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From the Vault...
03/22/1998
#569 |
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info
Duran Duran
"Duran Duran"
© Capitol Records
Year of Release: 1981
Rating:
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track listing
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Girls On Film
Planet Earth
Anyone Out There
Careless Memories
Is There Something I Should Know
Night Boat
Sound Of Thunder
Friends Of Mine
Tel Aviv
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Duran Duran
"Duran Duran"
The 1980s... The sounds of the 80s dance pop... That
unique 80s sound... One sound in particular for the 80s...
Duran Duran.
This week's choice is the debut of England's Duran Duran;
their self-titled album. With two major hits,
album, Girls on Film and Is There Something I Should
Know, the rest of the album has the unique 80s/Duran sound,
and anyone would have to ask themselves, if they really admit
to enjoying this kind of music or not.
For myself, let me say that back in the heyday of Duran
Duran's popularity, I was not a true fan of this band.
In fact, I was practically against this band. Sure, some
of their songs are of good-if-not-better quality. But
with all of the hoopla everyone made about this band, and
that their style of music was different than others, it
seemed to me that even though they made themselves
a staple in rock music, I thought that there were many other
bands (at the time, old and present), that were much better.
Back then, a person I used to know put Duran Duran on the map as THE
band that ruled the world, like The Beatles did back in the Sixties.
My favorite band at the time was The Police. And as we battled ourselves over
and over saying who was better, my final verdict, (and still is today),
is The Police. As years went on in their later career,
Duran Duran had put out some songs that really caught my
attention; songs that caught my eye in a better sense for
a band that made me cringe every time I heard the name Duran
Duran, and hearing the sound of lead singer Simon LeBon's
voice.
It was their 1985 #1 James Bond theme, A View to a Kill
that threw me for a loop. That song wasn't so bad. I would
place that song as my favorite by Duran Duran. Their 1988 album,
Big Thing,
had a couple songs that weren't quite as bad as previous songs I had been
screaming foul about. So now I was thinking: Well, maybe these guys
aren't really THAT bad ?!?
So therefore, let me swallow my pride, and let us look back
at their 1981 debut. It starts out with Girls on Film.
And even back then, this song is not as bad as some others I had
heard. Girls is a good song, and if I were to make up
my own greatest hits of Duran Duran (and they were would be a few),
this song would be there somewhere. Back when it it received
popular airplay,
Is There Something I Should Know, is a song that was
not (and still is, not) on my personal playlist. As Simon and the boys keep singing
Please, please tell me now..., god, it just gets on my nerves!
Throughout this album, the songs contained features
great synthesizer work by keyboardist Nick Rhodes.
I give this band credit for one thing: The keyboards
made the sound of the Eighties what it was. And throughout Duran
Duran's career, the synthesizers on most songs truly made their
songs stand out. Tel Aviv is an instrumental that
showcases Rhodes' work.
But one thing that stood out for me, is that I never thought
Simon LeBon's voice truly matched the quality of other rock
singers. And there were times when I was listening to this
album for this review, as I did back in the 80s, and I do now, cringe in some
instances while listening to some of these songs. Where some
songs start out quite enjoyable, but when the vocals kicked in,
well, I'd start analyzing (and in most cases, cringing).
In one song, Anyone Out There,
the vocals were listenable, as compared to others like
Friends of Mine. I enjoyed the instrumental Tel Aviv.
Why? Because there were no vocals!
I'm not arguing that Duran Duran is bad as a group.
It's just that their vocals were the least in my list in what
made Duran Duran's sound 'good'. In any case, there
were some songs I could stomach, and the rest, well you know,
my stomach (likewise my ears) could take so much...
I'm sure that there are people who thought that Sting of
The Police's voice may not be enjoyable as Simon LeBon's.
And speaking of unique voices, Duran Duran was inspired by
Roxy Music, who featured another vocalist by the name of Bryan
Ferry. He too, had a unique voice. Sometimes it's the voice
behind the music that makes a band great. Yes, all three of
the bands mentioned here have one thing in common: Their lead
vocalists are unique, likewise to the style of their music.
I'll have to admit: Duran Duran were
ahead of their time. They developed
a sound that would pave the way for many other Duran Duran-sounding
groups to come and go in the late Eighties and early Nineties.
Groups like A Flock of Seagulls, Spandau Ballet, (hey, where
are they now?) and others that I can't think of (or should I?)
defined the dance pop sound of the Eighties.
Duran Duran is one of those groups either you love them or
hate them. And as much as I argue about certain groups having
greatest hits complilations vs. getting all of their original
album works, Duran Duran is a band that would be enjoyed more
based on greatest hits packages. However, their 1981 debut Duran
Duran has its moments. Of the nine songs, some have
potential, as the rest starts to drift, depending on how
you can tolerate the vocals and the unique sound Duran Duran
has in this album.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Capitol Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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