by KYYX4ever » Thu Jun 29, 2006 2:04 am
[quote][i]Originally posted by highway1pch[/i]
<br>I know that Duran Duran's surge of appeal in the early 80's was a turn off to many who gravitate to the alternative.
However, a listen to the full albums or b-sides of their 1980-1985 output gives the band a lot more depth.
Yes, many of Duran Duran's singles enjoyed heavy rotation, even on more mainstream radio towards the mid-80's. Should you forsake their work because of this? I would argue against that.[/quote]
Hey! I thought [b]I[/b] was DD's biggest defender around here![;)] But your post is a thoughtful and good one, highway1pch. DD's success turned off many "serious" new wave fans, but underneath all that, they were a serious and multilayered band. I've said this before, but after their 1st 3 albums, I took a break from being a DD fan. I wasn't into the direction their sound took. To me, Duran was always the best at their uncategorizable early 80s sound--a combination of dance/glam/synthpop. Their 1st 3 albums, but especially their 1st 2, truly reveal earnest and fascinating musicianship. You can tell on their 1st album that they were still kind of learning their instruments! (with the exception of guitarist Andy Taylor, who was the only one who'd had any experience, lessons, and training) A unique, popping bass, percolating synth, tight drumming, layered guitar...it all added up to some terrific depth. And now, if you go back and listen to their early work--and I agree, their 80-84 B-Sides are even MORE amazing--you may hear something different, something richer and better than you remember. That certainly has happened to me. I love their music even more now ( still not into their 90s output, though).
But that's ok, wendy m--don't worry about it. There's room for all kinds of tastes and fans here.[:)]