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

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

  1. OhioDuran

    OhioDuran Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cincinnati OH
    Undergoing Treatment
    It's... ok. I don't want to hear it a lot, but it's fine. It reminds me of when Sting tries something hip. It doesn't quite work.

    2/5
     
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  2. captainsolo

    captainsolo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Murfreesboro, TN
    Well at least I made it back before Medazzaland was completely done! Here I go playing catch up again:

    Diamond Dogs-It's fine but by removing the tempo of the original it turns this cover into a lifeless feeling track. Upon closer examination it's actually pretty good so a solid 3/5 for me.

    Out of My Mind-Brilliant song, horribly forgotten track in the catalog. 5/5 I hadn't really heard the Perfecto mix very much but the album version to me is far superior. I think the only downside is that the sound is a bit congested as others pointed out. I even enjoy it over the end credits of The Saint. (which I remember seeing theatrically and a film that still needs a Blu-ray with the original ending!)
    Silva Halo-A great transitional piece with a great darkness. 4/5
    Sinner or Saint-Since I only have the promo 1 track OOMM single CD, this one was lesser known for me for a long time. Despite my love for the 97 film this song doesn't exactly fit its vibe and I can see why the production went with OOMM. In fact the "music from" CD is still one of if not the best ever done for a film in the 90's and is like a best of alt/electronica sampler CD. Still this song has energy which isn't constant in the album. 3.5/5
    Electric Barbarella-One of the band's all time classics. A quirky self referential masterpiece. The best love song ever about a love robot-and the thing is you always know that the story is on a self-deprecating level of say "Be My Girl/Sally" whilst literally showing the madness of enrapture with the unreal facade of techno-beauty. This is without a doubt one of the best songs of the band's entire career on multiple levels. 5/5!!!!!!
    Medazzaland-
    A brilliant opener that pefectly sets up the album, themes and sonic landscape in the same way that "Zoo Station" opens Achtung Baby. 5/5 Then we segue perfectly into:
    Big Bang Generation-I agree with Machines that this is the most commercial oriented track and a great performance from this iteration of the band. It's a bit weird in construction which might make it a hard sell but my only issue is that the production/mix is a bit thin. It plays better live and sound great when I saw them on the Pop Trash tour. 4.5/5
    Who Do You Think You Are?-At first it doesn't sound like it's going to be all that much but when you kick into the chorus it's full on. 3.5/5
    Be My Icon-An experimental track that seems to work for me. 3.5/5
    Buried in the Sand-Another one that just manages to hit the right buttons for me. 4/5
    Michael You've Got A Lot To Answer For?-This song has much more power when you know more of the backstory. It's a very heartfelt song that is more of a personal note than a big ballad or something. 4/5
    Midnight Sun-I like the idea of this but it hasn't ever done a whole lot for me against other songs I prefer on this album. 3.5/5
    So Long Suicide-The move to amp the energy back up at this point was spot on but it is a bit of a dirge after several downer tracks. 3.5/5
    Undergoing Treatment-A quirky way o end the album and get a bit back at their critics. 3.5/5

    As for the album:
    It took me years to get a copy on my own and the lack of distribution was criminal. I adore the art and appreciate how they went all out in terms of using and abusing their own iconography. I loved finding the defaced Rio portrait for the first time. A bit of loudness could be dialed back in a new issue.
    Medazzaland without a doubt to me is DD doing their own Achtung Baby-but in their own way.
    Both this and Pop Trash are the unfairly forgotten and maligned records in their canon. I can never decide which I prefer. I had PT for years (because my mom bought it prior to seeing them on tour) before getting Medazzaland. (which I had to track down in used bins in my teen years) I think Medazzaland is perhaps more across the board great while PT has really, really great highs and some okay tracks. Unfortunately it got virtually no distribution and even more loudness applied.





     
  3. HeavensAbove

    HeavensAbove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento
    "So Long Suicide"
    3.5/5

    Nice track. Fits in with the dark overtone of the album, but with a defiantly life affirming message within the big anthemic chorus, as if DD was fighting back against the murk that surrounded them.


    "Undergoing Treatment"
    3/5

    My least favorite track on the album, but it serves its purpose as Medazzaland's closing statement. I look at it more as an interlude/epilogue than a proper song, like "Medazzaland" and "Silva Halo." Reminds me of their cover of "911 is a Joke."


    No track on Medazzaland rates lower than a 3/5 for me, making it one of DD's most consistently enjoyable albums. Never thought I'd be saying those words a few weeks ago, having long dismissed the dusty copy of Medazzaland languishing on my shelf as a weak entry in DD's discography, along with Thank You and Pop Trash. Thanks to the reassessment inspired by this thread, I have discovered a new favorite DD album. This ranks up there with the debut, Rio, and Arcadia - So Red The Rose as one of DD's finest sets of tunes, IMO.
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
  4. RevolutionDoctor

    RevolutionDoctor Forum Resident

    Location:
    Gent, Belgium
    Undergoing Treatment 4/5

    I like the guitar riff. It's DD's reply to their critics. (in the booklet of the CD you can see a part of a bad review for Thank You).

    Great way to close the album. The band must have thought that too because the japanese bonus track, which probably is the next song on this thread, was inserted into the tracklist instead of being added to it at the end.

    I also believe the track was played over the PA after the concert when the audience was leaving the venue when the band toured Medazzaland in the States. (But never actually performed live in concert)
     
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  5. Adegan

    Adegan Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    And here's the last of the versions out there:

    4:37 So Long Suicide [Album Version]
    4:16 So Long Suicide [Alternate Mix]|(Demo)<from MEDAZZALAND a Virgin 'Ezee Tape To Tape' advanced tape>
    4:11 So Long Suicide [Coat Demo Instrumental]|[Instrumental]|Can-Can <recorded in Privacy from inside of a coat pocket>

    3:03 Undergoing Treatment [Album Version]
    0:57 Undergoing Treatment [Coat Demo Instrumental Snippet] <recorded in Privacy from inside of a coat pocket>

    Now, I'll chime in with a few cents of my own on this album. Like I'd stated before, with the song Out of My Mind, I was really looking forward to this release of this album. I was unaware of any demo versions back then, so naturally I didn't know what to expect. When Electric Barbarella came out I was like, "Ok, it's interesting" and then there were the slew of remixes for it, the promotion and the cheeky video for the song. I managed to get the Japanese copy of the album from the Virgin Megastore in Paris while I was backpacking around Europe at the time. I couldn't wait to hear it! When I did, I was a bit let down. Maybe it was the newness of the album and traveling that I didn't have a proper sit down to absorb it. The someone who I'd considered a friend back then had criticized me for something I'd said. Mind you, it wasn't anything extreme that I'd said or outlandish beyond reason. Our relationship became strained and he decided to have a dig at me by quoting lyrics from Buried In The Sand. Ouch. All of that coupled with the laziness, to me, of the artwork (see Paper Gods) and overall theme of the album made it hard for me to really warm up to and give it a chance, so it ranks down there with Liberty. Maybe in time I'll find an evening when I'm not doing anything, I'll put on a pair of headphones, clear my mind and listen to the album.
     
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  6. omikron

    omikron Avid contributor to Paul McCartney's bank account

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    Michael You’ve Got A Lot To Answer For: 5/5 God this is a beautiful song. It’s all in Simon’s voice. I like how this track is devoid of vocal filters and effects like the rest of the album. It's just pure and tends to stand out because of how sparse it is. Yet it also fits nicely on the album.


    Midnight Sun: 5/5 Another unorthodox melody that I really love. A nice slow but strong syncopated drum ties this song together. I particularly like the “cartoon coyote” line and that little guitar riff Warren fits in there. Yes I do like that bit. The song has an interesting end with an effect-free Simon vocal and a quite bed of sound effects.


    So Long Suicide: 4/5 A Curt Cobain send-off as well as an affirmation of life for the rest of us. A fantastically quiet ending to this song: “And after all . . . we are just human.”


    Undergoing Treatment: 5/5 More awesome lyrics in this nod to the trappings of stardom. Some of my favorite ever by them. “If you see me walking in the garden, don’t ever ask for an autograph. If you ever catch me in the arcade, don’t even stop me for a photograph.” Brilliant. The going-in-circles tempo is like them bumping into each other in their straitjackets at the funny farm.
     
  7. Chris Bernhardt

    Chris Bernhardt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago IL
    Undergoing Treatment- an eclectic ending to a eclectic record.

    There is enough production tricks/ techniques in Medozzaland to keep things interesting although I agree with others that some tunes get murky. Medozzaland is a pretty strong set of songs . My memory served me well as being one of the upper tier Duran records. I remember liking Pop Trash quite a bit as well , so looking forward to hearing it.
     
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  8. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Preview: One of my top 5 best DD songs is on it!
     
  9. RTW

    RTW Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago
    I also don’t see the obvious dip in quality everyone tends to cite going from Medazzaland to Pop Trash. I look forward to seeing if this thread helps anyone reevaluate it.
     
  10. fictionalsounds

    fictionalsounds Forum Resident

    Location:
    Norman, OK
    as a lurker who has enjoyed reading everyone's input and information (would be participating if I had found the thread earlier on), I am looking forward to seeing which one that is!
     
  11. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
    Undergoing Treatment

    An eclectic Beck's Odelay album on drugs sounding track with Nick's hilariously catty lyrics on the trappings of fame in the musdic industry that would give the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant a run for his money:



    Still a great way to close a really strong and consistent album.

    4.0/5
     
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  12. Blame The Machines

    Blame The Machines Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Swindon
  13. Curveboy

    Curveboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    Ball and Chain

    Never heard this one...rather simple and sounds like a decent b-side. Like the middle break down a lot.

    2/5
     
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  14. HeavensAbove

    HeavensAbove Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento
    I have nearly the same exact reaction. 2/5 for me. The drum break makes the song interesting. Otherwise, not as good as the tracks from the main album, IMO.
     
  15. negative1

    negative1 80s retro fan

    Location:
    USA
    Same with this and 'thank you' (although there were low scores in there)
    and it does rank lower than liberty here.

    i would have given almost every single track on this a 1/5 or 0.5/5 but didn't care
    to comment. i love electric barberella, and out of my mind, but i've never cared
    for the rest.

    same with people that don't like these tracks, you're not going to hear much
    from them saying the same thing over and over again.

    numbers only tell part of the story.

    later
    -1
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2019
  16. Harry S. Anchan

    Harry S. Anchan Well-Known Member

    Their best song EVER - "Save A Prayer". The video filmed in Sri Lanka is one of my all-time faves.
     
  17. Bluepicasso

    Bluepicasso Android Confused

    Location:
    Arlington, Va
    Ball and Chain. 2.5/5. Glad they left this abomination off the album in the US. Is it a song or just a guitar strum? The question burns. Nick does good highlights though. It's clearly an afterthought or a non-thought.
     
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  18. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Ball and Chain - they must have knocked that one out in half an hour. I don’t like anything about it and I’m glad it was just a bonus on the Japanese album. 1/5
     
  19. americanscientist

    americanscientist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Ball and Chain - 1/5: sounds like an aborted cover of Lust for Life from the Thank You sessions. Very happy it was relegated to a bonus cut as it well below the quality of the rest of Medazzaland.
     
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  20. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    So Long Suicide:

    The intro riff always reminds me of a slowed down "Wild Thing" and generally there's a lot of stuff going on in these four minutes. Very much like a very stuffed attic. But I love it, there are so many associations from early Simon & Garfunkel to "Seeds Of Love" era Tears For Fears. Nice one!
    4/5
     
  21. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Undergoing Treatment:

    Now that would have been a single! :biglaugh:
    Guess I can't add much, as outro it's fitting but as standalone song it's a bit throwaway. I mean....

    3/5 (in the context of "Medazzaland")
     
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  22. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Spoiler: Are you talking about "Someone Else Not Me"? :angel:
     
  23. Max Florian

    Max Florian Forum Resident

    He must be thinking about “The Sun Doesn’t Shine Forever”.
     
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  24. Guapito

    Guapito Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    God, I hope not.
     
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  25. Chris Bernhardt

    Chris Bernhardt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago IL
    Ball and Chain- Never heard it before. Liked it.
     
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