Arena [Remastered] - Duran Duran

...Remarkably quite good still. Arena was recorded on their sell out world tour of 1983/4 and features live versions of their biggest hits and most popular album tracks. Simon's voice is quite whingey in a good sort of way and you're never more than a couple of bars away from a synth prod or stab of slap bass. This album is 20 years old this year and giving it a spin (I'm listening to it on vinyl) after all the these years is making me quite misty-eyed.
...1983
Arena - Nov 1984
Notorious - Dec 1986
Big Thing - Oct 1988
Decade - Nov 1989
Liberty - Sep 1990
Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) - Feb 1993
Thank You - Apr 1995
Greatest Nov - 1998


OVERALL
---------------
Children of the '80s will already own it or would once have owned it and lost it in a house move. Everyone else should investigate this fine ... more

WHO'S THIS THEN?
----------------------------
It's Duran Duran. Five little monkeys from Birmingham who, between 1981 and 1985 were pretty much the biggest band on the planet.

Everyone's heard of Duran Duran. Formed in Birmingham in 1979 at the start of the New Romantic and New Wave scenes (a showy, glamorous poke in the face to punk) they went on to achieve massive worldwide popularity and amass top ten hits between 1981 and 1993. They won a lifetime achievement award at this years Brit Awards and this prompted me to get my old Duran albums down from the loft and give them another spin.

The band was made up of Simon Le Bon (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Nick Rhodes (synths), Andy Taylor (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums). None of the Taylors are related. The band split in two to pursue solo projects in 1985.

They reformed without a recording contract at the end of 2003 and picked up the aforementioned gong at the Brits in February 2004.

WHAT DO THEY SOUND LIKE?
--------------------------------------------
Remarkably quite good still. Arena was recorded on their sell out world tour of 1983/4 and features live versions of their biggest hits and most popular album tracks. Simon's voice is quite whingey in a good sort of way and you're never more than a couple of bars away from a synth prod or stab of slap bass. This album is 20 years old this year and giving it a spin (I'm listening to it on vinyl) after all the these years is making me quite misty-eyed.

So, let me wipe away he happy tears of remembrance and take you on a journey that will make you wish you jumped out at the lights whilst you had the chance.....

THE TRACKS
-------------------
**1. Is There Something I Should Know?**
This was their first number one and the brilliant refrain if "please please tell me now" still sounds wicked all these years on. The single featured thumping drums and Simon's mad acapella intro and the live version just turn everything up to ten and it all goes fantastically mad. Is that Smith's-type jangley guitar I hear in the background? It certainly is.

**2. Hungry Like The Wolf**
1981 was a great year for the band. They had their debut single and album released and this track was their first top ten hit. This was one of three tracks they performed at this year's Brits and it still sounds cracking today. It's uptempo tune with plenty of guts and fire in it. The best bit is the end when Simon howls like a wolf as the fans go mental. Well, it was the 80s.

**3. New Religion**
I'd never heard this track before and I think it's taken from their Rio album. There's a looped bassline thoughout and the lyrics are bordering on the surreal or absurdist, mentioning as it they do churches, seagulls, swimmingpools and the truth. The obligatory bonkers track and my favourite on here.

**4. Save A Prayer**
This is probably their most famous 80's track because it's played quite a bit still on national radio and everytime they drag out those 80's sessions on the TV. It's a similar in tempo to their most famous 90's record (Ordinary World) and the closing repeated line of "save it til the morning after " should get on your nerves but never does by virtue of some snazzy, trippy synths.

**5. The Wild Boys**
This was the new track they were showcasing on the tour and what a track it was. Mad, industrial drums and funky guitar play thoughout and Simon's never sounded so husky/whingy. Nick Rhodes' contribution is to stab the keyboard and the beginning of every other bar and there's some great grungey guitar the track picks up. Ace video too!

**6. The Seventh Stranger**
It all gets a bit chilled for the next two tracks. Again, they're early album tracks but the polar opposite to New Religion. Simon gives us an irrelevant "sing blue silver" falsetto half way through this snailpaced track that it rather good.

**7. The Chauffeur**
Slow, lengthy with wordy lyrics that seem to get in the way of the simple backbone of the song. A good 7 minutes in length and no real tune to speak of, this track is a bit of a let down and a surprise inclusion given their rich back catalogue.

**8. Union Of The Snake**
I bought this on 7" when I was 11 and I've still got it. THere's a weird slowed down saxophone bit in the middle that sounds fab and even better live whne the crowd are singing along and them screaming because Simon's doing someone with his bum. The epic synth intro is awesome and the whole track comes together superbly. One of their more underrated tracks.

**9. Planet Earth**
This was their debut single and features a wicked singalong chorus of nonsense "ba ba ba's" which because it's catchy and melodic doesn't really seem to matter. They defined New Wave with this track and this live version features al the thrills of the original.

**10. Careless Memories**
Bit of a strange choice, this one. It was their follow up to Planet Earth and reached an incredible number 37 in the charts. Frankly, it's chart position was about right because the song, although your typical New Wave synth n drum plodder, is rather weak. A minor quibble, though, on an album of greatness.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
-------------------------------------
In 1985 they record the theme to the James bond film, A View To A Kill. As I said they split at the end of that year to pursue solo and group projects before re-emerging as a trio in 1986 for the Notorious album.

Album sales and chart positions fell until they reached their nadir in 1995 with a woeful cover of the rap classic White Lines. Now back in vogue once again, it's hard to see where they can go, unless they make a storming new record - and I think that's unlikely.

DURAN'S DURAN'S DISCOGRAPHY
----------------------------------------------------
Duran Duran - Jun 1981
Rio - May 1982
Seven And The Ragged Tiger - Dec 1983
Arena - Nov 1984
Notorious - Dec 1986
Big Thing - Oct 1988
Decade - Nov 1989
Liberty - Sep 1990
Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) - Feb 1993
Thank You - Apr 1995
Greatest Nov - 1998

OVERALL
---------------
Children of the '80s will already own it or would once have owned it and lost it in a house move. Everyone else should investigate this fine album, but I fear they won't. Almost flawless!

Thanks for reading.

 

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