What's your favourite Duran Duran album?

Well.... DD has many fantastic deep cuts. Unlike some other bands they actually have whole (original) albums full of deep cuts: "Liberty", "Medazzaland", "Pop Trash" to name but a few!

 

You just named all TITLE songs as deep cuts? That's got to be a no-no.

 

No. But virtually every track on these albums! Even what used to be singles.

 

I agree with everything Neonbeam is saying about “Liberty” , it’s a fine album!

 

At the moment I'm really enjoying reading these Nick interviews, here's another great, really funny one:

theartsdesk Q&A: Musician Nick Rhodes

 

“We made the album Liberty which I think is the weakest of our records. John and I have been talking about doing a director’s cut of that, a redux, because I think it could have been a lot better.”

Though this interview is a decade old, it still would be interesting if they did something like that.

“The plan was we’d all come back together but only three of us made it. Andy, by then, was in his own bubble and making his own solo album, sure he was going to have a massive solo career and didn’t need the rest of the band. Roger, for completely different reasons, had taken some time to chill out. He was completely fried and went off and lived in the country for a while. That left the three of us to carry on.”

Would have been interesting to hear what So Red The Rose sounded like with the whole band making it. Guess at least the first side would have rocked a bit more.

“Warren’s a strange fruit. I adore him. He’s a truly creative soul and he’s funny as hell but he’s also an extremist and he’s entirely capable of going off on these tangents. This makes him creatively quite brilliant at times but also very volatile. When we [Duran Duran] parted company with Warren he started to express himself with – shall we say – nudity, and I think he was just probably enjoying a different kind of attention for a while. I was more concerned that he was OK, but he’s no fool. I think it’s a period of his life that, perhaps, he keeps in a very small drawer at this point”

Not sure if I have ever listened to all of TV Mania. Guess I should revisit it on Youtube.

 

I’d be interested in directors cut of Liberty, along with DE of The Wedding Album and the shelved Reportage with Andy.

 

Reportage YES! That's money going to waste sitting in their vault unheard.

 

I'm sure this has been done before, in a different thread, but I'm new here so cut me some slack and bear with me....

My ranking:

Rio
Self-titled
So Red the Rose (I know, I know)
All You Need Is Now
The Early B-Sides (I know, I know, I know)
Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Red Carpet Massacre (I resisted this one for a while just because of Timberlake; I'm glad I relented and gave it a listen)
Notorious
Astronaut (I think "Sunrise" is one of their best)
Medazzaland

And now for the ones I DON'T like:
Big Thing
Paper Gods (such a letdown after AYNIN; get Mark Ronson back!)
Pop Trash
Wedding Album
Thank You
Liberty

My first ever concert was the Seven and a Ragged Tiger Tour, when The Reflex was just a song from the new album and not yet a single. Such an under-appreciated band; I'm glad they're not dismissed here!

 

It speaks to the greatness of the band that my LEAST favorite album, Liberty, still has one and a half classic songs: "Serious" and "Violence of Summer" (which only counts as half a classic because it's 50 percent Roxy Music's "Trash.")

 

There are some other classics on there but they need a few listens to appreciate. The title track and My Antarctica are top tier Duran tracks to a lot of fans.

 

That's an interesting list. I love "Big Thing" and think "So Red The Rose" hasn't aged that gracefully but the only DD album I'm not too crazy about is "Thank You". Everything else ranks between outstanding and ok.

About the dismissal of the band: Goes to show that dating models can go a long way!

 

And I really think the vinyl reissue campaign should continue!!!!!

 

Pop Trash on zero votes. The single "Someone Else Not Me" is one of their best. Has a lazy 60's Beatle-esque vibe that I love.

 

The first one, then Rio.

 

I don't really like that song... it's a little too slow. When Pop Trash was released I absolutely hated the album, and it was my least favourite of theirs for a long time. However, over the past few years I've softened to it a little, and it's overtaken Thank You and Medazzaland in my ranking of their albums. I also like it a lot more than Paper Gods which has been firmly at the bottom since the first time I heard it. The title track is brilliant, and the rest is awful.

 

Rio

I do feel like they've actually been on a roll lately. All You Need Is Now and Paper Gods were way better than a 2010's era Duran Duran album should be.

 

for what it's worth, my list from best to worse

Rio
Duran Duran
Seven And The Ragged Tiger
All You Need Is Now
Notorious
Big Thing
Astronaut
Liberty
Wedding Album
Pop Trash
Red Carpet Massacre
Medazzaland
Paper Gods
Thank You

chad

 

A ranking?

1Rio

2Big Thing
3Duran Duran
4Notorious
5All You Need Is Now
6Seven & Ragged Tiger

7Red Carpet Massacre
8Liberty
9Wedding Album

10Pop Trash
11Medazzaland
12Astronaut
13Paper Gods

14Thank You

While "Rio" would always be first and "Thank You" always end up last, positions two to six are exchangeable. So are ten to thirteen. That's "outstanding", "excellent", "very good", "good" and... "the unnecessary cover album Nick Rhodes stands by to this day".

Looking at this, I just noticed that seven are dead easy to get on vinyl, five are pricey and two never had any official vinyl outing. There are great looking, super lavish bootlegs - since there's no original they are not really counterfeits - of both "Pop Trash" and "Medazzaland" but a. these go for $300-400 b. they are illegal. So, Nick, if you are reading this: "Do something!" Thank you!

 

My own (a ‘Duranie’ since “Union of the Snake”, late 1983):

So Red the Rose (I know, I know)
Medazzaland
Big Thing
Notorious
Rio
Duran Duran
Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Red Carpet Massacre
Pop Trash
Liberty
Thank You
All You Need Is Now
The Wedding Album
Paper Gods
Astronaut

 

Ranking:

The legends
Rio
Duran Duran
Wedding Album
Seven And The Ragged Tiger
All You Need Is Now
Pop Trash

The good
Big Thing
Astronaut
Medazzaland

The meh
Paper Gods
Notorious
Liberty

The pits
Red Carpet Massacre
Thank You

 

Rio
Duran Duran
Big Thing
Notorious
Seven & The Ragged Tiger
So Red The Rose
Medazzaland
Paper Gods
Pop Trash
Red Carpet Massacre
All You Need Is Now
The Wedding Album
Liberty
Astronaut
Thank You

 

quick question, why is Arcadia but not Powerstation on some lists? is it because it was sung by Simon? just curious!!

chad

 

01 - Notorious
02 - Rio
03 - Duran Duran
04 - Big Thing
05 - Seven And The Ragged Tiger
06 - The Wedding Album
07 - Liberty
08 - Red Carpet Massacre
09 - Astronaut
10 - Pop Trash
11 - All You Need Is Now
12 - Thank You
13 - Medazzaland
14 - Paper Gods

 

Rio all the way .. but arena is a great live lp too