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

"Midnight Sun"
4/5

This continues the melancholy, ethereal vibe of "Michael" quite nicely. Love the melody. Although I have the CD, I never read the booklet since the chaotic design made it a bit difficult to read (are the lyrics to this track included in the booklet?). As such, I had no idea about the "Cartoon coyote eternity" line! The longer demo with the epic guitar solo at the end is interesting and reminds me a bit of the coda on "Ordinary World." I still prefer the official version though; the subtle, almost unfinished sound of it lends the song a mysterious quality that fits the album's general mood better IMO.

 

Inspired by Wile E Coyote falling off a cliff.

 

Midnight Sun. 5/5. This song holds the spirit of Duran and sealed the deal for me that they were back writing songs for themselves again, though a few later songs would find them trying to appease younger folk without results. Yet, this song has a wonderful spirit. Love it!

 

Hahaha! Yes, I guess it ties in with the "falling" lyrics.

 

Midnight Sun:

Wow, this is good. Almost like a DD tune from the 80's. Played on Mars. Simon is writing a lot about alienation on that album, is he? There's no way this is not about John, right? That's a bit like Fleetwood Mac. Writing a song about someone and letting them play on it.

Still a beautiful number. And it reminds me again how annoying it is that the only "Medazzaland" vinyl edition is a Dutch bootleg.

4/5

 

I don't have a whole lot to say about this stretch. I like Medazzaland a lot and there are no low points for me.

"Who Do You Think You Are" was a nice change of pace for Duran Duran at the time, a bit of a raw sound clearly influenced by alternative rock. (I know I keep saying that.) Despite the directness of the lyrics and the simplicity of the song, it's never what comes to mind when I get the itch to listen to Medazzzland. That said I do think I could have seen the label (or rather a different, better one) promoting this. 3.5/5

"Be My Icon" is a nice slice of complex electronic rock ca. 1997, with verses that build and a great chorus hook. And the meaning is clear but not heavy handed. This is a high point on the album for me, and launches a string of "side two" album cuts that helps define the greatness of the record. I had an MP3 of "Butt Naked" once, I remember it being similar, likable, and a little less commercial. 4.5/5

"Buried in the Sand" is an unusual, exotic sound for Duran Duran. The music is lush and compelling; it could go on for 15 more minutes. 4/5

"Michael You've Got a Lot to Answer For" is raw, even delicate, but I like slow Duran lushness and this is something different. And despite my INXS fandom (which had been pretty strong in their heyday but petered out by the mid-90s), I never really connected to this song emotionally, so in the end it carries a hint of blandness for me. 3.5/5

"Midnight Sun" is a glorious production; do you hear Doors influence? The density and tone are easy to get lost in, and it really benefits from repeated plays. 4/5

I like the end of the album. No drop-off for me.

 

Midnight Sun

A glorious brooding melancholic track. The lyrics and vocals perfectly fit the mood of the song. It sounds like a cross between the Doors & OK Computer era Radiohead. For me this was the album's slow burner. Where one day I realized how good and powerful it was.

4.5/5

 

136 So Long Suicide


"So Long Suicide" is a song by Duran Duran, released on the album Medazzaland by Capitol-EMI-Virgin on the 14 October 1997.

The rock song was written as a reaction to the death of Kurt Cobain and others which certainly explains why it adapted the quiet verses & loud choruses. It features John Taylor on bass (& Anthony J. Resta on live drums) before he left the band in January 1997.

There was an alternative near identical demo version available with a longer intro.

 

Midnight sun- really nice melody . Simon's pretty great on this record in general.

so long suicide- good to rock it up after the ballads.

 

Midnight Sun

It's good but I think it would work better as a straight forward "Ordinary World" type song instead of the off kilter music.

3/5

 

So Long Suicide

I guess their heart was in the right place...

1/5

 

So Long Suicide - For a long time this didn’t much for me but after the recent revisit I quite like this. The chorus is chaotic and weirdly, it reminds me a bit of “Dirty Great Monster” from their 2007 album Red Carpet Massacre. The verses are sweet. Again, it could do with a remix. 4/5

 

I listened this on headphones last night (previously I heard it via my iPad speakers). It’s a little treble-ley and rough around the edges. Still, I like the clear separation of the instruments and vocals.

 

So Long Suicide. 5/5. Love the continuous vibe of darkness in this album. In a way, this album is Arcadia’s dark little brother that is disenchanted by society. Remember playing this song for non- Duranies. Changed their opinion. Nick really shines on this album. Too bad he resorts to gimmicks and noises. He is in his realm here.

 

So Long Suicide - 2.5/5: This is the where the album drops off for me. One mid tempo ballad too many at this point in the tracklist. The song would have benefitted from another mix as this one is too flat. With that being said, the dip in quality is not as steep as 911 is a Joke on Thank You or Drowning Man on the Wedding Album.

 

Midnight Sun 4.5/5

It would have been 5/5 if the cartoon coyote eternity reference hadn't been there.
It's a very original and funny reference but I don't think it fits in the song.

So Long Suicide 4/5

 

Midnight Sun - 4/5

The melody is pure Rio 2.0 (the ballads on that album, that is). Medazzaland is, to my ears, way more Rio than All You Need Is Now on the overall quality front.
I like the Radiohead-y arrangement of this version (I also like, but not prefer, the Wedding Album-style demo with that nice coda) but I always thought that little cello break was a bit cheesy - I don't know, just like it's something that was very predictable back then (the cello was beginning to be a bit overused in pop music ever since the "unplugged" fashion).
The music of this song is very visual, so much so that I don't have problems with visualising Wile Coyote's fall - it's a hazy fall, in slow motion.

Yes, it'd be interesting to hear the album remixed, but I don't think it's necessary - it's not a defect, it's one of the features that goes hand in hand with the songs. Medazzaland is murky, and that's ok.

So Long Suicide - 5/5

It's taken me some time to take a liking to this song, as I don't have much affinity for grunge, pre-grunge, or post-grunge in general. However (and that may be a distinctive feature of the whole Medazzaland album, as opposed to many other DD albums past or present), the song as such - the "message", if you will - is so strong that I've grown to love it in a big way. I think it's a lost anthem, one that should have been sung at DD concerts with one's fist in the air. Oh well. It's very much Ordinary World II as far as the subject matter. I like the raggedy grungey production, complete with those customary '90s snare fills*. Simon gets the message across as passionately as ever on this album.

*everyone was using back then. Come to think, a nifty parallel: in the same year (1997) my favourite David Byrne solo album was released, Feelings, that also features a (post-)grunge song, "The Civil Wars", with those same '90s snare fills - and played by Sterling Campbell

 

So Long Suicide



I think the verses are magnificent the way Simon's hymn on the phone sound matches the quiet texture of guitar & synths. The band sounds great on this. Warren & Nick really did bring the best out of each other on this album musically (even if that was ultimately to the detriment of John & caused the disengagement of Simon). Simon's very powerful lyrics comparing his life situation to Kurt Cobain's certainly deserved far more acclaim than they did receive. The choruses don't quite work so well musically, as it nearly falls into grunge like bombast, but just about pull it off. The bridge of the song is great too.

4.5/5

 

So we come to the final track of the album (proper):

137 Undergoing Treatment


"Undergoing Treatment" is a song by Duran Duran, released on the album Medazzaland by Capitol-EMI-Virgin on the 14 October 1997.

Written by Duran Duran, the song was produced by TV Mania. Anthony J. Resta - drums.

The lyrics of "Undergoing Treatment" have a go at the media and press, written during a period when the band believed they weren't taken seriously and they were easy targets for criticism.

Many of Nick's lyrics were taken directly from a 1995 review in Q Magazine of Duran Duran doing a live Promo gig & its one star (out of 5 review) for the Thank You album.

 

Undergoing Treatment. 3.5/5. When I first bought this, I used to turn it off. Then, one day I listened. It’s actually quite entertaining. Love the anarchy here!

 

Undergoing Treatment

Works well in context of the album, but not a great tune on it's own.

2/5

 

Not the best song on the album but a good track all the same. It’s got a bit of a 911 is a joke vibe to it (intentional perhaps) but I prefer this. 3/5

 

Undergoing Treatment -3/5: Love the lyrics and the slamming door effect at the end, but it’s a very minor song on this underrated album. I also hear the Beck overtones from their cover of 911 is a Joke in this one.

Overall, it has been fun re-discovering Medazzaland via this thread after sleeping on it for 22 years. Not a lost masterpiece but there is some essential listening for DD fans on this album.

I’m dreading Pop Trash though...Astronaut can’t come soon enough.

 

I'll give "Undergoing Treatment" a 3/5 as well. Fun way to close out an overlooked album.

 

Midnight Sun
Perfect. The album version is way better than the others, in my book. The way it ends - "and I'll always know how to find you; 'cos you shine like the midnight sun" is perfect.

5/5