Go back to the main Duran Duran page, you notorious bastard! The Notorious Duran Brothers Overall Album Score: 7.0 out of 10 Well, as that worn-out statement goes: All good things must come to an end. And, that statement applied to Duran Duran by their fourth album! Ooooooooh! The heavenly vibes of "Rio" ... the gorgeous gorgeousness of "New Moon on Monday" ... the wonderful stupidity of "Huuuungry Like the Wolf!" ... They have all been replaced by Notorious. ... I'm not sure if this album-title was meant to be a pun, but it was a danged good one. Notorious is notorious for pounding that wooden stake into that slick and classy Duran Duran .... the band that we've come to love and adore ... and turned it into this: A BLOODY MEDIOCRE 80s BAND! Arrrggghhh! What frustrates me more is that on their eponymous debut, they emerged as such promising artists! When pop music started to suck, why couldn't you *not* suck and make an artistic album? ... SCREW THE UPPER-MANAGEMENT! Nevertheless, also as evidenced by their debut Duran Duran has started as a pop band, and they shall die as a pop band. Once 1986 rolled around, the New Romantic movement had officially became the Old Romantic movement, and the "Boring Non-Innovative Pop" movement kicked in. Well ... Duran Duran couldn't see anything better to do than just follow that movement and essentially call it a good run. The only two songs on here really worth mentioning are the ones that start everything off. The title track, while it doesn't even come close to exhibiting all the wondrous class the band has done during their glory days, it's one of those few times when "Boring Non-Innovative Pop" is actually exciting. So ... if you bought this album by accident or something, you can at least delight yourself with that. Next, there's "American Science," which does actually come close to matching the same sort of class and slickness that was the benefit of the New Romantic movement. It's delightful, but it remains merely a nostalgic reminder. Keep in mind, however, that everything else on here isn't terrible. There is not one true stinker on here! Everything has something to offer ... even if it is usually something minor. All in all, Notorious forces me to brood over the dying remains of what was once a real wonderful band. Overall Album Score: 7.0 out of 10 (For a regular 80s pop album, this isn't bad ... but for what Duran Duran was capable of, this isn't good at all.) Average Song Score: 7.4 (Compared to Duran Duran's previous albums, these songs are very disappointing, indeed! Whereas their previous albums were 'New Romantic pop,' this album is just 'boring old regular pop' ... And many of these tracks are quite feeble.) Album Tilt: 7.0 (It's not as if I'm in Purgatory when listening to this, but it ain't great.) Artist Rating: 6.5 (Duran Duran had the talent to go forth and create a good album ... while they got away with making good pop albums in the past, they've run out of steam by Notorious.) Track Reviews Notorious 9/10 Well ... Right away, we realize that Duran Duran has completely severed all of their previously inspired ties with the New Romantic movement and is continuing on with the 1980s on that good ole' pop bandwagon. Unfortunately for all of us, the good ole' 80s pop bandwagon was a lot more banal than the fading New Romantic movement, so expect this to be more of a banal song! It certainly cannot hold a candle to songs such as "Rio" and "New Moon on Monday," nevertheless "Notorious" was professionally done! It has a melody and it does have quite a lot of style about it. Remember, Duran Duran is one of those few pop groups to actually have a little bit of artistic integrity! If we're going to listen to regular 80s 'radio-bred' pop, then "Notorious" is about as good as we can hope for! American Science 8.5/10 A little bit of a lesser song, and it trudges along on a much slower pace, but it is quite entertaining. Any shortcomings this track would have (and it honestly wouldn't have much) is nearly completely made up for with that classy beat we get from that drum machine! It's fairly lengthy, too, and I don't get particularly bored with it. It might have benefited by being shorter, though. Skin Trade 7.5/10 Teetering on the borderline of an 8 and a 7.5, I opted for the 7.5 just because it is so danged long! It's just under six minutes! "Skin Trade" still has a melody, but it is much much feebler compared to the previous two tracks. Those horns and the riff are all still quite classy, but this time it all doesn't add up to "great." Oh well. A Matter of Feeling 7/10 Boy... this album is sloooooooooowly descending into the pit of despair, isn't it? The main problem with this one is that it is too long and uninteresting. It's a long-strung-out, placid track. However, I can sit through it. That should count for something! Hold Me 6.5/10 Sitting through this one really leaves me restless. It's more of a quick song, but it's banal. Sorry! Vertigo (Do the Demolition) 7/10 Boy! Listening to those first two tracks of this album, you would almost think that Duran Duran was doing well. But now that we're definitely into the meat of this album, we realize how BLAH the band has gotten. It was dropping out of the New Romantic movement and failing to do anything ultimately interesting! That's what did it! That all said, Duran Duran still pretty much has the idea of how to keep us sitting on our chairs. They really try our patience with "Hold Me," but "Vertigo" is an altogether listenable song. So Mislead 7.5/10 At least they deliver a groove here, but it really doesn't do wonders for the song. In fact, I almost think that Duran Duran was trying to get back to their old Rio days with this. I can almost sense them trying to create one of those ON FIRE choruses that they used to be able to deliver so effortlessly, but it's so danged feeble here. Meet El Presidente 6/10 I don't need no steekin' presidentes! I don't need no "Meet El Presidente," either! What a dull song! Verrrrrrrry feeble! Winter Marches On 7/10 The vibe this one radiates off is almost THERE! But it pretty much fails in the end. It could have been great ... but I think Duran Duran was being too lazy to get this one off the ground. Oh well. Well. Well. Well. Proposition 8/10 Well, at least Duran Duran ends it with something slightly notable! This is a regular sounding 80s pop song that brings us back to those good old days when I used to call Duran Duran 'true artists' ... come to think of it, I called them that previous on this album review! Hmmm... Well they still are artists, but they're just a little bit tired! This is a song with a melody that is mildly enjoyable to listen to. Tell us what you think about Notorious and his vicious gang of notes here!

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. He popped one too many bills.