 capacity Budokan Arena in Tokyo sells out in a staggering thirty minutes! A second sell out show at the Budokan is added to the five other dates.

    May 5th: The Dandy Warhols release Welcome To The Monkey House. The album receives critical acclaim and rave reviews for its Duran/Bowie-esque influences – brought to the project by Nick Rhodes’ clean sounding production skills. Aided by this "Planet Earth" homage video for one of its singles:


    May 12th: EMI release Singles Box Set 1981-1985, a thirteen-CD collection of the band’s singles to coincide with the 25th Anniversary.
    [​IMG]

    June: Things are busy for "The Fab Five". They also announce a set of gigs in North America from July to November, which sell out like hot potatoes.

    EMI release re-mastered versions of Duran Duran's Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger; + 2-DVD Greatest compilation containing all of the band’s seminal videos.

    Famed photographer Mario Testino does a photo session with the band for British Vogue, which becomes the first magazine to publish a photo of the reunited band.

    Jul 7th: The Reunion Tour starts in Japan.

    Aug 28th: The band members attend the MTV Video Music Awards in New York as presenters the night after their show at the Ritz, and are surprised with a presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award.

    Sep 26th: Power Station lead singer Robert Palmer dies suddenly in France.

    Oct 2nd: Nile Rodgers presents Duran Duran with The Q Lifetime Achievement Award in London.

    Oct 14th: Duran Duran: Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
    The band plays their first UK show since 1984 as the original lineup to an ecstatic sold-out crowd. Fans camp out at The Forum, in Kentish Town, London; Sky News reports that there were over 200,000 requests for tickets for a venue that could only hold 2,000 people.

    Nov 12th: Power Station drummer Tony Thompson dies of kidney cancer.

    Dec 6th-14th: The band joins pop star Robbie Williams as the special guests on his tour of Australia and New Zealand (December 2003). The first stadium concert in Sydney sells 50,000 tickets in one hour, and a second Sydney date is added because of the demand.

    After playing a couple of gigs in Texas, USA; at the end of Jan 2004 .....

    Feb 2004: Duran return to the Studio in London, where they work with Producers Don Gilmore and Dallas Austin, and re-mixer Jason Nevins.

    Feb 17th: The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) honour the band at their February Awards show, The Brits, with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award. The Award is presented to the band by Justin Timberlake. In its immediate aftermath Greatest CD re-enters the UK chart at a new #3 peak.

    Mar 4th: The band donated "Beautiful Colours" to FIFA, the international governing body for football, to use as its Centennial song. At the awards ceremony for the FIFA 100, honouring the top living footballers, a video of top moments in the sport was accompanied by the song. However, the song would not be one of those that made the final version of the album, despite it being a regular of their reunion live sets.

    Apr 7th- May 1st: The Reunion Tour of Britain & Ireland. (I saw them with Goldfrapp as support on 14th at Wembley Arena, London).

    Jun: After lengthy negotiations the band signed a four-album deal with Epic Records (a subsidiary of Sony BMG Music Entertainment). The songs were given a final polishing with producer Don Gilmore at Sphere Studios in London, and then mixed by Jeremy Wheatley throughout June and July 2004. R&B producer Dallas Austin produced three tracks on the album, and Nile Rodgers' early production work remains on another three.
     
  2. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    We'll can talk more about the six track demo album (which I know I picked up on an "illegal" P2P service). However, as it sort of was released, but not properly released I feel we must discuss ......

    150 Beautiful Colours


    The song was written during demo sessions for the Astronaut album, which began in the south of France in June 2001. The band wrote more than 30 songs during the demo sessions that continued into 2002 and 2003.

    The band set out on a world tour in 2003, playing sold-out dates in Japan, America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Various shows included five of the new songs which were "Beautiful Colours", "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise", "Still Breathing", "Virus", and "What Happens Tomorrow". (It remains the only one of those songs not released officially).

    "Beautiful Colours" didn't make it onto the Astronaut album, but the band donated the track to FIFA, the international governing body for football, to use as its Centennial song. At the football awards ceremony for the FIFA 100, honouring the top living footballers, a video of top moments in the sport was accompanied by the song.
     
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  3. americanscientist

    americanscientist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Beautiful Colors - 4.5/5: Wow. In the pantheon for “How Was This Not A Single?!”

    It’s everything a DD fan wanted in 2004 from the reunion. The live version that was online sounded incredible and looked like it went down really well at the reunion shows.

    Even if the lyrics needed another polish, it was a great groove and an all time chorus. I still hold our hope that they revisit this song and put it out. This one still gets fired up on YouTube once a week.
     
  4. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Beautiful Colours

    I'm completely in the dark on this song...never heard it or heard of it. It's a bit on the generic side, but well done. Is the whole original band on this tune?

    3/5
     
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  5. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    Beautiful Colours 5/5. Got those by downloading. Grand work here, gathering all the aspects that made the original band so great! It should have introduced the IPod rather than Vertigo in the ads!
     
  6. Chris Bernhardt

    Chris Bernhardt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago IL
    Beautiful Colors- Never knew this existed, and I didn't miss anything.
     
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  7. Adegan

    Adegan Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    Beautiful Colours - Great song. I had all the demos and such before the album came out, so it was a bit of a let down that it didn't make it. There are some snippets out there to be aware of and the song in question listed below:
    0:59 Beautiful Colours [Liquid Center Sci Fi Mambo Mix Snippet] <from a clip snippet found on Instagram.com>
    0:43 Beautiful Colours [Alternate Demo Snippet] <from a clip snippet found on YouTube.com>
    1:38 Beautiful Colours [Demo 2004 Excerpt] <confirmed as an excerpt from the Demo 2004 below, from a 2003 SYN 4 track promo acetate CD>
    4:27 Beautiful Colours [Demo 2004]
     
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  8. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Beautiful Colours - yep, the lyric aren’t 100% but it’s a good simple song reminiscent of their RIO period. Salt In The Rainbow requires a mention as well. Lovely song, melody etc, but the lyrics were not right.
    The Fab 5 were back (but just not ready yet)! 4/5
     
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  9. americanscientist

    americanscientist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    The video posted above is a demo from the early reunion sessions. The live version below from 2004 features more prominent Thunder-era guitar from Andy and modified (better) lyrics.




    In the Astronaut EPK, you can hear them working on it with Don Gilmore, so it was definitely in the running for the album.
     
    Last edited: Oct 8, 2019
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  10. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    ==
    They need Andy! His guitar made them great.
     
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  11. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK

    Wow, what could have been! The guitar is a big improvement on the demo. I’m not a fan of that processed sound. In fact, my biggest complaint about Astronaut is how processed it is, especially the first half. Simon’s vocals also appear to have been raised in pitch a little.
     
  12. fictionalsounds

    fictionalsounds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, OK
    the way he left the first time around is reason enough for them to do as they wish. he strung them along and wanted to play watered-down bon jovi lite stuff with himself out front. and then drank/screwed his way off of three opening slots shortly thereafter. believe it was psychedelic furs/david lee roth/heart.
     
  13. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    ==
    Your opinion. Fact is they were never as great without him. Watch Live From London. He makes the band have a soul. The band has treated him poorly. Anyone would leave...
     
  14. fictionalsounds

    fictionalsounds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, OK
    my opinion. true. and you have yours. definitely true.

    for me, live from london isn’t the best example (as i really didn’t like the re-arranged “i don’t want your love” that let him play up some kind of guitar-stomp instead of the original dance/rock track, and that’s just to get started), but i watched as the lights go down recently, and it shows that he could have continued to be an amazing part of the group. the subtle stuff he played in “the seventh stranger,” in particular the simple chiming decending notes that ring after parts of simon’s vocals, showed that he could be part of the team, the greater collective, the five piece/five personality duran duran. they even tried to pull him back in with “we need you.”

    but he didn’t want that in 1986.

    and upon his leaving/dismissal in 2006, i believe john said it as best as possible.

    “Four out of the five of us have rediscovered each other, and realized that we’re the best friends we've ever had. And we’re enormously grateful to have each other in our lives. And there's nobody I'd rather make music with, and I can say the same for the other three. I don't think I could say that for Andy."
     
  15. Surly

    Surly Bon Viv-oh-no-he-didn't

    Location:
    Sugar Land, TX
    I saw that show at The Ritz. It was fantastic. My only time seeing the original 5. I saw the Astronaut tour in Atlanta a couple years later, but Andy was not on that date; I think he had a family emergency or something.
     
  16. Max Florian

    Max Florian Forum Resident

    Unfortunately this 1983-vintage DD fan could largely care less about the reunion, so excuse me if I backtrack just a sec to an interesting tidbit I've found about the Medazzaland track most appear to love here:

    "In 1996 while working on the Duran Duran song, ‘Buried in the Sand,’ he remembered an alap by Khan that he thought would fit perfectly. Cuccurullo secured a contact at Navras Records and cleared the sarangi line".

    Warren Cuccurullo And Ustad Sultan Khan — Six Degrees Records
     
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  17. OhioDuran

    OhioDuran Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati OH
    Wait wait wait.

    We Need You is about Andy? How is it not about Roger??!

    Is there any quotes or anything regarding this??
     
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  18. OhioDuran

    OhioDuran Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati OH
    Also, The Devils album is a fantastic side project. With Stephen Duffy and Nick, if it would have made any commercial impact whatsoever, it would have been addressed on threads like this!! Alas, it was treated by all (record industry, fans, and public) as a niche release and mostly under the radar.
     
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  19. fictionalsounds

    fictionalsounds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, OK
    will do a deeper dive. i believe that the band had accepted the fact that roger needed to leave the band/business, whereas andy just wanted to do something different musically.

    We Need You
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2019
  20. OhioDuran

    OhioDuran Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati OH
    What... is... going... on in this sentence?!?

    It seems like something that should be added on www.whosampled.com
    or in the credits somewhere??
     
  21. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    I was at the Kentish Town Forum gig in London in October 2003 (was it really 16 years ago?) and it was amazing. Perhaps the best Duran gig I’ve ever been to. Andy certainly brought something to the game.
     
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  22. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    The Devils - yes. Why not include this? After all, Duffy was a member, albeit for a short time. If Powerstation are ok to be included (Personally, I don’t think they should have been) then why not The Devils?
     
  23. fictionalsounds

    fictionalsounds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, OK
    also, the power station's first album was included but not "living in fear," even with john getting a co-writing credit on the "living in fear" originals. no big loss.
     
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  24. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Beautiful Colours



    For me the exclusion of this (alongside the nearly as great ballad Salt In The Rainbow (see video above)) which I only think one track on the released album is better from what became Astronaut drives me nuts. Especially when you consider some of the mediocrity, and for me the very worse song DD have committed to an album in their entire career they released on this album. Personally I think this is the very best post Warren DD song. It has a great verse, which builds and builds, and the harmonies that run into that gold dust of a glorious chorus .... Sure the lyrics were not 100% there.

    By doing some search results on Duran Duran Ask Katy. The response to this song seems interesting .... albeit very frustrating to see:

    beautiful colours
    October 8th, 2003
    Hi Katy,Can you or the guys tell me anything about the new song “Beautiful Colors” other than it’s a “signature Duran-sounding pop anthem”? I’m very curious to hear this new song during the upcoming tour. By the way, I’m surprised the guys spelled “Colors” the American way…or was that a type-o in the press release? Thanks!

    THE BAND ARE PLANNING TO PLAY “BEAUTIFUL COLOURS” ON THE UPCOMING TOUR, BUT I THINK THEY WANT YOU TO WAIT TO HEAR WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE…. THE PRESS RELEASE WAS WRITTEN FOR AMERICA, BUT I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE BAND IS NOT YET READY TO RELINQUISH THE “U” IN “COLOURS”

    why certain songs didn't make the album
    August 17th, 2004
    Hi Katy, I suspect you may have received a few questions on this subject. We all fully appreciate that the band has had to be ruthless in selecting the tracks for inclusion on the new album.

    However there have been some new songs already performed live (Virus and Beautiful Colours to name just two), which also deserve to be released.

    Can you please confirm to us whether the band have any plans to release these and any other new tracks as ‘B sides’ on future single releases? Many thanks Katy. Rob W. Essex. UK.

    YES ROB, YOU ARE RIGHT – I GOT MANY, MANY, MANY EMAILS ABOUT THIS TOPIC. I WON’T BE ABLE TO ANSWER EACH INDIVIDUAL EMAIL SINCE WE RECEIVED SO MANY, SO THE BAND WILL ANSWER YOUR QUERY HERE FOR EVERYONE:

    “Simple as it sounds, we have over thirty pieces of music and these were the ones we chose. ‘Virus’ is finished and may well be used for something, but ‘Beautiful Colours’ is not yet completed…. We may come back to it at some time in the future. As for all the others everyone wrote in about, as much as we would have liked, we couldn’t include everything on the CD. The songs that are on the CD were the tracks we thought were the strongest.”

    Beautiful Colours Influenced by…
    May 1st, 2005
    Hi Katy. I know Simon avoids quantifying his lyrics so that folks can pin them down to one set meaning, however, my question may be loosely focused enough for him to answer.

    When composing Beautiful Colours was Simon at all influenced by fractals? For anyone reading this who’s not been introduced to them, fractals (in my understanding) are computer-generated patterns that can represent mathematical concepts in an infinite branching and merging pattern. They are a thing of beauty and one could possibly see in them a cohesive system of life’s symmetry. Trying not to be overly wordy, but check out Arthur C. Clarke’s tv special on them & you’ll see the picture to which my thousand words cannot do justice.

    Thanks for being our window on the band, Katy. Larissa (Ris)

    “Hi. Beautiful Colours only exists as a draft version i.e. there is no proper lyric. s”

    Hidden Tracks? Finding “Virus” & “Beautiful Colours”
    April 15th, 2014
    Hi Katy, “Virus” and “Beautiful Colours” – I am completely in enamored with these two songs. I would love to be able to buy it on either iTunes or the Duran Duran website, as am sure so do many other Duranies. I have reviewed past comments on this topic dating back to 2004/06 about adding these songs to an album. Many years later we now have iTunes and your website where we can purchase to download. Can you please ask the band members if and when this could be a possibility? I am a life long Duranie since 1981 and have enjoyed each experience of their music. Helene – Melbourne, Australia

    “Hello Helene. “Virus” seems to be available on iTunes, at least in certain countries. It was a bonus track on some International versions of the ASTRONAUT album. However, “Beautiful Colours” is not available because it was never included in any of the official releases. We felt, at that time, that there was room for improvement, so we decided not to release it. Somehow, in this digital world, it is difficult to hide things in the vault, so we’re aware a version of the song is floating around in the cyber-ether. There are no plans, right now, to make it officially available. The Band”

    5.0/5
     
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  25. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    151 (Reach Up for The) Sunrise
    [​IMG]


    "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" is a song recorded by English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released as the lead single from their eleventh studio album, Astronaut (2004) and their 31st single overall (release date 4th October 2004). It was the first single since "A View to a Kill" in 1985 to feature all five of the original members of the band. Upon release, the song debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, giving the band their fourteenth top-ten hit in their native country. It was highly successful in Italy, where it reached number two, as well as in Denmark and Spain, peaking at number six in both countries. In the United States, the single topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, Duran Duran's third and last song to do so. However it stalled at USA #89 on the Billboard Hot 100. It failed to chart in Canada, and peaked at Australia #22. And reach a lowly #32 in Ireland.

    The video was directed by Michael and Mark Polish (aka the Polish Brothers), and featured each band member on their own journey across various landscapes, only to be joined together on a stage before an intense sunrise for the chorus.
    Each band member's storyline was filmed in a different film or digital format, creating a very different look for each set of scenes. Several versions of the video were made available on the Internet, with each version focusing on the storyline of one band member.

    The band plays the Jason Nevins version live in concert. Jason has co-production credit, to which he is credited in the liner notes on the album.

    Duran Duran
    Additional musicians
    Production
    • Don Gilmore – producer, engineer
    • Duran Duran – producer
    • Nile Rodgers – vocal producer
    • Jason Nevins – additional producer, programming, engineer, mixer
    • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing
    • Daniel Mendez – engineer
    • Francesco Cameli – assistant engineer
    • Leon Zervos – mastering
     
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