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

Negative1, as a Duran completionist, I love the info you're posting. I need to copy and archive it all. Great data!

 

Lonely In Your Nightmare ****1/2

Just out of curiosity is the US remix of Rio available on CD?

 

By the time of Rio the versions and remixes and edits get insanely convoluted.

HLTW and Rio are both signature songs, both all time greats and best IMO on the original album versions. 5/5 for both obviously.

I really dislike all the Kershenbaum tracks being forced on the US and for some reason all the American vinyl is just terrible sounding. I’ve never gotten a UK original but the Japanese LP is in my top 10 best sounding slabs of wax ever.
This album is a landmark, a masterwork and easily one of the best records ever made by anyone period. It isn’t and can’t ever be lauded enough! Then of course the challenge was to top it and grow from here.

Lonely in Your Nightmare-fantastic song, great change of tone and pace with the right level of punchiness. 5/5

Every song on Rio is a 5/5 for me but some go even beyond that.

 

Rio - 5/5
Lonely In Your Nightmare - 4.5/5

Duran Duran 1st album was all about Andy’s guitar,
Rio is all about John’s Bass.

 

There isn’t a weak song on Rio.

This is an album that I come back year every now and then. Still don’t have my hands on the 2 disc set, but I have heard the Night mixes and prefer them.

First song I heard was the title track. I can remember being blown away by it as a young teen. This music defines a much more exciting time not only for music, but also in the world.

Duran Duran also gave us some entertaining music videos. The video for “Hungry Like The Wolf” is one of my favorites.

 

On the version I listened to as a teen they not only used the longer versions of “Lonely in Your Nightmare” and “Hold Back the Rain,” they also for some reason used the extended “Hungry Like the Wolf” with the instrumental verse and chorus at the beginning... making for a 26 minute side 1. So it’s no wonder it didn’t sound great.

Something Kershenbaum did to the first two songs made them muddier sounding, but I’m just too used to them to prefer the English versions.

 

4/5 for “Lonely in your nightmare”. A very good track.

 

Good song. From an album perspective, it has some variation, which gives the album more interest than a series of bright and chirpy pop songs. 4.5/5

 

Lonely in Your Nightmare: 5/5

A nice midtempo ballad, great guitar work, and moody synths throughout.
Simons voice, although distinct is lower through most of the song.
Lots of dramatic pauses, and nice chorusing going on it, even the
trademark do do do's come in at a slower pace.

A great change of pace, and another alltime classic song added to the
album, and their early catalog of songs.

I'm used to the US album version which is longer, because that's
what I played everytime I heard the album. I didn't realize the
differences in the video version until it was pointed out.

=====================================================

Once again information all comes from : Duran Duran - Rio

Code:

Lonely in your nightmare. (4 versions)

 
Lonely In Your Nightmare [LP Album Version] (3:50)
The standard Album Version, which is different to all the other mixes.

Lonely In Your Nightmare [US Album Remix] (4:52)
This version has been remixed from the original full unedited take,
which is the Video Version below. In comparison to the original,
this remix has more reverb and sounds much higher.
For the most part, the bass and the guitars are softer,
at same time the keyboards and drums are louder.
This remixed version of the song can be heard on the second
and third versions of the US vinyl LP, and was also issued on
the 2009 EMI 'RIO' remastered CD & LP releases.

Lonely In Your Nightmare [Video Version] (4:50)
This 'extended' version has not only instrumental passages that
are longer, but there are also extra lyrics in the middle and
towards the end of the song. This mix seems to be the original,
with the version made for the standard CD being edited from
this full-length version. As compared to the other mixes,
this version is slightly slower in tempo. It was issued on the
'LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH '82!' DVD (DDLIVEX 82) and
can also be found on the 'VIDEO ALBUM' released in March of 1983.
The 'video album version' has overdubs of Simon walking,
and the segway portion between songs.

Lonely In Your Nightmare [CD Album Version] (3:50)
A slightly different 'album' mix was selected for the CD release.
The deep synth sound at the beginning is 2 seconds shorter than on the
vinyl LP and it is followed by a 4 bar intro before Simon starts singing,
whereas the vinyl Album Version only has 3 bars. Also, the programmed
click percussion sound in the right channel during the choruses is
mixed much louder on this version. This mix can also be found on
the remastered reissue of the 'RIO' CD from 2001.

It only appeared on this US promo 12 inch, since it was not a single:
Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf / Rio / Lonely In Your Nightmare





later
-1

 

Lonely In Your Nightmare - This seems to be one of those songs were the band (bar John Taylor) don't rate as highly as their fans. Maybe it wears its Japan meets late period Roxy Music influences too obviously on its sleeve. But it is a splendid track with Simon singing in his richer & deeper Arcadia voice for possibly the first time. It would be nice if they played it on their next tour and (rested Save A Prayer). 4.5/5

 

Lonely In Your Nightmare

A pretty strong album track but odd choice for a single.

 

Our next DD track is:

019 Hold Back The Rain


"Hold Back the Rain" is a Duran Duran song which was the last track on Side 1 of their second album Rio, released by Capitol-EMI on 10 May 1982.

In the Rio album's liner notes, the date given for the song's completion is 19 March 1982.

"Hold Back the Rain" is a prominent, non-single track from Rio. It was also released as the B-side to the "Save A Prayer" single in a multitude of remixes.

The song was written while Duran Duran were on tour, the music was written by the band, and lyrics by Simon Le Bon.

The story behind the lyrics was told by both John Taylor and Simon Le Bon in an episode of VH-1's Behind The Music. Simon felt that John was "going off of the rails a little bit at that time...John was staying out too late, taking too many drugs, drinking too much, and going home with the wrong kind of people."

John's recollection was that no-one had warned him "about the pitfalls. It seemed like...'Drugs? That's what The Beatles did, that's what The Rolling Stones do, that's what The Clash do, why wouldn't you wanna take 'em?'.".

Instead of confronting John with his concerns, Simon wrote the lyrics to "Hold Back The Rain". However, it would be another twelve years before John faced up to his addictions and get clean and sober. As John said about his habits; "Sometimes you really need to take yourself to the edge in order to realise that this isn't the right place."

SLB in 1999: "The night I wrote it, I just slipped a copy of it under his door, and he's never even mentioned it to me, never. Never."

 

Hold Back The Rain

This is one of their best tracks...but I far prefer the Night Version as that was the first version I heard. The album version is slightly underwhelming when compared to the Night Version.

 

Hold Back The Rain - great memory of them playing this live at Aston Villa in '83 with a large number of fans dancing on the pitch in a huge circle. It was a bit like something out of The Whicker Man if I'm honest.

Anyway, Rain gets a 5/5 from me for the extended remix version that was on the 12" of Save A Prayer. Not so keen on the US/Japan mix with the strange "crash" to cover an edit.

 

Hold Back The Rain 5/5. Top tier material! With it following Wolf, was great sequencing. Andy’s tone is fabulous as well as Nick’s synths. Roger thwacking hard! Great song!

 

Same here. One of my favorites of theirs. 5/5. Should have been a single.

 

Hold back the rain, brilliant, energetic, and emphatic : 5/5

An early favorite of mine, I can't remember I heard the remix on
the b-side of the US 7 inch for rio, or on the album. We got the nice
long remix for that one.

So even though the short version is out there, and the UK 7 inch of
save a prayer had it for the b-side, it's not long enough to get going.

Info from ansgars duran site:

Code:

Hold back the rain. (6 versions)

 
Hold Back The Rain (Remix) [LP Album Version] (3:57)
This is the original Album Version utilizing the keyboard portion 
of the song more prominently than subsequent mixes of the song. 
As compared to other mixes, this version lacks two vocal verses, 
starting with 'People tell me I haven't changed at all...' and 
'So what if the words ain't rhyming...'. This edit (listed as a remix) 
was also used as the B-side on the UK 'SAVE A PRAYER' 7" single
(EMI 5327).

Hold Back The Rain (Remix) [12" Remix] (7:05)
This 'extended' mix seems to be the original, with the version 
made for the UK vinyl LP being edited from this full-length version. 
It appears as the B-side on the UK 'SAVE A PRAYER' 12" single (12 EMI 5327).

Hold Back The Rain (Re-Mix) [Carnival Remix] (7:00)
Remixed by David Kershenbaum, this remix appears on the 
American and Japanese 'CARNIVAL' EPs. On the American issue, 
the label incorrectly lists the length of the track (6:50), which is actually 7:00, 
fading out the last few seconds of the original mix (7:03). This is a remix of the 
version from the 12" single of 'SAVE A PRAYER'. A few seconds from the intro 
were removed, the guitars have been turned up, therefore the keyboards and 
the bass are lower in most parts of the mix. If you listen closely, you can hear 
a loud sound effect after the first refrain and a place where the mix was pieced together.

Hold Back The Rain [US Album Remix] (6:28)
Released on the second and third versions of the American vinyl LP, 
this is simply an edit of the Carnival Remix. The last two refrains were 
edited and the fade out is a bit faster. This mix also appears on the 
B-side of the re-release of the 'RIO' single in America.

Hold Back The Rain [CD Album Version] (3:47)
This alternate edit includes all the lyrics of the song. The keyboards, 
which are quite apparent in the vinyl version, are placed further 
back in the mix, and are, for the most part, unintelligible.

Hold Back The Rain (Remix) [Strange Behaviour Remix] (6:35)
This is a completely different extended remix. Only the second verse 
is complete. The vocals of the first verse were removed. This unique 
mix focuses on the instrumental sections and the refrains of the song, 
and was pulled out of the archives for the 'STRANGE BEHAVIOUR' 
release (7243 4 93972 2 4). The tape was actually marked up as the 
UK master for the 12" on the tape box, but is obviously not! 
Also on the 'STRANGE BEHAVIOUR' CD is an otherwise unreleased 
remix of 'Planet Earth'. That mix was marked as Night Mix on the 
tape box and had not been used until 'STRANGE BEHAVIOUR'. 
We would suspect that both 'Planet Earth' and 'Hold Back The Rain' 
were remixed specifically for the 'CARNIVAL' EPs, but never used.

Love the alternate remix from strange behaviour, just as much as
the original.



US 7 inch b side:


Duran Duran ‎– Rio
Label:
Capitol Records ‎– B-5215
Format:
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country:
US
Released:
1983
Genre:
Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style:
New Wave, Synth-pop

Tracklist
A Rio 3:57
B Hold Back The Rain 6:32
Total Time: 10:29

UK 7 inch save a prayer b-side:

Duran Duran ‎– Save A Prayer
Label:
EMI ‎– EMI 5327
Format:
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single
Country:
UK
Released:
1982
Genre:
Rock, Pop
Style:
New Wave, Synth-pop

Tracklist
A Save A Prayer
B Hold Back The Rain (Remix)
=============

with the awesome drums, keyboards, and guitars, especially the bass,
this is quite the masterpiece. love the chorus too.

another perfect song, for the amazing a-side of the album.

later
-1

 

Another smashing track from the lads. Searing guitar and a groove that makes you feel like you’re riding the outside lane and no way is anything getting in your way.

Gotta have the long edit with the two extra verses. I don’t want to hear the song unless Simon’s not giving a damn about his words not rhyming or that he didn’t say something right.

Is it a five?

Yes, yes, it is.

5/5

PS: But, weird story above about Simon writing this for John as a warning about the highway to the danger zone he was on. If someone slipped these lyrics under my door, I don’t think I’d make a connection. I think the Stones’ Shine a Light is more successful in accomplishing that, if the Duran story holds up.

 

I had the 12" seven minute version of this one. I find the 80s extended mixes to be very hit and miss, but this one is wonderful. It helps an extended mix, of course, if you have an exciting song to begin with. Hold Back The Rain is a well written, catchy song with a great vocal. A favorite among an album of favorites. I give the seven minute mix a 5/5

 

Another one of those euphorising - is that even a word or did I just make it up? -, pulse quickening songs, DD still do so well. If they are feeling so inclined. Perfect!

5/5

 

Yeah, I wondered if that line about not saying the lyrics right was supposed to be a John quote. Reminding him he was too blitzed to remember the lyrics when singing background at a show.

 

Hold Back The Rain is worth a 4.5/5, another very good track.

I was just listening to this in the car. and the thing that stood out to me was John and Roger Taylor, great rhythm section. John plays some excellent bass lines and Roger does some great drums. That quick little kick pedal at the end of Rio is great

 

Hold Back The Rain - I'm sure had the album Rio been released just six or twelve months later in a post Thriller musical landscape then this would have been released as a single. It has a euphoric infectious quality about it, but perhaps I have a slight downer on this track because of it being Hungry Like The Wolf's more hedonistic brother. I too think the extended version (the one without the jarring thunderclap) is superior to the album version. 4.5/5

Enjoy this energetic live performance from the last day of 1982 at the Palladium, New York, NY

 

020 New Religion


"New Religion" is a Duran Duran song from their second album Rio, released by Capitol-EMI on 10 May 1982.

The opening track on Side 2 is described in the Rio liner notes as "a dialogue between the ego and the alter-ego", which is reflected in the chorus, where two conflicting voices sing on top of each other.

In the album versions, Le Bon provides vocals for the song. In the Live from London version their is a recording of Le Bon saying the background words, whilst he sings the main song. John Taylor and Andy Taylor both team up to say the background words when Le Bon starts rapping the main section during this concert.This stayed as part of Duran Duran's live set through to and including their 1987/8 Strange Behaviour tour. But it was revived for their 2003 Encore Fab Five reunion tour, and has been part of their set sporadically since.

 

New Religion

Haven't listened to this one in awhile as I got burnt out on it. But damn it's such a great tune.
I love the atmospheric guitar licks and the bass really drives this song.