Duran Duran - Debut album + Remix Disc - 1981

I've said before that I didn't get into D2 until New Moon came out.  And then, I was only able to recognize enough to focus on Reflex.  So by the time I was really hard core into following them, Wild Boys was just being released.

This leaves a full two albums of materiel plus that much more mixed to be heard.  At the time, and to a degree now, it is difficult to go backwards when listening to a band.  Whatever I am currently listening to, I always want to hear what's next.  Same with D2.  It took a summer afternoon on the beach of Lake Michigan in Chicago, with a group of young girls and their boombox listening to Girls on Film and Planet Earth to help me go back and listen to the first album.  ( I think it was the beauty of the nubile young women that encouraged me to go back and listen, but who knows - yeah, right.)

Forever, I thought that Is There Something I Should Know was actually supposed to be on the first album.  It always seemed out of place.  Years later, I find out it replaced To the Shore.  Then I find the singles with Late Bar, Khanada, Faster Than Light and Fame.  What the hell.  That's five songs.  That's an EP.  And there were only nine songs on the album to begin with!  SO, there I am with my duel deck cassette player, and my turntable and my blank tapes, trying to make a mix of the album with the b-sides and the two mixes that I knew of.  And no cover (no computer) to wrap it in.  Just my Bic and my colored markers to make the spine look pretty.

I always like the cover to the Planet Earth single, the 7-inch release more than the 12-inch.  It was orange, my favorite color, and I liked the contrasting city and desert.  Also, the Nite Romantics sleeve is one that I still have hanging on my wall in a frame.  Absolutely classic.  Except, my Obi strip is ripped and taped.  Other than that, I love having it.  I think I still have enough mixes that I might make one more mix disc using the blue and red japanese sleeve for Planet Earth, because that's my next favorite, despite the fact it breaks from the Assorted Images motif they had on the rest of the releases from the album.

On the "Master Disc" I kept the album generally in the order it was released, but I mixed the b-sides in throughout, rather than just dumping them all in the middle. I also added the original Tel Aviv in the middle to balance the album closing.  I think I did a pretty good job of arranging, let me know if you like it.

The Extended Disc is the Catbirdman mixes that rock, of course.  You'll love every mix, he did a stellar job.

More mixes on the way....

Duran Duran - Master Disc - 1981

Duran Duran - Extended Disc - 1981

Duran Duran - Seven and the Ragged Tiger - 1983 - Extended Remixes

New Moon On Monday was the first encounter I had with Duran Duran.  I picked it up at Richman Gordman shortly before I moved to Chicago.  I bought it because of the snazzy picture sleeve, and I didn't have any picture sleeves yet.  It was the third 45rpm single I had ever purchased, behind Matthew Wilder's Break My Stride and Peter Schilling's Major Tom.  At the time I bought it, it was an impulse buy, and I wasn't overly impressed by it.

Shortly after moving to Chicago, I laid on the floor of my parents living room, with the stereo up loud and New Moon on Monday (along with the Tiger Tiger b-side) blaring in my ears.  It grew to be in my top 5 Duran Duran songs ever, to this day.

I purchased 7&tRT on cassette shortly after that and nearly wore the thing out.  I discovered that Union of the Snake had another song called Secret Oktober that I'd never heard of.  And, a guy at school named Jay Duffy had a cassette maxi-single of the Reflex with a different mix than the album (up until this time, I didn't know what a "remix" was.)  I was always a fan of that particular remix, although the remixes of the rest of the singles from 7&tRT were rather dull. 

For the most part, Duran2's remixes consisted of what seemed to be an instrumental version of the song, cut with a 7-Inch version of the song.  Dull and dreary.  The Tiger Tiger mix was somewhat different, but the rest left little interest, if only for completions sake.

NOW JUMP FORWARD 30 YEARS...

Fan made mixes of songs have  become second nature and to be expected, in this day when you can have a virtual recording studio on your laptop.  You give a talented fan a clean copy of every official, professional mix of a song, along with the original mix and maybe even the stem tracks, and that fan can come up with some wonderous stuff.

Catbirdman (I so very much hate that name) is a Duran Duran fan who started making mixes of Duran tracks back in 2009, 2010.  He started with the first album, and made it though Arena and the Wild Boys before he quit.  The tracks he was able to complete are border on perfect examples of how Duran2 should have mixed/remixed their songs for singles.

As 7&tRT was my first Duran2 album, I've included all of the songs that CBM made for that album, with the exception of an alternative version of Cracks In the Pavement and also Faith In This Colour.  I've included Is There Something I Should Know, as this track was recorded and released about the same time as 7&tRT, and the track has no business on the first album anyway.

I used the Tiger Tiger EP picture sleeve as this was originally the collected mixes from 7&tRT.  It might seem a little dull, but I think it's because the graphics you generally see include an Obi strip, as it is a Japanese only release.  I didn't care for the strip as it cuts out several of the boys in the pic on the front.

Later on, I will post more mixes from 7&tRT on a 2-disc set.  I'll also post more Catbirdman mixes, as he has two more albums worth.  I'll also eventually hit almost every Duran2 track and album, as I have it all.  And I do mean all.  It's sort of sickening to look at sometimes.

Duran Duran - Seven & the Ragged Tiger - Extended Mixes