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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 14:11:45 GMT -5
Amen mynick7 I couldn't argue with any of that and some great points madoldlu! Speculation and points of view are what these boards are all about, that's why we do more than just listen to the records! I agree about what little things go into the magic of a Duran song. I think after Big Thing John just lost the touch for a while as a bassist. I love Big Thing but it's hard to tell what is real bass and what is synth-bass. He touched on some classic Duran sounding basslines on Astronaut and RCM but man it was great to hear "All You Need Is Now" for the first time and say Yup, that's John Taylor. Perhaps he is a genius and didn't want Duran to repeat themselves, so he basically abandoned his bass sound for Big Thing and then completely went through the motions on "Liberty" "Wedding Album" and "Thanks But No Thanks" I can't wait to see what he does on #14 he seems happiest about it from interviews. I doubt we'll see a repeat of AYNIN and I wouldn't want one, that's why I'm so excited!
The thing about U2 that drives me nuts is how highly rated The Edge is as a guitarist. He is a fine songwriter and rhythm guitarist, but everything else is just effects. He might as well be a synth player. I couldn't stand that movie "It Might Get Loud" where they took what they said were the three best guitarists from three different generations, them being Jimmy Page (I couldn't agree more, I love him) Jack White (a great blues/rock guitarist, but I've never really dug him) and The Edge (HAHA.) There is even a scene in the movie where edge shows all he is playing is two chords and the rest is all effects. It made me laugh, he may be creative but it still all sounds the same to me!
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Post by mynick7 on May 28, 2015 14:17:22 GMT -5
No anger here! I've seen U2 in the Yahoo! news feeds and on magazine covers more in the past 1-2 years then in a while...and that annoys me because I don't get it the interest. Maybe it's because I'm around my friend a lot and that aids in my growing passion against U2...I don't know. To me they sound the same. They are praised for being "the greatest band on earth" (which is a opinon of U2 fans as well as music mags, the news and everything else). Hate the hype they get because I don't agree with it. Especially since their sold out to Apple and Live Nation. I realize it's marketing, advertising and creating a stir. I get that. I just don't get why it's them. They aren't special. If Simon were in an accident (GOD FORBID!!) today, it would only create a possible ripple...nothing like the typhoon Bono received. And Simon is so much nicer on the eyes than Bono. *shudders* With that said, I am again glad it's not Duran being hyped like U2 are. As much as Duran is near and dear to my heart and soul, I would get sick of seeing them plastered everywhere I turn. I'm not expecting them to be on the top of the charts with their new album...and I won't ever be upset. Their music is enough for me...and it's something that has been with me for over 30 years. Duran still sells out not just intimate shows but arenas as well. I guess I just don't like the "follow up" thing. Because it isn't. I guess you are right, madoldlu, the influence is there but I don't see it as a "follow up to Rio" or the "new Rio." AYNIN was just another new album with some of their own 80s influence. I hear all new songs...not parts from other songs. Maybe I'm the odd one out!
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 14:32:13 GMT -5
Not odd Mynick7 AYNIN was a perfect blend of back to roots while still sounding modern. It was all in the songwriting (and some of Ronson's cheeky production agenda!) I am the odd one out for loving Medazzaland so much, I hear great songs and I can get past the shitty production. I hate to bring it up again because it sucks we still have not heard any of "Reportage" They claimed that was a return to their roots, who knows maybe someday. As far as other bands sounding the same all the time my other favorite band besides Duran Duran is The Cure. From 79-92 I like Duran more but I think The Cure were the greatest band of the 80's So many different styles, then in 93 they lost their greatest musicians guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Porl Thompson and incredibly innovative drummer Boris Williams and the last 4 studio Cure albums have all sounded the same or tired. Shame!
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Post by mynick7 on May 28, 2015 14:52:41 GMT -5
Oh, yes, Skin Twinkie! I agree! It's a shame that so many original, innovative groups from the 80s that are still around today or got back together sound are sounding the same. I love The Cure from the 80s...but then I lost interest in the 90s. I publicly admitted on my radio show that I wasn't a huge fan of Culture Club back in the 80s (because my brain was already dialed in and stuck on Duran Duran). I don't know why. Their music was great stuff back then. When I listened to the new CC song late last year ("More Than Silence"), I was blown away! I loved it! Nothing like they sounded in the 80s.
I'm with you about Edge. He isn't all that awesome as he's hyped up to be (neither is Bono). Yet he made world headline news by walking off the edge of the stage opening night of the tour. Adam is okay but it's like he's just along for the ride. If I have to give credit, the force behind U2 is Larry.
I am with you on "Medazzaland." I love that album. There was a new, special kind of magic on that one. And I think everyone knows my feelings on "Reportage" so I won't go there.
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Post by madoldlu on May 29, 2015 9:03:22 GMT -5
Count me in as another Medazzaland lover!
And mynick7, I understand about you wanting Duran to be more low key and not huge like U2. It's like Duran is a little bit of an underground band that no one really knows about. I kinda like that too. But unfortunately, the boys themselves would like nothing more than world domination! And everything they do is kinda geared towards that goal, which causes them to take some missteps along the way.
So I don't know how to feel about that. Should I be supportive of their wishes and also want them to be the biggest band in the world? Or do I like that they are my very special personal band that I don't have to share with peons?
To bring it back on topic, one important thing that has come out of their longevity is that I think they are finally getting some respect. They have been around for about 35 years now and managed to put out albums fairly frequently every few years. The general public has no choice but to at the very least give them kudos for that!
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Post by intravenus on May 30, 2015 0:08:38 GMT -5
Speculation is fun! Just because things turned out one way doesn't mean that they didn't almost turn our quite differently... a bit more patience/tongue holding from Andy would have resulted in a Reportage MK2 with bonus Timberland songs, for better or worse. A bit more confidence in originally inspired material would have led to a version of Astronaut called Beautiful Colours, with that song and TV Vs Radio as prime radio contenders. Etc etc. I would very much like for Jason Cooper to step aside and encourage the glorious return of Boris Williams (best Cure drummer ever), and my speculation/fan wishes may hopefully one day help bring about such a result in some small way PS: to the average music fan, a pivotal guitarist leaving may not be a break up, but certainly a "split" PPS: Medazzaland rocks!
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2015 11:57:33 GMT -5
I remember reading Andy statement on the german magazine Bravo in 1985: 'no one needs Simon, Nick, Roger and John more than I do, and the others feel the same way'. By then who would have thought how things would really go...? So for one reason or the other I think anyone of the band members would 'deny' the break up, mostly for business reasons of course. PPPS: Medazzaland rocks big time;-)
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Post by kitaj on May 31, 2015 12:40:29 GMT -5
Perhaps he is a genius and didn't want Duran to repeat themselves, so he basically abandoned his bass sound for Big Thing and then completely went through the motions on "Liberty" "Wedding Album" and "Thanks But No Thanks" I like what I'm reading from you and others in this thread - the Big Thing love, the Medazzaland love (although I opine on the 'shitty' production - it's just the right kind of production that album needed, in my view) etc. - but I can't agree on John going through the motions as a bassist on Liberty and Thank You specifically. in fact, those two albums see him playing with a wild abandon, and even trying out new sounds (the wah-wah bass in 'I wanna take you higher') and approaches (the overdubbed bass lines on 'Venice drowning'). those two albums can be counted among those having the best John Taylor playing on them. his playing on Astronaut and AYNIN, while more to the fore than, say, on Big Thing, The Wedding Album and RCM, is much more reined-in and stylistically conventional. someone said that for Liberty John took a backseat in the band - I don't think that's true. that album has John Taylor written all over it, and I don't mean that just as an instrumentalist - I think it's John's baby more than anyone else's from the band. in fact, I think it's precisely Liberty flopping big time that dispirited him to the point of wanting to quit DD soon afterwards.
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Post by mynick7 on May 31, 2015 22:42:06 GMT -5
I remember reading Andy statement on the german magazine Bravo in 1985: 'no one needs Simon, Nick, Roger and John more than I do, and the others feel the same way'. By then who would have thought how things would really go...? So for one reason or the other I think anyone of the band members would 'deny' the break up, mostly for business reasons of course. PPPS: Medazzaland rocks big time;-) That is really interesting, twingo! I hadn't heard that before! Maybe that's what they said for business, but again, back to the fact that Duran never really broke up. They just had a rotation of members... And kitaj, Maybe he was "dispirited" as you said, but his drug and alcohol use was getting to him at the same time. He needed to leave for himself...and for that, I will always give him applause for. It's like quitting smoking; you have to be the one to decide it's time...no one else can decide it for you. And I believe John got to that point.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2015 3:56:33 GMT -5
Yes I noticed you mean it was not a break up, but English is not my mother tongue :-) a rotation of members is more appropriate actually!
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