Notorious - Album

Notorious (Album) by Duran Duran

Duran Duran>

Artist Biography For Duran Duran

Duran Duran Named After A Character In Roger Vadim's Sci-Fi Classic Barbarella Is An Electronic Pop Rock Band That Was Part Of The New Wave Movement Of The 80s And 90s. Duran Duran Have Sold Over 100 Million Records Making Them One Of The World's Best-Selling Music Artists. They Achieved 30 Top 40 Singles In The UK Singles Chart 14 Of Them Top 10 And 21 Top 40 Singles In The US Billboard Hot 100. The Band Have Won Numerous Awards Throughout Their Career Two Brit Awards Including The 2004 Award For Outstanding Contribution To Music Two Grammy Awards An MTV Video Music Award For Lifetime Achievement And A Video Visionary Award From The MTV Europe Music Awards. They Were Also Awarded A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The Band Was Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame As Part Of The Class Of 2022. Created By Nick Rhodes Keyboards And John Taylor Bass In Birmingham England In 1978 It Later Add Took In Roger Taylor Drums Andy Taylor Guitar And Simon Le Bon Lead Vocals . The Band Has Sold More Than 100 Million Records Over Their More Than 40 Years Of Existence Making Them One Of The Best-Selling Groups In History. Their Songs Are Often Vivid Hook-Laden Pieces Dance Pop That Have Fared Well On The Radio But What Many Remember Best About Duran Duran Is Their Iconic Music Videos. Though Many Of The Videos Were Tongue-In-Cheek The Band Has Never Quite Escaped The Glamorous And Decadent 'jet Set' Image That Their Early Videos Projected. Their Flashy Outfits And Strident Art Rock Influenced Music Showed An Immense Debt To 70s English Glam Artists Such As David Bowie And Roxy Music Yet The Band Grasped A Sense Of Their Own Identity And Became One Of The Keystones Of The New Romantic Movement. Their First Singer And One Of Their Original Founding Members Was Stephen Duffy And Their Original Bassist Was Simon Colley. Several Drummers And Guitarists Were Subsequently Tried As Well As A Handful Of Vocalists After Duffy Left Duran Duran Early In 1979. The Band Felt That They Had Something Special With Vocalist Simon Le Bon And The Group Smashed Into The Pop Scene Shortly Afterwards When "Planet Earth" Their Debut Single Was Released On 2 February 1981. "Planet Earth" Became An Immediate Hit In The Band's Native U.K. Reaching #12 On The U.K. Singles Chart On 21 February And It Did Even Better In Australia Hitting #8 There. Being Duran Duran's First Top 10 Hit Anywhere In The World The Song Showed The Group's Interest In International Stardom. The Band's Eponymous Debut Album Came Out Promptly Afterwards In June 1981. 'Duran Duran' Hit #3 On The Album Charts And Remained In The U.K. Top 100 For 117 Weeks Achieving Platinum Status By December 1982. The Initial United States Release Failed To Generate Much Interest At First But The Group Was A British Sensation Due To Their Strident Mix Of Pop Rock And Electronic Music. Music Videos For Hit Singles "Planet Earth" And "Careless Memories" Were Filmed In December 1980. As They Also Experienced Considerable Success With "Girls On Film" Which Hit #5 On The UK Singles Chart And #11 On The Australian Singles Chart The Group Firmly Grasped The Opportunity To Make A Name For Themselves In Musical Television. As Their Fame Grew Some Fans Worried That Duran Duran Could Have Peaked Too Early. They Headed Into AIR Studios In London In Early 1982 Anxious To Somehow Top Themselves. Band Member John Taylor Came Up With The New Album's Title 'Rio' As A Product Of His Fascination With The Flaunting Sexuality And Diverse Atmosphere Of Brazil. He Later Said "Rio To Me Was Shorthand For The Truly Foreign The Exotic A Cornucopia Of Earthly Delights A Party That Would Never Stop." The Band Had Their Own Plans And Ambitions For Promotion And Reunited With Director Russell Mulcahy Who Was Behind The Video For "Planet Earth" To Plan Out The Release Of A Full Length 'video Album'— Eleven Videos In Total. Totally Dedicated To On-Site Filming Guitarist Andy Taylor Even Contracted A Tropical Virus And Ended Up Hospitalized Thankfully Getting Better Relatively Quickly. 'Rio' Was Simply A Commercial Juggernaut. The Band's Second Studio Album Originally Released Worldwide On 10 May 1982 Reached #2 In The UK And #1 In Australia. Massively Popular In The U.S. It Earned A Gold Disc On 1 March 1983 And Went Platinum On 26 April 1983 Eventually Reaching Double-Platinum Status. As Songs Such As "Hungry Like The Wolf" And "Rio" Received Considerable Airplay Critical Acclaim Also Grew For The Release. With MTV Heavily Playing The Band's Music Videos The Album Is Still Held As One Of The Best New Wave Albums Ever. In April 2013 'Rio' Was Even Voted #3 In BBC Radio 2's 'Top 100 Favourite Albums Of All Time' List. In 1985 Duran Duran Performed "A View To A Kill" For The The James Bond Film Of The Same Name. The Song Appeared In The Movie's Title Sequence And Was Also A Best-Selling Single In Its Own Right. In 1987 "Out Of My Mind" Was Featured At The End Credits Of The Drama Film 'The Saint' As Well. Like Depeche Mode Duran Duran Was Among The Earliest Bands To Work On Their Own Remixes. From The Very Beginning The Band Had A Keen Sense Of Style And Worked With Stylist Perry Haines And Fashion Designers Such As Kahn & Bell And Antony Price To Build A Sharp And Elegant Image Soon Growing Beyond The Ruffles And Sashes Of The Pirate-Flavoured New Romantic Look. Although The Group Never Disbanded It Went Through Several Line-Up Changes Over The Years - American Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo Formerly Of Missing Persons Was Also A Member Of The Band From 1989 To 2001 And Drummer Sterling Campbell Was A Member From 1989 To 1991. John Taylor Roger Taylor And Andy Taylor All Returned In 2001 And Created A Stir Among Music Media And The Band's Fans. Duran Duran Released The First Album From The Reunited Line-Up Astronaut In 2004 Which Was In Turn Followed Up By Many Sold Out Shows In England Most Notably Wembley Arena Where A Live DVD Of The Tour Was Filmed In 2004/2005. In October Of 2006 It Was Announced On Duran Duran's Website That Andy Taylor Had Left The Band. The Band's Latest Album 'Red Carpet Massacre' Was Released In November 2007. They Performed The Album Live In New York City On Broadway At The Barrymore Theater For What Was Originally Scheduled As An Unprecedented 10-Night Run. A Stage Hand Union Strike Shortened The Run By A Few Nights But Duran Duran Were Able To Re-Schedule The Shows Elsewhere. They Went On To Tour The World Ending Their Successful Run In December Of 2008. 2008 Also Saw The Release Of A New DVD That Documents The Making Of Their Now-Classic "Rio" Album Called "Classic Albums Rio Collector's Edition " And A Book Called "Would Someone Please Explain?"- A Compilation Of Questions From The "Ask Katy" Area Of Their Popular Website. Duran Duran Returned At The End Of 2010 With Their 13th Album The Digital And Self-Released Album All You Need Is Now Which Debuted At Number One On The ITunes Charts In Many Countries Including The USA . The Physical Version Of The Album Will Be Released With Bonus Tracks In February 2011. The Album Was Produced By Mark Ronson. 2015 Saw The Band Return With The Album Paper Gods Which Was Led By The Single "Pressure Off" Featuring Janelle Monae And Nile Rodgers. The Album Was The Band's First Top 10 Chart Success In The U.S. In Over 20 Years And Also Reached Number 5 In The U.K. Official Websites Http //www.Duranduran.Com
http //twitter.Com/duranduran
http //www.Facebook.Com/pages/Duran-Duran
http //www.Youtube.Com/DuranDuran
http //www.Youtube.Com/07duranduran
http //www.Myspace.Com/duranduran

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Biography - Duran Duran

Duran Duran Named After A Character In Roger Vadim's Sci-Fi Classic Barbarella Is An Electronic Pop Rock Band That Was Part Of The New Wave Movement Of The 80s And 90s. Duran Duran Have Sold Over 100 Million Records Making Them One Of The World's Best-Selling Music Artists. They Achieved 30 Top 40 Singles In The UK Singles Chart 14 Of Them Top 10 And 21 Top 40 Singles In The US Billboard Hot 100. The Band Have Won Numerous Awards Throughout Their Career Two Brit Awards Including The 2004 Award For Outstanding Contribution To Music Two Grammy Awards An MTV Video Music Award For Lifetime Achievement And A Video Visionary Award From The MTV Europe Music Awards. They Were Also Awarded A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The Band Was Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame As Part Of The Class Of 2022. Created By Nick Rhodes Keyboards And John Taylor Bass In Birmingham England In 1978 It Later Add Took In Roger Taylor Drums Andy Taylor Guitar And Simon Le Bon Lead Vocals . The Band Has Sold More Than 100 Million Records Over Their More Than 40 Years Of Existence Making Them One Of The Best-Selling Groups In History. Their Songs Are Often Vivid Hook-Laden Pieces Dance Pop That Have Fared Well On The Radio But What Many Remember Best About Duran Duran Is Their Iconic Music Videos. Though Many Of The Videos Were Tongue-In-Cheek The Band Has Never Quite Escaped The Glamorous And Decadent 'jet Set' Image That Their Early Videos Projected. Their Flashy Outfits And Strident Art Rock Influenced Music Showed An Immense Debt To 70s English Glam Artists Such As David Bowie And Roxy Music Yet The Band Grasped A Sense Of Their Own Identity And Became One Of The Keystones Of The New Romantic Movement. Their First Singer And One Of Their Original Founding Members Was Stephen Duffy And Their Original Bassist Was Simon Colley. Several Drummers And Guitarists Were Subsequently Tried As Well As A Handful Of Vocalists After Duffy Left Duran Duran Early In 1979. The Band Felt That They Had Something Special With Vocalist Simon Le Bon And The Group Smashed Into The Pop Scene Shortly Afterwards When "Planet Earth" Their Debut Single Was Released On 2 February 1981. "Planet Earth" Became An Immediate Hit In The Band's Native U.K. Reaching #12 On The U.K. Singles Chart On 21 February And It Did Even Better In Australia Hitting #8 There. Being Duran Duran's First Top 10 Hit Anywhere In The World The Song Showed The Group's Interest In International Stardom. The Band's Eponymous Debut Album Came Out Promptly Afterwards In June 1981. 'Duran Duran' Hit #3 On The Album Charts And Remained In The U.K. Top 100 For 117 Weeks Achieving Platinum Status By December 1982. The Initial United States Release Failed To Generate Much Interest At First But The Group Was A British Sensation Due To Their Strident Mix Of Pop Rock And Electronic Music. Music Videos For Hit Singles "Planet Earth" And "Careless Memories" Were Filmed In December 1980. As They Also Experienced Considerable Success With "Girls On Film" Which Hit #5 On The UK Singles Chart And #11 On The Australian Singles Chart The Group Firmly Grasped The Opportunity To Make A Name For Themselves In Musical Television. As Their Fame Grew Some Fans Worried That Duran Duran Could Have Peaked Too Early. They Headed Into AIR Studios In London In Early 1982 Anxious To Somehow Top Themselves. Band Member John Taylor Came Up With The New Album's Title 'Rio' As A Product Of His Fascination With The Flaunting Sexuality And Diverse Atmosphere Of Brazil. He Later Said "Rio To Me Was Shorthand For The Truly Foreign The Exotic A Cornucopia Of Earthly Delights A Party That Would Never Stop." The Band Had Their Own Plans And Ambitions For Promotion And Reunited With Director Russell Mulcahy Who Was Behind The Video For "Planet Earth" To Plan Out The Release Of A Full Length 'video Album'— Eleven Videos In Total. Totally Dedicated To On-Site Filming Guitarist Andy Taylor Even Contracted A Tropical Virus And Ended Up Hospitalized Thankfully Getting Better Relatively Quickly. 'Rio' Was Simply A Commercial Juggernaut. The Band's Second Studio Album Originally Released Worldwide On 10 May 1982 Reached #2 In The UK And #1 In Australia. Massively Popular In The U.S. It Earned A Gold Disc On 1 March 1983 And Went Platinum On 26 April 1983 Eventually Reaching Double-Platinum Status. As Songs Such As "Hungry Like The Wolf" And "Rio" Received Considerable Airplay Critical Acclaim Also Grew For The Release. With MTV Heavily Playing The Band's Music Videos The Album Is Still Held As One Of The Best New Wave Albums Ever. In April 2013 'Rio' Was Even Voted #3 In BBC Radio 2's 'Top 100 Favourite Albums Of All Time' List. In 1985 Duran Duran Performed "A View To A Kill" For The The James Bond Film Of The Same Name. The Song Appeared In The Movie's Title Sequence And Was Also A Best-Selling Single In Its Own Right. In 1987 "Out Of My Mind" Was Featured At The End Credits Of The Drama Film 'The Saint' As Well. Like Depeche Mode Duran Duran Was Among The Earliest Bands To Work On Their Own Remixes. From The Very Beginning The Band Had A Keen Sense Of Style And Worked With Stylist Perry Haines And Fashion Designers Such As Kahn & Bell And Antony Price To Build A Sharp And Elegant Image Soon Growing Beyond The Ruffles And Sashes Of The Pirate-Flavoured New Romantic Look. Although The Group Never Disbanded It Went Through Several Line-Up Changes Over The Years - American Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo Formerly Of Missing Persons Was Also A Member Of The Band From 1989 To 2001 And Drummer Sterling Campbell Was A Member From 1989 To 1991. John Taylor Roger Taylor And Andy Taylor All Returned In 2001 And Created A Stir Among Music Media And The Band's Fans. Duran Duran Released The First Album From The Reunited Line-Up Astronaut In 2004 Which Was In Turn Followed Up By Many Sold Out Shows In England Most Notably Wembley Arena Where A Live DVD Of The Tour Was Filmed In 2004/2005. In October Of 2006 It Was Announced On Duran Duran's Website That Andy Taylor Had Left The Band. The Band's Latest Album 'Red Carpet Massacre' Was Released In November 2007. They Performed The Album Live In New York City On Broadway At The Barrymore Theater For What Was Originally Scheduled As An Unprecedented 10-Night Run. A Stage Hand Union Strike Shortened The Run By A Few Nights But Duran Duran Were Able To Re-Schedule The Shows Elsewhere. They Went On To Tour The World Ending Their Successful Run In December Of 2008. 2008 Also Saw The Release Of A New DVD That Documents The Making Of Their Now-Classic "Rio" Album Called "Classic Albums Rio Collector's Edition " And A Book Called "Would Someone Please Explain?"- A Compilation Of Questions From The "Ask Katy" Area Of Their Popular Website. Duran Duran Returned At The End Of 2010 With Their 13th Album The Digital And Self-Released Album All You Need Is Now Which Debuted At Number One On The ITunes Charts In Many Countries Including The USA . The Physical Version Of The Album Will Be Released With Bonus Tracks In February 2011. The Album Was Produced By Mark Ronson. 2015 Saw The Band Return With The Album Paper Gods Which Was Led By The Single "Pressure Off" Featuring Janelle Monae And Nile Rodgers. The Album Was The Band's First Top 10 Chart Success In The U.S. In Over 20 Years And Also Reached Number 5 In The U.K. Official Websites Http //www.Duranduran.Com
http //twitter.Com/duranduran
http //www.Facebook.Com/pages/Duran-Duran
http //www.Youtube.Com/DuranDuran
http //www.Youtube.Com/07duranduran
http //www.Myspace.Com/duranduran read less

16 Similar Artists To Duran Duran - Frogtoon Music

Published: 08 Aug 2012, 12:52

Notorious Is The Fourth Studio Album By Duran Duran. Released In November 1986 It Peaked At #16 In The UK And #12 In The US. The Singles "Notorious" And "Skin Trade" Demonstrated A Duran Duran Reaching For Funk Heavy On Bass And Brass. The Gap Between Previous Efforts And The New One However One Year Removed From "A View To A Kill" And The Arcadia/Power Station Projects Two Years From Arena Three From Seven And The Ragged Tiger Was Hard To Handle For The Greater Part Of The Fan Base Since The Album Signaled A Stylistic Departure From The Successful Dance-Pop Of Their Earlier Days. Many Fans Felt That The Album Seemed To Lack The Sparkle Of The Band's Initial Peak Era 1981 To 1985 . In 2010 EMI Released A Raft Of Material Surrounding The Notorious Reissue Consisting Of A Three Disc Boxset A Digital Only EP And A Digital Only Live Album. The Boxset Also Includes Remixes Live Tracks And The Working For The Skin Trade Live Video For The First Time On DVD . The Making Of Notorious During 1986 Was A Difficult Time For Duran Duran. The Band Had Planned For A Much-Needed Break After The Success Of Their 1984 World Tour But All Of The Band Members Had Ended Up Working On One Of Two Side Projects—the Hard-Rock Collective Power Station In Early 1985 And The Atmospheric Arcadia Project In Late '85/early '86. When It Came Time To Record The New Duran Duran Album They Found That Drummer Roger Taylor Was Too Exhausted To Continue In The Music Business While Guitarist Andy Taylor Had Developed A Taste For The Spotlight As Well As For A Harder More Guitar-Heavy Sound Than The Rest Of Duran Duran Was Prepared To Pursue. During This Period The Band Also Began To Act As Their Own Management Having Dismissed Brothers Paul And Michael Berrow Who Had Shepherded Them Through Their First Five Years. Arrangements For The Forthcoming "Strange Behaviour" Tour Which Kicked Off In March 1987 As Well As The Tensions With Taylor Are Recounted In The Documentary Three To Get Ready. The Band Gradually Coaxed Andy Taylor Back From Los Angeles To The UK In Order To Begin Playing On The Album But Personal And Creative Disputes Continued And Much Of The Communication Was Carried On By Lawyers Until Taylor Finally Withdrew From The Band. It Is Rumoured That Andy Went So Far As To Try And Stop The Band From Continuing With Using The Duran Duran Name Since That Time The Band Ensured That The Name Is Wholly Owned By Co-Founding Member Nick Rhodes. During This Time Andy Began Jamming With Members Of Los Angeles Pop Band Missing Persons Who Were In The Midst Of Breaking Up. Missing Persons Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo Noting That Taylor Didn't Intend To Return To Duran Duran Offered His Services To Them Instead. They Hired Him As A Sessions And Tour Guitarist He Would Later Become A Full Member Of The Band In 1989. The Remaining Three Original Band Members Rhodes LeBon And John Taylor Continued Working On The New Album With Cuccurullo And Producer Nile Rodgers Himself A Guitarist From His Days In Chic Providing The Remaining Guitar Work. Incidentally With Material From Three Guitarists The Band Has Since Found It Difficult To Tell What Guitarist Ended Up Playing On What Finished Track. Sessions Drummer Steve Ferrone Took Roger Taylor's Place Behind The Drum Kit. In Light Of Everything The Band Had Experienced Since The Release Of Seven And The Ragged Tiger One Might Say That The Development Of Notorious' Sound Was An Obvious Direction Especially Because The Band's Last Two Hit Singles "The Wild Boys" And The James Bond Theme "A View To A Kill" Were Much "heavier" In Style But Were Nevertheless Worldwide Smash Hits. "The Wild Boys" Was Also Produced By Nile Rodgers Who Had Been A Spectator During His Long-Time Production Partner Bernard Edwards' Work On The Brass-Heavy Power Station Album As Well. Some Would Argue That With Three Years Between The Release Of Seven And The Ragged Tiger And Notorious It Would Be Foolish Not To Try And Progress The Sound Given That The Band Now Had The Added Experience Garnered From Their Work With Arcadia And Power Station And The Many Gifted Musicians They Had Encountered Edwards Robert Palmer David Gilmour Etc. . For A Large Part Of 1986 Arcadia Was Still Very Much On The Radar For Le Bon And Rhodes As The Final Single From So Red The Rose "The Flame" Was Released In July. The Video Featured A Cameo By John Taylor Coming Out Of A Closet With A Contract To Sign. Fans Have Debated Whether This Was A Thinly Veiled Dig At The Situation With Andy Taylor At The Time. The Final Arcadia Release "Say The Word" From The Playing For Keeps Soundtrack Was Released In Late September A Mere Month Before The Release Of The "Notorious" Single. In Years To Come The Band Would Refer To Notorious As Their Alfred Hitchcock-Inspired Album. This Is Due To Having A Number Of Tracks Titled After Hitchcock Movies. In Addition To The Album And Lead Single Named For The Movie Notorious There Was Also Vertigo And Rope The Original Title For "Hold Me". According To Interviews Andy Was Involved In A Lot Of Sessions And Because Of This The Guitar Work On A Few Tracks Is Provided By Andy. Although No One Remembers Which Songs Feature Andy There Is A Track On Andytaylor.Com In Which Andy Plays Guitar And Sings Vocals For "A Matter Of Feeling." It Is Said That The Relationship Between Andy And The Band Had Deteriorated To The Point Where He Had To Be Threatened With Legal Action In Order To Get Him Back Into The Studio But That The Resulting Sessions Were So Unpleasant For All Involved That The Band Finally Released Him From Any Obligations To Record. According To An Interview With Warren Cuccurullo Back In 2004 Andy Also Played On "American Science" The First Guitar Solo Being Taylor's The Second Cuccurullo's. It Was Also Rumoured That Andy Played On The Album's Closing Track "Proposition" The Album's First Single "Notorious" Did Very Well In The US Peaking At #2 And On Their Homeground Reaching #7. It Was The First Single To Be Released With A Second Remix 12" Single Led Off By A Remix By The Latin Rascals. "Skin Trade" Was A Bowie-Flavoured Track Notable For Simon Singing In A Prince-Like Falsetto As Well As Featuring The Borneo Horns Quite Heavily Culminating In A Very Un-Duran Duran Sound. John Taylor Has Since Been Quoted As Saying That His Disillusion With The Charts Began When "Skin Trade" Peaked At #22. "Skin Trade" Had Its Sleeve Banned In Several Countries As It Featured An Airbrushed Naked Female Buttock. In The UK And US The Single Was Released In A Plain Pinky Red Sleeve With The Notorious-Era Duran Wording Along The Top. In Certain Markets Like Canada And France The Bare Buttock Sleeve Was Used. To Commemorate The Band's 1987 Tour Several Promo-Only Remixes Were Commissioned For "Skin Trade" Including The "Parisian Mix" And The "S.O.S. Dub". These Were Initially Released On A US-Only Promo 12" Single With Mixes Of "Meet El Presidente" On The Flip-Side. "Meet El Presidente" Released To Coincide With The Tour In April 1987 Reached #24 In The Charts. It Was Their First Single To Be Released On CD Catalogue Number CD TOUR 1 . The CD Single Featured All The Tracks From The 12". In The US The Single Was Released Under The Title "The Presidential Suite". To Drum Up Further Interest In The Album A Collection Of Otherwise Unavailable Remixes Was Released On A Double Promo 12" Pack Called Master Mixes In The US And Hong Kong. Rumour Has It The Remixes Were Commissioned For A Possible Fourth Single Either "Vertigo " Or "American Science" But This Release Was Shelved As The Singles For "Skin Trade" And "Meet El Presidente" Didn't Do So Well In The Charts. All In All This New Funkier Sound Was Not The Duran Duran The Less Committed Fans Wanted To Hear Not To Mention The Critics Which Were Anything But Friendly To The Band From The Beginning.

Frogtoon Music - Album Tracks For Notorious

Notorious American Science Skin Trade A Matter Of Feeling Hold Me Vertigo Do The Demolition So Misled "Meet El Presidente" Winter Marches On Proposition

Frogtoon Music Album Info: Notorious

Published: 08 Aug 2012, 12:52

Notorious Is The Fourth Studio Album By Duran Duran. Released In November 1986 It Peaked At #16 In The UK And #12 In The US. The Singles "Notorious" And "Skin Trade" Demonstrated A Duran Duran Reaching For Funk Heavy On Bass And Brass. The Gap Between Previous Efforts And The New One However One Year Removed From "A View To A Kill" And The Arcadia/Power Station Projects Two Years From Arena Three From Seven And The Ragged Tiger Was Hard To Handle For The Greater Part Of The Fan Base Since The Album Signaled A Stylistic Departure From The Successful Dance-Pop Of Their Earlier Days. Many Fans Felt That The Album Seemed To Lack The Sparkle Of The Band's Initial Peak Era 1981 To 1985 . In 2010 EMI Released A Raft Of Material Surrounding The Notorious Reissue Consisting Of A Three Disc Boxset A Digital Only EP And A Digital Only Live Album. The Boxset Also Includes Remixes Live Tracks And The Working For The Skin Trade Live Video For The First Time On DVD . The Making Of Notorious During 1986 Was A Difficult Time For Duran Duran. The Band Had Planned For A Much-Needed Break After The Success Of Their 1984 World Tour But All Of The Band Members Had Ended Up Working On One Of Two Side Projects—the Hard-Rock Collective Power Station In Early 1985 And The Atmospheric Arcadia Project In Late '85/early '86. When It Came Time To Record The New Duran Duran Album They Found That Drummer Roger Taylor Was Too Exhausted To Continue In The Music Business While Guitarist Andy Taylor Had Developed A Taste For The Spotlight As Well As For A Harder More Guitar-Heavy Sound Than The Rest Of Duran Duran Was Prepared To Pursue. During This Period The Band Also Began To Act As Their Own Management Having Dismissed Brothers Paul And Michael Berrow Who Had Shepherded Them Through Their First Five Years. Arrangements For The Forthcoming "Strange Behaviour" Tour Which Kicked Off In March 1987 As Well As The Tensions With Taylor Are Recounted In The Documentary Three To Get Ready. The Band Gradually Coaxed Andy Taylor Back From Los Angeles To The UK In Order To Begin Playing On The Album But Personal And Creative Disputes Continued And Much Of The Communication Was Carried On By Lawyers Until Taylor Finally Withdrew From The Band. It Is Rumoured That Andy Went So Far As To Try And Stop The Band From Continuing With Using The Duran Duran Name Since That Time The Band Ensured That The Name Is Wholly Owned By Co-Founding Member Nick Rhodes. During This Time Andy Began Jamming With Members Of Los Angeles Pop Band Missing Persons Who Were In The Midst Of Breaking Up. Missing Persons Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo Noting That Taylor Didn't Intend To Return To Duran Duran Offered His Services To Them Instead. They Hired Him As A Sessions And Tour Guitarist He Would Later Become A Full Member Of The Band In 1989. The Remaining Three Original Band Members Rhodes LeBon And John Taylor Continued Working On The New Album With Cuccurullo And Producer Nile Rodgers Himself A Guitarist From His Days In Chic Providing The Remaining Guitar Work. Incidentally With Material From Three Guitarists The Band Has Since Found It Difficult To Tell What Guitarist Ended Up Playing On What Finished Track. Sessions Drummer Steve Ferrone Took Roger Taylor's Place Behind The Drum Kit. In Light Of Everything The Band Had Experienced Since The Release Of Seven And The Ragged Tiger One Might Say That The Development Of Notorious' Sound Was An Obvious Direction Especially Because The Band's Last Two Hit Singles "The Wild Boys" And The James Bond Theme "A View To A Kill" Were Much "heavier" In Style But Were Nevertheless Worldwide Smash Hits. "The Wild Boys" Was Also Produced By Nile Rodgers Who Had Been A Spectator During His Long-Time Production Partner Bernard Edwards' Work On The Brass-Heavy Power Station Album As Well. Some Would Argue That With Three Years Between The Release Of Seven And The Ragged Tiger And Notorious It Would Be Foolish Not To Try And Progress The Sound Given That The Band Now Had The Added Experience Garnered From Their Work With Arcadia And Power Station And The Many Gifted Musicians They Had Encountered Edwards Robert Palmer David Gilmour Etc. . For A Large Part Of 1986 Arcadia Was Still Very Much On The Radar For Le Bon And Rhodes As The Final Single From So Red The Rose "The Flame" Was Released In July. The Video Featured A Cameo By John Taylor Coming Out Of A Closet With A Contract To Sign. Fans Have Debated Whether This Was A Thinly Veiled Dig At The Situation With Andy Taylor At The Time. The Final Arcadia Release "Say The Word" From The Playing For Keeps Soundtrack Was Released In Late September A Mere Month Before The Release Of The "Notorious" Single. In Years To Come The Band Would Refer To Notorious As Their Alfred Hitchcock-Inspired Album. This Is Due To Having A Number Of Tracks Titled After Hitchcock Movies. In Addition To The Album And Lead Single Named For The Movie Notorious There Was Also Vertigo And Rope The Original Title For "Hold Me". According To Interviews Andy Was Involved In A Lot Of Sessions And Because Of This The Guitar Work On A Few Tracks Is Provided By Andy. Although No One Remembers Which Songs Feature Andy There Is A Track On Andytaylor.Com In Which Andy Plays Guitar And Sings Vocals For "A Matter Of Feeling." It Is Said That The Relationship Between Andy And The Band Had Deteriorated To The Point Where He Had To Be Threatened With Legal Action In Order To Get Him Back Into The Studio But That The Resulting Sessions Were So Unpleasant For All Involved That The Band Finally Released Him From Any Obligations To Record. According To An Interview With Warren Cuccurullo Back In 2004 Andy Also Played On "American Science" The First Guitar Solo Being Taylor's The Second Cuccurullo's. It Was Also Rumoured That Andy Played On The Album's Closing Track "Proposition" The Album's First Single "Notorious" Did Very Well In The US Peaking At #2 And On Their Homeground Reaching #7. It Was The First Single To Be Released With A Second Remix 12" Single Led Off By A Remix By The Latin Rascals. "Skin Trade" Was A Bowie-Flavoured Track Notable For Simon Singing In A Prince-Like Falsetto As Well As Featuring The Borneo Horns Quite Heavily Culminating In A Very Un-Duran Duran Sound. John Taylor Has Since Been Quoted As Saying That His Disillusion With The Charts Began When "Skin Trade" Peaked At #22. "Skin Trade" Had Its Sleeve Banned In Several Countries As It Featured An Airbrushed Naked Female Buttock. In The UK And US The Single Was Released In A Plain Pinky Red Sleeve With The Notorious-Era Duran Wording Along The Top. In Certain Markets Like Canada And France The Bare Buttock Sleeve Was Used. To Commemorate The Band's 1987 Tour Several Promo-Only Remixes Were Commissioned For "Skin Trade" Including The "Parisian Mix" And The "S.O.S. Dub". These Were Initially Released On A US-Only Promo 12" Single With Mixes Of "Meet El Presidente" On The Flip-Side. "Meet El Presidente" Released To Coincide With The Tour In April 1987 Reached #24 In The Charts. It Was Their First Single To Be Released On CD Catalogue Number CD TOUR 1 . The CD Single Featured All The Tracks From The 12". In The US The Single Was Released Under The Title "The Presidential Suite". To Drum Up Further Interest In The Album A Collection Of Otherwise Unavailable Remixes Was Released On A Double Promo 12" Pack Called Master Mixes In The US And Hong Kong. Rumour Has It The Remixes Were Commissioned For A Possible Fourth Single Either "Vertigo " Or "American Science" But This Release Was Shelved As The Singles For "Skin Trade" And "Meet El Presidente" Didn't Do So Well In The Charts. All In All This New Funkier Sound Was Not The Duran Duran The Less Committed Fans Wanted To Hear Not To Mention The Critics Which Were Anything But Friendly To The Band From The Beginning.

Music Tags for Notorious:

80s New Wave 1986 Pop Albums I Own Rock Pop Rock Funk 1980s UK