Seven and the Ragged Tiger. This is the point at which the record label knew what it had and was willing to go whole-hog to get this album out and on the charts. They were right – the band’s gigantic smash “The Reflex” came from this one. But the creative bass lines are absent, and the songs sound…manufactured? The band members themselves have stated they are dissatisfied with this album, as they feel it was way overproduced and had none of the creative raw pop-power of Rio.
I went through the track listing again and again to decide which two deep-track songs to feature. But I only came up with one that is even remotely worthwhile. I previously wrote that my favorite Duran Duran song of all time came from this album. I’m not going to feature that until my final post on this topic.
With that, let’s have a listen to “Shadows on Your Side”. Many of the songs on this album seem to point to a struggle with the band’s skyrocketing fame and the innate human desire to lead a normal life.
That idea couldn’t be more obvious in this song:
Shackled and raised for a shining crowd
They want you to speak but the music is louder than all of their roar
With the heat of the planet’s core
Next up: I’m going to skip ahead to 1993’s second eponymous album, because the band imploded spectacularly in the mid-80’s and didn’t produce much of note. If you’re into this series, I recommend checking out the songs “Big Thing” (a cheeky number that is kind of a reverse euphemism – overtly sexual but not about sex) and “Do You Believe in Shame” (a haunting ode to one of Simon Le Bon’s best friends). I also won’t be going over the band members’ side projects – Arcadia and Power Station – but both albums are great and worth a listen (especially Arcadia’s “Missing” and Power Station’s cover of “Bang a Gong”).
a cheeky number that is kind of a reverse euphemism – overtly sexual but not about sex
Does not compute.
It’s a fun song…highly recommend
https://youtu.be/6PvuiLdKlgc
Everything is about sex, except sex.
Sex, as we all know, is about Firsting.
Also known as Moist Moist.
I’m a little disappointed I didn’t think of Moist the Wet Sprocket earlier.
Sorry, KK.
I saw them open for Moist’s Addiction back in the ’80s.
Pink Moist?
I still like The Seventh Stranger
And I am looking forward to finding out if I was right.
I saw them on this tour and it was excellent. They were right in the sweet spot of hugely popular but still liking to jam.
Thanks, KK!
Have you heard the bootleg demo of a song called “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” that eventually became “The Seventh Stranger”?
https://youtu.be/LxK7WXYwkfY
Yep. I think they could have made that work.
When Simon sings the parts just before the chorus (“I don’t need no reservations…”) you can hear JT’s signature dreamy bass that kind of falls like he’s using a wawa pedal.
That to me SCREAMS Duran Duran.
JT is far and away the best musician in the band.
The Reflex still torments me. They played the hell out of that song. It was in constant rotation.
Is There Something I Should Know and the live version of Save A Prayer were worse as far as over-played. Save a Prayer was a great song, but I got sick of it real quick
Yep, I respect KK’s dedication and loyalty to her favorite band but I just can’t get past the ‘whatever the word for the opposite of nostalgia is’ that I have for DD.
Nostalgain’t?
That’s pretty good. Google says it’s never been used before you may just have coined a word. I’d drop the apostrophe, however.
It’s nostalgiamnot.
Why do you think I’m not covering the hits? For you people…
Even the non-hits still have that shitty eighties sound though.
Thanks for your input. You brought a lot to the discussion.
You’re welcome.
Actual discussion-wise (if you’re interested in my layman’s opinion) I think it’s the tempo, the synths (or real keyboards if they were using them), and the ‘breathless’ vocals I don’t like, someone mentioned “Power Station” and I did like that album, from what I remember and the few videos I just watched that’s the difference between good eighties music and shitty eighties music.
Now you’re just being contrary.
No I’m not.
Touché
I only know the Hits so the linked track is welcome – nice tune.
I HATE The Reflex and don’t much care for Union of the Snake either.
I like New Moon on Monday.
Don’t know any other tracks on this album.
You should check out the B side to Union of the Snake
*tap tap tap*
Not bad.
It’s weird listening to a new-to-me 40-year-old track from I band I like well enough but never dived into.
I could do deep-dives of 40-year-old new wave but it would be different bands. 🙂
So do it.
Challenge considered.
I’m interested
Me too.
Hell, Minneapolis new wave alone would be a series.
There’s quite a bit of 80’s aidorus on Apple Music. I’ve been just starting with the first album for a given artist that pops up and just keep playing.
I prefer Noel Gallagher’s cover of Bang a Gong
Robert Palmer > Noel/Liam Gallagher
This is true.
He did wear a suit better.
When you’ve heisted the riff for a song, you might as well heist the visual style for the music video as well.
Of course, Addicted To Love has had so many homages paid to it that it’s basically the music video analogue of Citizen Kane.
For T. Rex’s part, they had no complaints about the borrowed riff since they, in turn, copped it from Chuck Berry’s Little Queenie
I like their more Britpop stuff. No, not Wonderwall – everyone hates that.
Everyone except Billie Joe Armstrong
Cigarettes & Alcohol was firmly within their Britpop era, but perhaps more “Brit” and less “pop.” Noel’s flirtation with shoegaze is among my favorites.
I never paid any attention to this stuff: it’s just what you gotta listen to in the lobby of the girls’ dorm while you’re waiting for your date to come down….better than Madonna or the Thompson Twins, I suppose.
But I don’t know their repertoire: who knows what I missed while listening to outlaw country and hiding from disco and whatever had since taken over the pop market. Couldn’t miss Gong, though: I’m the anti-shredder, but it’s clear that when he wasn’t making everyone else sound good, Andy Taylor could romp on that one. I flatter my tribe that I hear a a bit of rockabilly in those muted staccato riffs, Scotty Moore on acid?
aw Arcadia. I had completely forgotten about that side-project until your article here made me wiki the breakup.
In 80s band news, I just saw that Depeche Mode has a new single that’s charting now. I knew “Never Let Me Down Again” was getting play again because of Last of Us, but an actual new song. Plus touring. I don’t even know what year it is anymore.
For some reason I have an album from 2005 that I haven’t even listened to. The previous album I own is from 1990. They just don’t do anything for me since then.
Yeah, my wife keeps playing the new DM song. She’s threatening to play it until I like it. I find it just as meh as the rest of their stuff.
All I know was Warpaint opened for DM.
Indeed. I love that they managed to very much keep their signature sound despite modern production techniques. So many acts from that era do new material and end up sounding like a pastiche of themselves filtered through whatever Max Martin’s spiritual bastard children are churning out for TikTok and the Spotify top 100.
I heard “Hold Back the Rain” today on SatRad for the first time in forever. Forgot how much I liked it. Also, I love that entire Power Station album. That album made me a fan of Robert Palmer. He definitely went in some interesting directions musically speaking.
I was going to meet the Skin Divers Saturday for some scuba, but nothing could Hold Back the Rain.
I felt like I was Falling Down, because I was in Florida, not Rio, what was all this rain? It took hours to stop raining and by that time I was Hungry Like the Wolf. As it was my last night in the city, I decided to splurge and have a nice meal at Electric Barbarella. It was delicious.
Be careful about your barracuda in the shop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l1GvDWtccI
I zonked out after work, woke up at midnight, and for whatever reason reconnected to work to start the workday.
At least it appears I’m over the fever.
👍🏻
Went to bed at 12:00, decided I’d had enough of the dream I was dreaming and got up again at 1:00.
I have the added difficulty that sleeping from 3pm to midnight is more uninterrupted sleep than I’ve had in ages. Now I’m wide awake.
Read a chicken’s entrails at the break of dawn to see what the Ides of March will bring you.
Two more interviews and three tax bills.
Woo-hoo! Time for some B5. I guarantee you some good dreams.
Glad you’re better. I hope you get compensated in some way for working remotely at 1 AM.
I doubt it, I didn’t actually do any work, and work didn’t ask me to connect.
At least it appears I’m over the fever.
Good.
Even better – I miscalculated how many paychecks I get in March, so I have more than $1.44 after paying the stupid tax bills.
Enough to pay the stupid credit card bills.
Muahahaha! I’ve paid of my HELOC, and will have zeroed the remaining credit card balance by the end of March.
Just in time for April to remind me that I’ve spent Fifteen years at the state to do so. 🙁
Oh, and the card is still on its intorductory 0% rate until october, or I’d have prioritized differently.
A little more rum in the bottle than I thought. That intended finger switched to rice measure finger.
Ah I see the narrative was sent out. The bank run was because of Twitter!
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/14/tech/viral-bank-run/index.html
We have GOT to control misinformation and put Elon Musk in prison.
*takes sip of half caf latte with soy based creamer*
Good morning. ☕
“Their plane peed on our plane!” 👀
Morning, Sean.
How goes it?
Good morning, Sean, U (so glad you’re feeling better!) DEG, and Stinky!
Not only is it still dark outside, but the moon is still low enough in the southeastern sky for me to see it out of my window. The timing just seems…wrong. 😕
I blame Ben Franklin.
Have you really been up since midnight? If so, do you think you’ll be able to make it through your work day?
I should make it to the end of the workday. Hopefully I can make it to a reasonable bedtime too.
Mornin’
The nor’easter is finally done. Roads are kinda crappy. My driveway is cleared enough, the Sun should finish the job once it comes up.
I’m heading into the gym after work today.
“We asked every potential 2024 GOP presidential candidate to answer six key questions on the war in Ukraine. As promised, their full responses are below.”
https://mobile.twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1635442071073955841
Trump’s answer OK, DeSantis’ answer better, Pence’s answer shows him to be yet another Trumpian hiring error.
“Every” potential GOP candidate. This predetermined, pre-approved list of “acceptable” candidates(Trump is grudgingly added due to past successes) is brought to you by the same assholes that brought us all a McCain and Romney candidacy and would have happily foisted JEB! upon the republican voters.
Bolton’s lack of a response is not a surprise.
Morning.
BIL dropping by for lunch.
Can’t be bothered to come and visit me, but they’re buying some handbells from a church in Rochester, so they thought he could add a little time to the trip.
My brain is looking for a missing piece to make that behavior make sense.
I can only presume that the shipping costs are enormous.
Alternatively, there is some sort of convention in NYC? They make an Apples to Apples/CaH variant (about church choirs) that they sell.
???
Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense to me either.
That’s all been replaced by iChoir.
Cards Against Humanity, I’d guess. Which is an odd sort of thing in the context of church choirs. Maybe those choirists are particularly catty.
My boss has already warned me that his report to the Board – which he always has me proofread – is going to be even longer than usual this month as he addresses the recent…excitement in the world of financial institutions. It will (I hope) be interesting to see what his take on the whole thing is, even if he’s even more long-winded than he normally is. (I noted that he’ll be working from home today, so I won’t be able to walk into his office and slap him for his hyperverbosity.)
How much are you allowed to trim?
My editing powers are usually limited to spelling, punctuation, and recommendations for rephrasing. It’s rare that I actually suggest major deletions. After all, this is the guy who
does my evaluationpulls an evaluation score out of his butt and decides how much of a raise I get each year.Yeah, having to be nice to someone just for the paycheck, especially when they are not A-grade types, is exhausting… Do your bets GT, and remind yourself it is about getting paid.
I joke, but my boss and I really have a great rapport – good enough that I can kid him about this sort of thing.
Christ, zerohedge is completely blackpilled. One might even call it vantablackpilled. It’s exhausting to read them.
I stopped in 2012 I think
Its there shtick.
The background on the 7atRT cover looks like an old Banana Republic catalog (or store)..