Top ten original line-up Duran Duran 12″ singles

Posted bymichaelfrancis2014Posted inRecords from the 80sTags:,

It only counts if Andy’s on it.

If you stick with this blog long enough, one thing you’ll learn about me is that when I find something I like, I get drunk on it. This applies to Duran Duran’s early 12” singles.

I remember a radio station

When I was young, CFNY 102.1 Toronto had a healthy bias toward British pop that put them askew from the top 40 and made them interesting to me. The station often played extended mixes and if I was lucky I’d hear the Live Earl Jive spin a Duran Duran night version. If I was really lucky I’d jam a cassette into my mini-boom box in time to cue it up and record a good amount of the song.

I remember a book

It was a Duran Duran biography by Kasper De Graaf and Malcolm Garrett that I bought in grade 7. In addition to providing a well-written back story on the band, it also had a full discography of all their LPs, 7” singles and 12” singles up to the time of publishing.

So. Many. Records. So many unexplored night versions and B-sides. Over the next 12 months or so, I managed to scoop them all up and they were consumed thoroughly in the ensuing years.

The top 10

I consider myself an authority on the virtues and flaws of each 12” single by Duran Duran Mark I, so I’m gonna count them down from 10 to 1 – here we go…

10. Save a Prayer

This 12” single ranks last only because it doesn’t offer anything “special” – all of its songs are pretty much exactly what you get on the Rio LP. Don’t get me wrong, Save a Prayer is one of the band’s finest moments and is an outstanding example of how each member serves the song equally. But special credit needs to be given to John Taylor, whose tasteful basslines subtly add both space and movement to the music.

Having said that, the original mix of Hold Back the Rain on the B-side was new to my ears back in 1984. Up to that point I’d only ever known the harsh Kershenbaum mix from the North American version of the Rio album (as described in a previous post).

9. Rio

Rio part 2 is just a walkthrough of the LP version of the song, minus vocals during the verses. It doesn’t do much to enhance the listener’s appreciation for the music, but it does give the spotlight to another stellar performance by John Taylor. Also noteworthy is that Rio (part 2) doesn’t fade out – you get to hear the band play the song out to the very end.

8. Hungry Like the Wolf

I think when this was released in 1982, it marked the point where the band was too busy to step into a studio and re-record night versions of their singles. The so-called night version of Hungry Like the Wolf is a remix that runs the listener through an instrumental version of the song before replaying the whole thing all over again with vocals restored. I don’t care if the approach was lazy; after dropping a killer track like that, the band didn’t owe me one damn thing extra.

Careless Memories was extracted from a live performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1981. I’ve heard that whole concert – it’s excellent – and I think they literally chose the worst song from that show for this B-side.

7. Is There Something I Should Know

I did a whole blog post about this 12” single already. Here’s the Coles Notes: it was my first 12” ever; it has a quality remix on the A-side; the instrumental B-side is weak; and it should have included the radio version of Is There Something I Should Know. If you want more detailed musings on this one, please consider this a written invitation from me to you to check out my earlier post.

6. Union of the Snake

The Monkey Mix of Union of the Snake is a worthy remix that goes a long way to redeem the original LP version of the song. It dials up the rhythm instruments and pushes out the clutter that crippled the LP version, making for a tidier arrangement and more discernable, meaningful song.

Secret Oktober is underpinned by a tribal rhythm, yet still feels loose. The song would have added much-needed breathing room to side 1 of Seven and the Ragged Tiger had it been put there. To me it sounds like the foundation loop used for this song was slowed down and recycled in Tiger Tiger.

Unlike all other 12” singles on this list, this one’s notable in that it plays at 33.3 rpm instead of 45. No idea why.

5. New Moon on Monday

This one edges out Union of the Snake’s 12” single because it contains not one, but two remixes: one for New Moon on Monday (probably my favourite SATRT track) and another for Tiger Tiger.

The former is a thoughtful reworking that makes the guitar, bass and drums more present, bringing greater definition to parts that were buried on the LP version. The remix results in a leaner sound and even reveals a vocal outro reminiscent of the coda from Lou Reed’s Satellite of Love, another song about the moon. Coincidence? I prefer to think not.

The Tiger Tiger remix is – once again – an improvement over the LP version. The more spare treatment brings greater directness to the track. (Can we all just agree that we need a SATRT redux?)

4. Careless Memories

Ironically, the weakest song on this 12” is the single, Careless Memories, which is just the run-of-the-mill LP version. The real gems are on the B-side.

Well, maybe it’s a stretch to call Duran’s cover of David Bowie’s Fame a “gem” – it’s more robotic than funky and a tad fast for my taste. But it was my first-ever exposure to that song and it left a lasting impression on me.

The true sleeper is the other B-side, Khanada. Kicking off with a soaring guitar lead, the song is one of early Duran’s most dynamic. It sways softly through the verses until the double-time choruses drive up the tempo and intensity. The sitar-laden ending is mysteriously unsettling and when it’s over I can’t help but think this shoulda been on their debut album.

3. Planet Earth

The first Duran Duran single, and the first night version I remember ever hearing. The overall arrangement stays true to the LP version, except for an obviously extended intro, slightly faster tempo and completely different breakdown. The sounds the band uses are vastly different, and this is what makes the Planet Earth night version striking. The snare drum is exchanged for hand claps; the guitar lead is replaced with a buzzing synth and then later, a saxophone. The song may remain fundamentally the same, but the sonic palette they chose gives it a slick new sheen.

By early Duran Duran standards, Late Bar is about as rough and tumble as they come. Seemingly about an all-night bender, the song is dominated by Andy Taylor’s overdriven guitar throughout; I imagine it drove keyboardist Nick Rhodes nuts. Not the band’s strongest B-side, but a tune that can be appreciated regardless for its uniqueness in their catalog.

2. My Own Way

This one scores points on so many levels, yet falls short of the number 1 spot due to sub-par execution.

Both the single and night versions of My Own Way turn the version from the Rio LP on its head. Absent are the heavy Simmons drum beats, muscular guitars and slapping, popping bass. Instead, strings permeate and the track has an unmistakable disco flavour. But there’s a disconnect – the strings sound like an afterthought and never mesh with the rhythm tracks. While I appreciate the effort to deliver fans something new, it doesn’t have nearly the same energy, power or personality as the superior LP version.

But the flip side, though. In my opinion Like an Angel isn’t just Duran Duran’s best B-side, it’s one of their best songs, period. The dreamy ballad easily outshines the A-side, and if I was in charge of the band I would’ve installed it on the Rio album in place of Lonely in Your Nightmare. Beautiful guitar leads abound through the whole song but never step on the toes of Simon Le Bon’s excellent vocal. The fact that a song of this quality was relegated to B-side status is proof positive that the band were operating at their peak and could just crap out sublime music at will.

1. Girls on Film

This one is tops because the A-side is what I consider to be the archetypal Duran Duran night version and boasts an excellent B-side, to boot.

First let’s go over the Girls on Film night version. Was it re-recorded from scratch? Check. Was it radically rearranged? Check. Extended intro? Check. Dancefloor ready? Oh ya. This tune was overhauled in all the right ways – whole new parts got created, new textures were introduced, and melodies and licks got changed to the point where the resulting song is almost unrecognizable from its origin.

I love how throughout the intro the rhythm section playfully halts and restarts, over and over again. It creatively keeps listeners in constant suspense and makes them practically beg for the groove to kick in (which doesn’t happen until the one-minute mark). After the first couple of verses and choruses, the song opens wide up and gives Andy Taylor room to emerge with an ethereal guitar solo. Then a new verse kicks in to take the song to a climax, and then fade.

When I was young, Faster Than Light was my favourite of all the Duran Duran B-sides. It has a warm, welcoming feel and is undeniably catchy and singable. Now that I’m older the song still retains its many charms but seems slightly facile and doesn’t challenge in the same way as, say, Khanada or Late Bar. Still a very satisfying song and more than worthy as a B-side.

Final thoughts

As I go through these records – especially the ones from ’81 and ’82 – I get the sense that they were meant to be ephemeral. The vinyl itself is surprisingly thin and the sleeves are made from stock that’s only slightly heavier than the paper in your printer. I can’t help but get the feeling that EMI expected the band’s then-teenage audience to consider these disposable.

Some of us didn’t, though. I’m proud to say mine are still in pretty much the same shape as I found them in about 35 years ago – I’m a good boy.

3 thoughts on “Top ten original line-up Duran Duran 12″ singles”

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