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Post by ShutterMaze on Aug 13, 2010 18:28:33 GMT -5
I'm getting slightly annoyed with the claims and expectations of the band trying to recapture their early sound. I feel this places pressure on them to do just that....and they won't be able to completely do it anyway. Second, it places expectations and raises the bar for the fans anticipating early 80s energy and creativity. There is bound to be disappointment.
First off, the quality of Simon's lyrics have dropped off significantly. Gone are the poetic, darker undertones of the first 3 albums. Lyrics help complete songs. Second the band doesn't seem to portray a "darker" sound of the first 3 albums.
It would be completely unfair to place any judgement on their new material from just the first 2 snippets....but, I'm not really impressed.
So please, stop announcing this return to the classic sound....and just continue being creative, and putting out good material....it will speak for itself.
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Post by madoldlu on Aug 13, 2010 20:03:48 GMT -5
I just wish they would stop trying to appeal to the young, hip dance crowd and instead age gracefully. It bothers me more that they're trying to stay relevant by following the latest dance music trends instead of letting their own sound evolve naturally. Or at least follow current ALTERNATIVE music which is what their first 3 albums were. Why not model themselves after contemporary acts that are successful for great music, not just chart toppers. A number 1 hit does not equal talent.
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Post by moonagedaydream on Aug 13, 2010 20:18:17 GMT -5
Well, it's true -- "You can't go home again" when it comes to recapturing former glories in the music industry. In their 50's, there's no way they can compete with themselves at 25. But, for me, I've tried to keep expectations manageable...actually, I think if one expects less sometimes they get more.
::keeping fingers crossed::
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Post by ShutterMaze on Aug 13, 2010 20:58:20 GMT -5
Shutter, you realise what you are saying? You are in essence wishing for Duran to call it a day. The 'classic' sound is what's going to sustain them in terms of drive, (wanting to record another album) be their best chance of regaining any popularity, and make them sound at their best. This is what Duran is all about. It is in their nature, their musical DNA, and best interest for them to return to their classic sound. All the other albums after Notorious (other than TWA) didn't cut it, and was a detriment to their career. Why are you wishing for them to continue to record mediocre to susbstandard recordings like Big Thing, Liberty, Medazzaland, Pop Trash, and the really caustic RCM, that caused them to lose the respect of fans and not being on the SONY label. If this next album is a return to their roots, and they end up successful commercially and they can reclaim their artistic/creative edge, you are gonna remember that post and wished otherwise. I think them doing the classic thing is effortless for them, and that there is no trying since at this time they are being true to their musical nature. The way I look at it is that anything past Notorious (with exception of TWA and Astronaut) was them 'trying'(being experimental) that resulted in such artistic and commercial disasterious results. Not to criticise you, I think you're a cool dude with a passion for the band, but you're wrong. Actually, DD's music DNA is to evolve, and rarely make the same album twice. This is, in part, was is fun and interesting about the band. Yes, it carries the risk of alienating hardcore fans, and even commercial success, but it signifies their musical passions and diversities. And no, I am not wishing for them to "call it a day." If you read my post...I stated I hope they continue to make music that's creative and [hopefully] good. Commercial success is nice, and can help the longevity of a band. But I believe DD were always an alternative band....perhaps even belonging with the indies.....yet they crossed over several times with mainstream success. They would feel less pressure to produce commercial success and "radio friendly" songs, if they truly went indie. And frankly, the band also needs to be true to themselves and know when to "call it a day", and not allow themselves to become washed up and a parody. There's no shame or failure of ending when creativity dries up, and impacts quality. If you truly want the band to go back to their roots...then you must realize that they were born an experimental band, unconventional in music and presentation. I do wish DD offered that again. But that time, it seems, has long past.
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Post by coolbarn on Aug 13, 2010 21:39:28 GMT -5
But I believe DD were always an alternative band....perhaps even belonging with the indies.....yet they crossed over several times with mainstream success. Wow, I find that amazing. In my opinion if there is any band that was NEVER alternative, never indie, it was Duran Duran. In the early 80s they were the poster boys for mainstream music, and even admitted that Duran turned into a huge machine they couldn't control which led to them breaking up. They wanted world domination. They wanted to be "the band to dance to when the bomb dropped". Even a couple of years ago Roger stated "In the past we always went to the big cities to work with the people that were having hit records on the dance floor". They were always about big, bold, and excess. That doesn't sound very alternative or indie to me. In fact it's only after they lost a huge portion of their fanbase that Nick THEN decided Duran were now an "art school project", which I think is preposterous. Duran were never a little art school project, for the reasons listed above. But I guess that was just Nick's justification of going from Supergroup to virtual forgotten nobodies in the music world. It's like "when we're not popular that's because we don't want to be - we are just an art school project". Yeah for sure Nick, all art school projects hire producers who charge $300,000 a track don't they? Anyway I don't want to be having a dig at you Shuttermaze, you are entitled to your opinion and I think it is a very interesting one. Maybe I'm wrong. I would love to hear your rationale as to how Duran are alternative or indie when you get the chance. Cheers
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Post by thetange on Aug 14, 2010 2:57:43 GMT -5
But I believe DD were always an alternative band....perhaps even belonging with the indies.....yet they crossed over several times with mainstream success. Wow, I find that amazing. In my opinion if there is any band that was NEVER alternative, never indie, it was Duran Duran. In the early 80s they were the poster boys for mainstream music, and even admitted that Duran turned into a huge machine they couldn't control which led to them breaking up. They wanted world domination. They wanted to be "the band to dance to when the bomb dropped". Even a couple of years ago Roger stated "In the past we always went to the big cities to work with the people that were having hit records on the dance floor". They were always about big, bold, and excess. That doesn't sound very alternative or indie to me. In fact it's only after they lost a huge portion of their fanbase that Nick THEN decided Duran were now an "art school project", which I think is preposterous. Duran were never a little art school project, for the reasons listed above. But I guess that was just Nick's justification of going from Supergroup to virtual forgotten nobodies in the music world. It's like "when we're not popular that's because we don't want to be - we are just an art school project". Yeah for sure Nick, all art school projects hire producers who charge $300,000 a track don't they? Anyway I don't want to be having a dig at you Shuttermaze, you are entitled to your opinion and I think it is a very interesting one. Maybe I'm wrong. I would love to hear your rationale as to how Duran are alternative or indie when you get the chance. Cheers Hey Coolbarn! How are things down under? The whole "are Duran alternative?" topic is a good one and like you, I'm kinda interested in everybody's take on that. I've always thought of Duran as a band that is one half alternative and the other half commercial. Think of any of their early b-sdes......or songs like To The Shore, Careless Memories, New Religion, Secret Oktober......I could go on and on......pretty edgy, unusual songs that were nothing like what radio played at the times those songs were written. Even Duran's successful commercial stuff tended to be different than the other commercial music out there, yet it was always very accessable and had instant appeal. I think the guys are correct in that had they been less marketable from a looks standpoint, the perception of the band would be vastly different than it is. Some of that is their own fault though. They certainly could've downplayed their image. I'm going off subject a bit now, but the cool thing with their early stuff was that it all sounded so different from not only mainstream radio, but their songs sounded different from each other too. If someone knew nothing about the band and heard Save A Prayer, they'd never recognize the band playing Wild Boys. Back to the commercial vs alternative thing.......over the last coupla albums, they've sounded far more commercial and much less original. RCM was blatantly commercial, and most of Astronaut was as well (though Astro is quite a bit better). I don't really mind them going "back to their old sound" or whatever they're trying to do.......I guess I'm just disappointed overall that theres not more of an emphasis on songwriting/craft or technical ability. I don't care what ones profession is......folks should always improve their craft and grow. Nick can be a genius in terms of sound textures and coming up with parts that are incredible compliments to more tradional song structure.......but he's very limited when it comes to actually playing. I wish he had more of an appreciation for technical ability and pushed himself a little harder. As a band, if one of the key songwriters/musicians is stuck at the same place he's been for years - it's going to keep the band in that same holding pattern as well. One of the reasons their early stuff was so varied may be because they were all growing and at different paces.
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Post by coolbarn on Aug 14, 2010 5:55:15 GMT -5
Yeah I guess you're right Tange, they seemed to be a commercial band that was capable of writing "alternative music". And funnily enough the tracks you mentioned, the more left-of-centre songs, have probably stood the test of time more with their fans than many of their blatantly commercial efforts. Although maybe that's because we've all heard Hungry Like The Wolf and Save A Prayer so many times they don't hold the appeal they once did? And yes I would have liked the guys to have grown and developed a bit more musically as well. I say this because they were all geniuses in their early 20s - seriously it defies logic that five young blokes with minimal training could write complex and catchy music after only playing their instruments for a couple of years. Well I guess Andy and to a lesser extent Roger had been playing longer than that, but Nick hadn't been playing keyboards very long, and JT had probably played more lead guitar. Obviously nobody can keep improving infinitely - no matter what you do, or who you are, you are going to start to plateau out in any field. Duran obviously worked extremely hard in the early days. If they weren't writing music they were performing live. An album plus major tour plus major partying every year for their first three years would have taken it out of a lot of guys. And it did. But then the guys grew up. They got married, divorced, had kids, and puppies. Other things in life took their attention. Duran-time was born as a result. Instead of releasing an album every year, it became every two years by the end of the 80s and closer to every three years by the end of the 90s. That's why every album was called a "comeback album" by journalists without a clue. Do I blame them? Of course not. Your family is the most important thing in your life. And if it isn't, it won't stay in your life for very long. So I don't begrudge the guys for not concentrating as much on Duran Duran after they got married and had kids. But their actual musical development all seemed to halt after a certain time. Simon is the only exception to this rule. Between having better equipment so he can actually hear himself these days, to learning how to warm his voice up properly, he is the only member who technically is better now than in 1982. Unfortunately his voice has seemed to change over the years and he doesn't seem to sing quite as deep as he used to, but technically he is still better today than 30 years ago. The other guys seemed to have regressed. I have heard that Roger admits he really has to be "on" to play some songs like how he used to play them. If he isn't particularly energetic or switched on he admits he underplays to compensate. Nick has never tried to become a piano master and that's fine, but in terms of song construction the more confident he got, and the more interested he got in weird and unusual sounds, some albums suffered as a result. And John hasn't played interesting and up-front basslines that stand out for a very long time. Certainly every album John plays on contains some very good work, but in the early days EVERY track contained great work. And that's a noticeable difference. So to finish off even though Duran wrote some dark, edgy songs when they were younger, I'd never call them Alternative or Indie. And if I did, and posted that on the website of a band who was regarded as Alternative or Indie, then I'm sure I would be laughed out of town. Or at least off the forum
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khanadarhodes
BIG THING
sipping away my last gold star
Posts: 337
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Post by khanadarhodes on Aug 14, 2010 8:58:59 GMT -5
so true, coolbarn. you make some very good points.
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Post by duranfan09 on Aug 14, 2010 17:30:32 GMT -5
I'm hyped for the new album and the various snippets have already convinced me that Duran have successfully recaptured their original sound. So there.
;D
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Post by duranfan09 on Aug 14, 2010 17:42:48 GMT -5
no other than the latest, greatest, hottest producer at this time, Mark Ronson... Who understands the band musically and artisically and who wants them to return to their prime by channeling the energy and creativity that they had in the early 1980s. Something which neither Timbaland or his evil twin brother Nate Hills ever did. Strangely, when Timbaland hooked up with Duran Duran he hadn't long released his first mainstream album Shock Value, a record which ultimately lost him respect from his hip-hop peers and which took him from being one of the greatest hip hop producers around to being a washed-up, arrogant pop producer who had all but forgotten his roots. So, I've never agreed that Timbaland was at the top of his game when he worked with Duran Duran, if anything he was on a steep decline. I don't think his album was particularly well received with critics either, although I could be wrong there.
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