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Post by missing on Apr 4, 2024 11:57:18 GMT -5
always curious to know if the band HAD stayed a 5-some...we still would've had NOTORIOUS...but would we have had such an experimental follow-up as BIG THING? I wonder what direction the band would've taken.
and yes, ASWI IS a batsh!t song - but soooooooo awesome. I wonder if there's any song out there that's even comparable - by any artist?!?!??
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Post by theprocess on Apr 4, 2024 14:11:12 GMT -5
ASWI is one of the most progressive pop songs of the latter half of the 1980s: chanting instead of proper singing, a massive, hip hop-indebted, throbbing beat and industrial synths. It's actually a minor miracle this batsh!t song had so much traction on US MTV in early 1989 and charted so high in the US (#22 is pretty good) and the UK. The popular musical landscape was putrid at the time: hair metal still being the primary rock music played on MTV and radio, New Kids, Paula Abdul. Lots of kitschy fun but nothing substantial. And here comes DD on the downslope of fame with an absolutely insane techo song with no proper chorus but loads of energy and attitude. Based on Too Late Marlene's decent showing on Spotify's streaming numbers, I revisited Big Thing as a whole. It's always been a top 5 DD album for me, but I hold it in even higher regard now. Had they just jettisoned Drug and included I Believe, I might rank it right alongside Rio IMHO. The production is incredible, the songwriting is top flight and the dichotomy of the bold dance tracks against the ethereal ballads is brilliant in hindsight. Agree 100%. I'd maybe edit a minute off the title track too. Big Thing is the one album by DD I revisit the most, for the same reasons you give. The production is insane, their songwriting has never been stronger and Simon had the best vocals of his career to that point. If they had been given a fair listen then it would be held in a similar way to Roxy Music 'Avalon' album.
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Post by aftertherain on Apr 4, 2024 14:59:24 GMT -5
Great question. Personally I think ASWI as a brilliant single. Referring to it as 'rave' feels a bit of an insult, as it still sounds great today. Dance tracks can date badly over time (Paper Gods album anyone?) but ASWI could be a hit today. I personally think its crazy it isn't a regular in their setlist. It was a proper top 10 hit in the UK. I hold by Skin Trade. Its very Prince and its very 1986 but at that time it was perfect. If you watch the Songbook interview you can hear the absolute joy in their voices talking about writing it. John, Simon and Nick still claim its the best song on the album. It was Meet El Presidente that was the wrong turn. I think it should have been Skin Trade as the comeback single, Notorious would have been the follow up and then Hold Me or American Science. The whole Big Thing era is a bit perplexing to me as it’s a really strong album. EMI again dropped the ball, and I think this was the period where John started clocking out a bit for multiple reasons. The promotion was all done wrong. Never said it was rave but ‘had an element of rave’ I agree BT is a strong album Again its criminal how ASWI never did better In Australia IDWYL got better airplay and in fact saw the IDWYL video on music programs whereas with ASWI I never saw that clip until I purchased the Decade Video
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Post by aftertherain on Apr 4, 2024 15:21:19 GMT -5
People ask (ad nauseum) about "why not play here or here or here?", but don't understand the music business. The band and management are working with booking agents to play shows where they can make money. They also have to have a promoter who will pay the band relative to cost/logistics. If the money doesn't work out there's no show. Second. The band is NOT obligated to just play every country in the world. It's really that simple. I'm just fortunate that I'm in proximity to Phoenix and Vegas where they are able to do shows and make money. Yeah. Touring outside USA and UK will be extremely limited or non existant moving forward. I get what yourself and Astro42 are saying yet making a comparison is a natural thing which occurs eg in the past few months (this year) with their own stand alone gigs Simple Minds, Chic and the Human League have toured Australia & and Blondie will also who later this month will do a run of festival dates In fact all these acts have last toured down under, within the previous 5 years sure those bands may not draw as big crowds as DD do, yet they all did make their mark globally especially in the case of SM like DD did, maybe only chic didn’t when DD supported Blondie in 82, they were playing stadiums across the USA it just gets frustrating when others of similar vintage visit and DD don’t are “all” these other acts loosing money ? or is it a question of how much $ does an act wanna make ? & I understand that too, eg why make a little bit of money when I can make ‘more’ than a little bit it’s crazy to think that my ‘first lonely in my nightmare ice age wait’ between gigs was 20 years (83 - 03) & for DD to play in my city it was actually a 25 year ice age between gigs & the last Australian DD tour was in 2012, I’m afraid to say that for those DD faithful down under, we are heading for another 20 year ice age indeed I’m saying that to warn off that happening 😂
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Post by astronaut42 on Apr 4, 2024 17:41:36 GMT -5
They're in their 60s now and I just don't think we should feel entitled to see them wherever we want.
it's pointless to compare them to other bands because each act has their own bottom line that is unique to them...
There are plenty of bands (I love)that only tour Europe that I rarely or never get to see for the same reason...
They could announce shows in 10 more countries and still people would whine about the band not coming to their City. 🤓🤓
They have done enough big world tours over the years if someone really wanted to see them by now they've had an opportunity to save up and travel.
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Post by aftertherain on Apr 4, 2024 19:16:41 GMT -5
They're in their 60s now and I just don't think we should feel entitled to see them wherever we want. it's pointless to compare them to other bands because each act has their own bottom line that is unique to them... There are plenty of bands (I love)that only tour Europe that I rarely or never get to see for the same reason... They could announce shows in 10 more countries and still people would be whine about the band not coming to their City. 🤓🤓 They have done enough big world tours over the years if someone really wanted to see them by now they've had an opportunity to save up and travel. I’m not whining Astro just sharing my predicament which is what it is and if you have never waited 25 years between dd gigs, I wouldn’t expect you to understand / be empathetic if international travel from continent to continent (in my case southern hemisphere to northern) or northern to southern for that matter is easy enough for you to do, good luck to you 👍 not sure why it’s pointless to compare successful 80s bands with successful 80s bands? as I suggested maybe the bottom line for dd is to make a little bit more $ than their counterpart acts who like them (except for chic) created their popularity/career/success in the 80s in the case of Blondie, they were playing stadiums in the early 80s and not necessarily in the 70s, so I’m including Blondie in that 80s mob for that reason
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Post by La Princess on Apr 5, 2024 1:04:32 GMT -5
They're in their 60s now and I just don't think we should feel entitled to see them wherever we want. it's pointless to compare them to other bands because each act has their own bottom line that is unique to them... There are plenty of bands (I love)that only tour Europe that I rarely or never get to see for the same reason... They could announce shows in 10 more countries and still people would whine about the band not coming to their City. 🤓🤓 They have done enough big world tours over the years if someone really wanted to see them by now they've had an opportunity to save up and travel. Some people don't want to travel or can't so I get that. However, I am from an area they ALWAYS perform in, and have never had to travel overnight to see any band. If I lived in the middle of nowhere I would look at this differently and probably would have traveled to see them. As it is, they perform here, and after the show, I go home to my own bed. One of the venues that they have played in several times I lived 4 miles from at the time, which was so cool.
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blaahh
PAPER GOD
Still breathing
Posts: 2,582
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Post by blaahh on Apr 5, 2024 8:34:25 GMT -5
Release date was the main reason as the dip happened every year but Duran also played three dates in the UK on 22,23,24 December, with the 23rd show live on Capital.
Surprised no one has mentioned ASWIs similarity to The Normal's Warm Leatherette, not that it's a new revelation.
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Post by Max Zorin on Apr 5, 2024 16:06:31 GMT -5
Surprised no one has mentioned ASWIs similarity to The Normal's Warm Leatherette, not that it's a new revelation. Plus, Gary Numan's "Metal" & "Cars".
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Post by aftertherain on Apr 5, 2024 16:25:13 GMT -5
Surprised no one has mentioned ASWIs similarity to The Normal's Warm Leatherette, not that it's a new revelation. Plus, Gary Numan's "Metal" & "Cars". I like The Normals original version and love the Grace Jones version yet I don’t hear the similarity maybe I need to give both another listen makes me wonder when dd played WL in the electro set did they play it back to back with ASWI ? not familiar with metal cars gotta give that a listen
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