Duran Duran: Discography (1981 - 2015) [17CD + 5DVD] Re-up

Duran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience. And for good reason. Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion-model looks and glamorous sense of style. Without music videos, it's likely that their pop-funk – described by the group as the Sex Pistols-meet-Chic – would never have made them international pop stars. While Duran Duran did have sharper pop sensibilities than their new romantic contemporaries like Spandau Ballet and Ultravox, none of their peers exploited MTV and music videos like the Birmingham-based quintet. Each video the group made was distinctive, incorporating a number of cinematic styles to showcase the band as either part of the jet-setting elite ("Rio") or as worldly adventurers ("Hungry Like the Wolf"). While early videos like "Girls on Film" and "The Chauffeur" sparked controversy in England over their sexual content, their best-known clips were often based on hit contemporary movies. "Hungry Like the Wolf" uncannily recalled Raiders of the Lost Ark, while "Union of the Snake" and "The Wild Boys" brought to mind The Road Warrior. The clever videos helped make Duran Duran's rise to popularity remarkably swift. Between 1982 and 1984, they rocketed from underground British post-punk sensations to teen idols. But their fall from grace was equally fast. By the late '80s, the group's lineup had fragmented, and the remaining members had trouble landing hit singles. Nevertheless, the group pulled off a surprising comeback in the early '90s as a sophisticated soft rock quartet.

Inspired by David Bowie and Roxy Music, as well as post-punk and disco, schoolmates Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (guitar) formed Duran Duran in 1978 with their friends Simon Colley (bass, clarinet) and Stephen Duffy (vocals). Taking their name from a character in Roger Vadim's psychedelic sci-fi film Barbarella, the group began playing gigs in the Birmingham club Barbarella, supported by a drum machine. Within a year, Duffy and Colley both left the group – Duffy would later form the Lilac Time – and were replaced by former TV Eye vocalist Andy Wickett and drummer Roger Taylor. After recording a demo, John Taylor switched to bass and guitarist Alan Curtis joined the band, only to leave within a matter of months. The group placed an ad in Melody Maker, which drew the attention of Andy Taylor, who became their guitarist. However, Duran Duran were still having trouble finding a vocalist. Following Wickett's departure in 1979, a pair of singers passed through the group before Simon LeBon, a former member of the punk band Dog Days and a drama student at Birmingham University, joined in early 1980…

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Duran Duran's eponymous debut artfully coalesced the sonic and stylistic elements of the burgeoning new romantic movement they were soon to spearhead: pumping synths, glossy production, and seemingly impossible haircuts. Ultra-smart singles like "Girls on Film" and "Planet Earth" became instant smash hits both in the U.K. and America, and other fine pop gems such as "Anyone Out There" and "Careless Memories" rounded out the album's stellar first side. Side two was a far more experimental and revealing affair, with primary songwriter Nick Rhodes leading the band through atmospheric mood-pieces like "Night Boat," "Sound of Thunder," and the instrumental "Tel Aviv," all of which are particularly reminiscent of mid-era Roxy Music (clearly one of Duran's biggest influences). The band's groundbreaking music videos would do the rest, securing them a unique standing as forerunners of the first MTV generation and cementing their status as one of the decade's most successful pop music icons.

by Eduardo Rivadavia, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Girls On Film [0:03:33.40]
02. Planet Earth [0:04:02.62]
03. Anyone Out There [0:04:03.28]
04. Careless Memories [0:03:55.15]
05. Is There Something I Should Know? [0:04:09.70]
06. Night Boat [0:05:25.20]
07. Sound Of Thunder [0:04:06.07]
08. Friends Of Mine [0:05:44.48]
09. Tel Aviv [0:05:17.27]

From its Nagel cover to the haircuts and overall design – and first and foremost the music – Rio is as representative of the '80s at its best as it gets. The original Duran Duran's high point, and just as likely the band's as a whole, its fusion of style and substance ensures that even two decades after its release it remains as listenable and danceable as ever. The quintet integrates its sound near-perfectly throughout, the John and Roger Taylor rhythm section providing both driving propulsion and subtle pacing. For the latter, consider the lush, semi-tropical sway of "Save a Prayer," or the closing paranoid creep of "The Chauffeur," a descendant of Roxy Music's equally affecting dark groover "The Bogus Man." Andy Taylor's muscular riffs provide fine rock crunch throughout, Rhodes' synth wash adds perfect sheen, and Le Bon tops it off with sometimes overly cryptic lyrics that still always sound just fine in context, courtesy of his strong delivery. Rio's two biggest smashes burst open the door in America for the New Romantic/synth rock crossover. "Hungry Like the Wolf" blended a tight, guitar-heavy groove with electronic production and a series of instant hooks, while the title track was even more anthemic, with a great sax break from guest Andy Hamilton adding to the soaring atmosphere. Lesser known cuts like "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Last Chance on the Stairway" still have pop thrills a-plenty, while "Hold Back the Rain" is the sleeper hit on Rio, an invigorating blast of feedback, keyboards and beat that doesn't let up. From start to finish, a great album that has outlasted its era.

by Ned Raggett, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Rio [0:05:38.57]
02. My Own Way [0:04:51.08]
03. Lonely In Your Nightmare [0:03:50.30]
04. Hungry Like The Wolf [0:03:41.12]
05. Hold Back The Rain [0:03:49.33]
06. New Religion [0:05:33.27]
07. Last Chance On The Stairway [0:04:20.33]
08. Save A Prayer [0:05:25.55]
09. The Chauffeur [0:05:12.35]

Despite the fact that Seven and the Ragged Tiger couldn't match the unrestrained pop/rock ebullience of 1982's Rio, Duran Duran put three of the album's singles in the Top Ten, taking it to number one in the U.K. Even though "The Reflex" gave the band their first number one hit, there's an overabundance of fancy glitz and dancefloor flamboyancy running through it, unlike "New Moon on Monday"'s straight-ahead appeal or "Union of the Snake"'s mysterious, almost taboo flair. It's apparent that Seven and the Ragged Tiger's content has the band moving ever so slightly into a danceclub arena, with the songs leaning more toward their ability to produce a sexier sound through electronics and instrumentation than through a firm lyrical and musical partnership. Even the unreleased tracks trade Duran Duran's handsome edginess for a shinier sound, heard mainly on "I Take the Dice" and "Cracks in the Pavement." It's here that Lebon and Taylor's personalities begins to get overshadowed by the demand to produce a more synth-snazzy and fashionable style of music. Although they may have turned their songwriting down a notch in order to succumb to the pabulum of synthesized pop, they didn't relinquish every aspect of their genius, and when they do deliver, it's bright, energetic, and effectual. Duran Duran's new direction eventually gave Seven and the Ragged Tiger double platinum status.

by Mike DeGagnem, AMG

Tracklist:

01. The Reflex [0:05:29.40]
02. New Moon On Monday [0:04:15.32]
03. (I'm Looking For) Cracks In The Pavement [0:03:38.55]
04. I Take The Dice [0:03:17.70]
05. Of Crime And Passion [0:03:51.65]
06. Union Of The Snake [0:04:20.05]
07. Shadows On Your Side [0:04:01.13]
08. Tiger Tiger [0:03:21.27]
09. The Seventh Stranger [0:05:21.63]

Seeing Duran Duran in concert in 1984 was like seeing a video come to life. The group put on a spectacular show filled with impressive light shows and videos. Since the concerts featured so many visuals, the band could not vary the tempos greatly, resulting in music that nearly replicated the studio versions of the songs. Arena accurately reproduces the sound and feeling of these concerts. Duran Duran sound tight and professional (probably due to studio overdubbing), yet Simon Lebon sounds a little winded, possibly because of all the dancing he had to do during the course of the show. The new Nile Rodgers-produced single "The Wild Boys" was added to the album as bait and the strategy worked: peaking at number four, Arena was Duran Duran's highest-charting album and it sold over two million copies. Nevertheless, it's the most inconsequential album in their entire catalog, even if it's fun.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Is There Something I Should Know? [0:04:34.02]
02. Hungry Like The Wolf [0:04:01.08]
03. New Religion [0:05:37.05]
04. Save A Prayer [0:06:12.20]
05. The Wild Boys [0:04:18.22]
06. The Seventh Stranger [0:05:10.35]
07. The Chauffeur [0:05:23.53]
08. Union Of The Snake [0:04:07.70]
09. Planet Earth [0:04:31.10]
10. Careless Memories [0:04:08.17]

After a brief hiatus, Duran Duran returned as a trio in 1986 with Notorious. The spare groove of the title track made it clear that the band were trying to shed their teeny-bopper image and refashion themselves as a pop band for yuppies. Thanks to Nile Rodgers' polished, radio-friendly production, Notorious was a success, as the band found a middle ground between synth pop and white funk.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Notorious [0:04:18.27]
02. American Science [0:04:43.10]
03. Skin Trade [0:05:57.03]
04. A Matter Of Feeling [0:05:56.65]
05. Hold Me [0:04:31.05]
06. Vertigo (Do The Demolition) [0:04:44.07]
07. So Misled [0:04:03.70]
08. "Meet El Presidente" [0:04:19.63]
09. Winter Marches On [0:03:25.52]
10. Proposition [0:04:57.38]



Tracklist DVD1:
Bonus DVD from 2010 EMI, 5099963360424 Remastered Edition

1. Intro
2. A View To A Kill
3. Notorious
4. New Religion
5. Vertigo
6. The Chauffeur
7. Save A Prayer
8. Skin Trade
9. Hungry Like The Wolf
10. Wild Boys
11. Outro

The Videos:
12. Notorious
13. Skin Trade
14. Meet El Presidente

Top Of The Pops:
15. Notorious

Big Thing is Duran Duran's most disappointing album, mainly because the band sounds cold and extremely isolated from their music. Both "I Don't Want Your Love" and "All She Wants Is" made it into the Top 40, but the album only climbed as high as number 24 on the charts. For Big Thing, Duran Duran chose novelty over pop conventionalism, giving "I Don't Want Your Love" a tawdry, unkempt feel that does emit droplets of pop charm, while "All She Wants Is" grinds and clanks along with a rather unfavorable tempo, which gained most of its attention because of its unorthodox style. Duran Duran was now making music apropos for seedy burlesque parlors while surrendering their pop roots, which many fans just couldn't get used to. Big Thing is short on inviting melodies, attractive rhythms, or hooks of any sort. Instead, the band opted for femme fatale lyrics and emotionless rhythms, lost in a bizarre no-man's land of danceclub pop/rock. Outside of the two singles, both "Do You Believe in Shame" (a number 30 hit in the U.K.) and "Lake Shore Driving" hold up the best, but efforts such as "Palomino," "Too Late Marlene," and the title track lack an established feel, sounding more like experiments than rock songs. Throughout the whole of Big Thing, Duran Duran seems more interested in stringing together ambiguous, unconcentrated musical utterances than creating any form of pleasurable music.

by Mike DeGagne, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Big Thing [0:03:41.58]
02. I Don't Want Your Love [0:04:06.17]
03. All She Wants Is [0:04:35.18]
04. Too Late Marlene [0:05:08.65]
05. Drug (It's Just A State Of Mind) [0:04:38.10]
06. Do You Believe In Shame? [0:04:23.62]
07. Palomino [0:05:19.15]
08. Interlude One [0:00:33.18]
09. Land [0:06:12.40]
10. Flute Interlude [0:00:32.07]
11. The Edge Of America [0:02:37.13]
12. Lake Shore Driving [0:03:03.47]



Tracklist DVD2:
Bonus DVD from 2010 EMI, 50999-633777-2-9 Remastered Edition

1. Introduction / God
2. Big Thing
3. I Don't Want Your Love
4. Hungry Like The Wolf
5. Do You Believe In Shame?
6. All She Wants Is / Planet Earth
7. This Is How A Road Gets Made / Winter Marches On
8. Palomino
9. Too Late Marlene
10. Girls On Film
11. Notorious
12. Skin Trade
13. Is There Something I Should Know?
14. The Wild Boys / Drug
15. Band Introduction / Save A Prayer
16. The Reflex
17. Rio
18. The Edge Of America

Music Videos:
19. I Don't Want Your Love
20. All She Wants Is
21. Do You Believe In Shame?

Decade is an excellent singles compilation, featuring all of the highlights from Duran Duran's heyday – "Planet Earth," "Girls on Film," "Rio," "Is There Something I Should Know," "Union of the Snake," "The Reflex," "The Wild Boys," "Save a Prayer," "A View to a Kill" – plus late-'80s hits like "Notorious," "Skin Trade," "I Don't Want Your Love," and "All She Wants Is." By juxtaposing their stylish new wave pop against their latter-day lite-funk experiments, the group's decline becomes shockingly evident, but no other Duran Duran album sums up their appeal like Decade, and it's hard to imagine another compilation working the same ground as effectively.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Planet Earth [0:04:00.65]
02. Girls On Film [0:03:28.40]
03. Hungry Like The Wolf [0:03:25.65]
04. Rio [0:05:34.47]
05. Save A Prayer [0:05:27.05]
06. Is There Something I Should Know? [0:04:11.00]
07. Union Of The Snake [0:04:23.03]
08. The Reflex [0:04:23.65]
09. Wild Boys [0:04:19.17]
10. A View To A Kill [0:03:37.05]
11. Notorious [0:04:01.63]
12. Skin Trade [0:04:29.37]
13. I Don't Want Your Love [0:03:50.43]
14. All She Wants Is [0:04:30.32]

Apart from the greatest-hits collection Decade, Big Thing was the lowest-charting Duran Duran album to date, prompting the band to rework its sound for 1990's Liberty. Unfortunately, the group has no idea what direction it wants to pursue. Liberty features everything from disco to guitar rock, adding elements of Motown, Philly soul, and new wave along the way. The stylistic diversity may have worked if the band had material to support it, but nothing on the record matches their best work – it doesn't even match the finest moments of Big Thing.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist CD1:

01. Violence Of Summer (Love's Taking Over) [0:04:22.27]
02. Liberty [0:05:01.28]
03. Hothead [0:03:31.25]
04. Serious [0:04:21.25]
05. All Along The Water [0:03:51.02]
06. My Antarctica [0:05:01.25]
07. First Impression [0:05:29.10]
08. Read My Lips [0:04:30.53]
09. Can You Deal With It [0:03:47.67]
10. Venice Drowning [0:05:13.08]
11. Downtown [0:05:22.42]



Tracklist CD2:

01. Yo Bad Azizi [0:03:06.55]
02. Throb [0:04:29.70]
03. Violence Of Summer (Love's Taking Over) (Story Mix) [0:03:16.15]

Duran Duran came back out of nowhere in early 1993 with a new album and a huge hit, "Ordinary World." The group sounds more relaxed and mature than it did during their glory days, but not all that much has changed; instead of personifying the days of early-'80s synthesized dance-pop, the music is smooth dance pop for the '90s. Taken on its own terms, Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) works every bit as well as Duran Duran, Rio, or Seven and the Ragged Tiger. "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone" are wonderful pop singles that sit between some passable album tracks and the occasional embarrassment, namely the wretched cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale." In other words, Duran Duran are back and as good as they ever were.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Too Much Information [0:04:55.72]
02. Ordinary World [0:05:40.18]
03. Love Voodoo [0:04:58.22]
04. Drowning Man [0:05:14.25]
05. Shotgun [0:00:54.00]
06. Come Undone [0:04:38.55]
07. Breath After Breath [0:04:57.45]
08. UMF [0:05:32.45]
09. Femme Fatale [0:04:21.53]
10. None Of The Above [0:05:18.30]
11. Shelter [0:04:23.62]
12. To Whom It May Concern [0:04:23.25]
13. Sin Of The City [0:07:14.35]

An album of Duran Duran covering their "influences" was never something even the most dedicated fan wanted to hear, yet the band had the audacity to record Thank You, a collection of the group's favorite songs. Featuring songwriters as diverse as Bob Dylan and Sly Stone, Thank You works best when the band realizes the monumental silliness of its cover, as on "White Lines," which is performed with Grandmaster Flash himself, and the acoustic blues rendition of Public Enemy's "911 Is a Joke." Or it works when the band can reinvent material like Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" into a slick MOR ballad. When Thank You doesn't work, it's because the band doesn't quite get what made the original version special ("Lay Lady Lay" and "Watching the Detectives"). Too many plain, mediocre songs (the Doors' "Crystal Ship") prevent the album from being either unintentionally funny or genuinely successful. The record is solely a curiosity and not a very interesting one at that.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. White Lines [0:05:31.72]
02. I Wanna Take You Higher (Version 1) [0:05:05.68]
03. Perfect Day [0:03:50.72]
04. Watching The Detectives [0:04:48.00]
05. Lay Lady Lay [0:03:52.58]
06. 911 Is A Joke [0:03:59.07]
07. Success [0:04:05.03]
08. Crystal Ship [0:02:51.37]
09. Ball Of Confusion [0:03:46.15]
10. Thank You [0:06:35.23]
11. Drive By [0:05:34.60]
12. I Wanna Take You Higher Again [0:04:25.35]
13. Diamond Dogs (Bonus Track For Japan) [0:06:11.00]
14. Femme Fatale (Bonus Track For Japan) [0:04:22.40]

The monumental embarrassment of their covers album, Thank You, derailed Duran Duran's impressive early-'90s comeback and its successor, the clumsily named Medazzaland, finds the group trying regain lost territory. John Taylor left the group early in the recording of Medazzaland, leaving Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes as the only surviving original members. With former Missing Persons member Warren Cuccurullo assisting on guitar, bass, and production, LeBon and Rhodes decide to update their basic new romantic dance-pop to include industrial, Brit-pop, and ambient flourishes. Ironically, all this window dressing merely emphasizes that Duran Duran are at their best when they concentrate on straight-ahead dance-pop and balladry, not when they try to be hip. Unfortunately, for most of Medazzaland, the group tries to stay hip and contemporary, and ultimately that's what prevents the album from offering enough pleasure.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Medazzaland [0:03:53.02]
02. Big Bang Generation [0:04:44.08]
03. Electric Barbarella [0:05:19.02]
04. Out Of My Mind [0:04:20.10]
05. Who Do You Think You Are? [0:03:27.23]
06. Silva Halo [0:02:28.00]
07. Be My Icon [0:05:15.57]
08. Buried In The Sand [0:04:19.48]
09. Michael You've Got A Lot To Answer For [0:04:09.12]
10. Midnight Sun [0:03:41.43]
11. So Long Suicide [0:04:39.57]
12. Ball And Chain [0:03:58.18]
13. Undergoing Treatment [0:03:05.32]

This album showcases a Duran Duran that is but a hollow shell of the band that enjoyed pop successes in the early '80s. Only Simon LeBon and Nick Rhodes remain from the original lineup – Warren Cuccurullo, who has been featured on several recent Duran Duran albums, joins them to make a trio. Some of the smooth, spacy ballads that were characteristic of their 1993 self-titled release show up here, but more often than not LeBon is lost in a swamp of overproduction. Completely absent from this music was the aggressiveness and sexuality that made early Duran Duran great – kinder, gentler records could probably be expected from the band as they age, but this album feels careless and flabby instead of introspective. Notable exceptions include the ascorbic "Mars Meets Venus," which skewers the American self-help movement over Bowie-influenced dance-pop beats, and the delicate if slightly sappy "Lady Xanax."

by Stacia Proefrock, AMG

Tracklist:

01. Someone Else Not Me [0:04:50.25]
02. Lava Lamp [0:03:54.50]
03. Playing With Uranium [0:03:51.10]
04. Hallucinating Elvis [0:05:26.02]
05. Starting To Remember [0:02:38.53]
06. Pop Trash Movie [0:04:55.05]
07. Fragment [0:00:49.37]
08. Mars Meets Venus [0:03:08.35]
09. Lady Xanax [0:04:55.15]
10. The Sun Doesn't Shine Forever [0:04:51.53]
11. Kiss Goodbye [0:00:41.35]
12. Last Day On Earth [0:04:25.05]
13. Un Autre Que Moi (French Version Of Someone Else Not Me) [0:04:19.55]
14. Alguien Que No Soy Yo (Spanish Version Of Someone Else Not Me)) [0:04:17.17]
15. Prototypes [0:06:17.15]
–- I. Ring Back (Not Engaged)
–- II. Stromo vs. Retibol
–- III. Virus
–- IV. A Higher Voice
–- V. Gm Virus
–- VI. Piece Of Mind
–- VII. Archibaldo's Favorite Toy
–- VIII. Ocean Of Sound
–- IX. Reprints
–- X. Wire Tap
–- XI. Thick Skin
–- XII. Missing Link
–- XIII. A Walk In The Park

"It's like the Mamas & the Papas meets Kraftwerk." This line, more baffling than a lyric like "Shake up the picture, the lizard mixture, with your dance on the eventide," is how Simon LeBon described Astronaut to Rolling Stone. If it was meant to lower expectations of the first Duran Duran album to feature the Fab Five (meaning LeBon, Nick Rhodes, and the trio of unrelated Taylors) since Seven and the Ragged Tiger, it worked. Astronaut, rest assured, sounds nothing like that match made in hell. Instead, it resembles what the average lapsed Durannie might expect or even hope for – a modern-sounding mixture of extroverted dance-pop and rock, with a couple of relatively subdued and introverted moments. No sound seems forced, and you can tell that the members are thrilled to be in the same studio with one another. Despite a disparate lineup of producers, including Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Avril Lavigne) and Dallas Austin (Boyz II Men, Janet Jackson, Pink), the songs slide into one another as well as they do on any of the group's early albums. The big, glossy, buoyant songs work best, containing punching choruses and sleekly raucous motifs that manage to trigger faint memories without sounding recycled. The lighthearted mid-tempo funk of "Bedroom Toys," however, is a randy nightmare that's almost as awkward as any of the covers on Thank You. Even with a handful of forgettable songs beyond that, the album is easily the best one credited to the Duran Duran name since 1993's Wedding Album. That's not saying much, but the fact that these five fortysomethings have made something fresh and contemporary – without acknowledging the '80s revival(s) – is a feat of some kind.

by Andy Kellman, AMG

Tracklist:

01. (Reach Up For The) Sunrise [0:03:25.35]
02. Want You More! [0:03:37.49]
03. What Happens Tomorrow [0:04:04.31]
04. Astronaut [0:03:24.48]
05. Bedroom Toys [0:03:50.74]
06. Nice [0:03:26.02]
07. Taste The Summer [0:03:52.72]
08. Finest Hour [0:03:55.22]
09. Chains [0:04:46.26]
10. One Of Those Days [0:03:45.33]
11. Point Of No Return [0:04:57.45]
12. Still Breathing [0:05:59.02]



Tracklist DVD3:

Hungry Like The Wolf (Live At Wembley)
Sunrise (Live At Wembley)
What Happens Tomorrow (Live At Wembley)
Wild Boys (Live At Wembley)
New Religion (Live At Wembley)
Behind-The-Scenes Documentary

While Duran Duran have worked steadily since their 1993 comeback, The Wedding Album, they haven't always sounded as stylish and creatively tuned-in as they do on 2007's Red Carpet Massacre. Perhaps it's because there hasn't always been a definitive sound for the band to catch onto in the way that adult alternative informed the mature aesthetic of The Wedding Album. Interestingly, rather than go for the sound of more obvious neo-new wave bands like the Killers, Red Carpet Massacre finds the original lineup of vocalist Simon LeBon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor, and drummer Roger Taylor – guitarist Andy Taylor left prior to recording – hooking up with modern dance-pop producers Danjahandz and Timbaland for a sound that at once returns the band to its edgy, club-oriented roots while also updating its sound to fit in on the radio next to such contemporary Timbaland-helmed acts as Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. In fact, Timberlake even co-wrote and produced the very "FutureSex/LoveSounds"-ish ballad "Falling Down." These are darkly atmospheric, pulsating tracks that make the most of Duran Duran's longstanding knack for moody, somewhat cheeky dance-rock. To theses ends, dark disco cuts like "Nite-Runner" and "Skin Divers," with their dominatrix whip beats, high-pitched choruses, and obligatory Timbaland raps, are both deliciously hedonistic and crisply appointed electro-soul numbers. Similarly, tracks like the synth-driven title cut and the angular and oddly funky "Zoom In" come as close as the band has been in years to re-creating its own glamorous and neon-coated '80s aesthetic.

by Matt Collar, AMG

Tracklist:

01. The Valley [0:04:57.42]
02. Red Carpet Massacre [0:03:16.43]
03. Nite-Runner [0:03:58.20]
04. Falling Down [0:05:41.10]
05. Box Full O' Honey [0:03:10.62]
06. Skin Divers [0:04:23.53]
07. Tempted [0:04:24.35]
08. Tricked Out [0:02:46.32]
09. Zoom In [0:03:27.03]
10. She's Too Much [0:05:14.27]
11. Dirty Great Monster [0:03:36.20]
12. Last Man Standing [0:04:00.60]



Tracklist DVD4:

The Making Of Duran Duran's Red Carpet Massacre

Duran Duran and producer Mark Ronson envisioned the 2011 release All You Need Is Now as a sequel to the band’s 1982 effort Rio, but fans are better off approaching it as the imaginary effort that came after 1983’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger. Follow their analogy, and this should sound like a band that just created a new wave icon, but here there’s an enthusiasm and sense of purpose that can only come from an act less cocksure than one that is on top. To his credit, Ronson was pretty near the top at the time of the album’s release, but his inspired work on All You Need is driven by both hero worship and a previously underappreciated talent to do what’s right by the artist. For Duran Duran, it’s clean and slick landscapes of synths, plus a dash of trendy gimmicks (representing the band’s love of fame and fashion) with just a touch of weird (representing the band’s love of art rock, particularly Roxy Music). The band is close enough to top form to use Ronson’s work as a springboard, letting the singalong tales of models, paranoia, and men who steal leopards flow naturally. Some tracks sway and glide, like the new romantic hit “Planet Earth” (the great “Too Bad You’re So Beautiful,” or the sci-fi club track “Blame the Machines”), while others bring reminders of the percussive studio creation “Wild Boys” (the pounding title track), or those early, melancholy numbers like “The Chauffer” (the flowing and wistful “Mediterranea”). As far as reservations, the once bold, sometimes shameless Simon Le Bon sounds a bit tentative in this post-Killers world, and when compared to the tight, original, nine-track version of the album previously made available via digital download, this final, fatter version borders on "too much of a good thing." Fortunately, the emphasis will be on "good thing" for longtime Duran fans or anyone with a taste for melodic, synth-driven pop/rock.

by David Jeffries, AMG

Tracklist:

01. All You Need Is Now [0:04:33.67]
02. Blame The Machines [0:04:09.40]
03. Being Followed [0:03:49.64]
04. Leave A Light On [0:04:38.00]
05. Safe {In The Heat Of The Moment} [0:04:01.19]
06. Girl Panic! [0:04:34.51]
07. A Diamond In The Mind [0:01:18.06]
08. The Man Who Stole A Leopard [0:06:14.43]
09. Other People's Lives [0:03:45.70]
10. Mediterranea [0:05:40.34]
11. Too Bad You're So Beautiful [0:04:55.43]
12. Runway Runaway [0:03:07.34]
13. Return To Now [0:01:36.07]
14. Before The Rain [0:04:35.21]
15. Networker Nation [0:03:09.73]



Tracklist DVD5:

1. Making of All You Need Is Now, The
2. All You Need Is…Mark Ronson
3. Art of Clunie Reid, The
4. On Set at the Photoshoot
5. All You Need Is Now [Official Music Video]
6. Behind the Scenes at the Video Shoot
7. Track by Track









Go to original post ==> Duran Duran - Paper Gods (2015) [Warner Music Japan, WPCR-16696]


All thanks go to bvstudio, mitay, Oltep and Igor_O25