It’s a Duran Duran dance party.
If you’re new to Duran Duran, I strongly advise reading this post: it’s my full-throated endorsement of a record that defines the band’s early era, the Carnival EP.
In addition to telling the story of how serendipity led me to Carnival, this post also covers how the record came to be in the first place, and its surprising legacy.
Encountering Carnival
It was probably late 1983 when I first came across the EP in a local shop. I was puzzled because all four tracks listed on the cover were cuts from Duran Duran’s first two LPs – it seemed a pointless redundancy. I wondered not what Carnival was, but why it was.
Why Carnival was
Released in September 1982, Carnival was part of a marketing plan aimed at establishing Duran Duran as a dance-oriented group. By serving up a record of extended renditions of their singles – known as “night versions” among fans – EMI intended to get club DJs playing the band’s music.
If the EP’s title is any indication, it’s supposed to be a literal Duran Duran dance party.
Not all versions of Carnival were created equal, however. Two main variants were issued to serve the band’s burgeoning fan bases in North America and Europe.
The North American version
The track listing and sleeve colour palette align the North American version closely with the Rio LP:
- Side 1: Hungry Like the Wolf (night version); and Girls on Film (night version)
- Side 2: My Own Way (remix); and Hold Back the Rain (remix)
This edition of Carnival is essentially just the first half of the Rio album, pared down. Noteworthy about this release:
- Oddball track: Girls on Film is the clear outsider here, probably added to the running order due to its fame in the band’s X-rated music video
- Rio conspicuously absent: It likely wasn’t included because it hadn’t yet been released as an official single in North America
- Kershenbaum paw prints: The Rio tracks were all remixed by American producer, David Kershenbaum
I argue Kershenbaum’s heavy-handed mixes make the songs less danceable, but concede his “more is more” approach probably helped them translate better on AM radio. He’d later be invited to remix the rest of side 1 of Rio for a late-1982 North American re-release.
Part of Carnival’s legacy, then, was to saddle North American listeners with Kershenbaum’s bombastic treatment of the Rio album. (To this day I don’t have a copy on vinyl with the original, superior, mixes intact. Grr.)
The European version
European Carnival came in a similar sleeve, but its sterile white-and-blue hearkened to the band’s new romantic aesthetic, foreshadowing a strikingly different track listing:
- Side 1: Hungry Like the Wolf (night version); and Rio (night version)
- Side 2: Planet Earth (night version); and Girls on Film (night version)
This edition of Carnival is unquestionably the better of the two. While its North American counterpart merely offers “Rio lite,” European fans were treated to something special:
- Early greatest hits: Drawing equally from Duran Duran’s debut and sophomore albums, the record functions as a succinct “best-of” package
- Higher quality: With Planet Earth and Rio installed, the European EP boasts 100% premium material
- Perfect companion: Containing night versions of all tracks, the European edition of Carnival is an outstanding complement to the band’s first two LPs
Curiously, the record is anti-chronological: the Rio tracks appear on side 1 and songs from their debut are on side 2. (I discovered this for the first time in writing this post.) Pro-tip: If you get your hands on this version of Carnival, start with side 2.
Oddball Carnival versions and mixes
It’s worth noting the night versions for both Girls on Film and Rio don’t match up with their counterparts on their respective 12” singles.
Carnival uses an ethereal mix of Girls on Film that’s ironically less danceable to my ears than the more muscular 12” version. I can’t say one is better than the other – although the Carnival mix may sacrifice some drive and propulsion, it more than makes up for it with texture and atmosphere.
Rio’s night version is an extended Kershenbaum remix that’s distinct from Rio (part 2) on the 12” single. As with Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio’s night version presents an instrumental verse and chorus before allowing Simon Le Bon’s vocals into the mix. Andy Hamilton’s guest appearance on sax is also dropped out mid-solo. By cutting these lead elements, the night version exposes the oft-overlooked melodic groove of John Taylor’s bass and provides clarity to Andy Taylor’s superb guitar tone.
Encountering Carnvial: redux
As luck would have it, the second time I came across Carnival was the summer of 1984, when my family was on a trip to the Netherlands. I was set to embark on a quest for hard-to-find 12” singles from Duran Duran’s back catalog when I stumbled across a copy of the EP (EMI Dutch pressing No. 1A 062Z-64942) at the Free Record Shop in Leiden.
I chose to purchase it not because I needed it – remember, I already had all the songs listed on the cover – I just felt compelled to acquire it. You could say it was the first record I ever collected for its own sake.
Imagine my shock when I brought the record back, slipped it out of its paper-thin sleeve and the songs’ true super-identities were revealed on the label: four whole night versions! I was in a state of shock – it satisfied so many wants at once.
That rush of excitement when I was 14 is still vivid to me today, and it’s a big part of what makes Carnival such a standout in my collection. I honestly wouldn’t trade it for a pristine butcher cover.
Epilogue
There’s lots of reasons to feel sorry for young people today, but one of them is that few will ever know the thrill of finding a gem of a record when they least expect it.
There used to be a time when great music was sometimes scarce, and legwork had to be expended to find what you needed (yes, needed). If you were lucky, a day would come when you’d see the object of your desire out in the wild at a reasonable price, and you could get your paws on it and say “mine!”
Somehow, patience, dogged persistence and surprise can make great music sound even sweeter. Case in point: The Carnival EP.
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