Cousin Shane messaged me yesterday and said he was loving a new CD that we both recently got, and I had to admit that I hadn’t listened to it yet because I’m still in Duranland!
It’s true. After a month of listening to the new album, Paper Gods, and nothing else, I’ve managed to listen to some of their other albums lately. (When I’m in the house, I usually listen to satellite channels, so I do have other music playing throughout the day.)
Today I revisited one that I have not played much: 1997’s Medazzaland. This came out when all of the Taylors (John, Andy, and Roger) were not in the band, although John has songwriting credit for a few of the songs. Warren Cuccurullo was the guitarist at this point, and I dig Warren’s work with them. I think he’s a great guitarist and added a real edge to their music, and that is not at all a slam against Andy Taylor or their current guitarist, Dom Brown. Different iterations of the band, lots of great music, and I won’t disparage any of them.
One thing that I miss very much on this album, though, is the heavy bass groove that John Taylor provides to the band. I guess it’s one of those “don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” things, but you can really tell when he’s not a part of the recordings.
That being said, this album holds up better than I originally thought. It has almost a trippy, psychedelic feel to it. There is some darkness to it, too, with the creepy stalker vibe of “Be My Icon” and the track “Electric Barbarella.” It’s a standout track with a great groove to it, about taking a sex doll home from the store. The video is great but also has a creepy vibe, with all three of the band members sharing their new, artificial girlfriend. Yikes!
This is also a nice opportunity for a trivia question. Who knows the connection between this song title and the band’s name?
Enjoy. Who doesn’t love a happy song about three boys and their sex doll?
....Duran Duran got its name from Roberto Duran's knockout of Ken Buchanan... he told an interviewer from across the pond that he was "Duran... DURAN.!!" ... Simon Le Bon saw the interview as a little boy and was mesmerized by the viciousness in the sneer of the fighter and the lack of remorse in his eyes..! "Barbarella" was a GREAT Echo and the Bunnymen song... so you combine the electric experience of Roberto Duran at the height of his powers and the incredible new wave song and you get "Electric Barbarella"...
ReplyDeleteReally, I just know that Duran Duran is from a work of Shakespeare... and Jane Fonda was a stunner in "Barbarella"..!