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

"pressure drop?"

 

Pressure Off: should have been massive and industry ageism is the only real factor that held it back. In my house, this was the summer jam of 2015. And if memory serves, that summer did not have a stand out song. Even my hip hop loving preteens knew the song by heart.

Once again, DD shows that they still know how to write a smash, even if the industry didn't recognize it. Very few artists at this stage of their careers sound this vital.

4.5/5

Check out the Resonant Fire YouTube page for excellent isolated tracks of the song:

 

Well they do like Depeche Mode and I recall them playing the 81 and 82 Hammersmith shows many years back, but yes, they are not big fans of DD. Especially Lammo. I could envisage Lauren Laverne and Shaun Keaveny playing a bit of add of DD but not many others.

 

Pressure Off

So back to my theory that the use of the term "featuring" usually equals something terrible...

This isn't terrible...but it's not good either.

1/5

 

Pressure Off

Love it! Amazing breakdown with Davide Rossi's violins! Simon's and Janelle's voice blend well with a touch of autotune. Nice bassline, Nile's trademark guitar sound, amazing isolated synth by Nick (see video under this message). Could do without the forced audience noise though.
5/5

 

All thanks to Resonant Fire!

 

looking forward to checking those videos out after work!

 

Yeah, the audience cheer is a bit naff.

 

"Pressure Off"
4/5

Nice DD groove with added Nile Rodgers funkiness. A good choice of single to announce the Paper Gods album, IMO.

 

204. Paper Gods



Paper Gods is a song by Duran Duran, released on the album Paper Gods by Warner Bros. Records on 11 September 2015.

It is track number one on the album and features Mr Hudson.

When Nick Rhodes was interviewed for the book, Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s, he discussed his decades-long desire for Duran Duran songs to have compelling intros. "I’m always taken by that thing that catches my ear that I haven’t heard before," he said, citing the camera clicks that commence "Girls on Film". (Not to mention, the haunting synths at the start of "The Chauffeur", the No…No… from "Notorious", the quick and menacing beats that wind up "The Wild Boys"….) "Paper Gods" carries this tradition forward, opening with Mr Hudsonsinging a few lines of the chorus delivered as a moody acapella in the vein of a Gregorian chant by way of Elbow.

From the intro, "Paper Gods" goes on a seven-minute-long journey, its myriad twists and turns re-calling Duran Duran's "The Valley".

 

Paper Gods. 4/5. Slow burner, reminds me of Depeche Mode with the bleeps and beeps. Great to start a long walk to.

 

Paper Gods was responsible for one of my most extreme 180 degree turnarounds. It was not a good experience the first time I heard it. Even more so than Red Carpet Massacre, this was one of the most shameless, blatant begs for Top 40/CHR attention I've ever heard from a band I like. The second time was different story. The songs came through and won me over. I then became strangely fascinated by the initially repelling production. If more modern pop/rock music was as good as this, I would listen to the radio again.

This is going off to the side a bit and requires a little background. Back in the 70's and 80's, I would listen to groups with synths as long as they had guitars as well. As for the guitarless (or nearly guitarless) bands, I wouldn't go near them. A narrow view, I know. After hearing Paper Gods I started thinking about Depeche Mode, a group that I certainly had known about yet had never previously owned an album by. I listened to their then latest release Delta Machine. I'm not gonna say I thought it sounded just like Paper Gods but it was definitely in the same ballpark. Little by little, their back catalog has made it's way into my collection. Paper Gods finally brought me to Depeche Mode.

 

"Paper Gods"

4.5/5

My favorite track from the album. Near perfect. Its only fault is it goes on just a bit too long. But it sounds like nothing they'd done before.

And when I first heard it, before the album was released, I was crushed -- because it confirmed what I was beginning to suspect: that this new album was gonna sound nothing like AYNIN. And at that time, I really wanted AYNIN Part Two.

But it grew on me. Really grew on me.

I missed seeing them on the PG tour, but I've seen dozens of YouTube clips and I love that they opened the shows with this. And when "Paper Gods" segues into "Wild Boys"... It gives me chills! (Yes, I'm an easy lay)

 

Still some Robert Palmer in here!

 

I'm picking up the album on vinyl on Monday so I'll wait before posting something!

 

Paper Gods - I really like the title track. Yes it’s long, but it kind of takes you on a journey. It’s not cluttered either. My biggest issue, and this goes for most of the album, is how the bass notes come through. I love lower range and have both my car’s settings as well as my home set up ramped up to 10, but even turning them down, they somewhat struggle with the thumping beats and when I do, it weakens the sound. I don’t have so much of a problem with other electronic music.

Anyway, it’s a great song. 4/5

 

Paper Gods

When I heard the song for the first time when they released it, for the first minute I thought, ''WTF is this?!'', but when John's bass came in, it sounded familiar, and like mentioned before, a song with no equals in their catalogue, love the weird synths by Nick. I think it is a good sign that when I listen to it, I don't get the feeling the song takes 7 minutes to end.
5/5

 

Paper Gods: one of their best post-reunion tracks. Sounds like absolutely nothing else in the DD catalog. It did take a while to grow on me but has since become of my favorites. It does have a Depeche vibe, but I haven't heard anything this good by Depeche in a long time.

To get a full appreciation of the excellent production, here is an instrumental version:



5/5

 

The bass tones on this album are ridiculous. If I don't play it at a very low volume or cut the bass back on my receiver, it really hurts my ears. The only other album I have that's anywhere near as head splitting is Autour De La Lune by Biosphere. I'm curious if their next album will follow suit.

 

Really enjoyed that. I could quite happily listen to it without the vocals and I say that as a fan of the vocals! The only thing I think is surplus are the whooshing sounds. Take it away and it’s perfect.

 

I’m still puzzling over the suggestion that Paper Gods is hip hop. Or rather, that it is somehow more hip hop than any other album from 1993 on.

I remember the hype before "Pressure Off" was released, and thinking that the addition of Nile Rodgers and Janelle Monae meant that the track was going to be a genuine opportunity for Duran Duran to hit the charts again, and that it was likely going to be a cool monster of a track. I downloaded it on iTunes as soon as it was available. When I did that, I believe I was in a car, with my phone hooked up to the sound so I was able to announce to my partner and his brother at the time (both of whom were significantly older and therefore never all that sold on the band) that I had the new Duran Duran single and they should let me play it. They did.

Well, that backfired. Any progress I'd made convincing them that the band was a little bit edgier or cooler than they assumed was lost because the track is totally overproduced and it has that desperate chorus (good description, Chris). Do I like it? Yes, I definitely came around, and I think the verses in a lot of ways are exactly what I wanted from the song. But I'm an intellectual in my upper 40s; I'm never going to respond to an "oh oh oh oh oh oh" chorus. Lazy.

Pressure Off, 3.5/5

Edited to add: I do like the video.

 

It does sound like Elbow. Thanks for that.

"Paper Gods" is a really interesting track. Even if it's not my favorite song by the band, it does a good job of making a bold impression. I can't recall Duran Duran ever really attempting anthemic before in this kind of U2/Coldplay stadium sense, but the message is strong (very Duran) and the lyrics compelling. What the album gets right, it gets really right. This does what a Track 1 does best - announces something different, goes for broke, makes an impression, and ultimately kind of overplays itself.

Paper Gods, 4/5

 

How would you characterize it? R&B? On some level there is a blending of genres so it's just names I guess.

The album is clearly beat-driven regardless of what we call it. And this does not lend well to their more traditional sound where melodies rule. I cannot really discern any good melodies on this album. It's mostly a beat with repeated bars or some meandering and uninspiring sequence of notes.



After years on the shelf, I listened to Paper Gods about a month ago and wrote my song summaries. Then I listened again to see what I wad thinking because of how low I rated everything. The second listen did not change my mind any.

I will read everyone's thoughts and listen once more with them in mind to see if it sways me any.

 

Well, for me it is very hard to love something from the reunion albums, after seeing what they have achieved with Warren, but this song somehow resembles a good Duran, which is gracious in their works. It's slow and esoteric, and it's length I like, it makes me think about the song, not just flashing like some other pop songs of that album.

Paper Gods 4/5

 

Pop?

I dunno, Duran Duran have been transcending genre since the very beginning. I just remember all those early stories where EMI's outlets in the United States had NO IDEA how to market the band. The self-titled flummoxed them completely. It wasn't rock music that they could juxtapose against Cheap Trick or Fleetwood Mac on the radio; it wasn't punk, where it could be relegated to alternative programming or college circuits; it wasn't quite pop enough to play alongside "Funky Town" by Lipps Inc. etc. They ended up releasing the album on the Harvest label, home of Pink Floyd and Wire, meant to be their "adventurous" imprint. I don't think they saw the teenybopper thing coming around the bend. Where did the "Sex Pistols meets Chic" description originate? Simon said they wanted to be "the band to dance to when the bomb drops."

All of that to say that the label were being informed that, despite the rock trappings, the band needed to be marketed as a dance outfit. They removed the artiest, slowest track from the record and substituted the lead single "Planet Earth" with its Night Version (yes, on the LP!) to open the first side. They released the Carnival 12" afterward to get more play for the band *in clubs*. And they eventually sent Rio back to the mixing board with David Kirshenbaum to punch up the dance beats. Really, it was the video medium that opened the floodgates for their success in the U.S. and allowed a dance-oriented rock band to dominate the charts for the next 5 years. What other band prior to Duran Duran crossed those lines so deliberately?

Now do a quick glance at the next twenty years. Duran Duran would, time and time again, rededicate their image and sound toward dance and club culture, despite the defined roles they have of playing guitar/bass/drums/vocals/keys. The biggest hit from Seven and the Ragged Tiger? A dance record. Notorious and Big Thing, dance albums. Even their much heralded return to rock with Astronaut in 2004 was announced by a track that had as much real estate in the dance realm (that Nevins remix of "Sunrise"). Red Carpet Massacre found them, not moving into a new direction, but moving back into an old strategy. (e.g. What's happening in today's dance market and how do we incorporate it into our sound?)

I suppose then I find it odd when an obvious fan of the band who has been a much appreciated heavy contributor to this thread for a good six months in 2019 says something vaguely dismissive like, "The album is clearly beat-driven regardless of what we call it" as if this is some kind of anomaly for Duran Duran. My favorite song by a long shot on Paper Gods is called "You Kill Me with Silence." It's got beats throughout, but at the end of the day the result is almost Richard Marx-esque yacht rock. It's the fact that this band can do this kind of thing two generations later that makes them utterly phenomenal.