OFF: Duran Duran

[Alex S. Garcia]

>> By "like that", I meant bland. That all sound alike.
>>
>> Well, I meant by "boring" the same as above : songs that all sound alike. As
>> for the kind of music I listen to, well - apart from the obvious (BOC) - I
>> like prog bands (like Kansas, King Crimson, Marillion, Dream Theater, Styx)
>> and all kinds of other stuff : Pink Floyd (I don't really call them prog,
>> though I know some people do, but as you say : it is a nebulously defined
>> area in itself !), Supertramp, U2, The Police, Duran Duran (yes, you read
>> well !), Talk Talk, Toto... and tons of other bands, some more obscure as
>> well. All in all, I have rather eclectic tastes, I think. What I *don't*
>> like though is techno music and also the more heavier rock, like thrash,
>> death metal, etc... (and rap - I can't stand rap) BOC is about as hard as I
>> go. The only hard rock stuff I like, all things considered, are the old hard
>> rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple... Does that help ?
>
>First off, there's no way in a million years that HW tracks all sound alike.  I
>mean, maybe if you listened only to Space Ritual, you could possibly say that
>(of course, they're all *good* as well :) ).....and then maybe the same for
>something like Quark or Levitation.  But then, if you compare several songs
>from each of these albums, they hardly even sound like the same band in many
>ways.

Well, as I've said, I've only heard a few songs. And only bits of each,
since I was in a record shop. And I guess maybe after a few listens I'd like
even those songs, who knows ? music has its ways...

>Secondly, I'm absolutely amazed that anyone could find anything the least bit
>interesting about Duran Duran's music....esp. someone who is fond of much of
>the same kind of music I listen to

Ah yes, well, I knew this was coming *sigh* I think DD is a much underrated
band, too many people are biased. I think it's kind of become a fashion to
hate the band. *Most* of those who do (or think they do) haven't actually
even bothered listening to their songs. And when I say "listen", I don't
just mean hear one of their singles on the radio or on TV. I mean carefully
listening to a whole album. There is much more in Duran Duran than one could
think. I find their music very rich and complex, well structured and very
melodic. AND they also have great lyrics. They also often work on sci-fi
grounds. Oh, come on now, don't tell me the following aren't great lyrics :

        Below the towers of the citadel,
        Seems someone overlooked the cost,
        Forgotten soldier of Paradise, now Paradise is lost.
        Recognition never realized,
        Salvation lost among the crowd,
        So tell me here beside the sterile sea, where is your nation now ?
                (from "The Edge of America", in BIG THING - 1988).

Or, from one of my favorite DD songs :

        Way down the lane away, living for another day
        The aphids swarm up in the drifting haze
        Swim seagull in the sky towards that hollow western isle
        My envied lady holds you fast in her gaze
        (...)
        And watching lovers part I feel you smiling
        What glass splinters lie so deep in your mind
        To tear out from your eyes with a thought to stiffen brooding lies
        And I only watch you leave me further behind.
                (from "The Chauffeur", in RIO - 1982)

And I could give you a thousand more examples (from "The Seventh Stranger",
"Shadows on your side", "New religion", "Save a prayer", "My Antarctica",
"Venice drowning" or "Sin of the city", for instance - all of which were
never released as singles, if you'll notice, except "Save a prayer").

Furthermore, I'll add that DD has with time evolved a lot, now threading in
rocky waters, if you see what I mean :-) The "rock venture" started with
"Liberty" (though there are streaks of rock already on previous albums) and
was confirmed in their latest effort, "Thank You" which, in case you don't
know, is a covers album. And do you have any idea who they cover ? You'll be
surprised... The Doors, Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Bob Dylan
and... Led Zeppelin ! Uh huh, that's right, Led Zep. That's where they got
the album's title, BTW, since "Thank you" is the LZ track they cover.

I think that many DD fans don't even dare say they like the band in fear of
"reprisal". That shouldn't be. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Duran Duran
is, IMO, a very good band and I'm sticking to that. Oh, they've made
mistakes, of course, but all bands do. So hey, let me be known as "the BOC
fan who liked DD", if you will *laughs* (though hopefully I'm not the only
one !)

>To be fair, though, I should admit that I like some awfully weird things that
>other people who know my "core" musical tastes are shocked by.....including
>10,000 Maniacs, REO Speedwagon's first two releases, and the song 'Heart of
>Glass' by Blondie.

I don't mind, I also like those three... though I'm not very familiar with
10,000 Maniacs, only heard a few songs from them - which I liked.

>P.S.  What the hell is Talk Talk???

Seriously ? I'm surprised you've never heard of them. They were quite
popular in the 80's. I guess you could call them a new wave band, kind of.
They had several hit singles back then, among which "It's my life", "Such a
shame" or "Living in another world". They have kind of disappeared from the
scene after the commercial catastrophe of their last LP, which most people
agree (even fans, I think) was a huge mistake and a very bad album. Can't
say, never heard that one myself...



Alex S. Garcia
"The BOC fan who liked Duran Duran"

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