Post by aglewis723 on Aug 1, 2015 10:59:26 GMT -5
Hello Everyone,
I wanted to write a post here because lately I have been the lucky recipient of a lot of flame throwing on this board, even though I never directly insulted anyone and never posted anything sexual or racist. It appears that the reason I am subject to this flame-throwing is SIMPLY because I offer my honest, un-filtered views on the current state of Duran Duran.
What am I looking for when I post my opinions? I am looking for conversation. Nothing more, nothing less. I am not looking to insult you or anyone in this forum. I am not looking to insult the band either! However, they are a business and I am the consumer.
Just as we post reviews on Amazon.com for the items we buy, I feel we should be able to with music too (or any art form for that matter). I also feel being attacked for one's views is not part of healthy conversation. I feel the people who do this take Duran Duran and life in general WAY too seriously. Relax, I'm not insulting your daughters dance recital to your face. These are 4 guys who don't even know you exist who are running a corporation - and as a corporation, I am sure they are open to criticism, both positive AND negative.
I mean, how dis-honest and boring would life be if we ONLY posted how much we LOVE things but not how much we DESPISE things?
Listen, Duran Duran is/was probably the most important band in my life. In 1993 I heard "Hungry Like The Wolf" on the radio and I instantly had to ask my Dad to take me to the CD store so I can buy their music (I was a 14 year old kid at the time). I bought "Decade" and "Rio" instantly... and became a fan practically OVER NIGHT!
As I collected all the prior albums, each one had their own special charm, I loved them all.
Then as a FAN, I was excited when "Thank You" came out - is it great? SOME tracks are! I love "White Lines", "Perfect Day", "Lay Lady Lay", etc... Then "Medazzaland" and Pop Trash" - very experimental, very unique - pushing against the edge of what people usually listen to.
But my main point was that everything POST reunion felt very calculated and contrived - and NO ALBUM before that did. First 3 albums... yes - they were popular, and yes they were building upon the sound of the early 80's - but remember - they were the PIONEERS then! Especially listen to the 1979-1980 demos. NOTHING truly sounded like this clash of musical ideas that DD had. Those first 3 albums were popular YES, but because they are 3 great albums, they sound inspired, real, and while I am sure their management and record company pushed them to sell units - there was an HONESTY in the songs. You can tell it was a band doing what THEY wanted to do. AND - big point here... there was a PROGRESSION from album to album.. you can hear a band maturing, you can hear new ideas with each album. Each album served as a stepping stone for the next... Do you feel that way from "Astronaut" to "RCM" to "AYNIN"? Those 3 albums sound like a band TRYING desperately to re-claim fame... AYNIN INCLUDED!
OK, then Notorious, Big Thing, Liberty.... still a band doing what they wanted to do I feel, but also keeping up with the times. The albums still sound fresh and exciting. Each was a natural progression...
Wedding album - pure genius..
Medaz/Pop Trash - like I said... does it FEEL like those albums were DESIGNED by some major record label exec to push units? Not really (having said that some of the decisions that were made sorta felt that way). I remember at the time pushing "Someone Else Not Me" as the next "Ordinary World" - but still... those albums are artistic, edgy, intelligent and MOVING FORWARD.
I need a band that MOVES FORWARD.
Wait - let me scratch that. I don't. Moving forward is the wrong term.
I need a band to be HONEST! THATS THE WORD! - HONEST!
A-HA is a great example... listen to their new stuff... its not "moving forward..." but its HONEST for them. They aren't a band that moves forward much... but you can tell they arent carefully constructing a radio friendly pop hit... they are being HONEST.
For Duran Duran to be HONEST... they need to keep MOVING FORWARD.. that is what this band is about from 1979 to 2000!
The FIRST time I felt the band stopped moving forward was "Astronaut".
I remember hearing "Sunrise" for the first time as the lead single. First thing I noticed right away was this silly catchy pop hook that actually sounds even MORE bubble-gum than there first 3 albums... (which aren't really bubble gum anyway - but relative to 1990-2000 it was)....
Then the Middle 8 - Roger's "Girls On Film" drum fills... ughh... I knew instantly what was going on.
I was witnessing a band trying to rewind the clock back in order to recapture their glory days - at one last crack at the "80s throw back wave) that was going on.
Then as I heard the album - its FILLED with stuff like that... "Nice", "Summer", etc...
The production also felt BOY-BAND-ish... it wasn't a BAND of MEN anymore like the Warren Cuccurullo Official years. Or hell, even before Warren was full time - Notorious and Big Thing sound more mature than "Astronaut".
They realize they didn't get it quite right, so what did they do? They went even MORE mainstream and decided to hop on the Timbaland/Timbalake bandwagon radio garbage. I dont even NEED to talk about RCM any longer.
Now - lots of fans LOVE AYNIN - and I see why. Some great tracks on it - BUT i feel the lack of honesty in it all over the place. I will say the title track is great and original. The verses - eh a little cheesy, but the chorus is very powerful (could have used a more natural production, like 1993-2000), but hey. But the rest of the album - they are simply trying to make another "Girls On Film" (Girls Panic), another "Notorious" (Safe), another "Chauffeur" (Leopard), another "Stairway" (Runaway Runway).... it still felt CONTRIVED and PLANNED.....
"Pressure Off" feels more of the same... even the Nile Rodgers thing doesn't feel honest. If they loved him so much, why wasn't he employed during his "less popular" years? Was it "Get Lucky"'s success that made them call up "good ole' Nile Rodgers" again who he claims is like his 2nd band?
Do you really think they called up Lindsay Lohan because they feel SHE is the talent they need on the record? Or because some record official said "we NEED a big top celeb on your album.. even if they aren't even a musician.. we need something!!"....
So yea... to sum it up... I feel Duran Duran lost their integrity and honesty with the reunion - simply because I feel Simon wouldn't have been depressed with Duran Duran in 1997-2001 if Medazzaland and Pop Trash were both Top 10 albums across the world.... if that was the case there would be NO REUNION!
Hell, I even suspect Duran themselves of not actually doing what they REALLY want to do. I mean, they were writing more mature music back in the 90s then they are now. Infact even their first 3 albums are more mature than "Pressure Off".
So, to sum it up, Duran Duran are a corporation and I am reviewing their product. It's part of the trade. I didn't mind the harsh review as they are putting something out there. How honest would the internet be without people who will speak their mind about the music?
I mean I could write a whole blog on why Medazzaland is a 10/10 album for me - but I can't write how Pressure Off is about a 2/10 in the same amount of detail?
That's all I was doing.
Funny thing is.... some of the fans who were attacking me were calling the Medaz and Pop Trash years "pure garbage" and how I dont understand what Duran Duran really is! LOL...
I bet you if in 1997 I reviewed Medazzaland poorly, those same people would still be attacking me. They just don't like any negative reviews of their Paper Gods I guess.
I wanted to write a post here because lately I have been the lucky recipient of a lot of flame throwing on this board, even though I never directly insulted anyone and never posted anything sexual or racist. It appears that the reason I am subject to this flame-throwing is SIMPLY because I offer my honest, un-filtered views on the current state of Duran Duran.
What am I looking for when I post my opinions? I am looking for conversation. Nothing more, nothing less. I am not looking to insult you or anyone in this forum. I am not looking to insult the band either! However, they are a business and I am the consumer.
Just as we post reviews on Amazon.com for the items we buy, I feel we should be able to with music too (or any art form for that matter). I also feel being attacked for one's views is not part of healthy conversation. I feel the people who do this take Duran Duran and life in general WAY too seriously. Relax, I'm not insulting your daughters dance recital to your face. These are 4 guys who don't even know you exist who are running a corporation - and as a corporation, I am sure they are open to criticism, both positive AND negative.
I mean, how dis-honest and boring would life be if we ONLY posted how much we LOVE things but not how much we DESPISE things?
Listen, Duran Duran is/was probably the most important band in my life. In 1993 I heard "Hungry Like The Wolf" on the radio and I instantly had to ask my Dad to take me to the CD store so I can buy their music (I was a 14 year old kid at the time). I bought "Decade" and "Rio" instantly... and became a fan practically OVER NIGHT!
As I collected all the prior albums, each one had their own special charm, I loved them all.
Then as a FAN, I was excited when "Thank You" came out - is it great? SOME tracks are! I love "White Lines", "Perfect Day", "Lay Lady Lay", etc... Then "Medazzaland" and Pop Trash" - very experimental, very unique - pushing against the edge of what people usually listen to.
But my main point was that everything POST reunion felt very calculated and contrived - and NO ALBUM before that did. First 3 albums... yes - they were popular, and yes they were building upon the sound of the early 80's - but remember - they were the PIONEERS then! Especially listen to the 1979-1980 demos. NOTHING truly sounded like this clash of musical ideas that DD had. Those first 3 albums were popular YES, but because they are 3 great albums, they sound inspired, real, and while I am sure their management and record company pushed them to sell units - there was an HONESTY in the songs. You can tell it was a band doing what THEY wanted to do. AND - big point here... there was a PROGRESSION from album to album.. you can hear a band maturing, you can hear new ideas with each album. Each album served as a stepping stone for the next... Do you feel that way from "Astronaut" to "RCM" to "AYNIN"? Those 3 albums sound like a band TRYING desperately to re-claim fame... AYNIN INCLUDED!
OK, then Notorious, Big Thing, Liberty.... still a band doing what they wanted to do I feel, but also keeping up with the times. The albums still sound fresh and exciting. Each was a natural progression...
Wedding album - pure genius..
Medaz/Pop Trash - like I said... does it FEEL like those albums were DESIGNED by some major record label exec to push units? Not really (having said that some of the decisions that were made sorta felt that way). I remember at the time pushing "Someone Else Not Me" as the next "Ordinary World" - but still... those albums are artistic, edgy, intelligent and MOVING FORWARD.
I need a band that MOVES FORWARD.
Wait - let me scratch that. I don't. Moving forward is the wrong term.
I need a band to be HONEST! THATS THE WORD! - HONEST!
A-HA is a great example... listen to their new stuff... its not "moving forward..." but its HONEST for them. They aren't a band that moves forward much... but you can tell they arent carefully constructing a radio friendly pop hit... they are being HONEST.
For Duran Duran to be HONEST... they need to keep MOVING FORWARD.. that is what this band is about from 1979 to 2000!
The FIRST time I felt the band stopped moving forward was "Astronaut".
I remember hearing "Sunrise" for the first time as the lead single. First thing I noticed right away was this silly catchy pop hook that actually sounds even MORE bubble-gum than there first 3 albums... (which aren't really bubble gum anyway - but relative to 1990-2000 it was)....
Then the Middle 8 - Roger's "Girls On Film" drum fills... ughh... I knew instantly what was going on.
I was witnessing a band trying to rewind the clock back in order to recapture their glory days - at one last crack at the "80s throw back wave) that was going on.
Then as I heard the album - its FILLED with stuff like that... "Nice", "Summer", etc...
The production also felt BOY-BAND-ish... it wasn't a BAND of MEN anymore like the Warren Cuccurullo Official years. Or hell, even before Warren was full time - Notorious and Big Thing sound more mature than "Astronaut".
They realize they didn't get it quite right, so what did they do? They went even MORE mainstream and decided to hop on the Timbaland/Timbalake bandwagon radio garbage. I dont even NEED to talk about RCM any longer.
Now - lots of fans LOVE AYNIN - and I see why. Some great tracks on it - BUT i feel the lack of honesty in it all over the place. I will say the title track is great and original. The verses - eh a little cheesy, but the chorus is very powerful (could have used a more natural production, like 1993-2000), but hey. But the rest of the album - they are simply trying to make another "Girls On Film" (Girls Panic), another "Notorious" (Safe), another "Chauffeur" (Leopard), another "Stairway" (Runaway Runway).... it still felt CONTRIVED and PLANNED.....
"Pressure Off" feels more of the same... even the Nile Rodgers thing doesn't feel honest. If they loved him so much, why wasn't he employed during his "less popular" years? Was it "Get Lucky"'s success that made them call up "good ole' Nile Rodgers" again who he claims is like his 2nd band?
Do you really think they called up Lindsay Lohan because they feel SHE is the talent they need on the record? Or because some record official said "we NEED a big top celeb on your album.. even if they aren't even a musician.. we need something!!"....
So yea... to sum it up... I feel Duran Duran lost their integrity and honesty with the reunion - simply because I feel Simon wouldn't have been depressed with Duran Duran in 1997-2001 if Medazzaland and Pop Trash were both Top 10 albums across the world.... if that was the case there would be NO REUNION!
Hell, I even suspect Duran themselves of not actually doing what they REALLY want to do. I mean, they were writing more mature music back in the 90s then they are now. Infact even their first 3 albums are more mature than "Pressure Off".
So, to sum it up, Duran Duran are a corporation and I am reviewing their product. It's part of the trade. I didn't mind the harsh review as they are putting something out there. How honest would the internet be without people who will speak their mind about the music?
I mean I could write a whole blog on why Medazzaland is a 10/10 album for me - but I can't write how Pressure Off is about a 2/10 in the same amount of detail?
That's all I was doing.
Funny thing is.... some of the fans who were attacking me were calling the Medaz and Pop Trash years "pure garbage" and how I dont understand what Duran Duran really is! LOL...
I bet you if in 1997 I reviewed Medazzaland poorly, those same people would still be attacking me. They just don't like any negative reviews of their Paper Gods I guess.