Duran Back to the Main Duran Duran page! Duran Duran So Far Away! Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10 Who is the greatest 80s pop-rock musician or musical group out there? Prince? Nah ... he's too inconsistent. Michael Jackson? Maybe, but then again, he's only released two albums in the 80s, didn't he? And, even during his normal-80s years, I still don't care a whole heckuva lot for his work. Madonna? No... Madonna sucks. Well, who else in the 80s pop-act achieved mass-popularity? Hey! If you intentionally clicked on this page, then I bet that you already know the answer! It's Duran Duran, of course. Today, they don't seem to have achieved such a massive pop following as Prince, MJ, or Madonna did (mostly because all three of these artists went strong into the 90s and Duran Duran sort of started to fizzle out already by the mid-80s). But, Duran Duran basically surpasses the best of all those aforementioned artists in quality. If you're going to pick a musical act from the 80s to be a fan of, then why shouldn't it be somebody from the New Romantic movement? This was the last time that pop-music was any good! It's the last time that pop music was actually innovative! Madonna, who wasn't a New Romantic artist, sang BORING dance music. Duran Duran's version of dance music was equally as danceable, and also it was new and creative. Madonna's dance music was simply extending the life of disco. This album was released in 1981 ... just when the New Romantic scene was originally developing. Essentially, New Romantic is an extended form of New Wave, which emerged sometime around 1977, begot by bands such as Blondie and The Cars. Also, by 1981, disco was going out of fashion, and people wanted something new to dance to! Hence, a group of existing artists and emerging artists decided to make some good new wave music that was also utterly infectious and danceable. And it worked! And that is precisely what Duran Duran does in this eponymous debut of theirs! (However, I don't wish to mean that Duran Duran was the first band to ever do this ... you might consult David Sylvian's Japan for that honor ... and even earlier, Roxy Music.) This is good, artistic dance music! Each song has an infectious beat of its very own, and if you want to sneak in a dance-step or two while you're privately listening to this, you don't have to feel guilty, because this stuff is tasteful! Alright, this album isn't utterly chock-full of New Romantic masterpieces, but there are enough of them to have converted me into an early Duran Duran fan. All that said, Duran Duran does get quite a bit poppier for Rio, but the whole principle is pretty much the same. Nevertheless, Duran Duran is probably the band's most artistic and quite possibly even their most enjoyable outing. Overall Album Score: 9.0 stars out of 10 (After listening to this one, you might have to altogether reassess your probably-negative opinion of the 80s ... or at least the early 80s. For sure, you'll have to reassess your opinion about Duran Duran! This is one mightily spankin' album.) Average Song Score: 8.9 (This is a very nice set of infectious New Romantic tunes. There are four songs in here that are good enough to be called great, and there is merely one song in here mediocre enough to be called not-so great.) Album Tilt: 9.0 (Basically, this is the 80s in its best form.) Artist Rating: 9.0 (Oh yeah ... Duran Duran fares wonderfully here as an artistic group. It is clear that they weren't originally in the business for the money, but they wanted to make a decent set of pop-tunes that people could actually enjoy, and yet it was interesting enough for the rest of us nerds who don't like to dance. This is totally unlike, oh, say, Madonna!) Track Reviews Girls on Film 10/10 Girls on Film! I like girls on film! That's just about the only time I ever get to meet girls, so ... um ... Hmmm... that was too much information... Ohhhh dear... Well, Duran Duran starts their entire career with something to remember! It's a classic New Romantic song that has all the fringe benefits of being a New Romantic song. A jerky beat ... a catchy chorus ... a danged catchy bass-line ... lotsa CLASS. It's dance-type music that you don't have to feel guilty for dancing to! Hooray! Planet Earth 9.5/10 Ahhh! More of that infectious and entirely tasteful New Romantic stuff! Keep on pilin' them on, please! ...Crap... the more I listen to this, the more I realize that New Wave/New Romantic was the last great movement of rock-and-roll, though I admit that I have yet to be convinced (or unconvinced) by grunge. At least this was the last great pop music of rock and roll. It's another good piece of (tasteful) dance music that will undoubtedly have you hooked from start to finish. Anyone Out There 8.5/10 And these beats aren't the same throughout the entire album! "Planet Earth" was more in the dancing mood. "Anyone Out There" reminds me of somebody running somewhere. Again, if you're ever feel like getting any 80s music, I don't see why you would skip this one. Duran Duran knows how to please their audience ... and they make it seem so effortless. "Anyone Out There" doesn't strike me as being as great as "Planet Earth" or "Girls on Film," but it's still as enjoyable as heck. Careless Memories 8/10 Maybe this one is a less-significant-sounding track, but you still have got to dig that infectious beat. The melody, while it still has hooks in it, is weaker here. Nevertheless, I think the instrumentation here makes this one about as enjoyable as needed. (The principle reason why I'm drawn into this one is that it is infectious, which leaves me hopelessly immersed in it.) Is There Something I Should Know? 8.5/10 Mmmm... I still don't think this one is a major classic by any means. Also, the synths they use on this one sound particularly dated. Nevertheless, this is yet another hella fun Duran Duran tune. Night Boat 7.5/10 Well, as if it were some sort of a requirement for all pop albums, there MUST be at least one slow and quasi-atmospheric track in an album to keep up the diversity. Nevertheless, Duran Duran still manage to incorporate a New Romantic aura about it ... unfortunately, however, this song doesn't have a hooky-enough melody nor is this erratic beat infectious enough for me to enjoy it entirely. I think the song was rather well made, and it's not boring by any means. It's just not a highlight. Sound of Thunder 8.5/10 Well, this is another good New Romantic-type dance song that is infectious, of course. But then I have to wonder about all those seemingly disjointed synths in the background! Isn't that strange? The melody, while it is certainly well written, goes along perfectly well with the rhythm section and the bass-line ... but that synth is so utterly out-of-whack that it works! It's only mildly quirky, but it was good enough to print. Friends of Mine 9.5/10 Whoah... This song is cool. It's another dance, New Romantic song. However, the robotic chorus is actually kind of creepy! And that's a good thing! ... Because of that, this song is utterly memorable. That's not to mention that this song has some very well constructed hooks within it. Tel Aviv 10/10 Whoa ... now this song is weird! It starts out with sort of a disjointed tango beat and then it evolves into a danceable song that just has this strange (and utterly innovative) arrangements to it. (Crap! What that violin synth is playing most of the time just sounds perfect doesn't it?) It's an instrumental ... and I've never heard anything like it before. What an excellent number to close with! ... This is very tasty brain candy! Don't Duran away! I want your comments about this album! Leave them here!

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. He likes to refill his printer cartridgeseseses.