Released: May 18, 2010
Label: Capitol Records
Few bands are so closely associated with a single decade as Duran Duran. That association, however, doesn’t always have positive connotations for them. By the time they soared up the US charts in 1982, new wave had become a bit of a cop-out genre, particularly its New Romantic flavor of which Duran Duran was an integral part. The genre itself had gone bad and, in retrospect, it seems the band suffers for that. However, in the midst of A Flock of Seagulls and Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran stood head and shoulders above their peers, to some extent transcending the fashion-first New Romantic movement, even as they coined that very term in “Planet Earth.”
Having recently re-issued the band’s huge breakthrough, Rio, Capitol is now offering up the other two “important” Duran Duran releases, their self-titled 1981 debut and 1983’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger. Those of us who grew up in the 80s may still have these albums and that certainly mitigates the value of re-packaging the product. The real value here for most isn’t in the albums themselves, but in the value added by the newly-included material.
Duran Duran includes the typical “deluxe edition” b-sides and remixes, which is fine, but unremarkable. More interesting are early demos and BBC sessions. The AIR Studios versions of “Girls on Film” and “Tel Aviv” from 1980 certainly show an edgier, post-punk forerunner of the ultra-slick pop for which the band is known. Several tracks from their Manchester Square (the old EMI headquarters made famous by the Beatles’ Please Please Me cover) demos see the band gelling into the sensation that swept through the early 80s, though somewhat less polished. The Peter Powell BBC session is similar. The songs aren’t too far removed from the album tracks only with the added urgency often associated with the “live in the studio” recordings for which the BBC is known.
The Seven and the Ragged Tiger bonus material is more mundane. Largely a collection of b-sides and remixes with a few sterile live tracks mixed in, it suffers from the hodge-podge feel of all too many “deluxe” packages. While Duran Duran did rise above the level of most of their peers, many of these extended tracks amount to simply filler with a beat that extended dance time in 80s nightclubs. Unlike the second disc from the self-titled album, which gives an interesting glimpse into the development of the band, this material is both superficial and meaningless. There is very little of real musical interest.
With a mixed bag of bonus tracks, perhaps a better reason to consider these re-issues is a collection of some of the best (and most defining) videos made in the early days of MTV. The Duran Duran DVD contains their early music videos (for “Planet Earth,” “Girls on Film,” “Careless Memories” and “Night Boat”). Few bands at the time realized what an industry force MTV would become in such a short time, but, perhaps due to their image-conscious approach, Duran Duran had a firm grasp on what the new format could do for them and they exploited it to the fullest. While most of the other footage is so choreographed that it feels more like a video than a live performance, their Old Grey Whistle Test appearance gives a good hint at why Duran Duran’s music holds up better most bands caught up in that early 80s shtick: They’re a pretty good rock band underneath the over-produced, over-fashioned veneer. The concert/music video hybrid film As the Lights Go Down, included on the Seven and the Ragged Tiger DVD plays on both the strength of Duran Duran’s choreographed formula as well as their ability to again show their ability to actually rock, this time at the arena level.
For better or for worse, Duran Duran is both defined by the 80s and plays a role in defining that decade. While they get lumped in with a lot that should never be re-visited, these albums and some of the bonus material do show why Duran Duran should be at least be partially excused from blame despite being a major player in an overall rotten genre.
Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 7/10