Duran Duran - Astronaut - 2005

I had high hopes when I heard that all five of the guys were getting back together for the first time since 1985.  Ecstatic to be more precise.  Finally, a return to greatness!!!!

Then I heard Sunrise, and I grew a little worried.  Oh, no.  This better not be how they're returning to the scene after all this time.  Some mixes came out, and I grew a little less concerned, but still very cautious.  Then, they released the album.....

As a grand return to the music scene, the album was okay, pretty good, but far from perfect.  It has some really good songs on it, but then also some songs that make you think "what the hell is that?!"  After repeated listens, I grew more comfortable with it, and I settled into the fact that this was the new "them", and to accept it for what it was worth.

Then, over the course of the next year, some great things happened.  The remixes came first, then some b-sides and unreleased tracks.  Lastly, the demos.  It would appear that the best songs recorded during the sessions were left off of the actual album.  Beautiful Colours, Salt In the Rainbow, Silent Icy River...  All favorites of mine.  And there are a lot of fantastic remixes as well.  Really great stuff.

SO, I compiled it into three discs.  All of the mixes are official, all of the demos are top quality.  And, there is also one track in there that does not belong in there, but I included it anyway because this was the era I found it in, and I didn't learn until much later that it didn't belong in the set.  Too bad, so sad, in my collection, that is where it's going to stay.

Anyway, I will be gone ALL next week, but I will schedule out my posts so you won't miss a beat.  Enjoy your weekend!

Duran Duran - Astronaut - 2005

Remixes Disc One         Remixes Disc Two 

Expanded Singles - Part I - Duran Duran & M|A|R|R|S

Trying something a little different this week, I am posting singles that don't have corresponding albums to go with them, and expanding them (to whatever degree I can.)

The two "new" songs for Duran2's GH album from 1989, they were never released on the GH album!  Ain't that a bitch.  And for the longest time, they were near impossible to find on CD.  Regardless of the fact that they mixed a lot of songs that weren't really meant to go together, it still came out sounding pretty well, considering the technology of the time.  I personally preferred Burning the Ground over Decadance, though.  After this single, it was a long slide down for the band to that shithole release Liberty, the worst Duran2 album EVER.

I've always been a huge fan of this single.  I have always been disappointed that they never gave us more than this.  To me, this was one of the first House singles... maybe?  At least, in my eyes.  Or should I say "in my ears".  All the mixes and a rare b-side.  A definite necessity.....

Duran Duran - Burning the Ground - 1989

M|A|R|R|S - Pump Up the Volume - 1987

Duran Duran - Notorious - 1986

A little more than a year ago, I posted my best mixes from Duran2's Notorious album.  I had hoped to post this one shortly after.  But, here it is, 14 months later.  Better than never, I guess.

Nothing too personally spectacular about this one.  I was living in Chicago at the time, and was in my transition from Christian Rock and Hard Rock into Post Punk.  Duran2 was still at the top of my list, but I wasn't overwhelmingly drawn to them at the time.  This one came as a shock to me, as it was a complete departure from the Duran I was used to.  I was hoping that Arcadia + John Taylor would have come up with something a little more spectacular.  I didn't come to fully appreciate this album until well into the 90s.

On this disc, the track selection is a little tricky.  Of course, I have the regular album right up front, and the We Need You b-side shortly following.  But, there was a host of demos that could be included, but should they?

First, I have Rope and Berlin, which are definitely different songs than the rest of the album, and also are at a high recording quality, so they were a definite requirement.

Then, you have Anything For You and Take It To Me.  Both of them are unique melodies to the album sessions, so they are definitely additional songs.  But, their recording quality is for shit.  I played with them for a bit on my mixer, and couldn't get them to sound any better than what you hear in the Mp3s that I've included here.  Also, the Duran Wiki claims that Take It To Me is an instrumental.  Well, yeah, for the first 2 minutes I guess you could call it that, but then it opens into a chorus and then verses, so I don't know where they get this instrumental idea.  Do I have a version that is different than any other one out there?  Please, any Duran2 aficionados out there, please help me figure this one out!!!!!!

Lastly, there are a bunch of demos out there for this album.  But, they are all demos of existing tracks, they barely sound any different than the originals, and the recording quality is horrible.  I left these off.  So, anyone looking for One Of the Faithful, you will not find it here!

I really had a tough time finding a decent cover of this album on the internet.  This one that I've used really isn't that good, and I could probably update it if anyone has a better scan of it.  Just a thought.  I do like Simon's hat from the pics on the back.  I think that he might be the only person able to pull that one off, and he may not have pulled it off either.  Matter of opinion, I guess.

Duran Duran - Notorious - 1986 

Duran Duran - Madison Square Garden, New York - 1984

 And for the final show of "Live in Concert!" Week, I give you Duran Duran Live at Madison Square Garden, 1984!

I've tried to compare this show to Arena to see if it's the same show or not, but I can't tell.  It sounds like it is.  But, it's so much more than Arena was.  The song selection is so much better, including more of their early hits, and a lot more of S&tRT songs, as well.  You also get the illustrious Shadow Stevens, a definite blast from the past.  Makes me feel like I'm 13 all over again.

I find it surprising that they start the show off with Tiger Tiger, and tuning their instruments.  I thought they would take care of that during the soundcheck or something, so they could run out blasting from the get go.  Regardless, it helps to build that anticipation, and when Simon asks that one question, you can't help but shout out YES!  (Once you listen to the show, you'll know what the hell I'm talking about.)

Although it's a soundboard recording, it's still an FM Broadcast, so the clarity is lacking and the treble sounds a little muffled.  But, it's still the boys at their peak, at their best, and at their most-loved moments of their career.

Long Live Duran Duran.

Duran Duran - New York - 1984 - 1

Duran Duran - New York - 1984 - 2

 

Duran Duran - Praetoria South Africa - 1993

Tonight's first show is a fun one.  I say that as it's not one of their best, but it's an interesting look at their evolution, and the definitive interpretations of their songs.  Duran2 had just reinvented themselves for the 90s and with great success.  The Wedding Album was like a breath of fresh air and it seemed at the time that the band had "promised" to deliver a decade of new superstardom and outstanding music.  I had great hopes!

We all know how history played out on that one.....

My best friend and I thought seriously about seeing this show when it came to Kansas City.  Wow!  Duran Duran in KC!  And, I had never seen them before!  BUT, the tickets were 26.00.  Holy smokes, I didn't know if I could part with 26.00, that was a lot of money!  Now, looking back, I kick myself for missing it.  26 bucks is nothing compared to a lifetime of memories.  I was stupid for not laying down my hard-earned and going to see them.....

I chose this show for a number of reasons.  Primarily, it's one of the only soundboard recordings that actually came out sounding good.  Most of the shows were either very shitty soundboard or audience recordings.  I also chose this one because their interpretations of their classics were genius, especially Hungry Like the Wolf.  I love this version.  I wish they still performed it like this, now.  Third, and final, in this leg of the tour we are starting to see the cover versions for Thank You pop up.  They still seem somewhat proto-primitive, but the essence of what they wanted to do for Thank You is there.  One of the only things I hated about this show (and all the shows I have from this tour) is that Warren seemed to play most of the songs acoustically, hardly any hard electric guitar at all.  I also hated the fact that Nick used the same synth settings for every song.  It sounds like that "orchestra hit" setting so it sounds like he's playing a lot of strings.  Good on some, a few, but not all of them.  It's like both Warren and Nick were stuck on that Ordinary World setting for the entire show.  And, Simon's vocal cords had been damaged prior to this, so he is really straining in a lot of places, but he doesn't sound too bad.

For the most part, though, this show really excites me.  I was just coming into my own in college.  My parents had moved away and I was alone to become my own person outside of them.  This was one of those albums that brought me through a lot, and I'll never forget it!

Duran Duran - Praetoria South Africa - 1993

Duran Duran - Youtube Unstaged - 2011

As you may have guessed, for my final night of live shows, I've chosen to do a set of Duran Duran shows.  Big surprise, right?

I'm starting with the "bonus" show (I've decided to do 3 instead of 2) because it's a fabulous show, and I didn't even have to make a fabulous cover to match.  It's already been made!

When D2 started touring for AYNIN, there were these wonderful soundboard shows that started popping up that were absolutely amazing.  An unknown fan (RomanDuran?) like myself started making these beautiful covers that matched the album like no other.  In fact, they look better than the actual album art.  I implore you to seek these shows out, and find these great covers, as they are a worthy addition to any D2 collection.  I collected all of them (about 12 shows, I think) and burned them all off and printed the covers to match.  Now, when I start flipping through the Duran section in my CD library, I'm greeted by a host of discs just waiting to be played.  Problem is, it's really tough to choose a favorite, because they're all so good.

This is one of my favorites.  It's great because the show is crystal clear and professionally engineered for broadcast.  The production is very tight, and I'd put it as a better show than the Diamond In the Mind concert that they released commercially.  The instrumentation is balanced and Simon's vocals are solid and on key from start to finish.

So, this is the bonus...  On to tonight's other two shows!

Duran Duran - Youtube Unstaged - 2011

Duran Duran - Medazzaland - 1997

This was a very unique and interesting time in the history of what was called "Duran Duran".  Yes, it had two of the original members, but it was closer in membership to Arcadia than Duran2, and the sound was way the fuck off.  Way off. 

I remember I was traveling for a restaurant chain between locations as a trouble shooter.  I would go to various chain locations and "fix" their problems and move on to the next local.  I was in Ames Iowa when this one came out.  I remember getting the CD single from EB and being somewhat baffled.  Shortly after, I got the album, and took several months memorizing and analyzing it from the various first note to the last beat, every second of every song.

At this time, the USA was knee deep in the remnants of grunge, and hip deep in this American "Alternative" music with bands that all sounded the same.  You also had Electronica exploding all over the place, and RnB Hip Hop everywhere.  Where was Duran2 to go?  What were they to do?  The music scene at the time was why we got an album like Medazzaland.  They really didn't know who they were and were starting to imitate the music of the time, rather than defining it, like they did in the eighties.

There's really nothing wrong with the album.  It's actually a very good album.  It's just not Duran Duran.  It's not Arcadia.  It's not Powerstation or Missing Persons.  I really don't know what it is.  It's just not Duran Duran!!!

From the album proper, only two of the songs are worthless.  The very first track, Medazzaland, and the last track, Undergoing Treatment.  Can't stand either one of those.  As for the rest of the songs on the album, they are all very solid, well written and well produced.  Big Bang Generation and Electric Barbarella stand out as two of the better "fast" or "non-ballad" tracks.  As for the ballads, you've got Out Of My Mind, Michael, Silva Halo, Midnight Sun and So Long Suicide that I really like.  All in all, every song has it's own qualities that make it good.

As for the cover art, I vote this one as the WORST Duran2 cover ever, followed closely by Paper Gods.  The artwork is atrocious.  Absolutely appalling.  Even though I am including material for two discs, I've only made a cover for the first main disc.  I didn't have enough artwork that was reasonable to even make a cover for the second disc.  Plus, the second disc is really a mish-mash of tracks left over from the main album.  Some of them weren't good enough to put on the first album, like P.L.You and Plastic Girl.  Most of the mixes really didn't mix well together, and really didn't match the style of the rest of the album.  The demos and alternates are MEH, with the exception of So Long Suicide, which I liked better than the original.  And then you have Niles and Simon with Do That Dance.  O.  M.  G.  No way that was going on the main disc.  It's almost a joke.

Anyway, if you like Duran2 and haven't listened to this album, or haven't listened to it in a while, it's a nice little break from what you normally hear from them.  It's different and unique, and worth the time.

Duran Duran - Medazzaland - 1997

The Bonus Material 

Duran Duran - Eiffel Tower - 2016

I end the year with my favorite band of all time.  Although I have been disappointed in about 70% of the material they've released since Arcadia and Powerstation, I still stand loyally at their side, forever a champion of their work regardless.....    Well, for the most part.

These last 12 years since they've reunited and released Astronaut, they have had quite a few great tracks.  Some of them weren't discovered as GREAT until they had been reworked by someone else.  A lot of times, a different perspective can help realize gems that had been previously merely adequate.  These are some re-interpretations of a few of those tracks that I have really taken a liking to.

Despite being music covered from the last decade, Johnson Somerset have been the best at mixing D2's singles into works of art.  I have most of their D2 mixes here, plus a few other great mixes by others.  They are all updated mixes to sound so fresh and current, you would think they were brand new songs.  Nothing dated here.  I don't generally like mixes like that, but these really REALLY work well.

I wrapped it up with Simon's newest track, Eiffel Tower.  It's a beauty.  Although his style is different than a D2 track, it's still a pleasure to listen to his voice.  This is a wonderful disc to close the year out...

SO, that's it!  No more posts this year!  Wow!  This has been an interesting and rewarding adventure for me so far.  I feel that I've made some great friends, and I'm happy to be able share my opinion on my favorite subject - music.  I want to thank you all for your support, and for coming religiously every day.  I know that at times I can be aggravating in the selections that I post, but you all have shown some great loyalty, and it is great to know that there are so many of you out there that like the same types of music I do.

I've got all of January and February scheduled out (but only covers through the 22nd of January.  I better get to work!) so you have me for at least that long.  I still have a lot of great ideas ahead, with still some older favorites left, but also newly discovered tunes from the 80s that I'm sure you will enjoy.  Stay with me, and we'll have a blast!

Thanks, again and we will see you in January!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Duran Duran - Eiffel Tower - 2016

Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Chicago Edition

Happy Birthday to Me.  Happy Birthday to ME!  Happy Birthday to Myself, Happy Birthday TO MEEEE!!!

So, a present to myself is also a present to you.  A brand new "Chicago Edition" of Big Thing by my beloved Duran Duran.

This album came out the summer before I moved from Chicago to the Great Plains of the United States.  This album came out as I was relishing in my final days in a city that I loved eternally, with all my heart.  This album was the soundtrack to my life for about six months.  This album helped close a chapter on my life that I never wanted to end.

My dad got a work transfer that moved us the first day of November, 1988.  We found out about it in July, and I dreaded the arrival of the day we would leave.  Being 16, I had a part time job at a local food establishment where I had a bunch of friends.  We had spent the summer going to see Def Leppard & INXS, taking trips into the city to screw around on the streets of downtown Chicago, hung out at friends houses, taking long lunches from school during the day to mess around at a small hamburger shack just a block away from school.  I had a girlfriend that taught me how to kiss.  I had friends who got me into trouble.  I had friends who introduced me to the Descendents, Depeche Mode, New Order, OMD and the Cure.  I had friends.

A week before I moved, we all went to a Haunted House close to O'Hare airport, we ate at Ed Debevic's Restaurant, and me and the girl that I was dating at the time clung to each other all night.  I stayed out with them until 2 o'clock in the morning.  My mom waited up until I got home and gave me dirty looks, but my parents didn't do anything about it.  After that, I got into a physical fight with my dad over the move, as I didn't want to leave this place that had so much for me.  I'd never hit my father before, and I never will again.  But, I was angry and in despair.  On Halloween, the day before we moved, I worked my last shift at work, and they had a party for me.  One of the girls there, who I had chased and loved since 7th grade - and asked out many times before - suddenly broke down crying.  I asked her why she was crying, and she said it was because she didn't want me to leave because she suddenly wanted to date me and be with me and all of this stuff...  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  She gave me a ride home, and we made out in her car for quite a while.  I absorbed as much as I could, being with her, holding her tight and kissing her lips.  The girl of my dreams...  I was devastated.

The next morning, my parents took my sister and I to the train station where we would take the train to our new home 600 miles away, while they finished packing and moving all of our stuff.  The sun was shining an autumn gold, and  plopped down in my seat next to the window, with my sister sitting next to me.  As the train pulled out, I put my sunglasses and head phones on and started playing Side Two of Big Thing, starting with Do You Believe In Shame? As the train headed west, I stared off at the city in the distance, slowly getting smaller, and lost behind the trees and buildings surrounding the tracks until I couldn't see it anymore.  My sister asked me why I was crying, and it was only then that I noticed tears were rolling down my cheeks.

And it may seem selfish now but I'll hold on to
The memory until all this fear is washed away.

Do you believe in love?
Do you believe in life?
Cause I believe a little part of you inside of me
Will never die.

This is my album.  This is me.  I am all of this.  This album is what defines me, and I think it's the best Duran Duran album, for obviously very personal reasons.

Fuck it.  F U C K ALL OF IT.

Tonight, on my birthday, I will listen to it again and have a toast to a life I loved, I could've had, and also one that could never be.

Good night, all.

Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Chicago Edition

 Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Remixes V1

Duranduran - Big Thing - 1988 - Remixes V2

Duran Duran Appreciation Day

Hope you all had a wonderful Duran Duran Appreciation Day.  Lol.  Don't get me wrong, I totally love the band.  I've been a fan of theirs since 1983, and have religiously purchased every release that they have.  I just think it's hilarious that we need a day to appreciate a band.  What IS that?!

Plus, I must say that they've really disappointed me with this last album.  They continue to try and "re-invent" themselves when the original formula is what worked.  And, even if they have changed in musical style, it really needs to reflect their age.  They're trying too hard to be hip for this generation, and I think it's a joke.  I mean, who in their right minds lets Mylie Cyrus guest vocal on their album?!  As if they weren't having enough problems with their credibility.

Again, I love the band, but today I feel more cynical about them than appreciative.  Maybe THEY should have a Duran Duran FAN Appreciation Day.  Yes, I may be getting too old, but they forget that they're getting too old, too...

Again, hope your D2 Day was a special one...

Duran Duran - Rio - 1982

Alright.  Here it is.  I'm not going to say anything about it, no long exposes on how Rio impacted my childhood. I'm just going to throw it all up on the wall here, and you can feast on it like a school of hungry piranha.

Disc One & Two - The UK & US Releases

Disc Three - The Catbirdman Edition

Disc Four & Five - The Remixes

I even threw in some bonus material for those who'd like to try their hands at their own mixes....

Rio Stem Tracks

Hungry Like the Wolf Stem Tracks 

Have a great night, I'll see you tomorrow....

Arcadia - The Remix Discs - 1985

As many have said before me, this is the best Duran Duran album that was ever released, and it's not even Duran Duran.  I still remember when this album came out and watching the videos when I could catch them.  The entire image was stunning and the music was only part of it.  The art, the makeup, the clothing, the videos, and the MUSIC, yes.  I remember finding the 45 picture sleeves at the Venture department store near my house and being infatuated with them....  I was in love.

But, it was about this time that my parents went through this "Rock & Roll is the Devil's music" phase, and I wasn't allowed to purchase any music without their approval.  So, after seeing their Election Day video, and seeing the album had a song called El Diablo, and wondering why they all dyed their hair black, I was told by my parents that I couldn't purchase the album.  Fuck.  What's a 14-year-old to do?  Of course, that didn't keep me from taping it from my friend, so, I did have the album, I just had to imagine the glorious picture sleeves.  Mind you, by the time I turned 16, that Devil music crap was out the window, and I eventually purchased the album.  Just tell me I can't purchase a little Duran Duran, and I'll go out and start buying Ozzy and Anthrax and Megadeth.  It changed their tune rather quickly...

The album itself, standing alone, is a masterpiece.  But, as always, the hunt for mixes soon became the key.  The few that were released as singles were good, but I wanted more.  I never knew about Say the Word until I got my bootleg Heaven's Eyes disc.  What a shocker.  mid-90s and I uncover an Arcadia song I had never heard before?!  Grey Lady of the Sea soon followed in the same fashion.  Yes, I know that Grey Lady isn't an Arcadia song, but it could be, it sounds like it.  And, it was released almost the same time.  So, I plug that one in with them.

When fans started mixing D2 and Arcadia tracks, there were a lot of really shitty ones done.  Not everyone is skilled at it.  Plus, there were a lot of fan mixers who would plug in these modern elements and beats that rendered the tracks worthless, as it was obvious that they were never meant to fit with the rest of the Arcadia songs.  I mean, why the fuck would someone try and manipulate Simon's vocals with a vocorder or Auto-tune?  That's just fucking stupid.  SO, I am very picky about which tracks I've selected to be on these remix discs.  All the tracks, IMO, HAVE to sound as if they were mixed and released in the same period as the original tracks, just to keep it authentic sounding.

The covers - meh.  Disc One's cover looks alright, but I feel that the cover I did for Disc Two is too busy and is obviously cut & paste.  Eventually, I may remake it.  Anyway, I hope you like them, and I hope you like the inclusion of the fan mixes, as I feel they've carried on a tradition and given us more to listen to.  I want to thank THEM for their hard work...

Arcadia - The Remix Discs - 1985 - Disc One

Arcadia - The Remix Discs - 1985 - Disc Two 

Duran Duran - Seven & the Ragged Tiger - More Mixes - 1983

Obviously, my favorite Duran2 album is 7&tRT.  It's followed quickly by Arcadia and Big Thing, but those are for later posts.  As I said in my first remix disc for this album, New Moon on Monday was the tune that sucked me in for good.  I love this album, always will.

These discs contain not only the official remixes from the singles, but also fan-made remixes that rival the originals.  You've got McDoc Evo-XR, Ianroystone, Catbirdman and TMT, all remixers just as good as the rest.  I know that there are countless fan mixes out there, but I like to stick with the mixes that are period.  They have to sound like they were done in the same period as the originals.  No modern effects, no techno beats, no obvious darkwave synth or none of that.  The mixes have to sound like the boys made it.  These all fit the bill.

The fun part was making the covers.  The first disc is from the Video Laser Disc.  I swapped out the video graphics on the back (the originals were from Rio, Planet Earth and HLtW, I think), I cleaned up the colors, and tried my damnedest to match fonts.  The second disc is obviously the Union of the Snake picture sleeve with a promo shot of the band substituted in, then everything recolored, matched fonts again, and there you have it.

Now, all I have left to do is post the original album....   Question, though.  Does "Is There Something I Should Know?" belong with the Rio album, or would it be part of the S&tRT album?  Where does that one lonely song go????????????

Disc One    Disc Two

Duran Duran - 848586 - Arena Era

For that little space between 7&tRT, and the Arcadia/Power Station eras of the band, we had a time when they were on the top, and a time when they were their most creative.  I wish they had been able to hold it together, because even though I loved the two sub-groups, I think they had a creative level at that moment that comes once in a lifetime.  Both WB and AVTAK are proof of that.  Absolutely fantastic, creatively primo, cherry on the top.

Yes, yes, the Arena movie was sorta dumb, but it had potential.  Had they slowed down the process and really worked it, they could've made a great film.  Sort of take the WB video and expand it without the cheese.  I loved the concept, the costumes, the dancing and the music.  It's the story that really sorta sucked.

This is shortly after I first fell in love with the band.  I had the folders for school, the stickers, the buttons, the patches, the bandana around the knee.  I had a poster of the image I used for the CD picture sleeve above.  I wish I had it now.  I'd hang it in my bedroom again, but I don't think my wife would let me.

Anyway, I'll post the live album later, with the bonus tracks deleted tracks and all the crowd noise.

I've got the official songs, the official remixes, the fan mixes, the unofficial mixes...  and all that. 

Ring-a-ding.

Duran Duran - 848586 - Arena Era

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 - Notorious Remixes - 1986

Pretty good album, quite a departure from where they came from, got some growth.  Now they sound less New Wave and more Synthpop, with a Jazz slant.  More mature, still creative, yet refined.  Overall?  I give Notorious a solid "meh".  I'm sorry, it just wasn't my favorite.  My favorites, surprisingly enough, fall on either side of this one, Arcadia and Big Thing.  More on those later.

Anyway, this is a nice collection of some of my favorite mixes from the album, Notorious.  Some of them are single-released remixes, some are from the white-label Master Mixes, and there are even a couple fan mixes thrown in for good measure.

All in all, if you are having friends over tonight for drinks, download this and have it playing in the background, it will make good conversation and keep people entertained....

Duran Duran - Notorious Remixes - 1986

Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now - 2009

After the nightmare that was Red Carpet Massacre, I was somewhat afraid of what the boys were going to come up with on this album.  I cringed and winced when I heard the opening notes of AYNIN, wondering what the hell they were thinking with that wailing siren noise, and Simon shouting.  I figured they screwed the pooch again, and we'd have another bomb and fizzle and I just didn't know if I could take it any more.

But, the melody drifted into the chorus, and I took note.  I listened to a few more tracks, and nodded my head.  Yeah, I think this will do.

After collecting all the bonus tracks, b-sides, unreleased and whatnot, we have a full 80 minutes of new materiel, counting the Ronson track that Simon sings on.  You have a stud named Dominic Brown playing guitar like Andy never could.  You have some true 80s sounding tunes that really bring back the times when I was young.  Yeah, some of the songs are crap, but that's why we have the skip button.  But, for the most part, we have some real gems.  This is the best Duran album in 20 years....  and I'm actually sort of sad to say that.

I mixed the track listing all over the place, front to back.  I feel it's a very cohesive arrangement, and closing with Boys and Record Collection is really tight.   I used the variety of pics available to make a different front cover with the same typeface.  Also, so many cool graphics available, I had to actually make an inside cover.  So, once you print the cover, turn the paper over and reload it, and add the other graphic for the inside.  Line it up, I can't guarantee it will if your printer is shit.

Anyway, enjoy the last great Duran album.  Doubt we'll get any more...

Duran Duran - All You Need Is Now - 2009

Duran Duran - The Wedding Album - 1993

Now, I've already posted one Duran2 album, but I didn't say too much about THEM.

Duran2 was the first group that I fell in love with.  From the time I first really listened to New Moon On Monday, to the time I listened to Girls on Film and Planet Earth from a group of girls boom box on the beach of Lake Michigan.  To listening patiently to the radio, as the DJ counted down the official first playing of Wild Boys on Z95 in Chicago.  To my buddy in Chicago who taped Rio for me.  Through Arcadia and Powerstation and on through the 80s.  (I'm reserving a discussion about 1988 for my Big Thing post).

After Burning the Ground, and the HOOOORRRRIIIBBBLLLEEEEE Liberty, I thought my boys were done.  The tides had shifted, music had evolved, and the New Romantic Synth-pop boys had finally burned it down.  Little did I know how wrong I was.  They would revive themselves for a time, only to burn themselves down again.

1993 and I was working at Taco John's and learning how to smoke a cigarette while making burritos.  The radio in the background playing constantly to the new "Alternative" radio station called 104.1 the Planet.  They announce a new song by Duran Duran, and my ears popped up.  What is this?  New Duran2?  Do my ears deceive me?  I thought they were done?  But here they were...

Ordinary World, huh?  Not bad, first time around.  Impressive, not the Duran2 I was familiar with, but let's see what they can do...

Over the next 12 months with a new album, videos, 5 singles, a handful of b-sides and another handful of remixes.  Then, the bootlegs started popping up.  CD burners were just beginning to come into use, and now we have 5 or 6 shows, that sounded great, simply because they were live and raw.  Demo tracks and stem mixes start appearing, 6 different versions of OW and just as many of CU.  Fantastic.

I fell in love with the boys again, then.  I tried hard to stay with them, even through Thank you and Medazzland.  But lost them again with Pop Trash (even though I went to see that show in St Louis).

It was back on again with Astronaut, off again with Red Carpet, back on again with AYNIN, and now, back off again with Paper Gods.  These boys just can't seem to keep their shit straight.

BUT, back on the Wedding Album, we see them reinvented with almost an hour and a half of classic Duran2 tunes.  They have that classic Simon appeal, and John's bass.  But, the rest is different. Great material, and a definite point to remember in their long, troubled and rocky career.

As always, I divided Side A from Side B and plunked all the b-sides and the one demo track right down the middle.  Hopefully you've heard of Matter Of Fact.  It's a goodie and rounds out this collection perfectly.

Duran Duran - The Wedding Album - 1993

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