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Majestic 'pop music' in the purest sense of the word. I think the classic Duran Duran LP's - 'Duran Duran', 'Rio' and 'Seven and the Ragged Tiger' (I also quite like bits of 'Notorious' and 'Big Thing') are all excellent documents.
The collection of singles they released during that time are just top notch songs, but it goes deeper. Tracks such as 'Tel Aviv' and 'The Chauffer' do something a little different. 'Tel Aviv' is one of the finest pop instrumentals ever recorded (maybe only second to some of Japan's instrumental tracks, although there's always a question of the 'pop purity' of Japan).
Half a dozen great Duran Duran singles:
1 'Save a Prayer'
2 'New Moon on Monday'
3 'Union of the Snake'
4 'Is There Something I Should Know?'
5 'All she wants Is'
6 'Wild Boys'
['The Reflex' also deserves a mention here for the 12" extended version, which is mighty fine. It also features a live version of the Steve Harley (I think) track 'Make Me Smile ('Come up and See Me').]
Half a dozen other great racks:
1 'Tel Aviv' (this instrumental track really is superb)
2 'The Chauffer'
3 'Land'
4 'Sound of Thunder'
5 'Tiger Tiger' (another Nick Rhodes instrumental showcase)
6 'Late Bar'
Three great Duran Duran videos (check em on youtube, or don't):
1 'Union of the Snake'
2 'Wild Boys'
3 'Hungry Like The Wolf'
The first three singles from 'Rio' ('Rio, 'Hungry Like The Wolf', 'Save a Prayer') are still known as the 'pop stars in paradise' videos and are widely credited as being the first of their kind.
Nick Rhodes was my favourite. Although John Taylor had the best shirt in history - I might try to find a pic of that actually.
The 'live' LP, 'Arena', is also very good (and as always, very well packaged) but I must confess that it brings to mind Mr sonicl's comments about Japan's 'Oil on Canvas' - ie that it's a very unlive live LP. That's two mentions of Japan in this post, which is fine because Duran Duran bassist John Taylor once remarked that Japan were one of the most underrated groups of all time.
I've been drinking for about ten hours, but I'm sure I'll notice the rambling nature of this post tomorrow and tidy it up somewhat. Thanks for making it this far.
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