Duran duran - the Chauffer

[Kamurah]

Agree with you wholeheartedly.


I am a huge DD fan. Have been for ....well....decades.

Had an unusual and eye-opening revelation a while back...

If you haven't already, check out Japan...especially "Gentlemen Take Polaroids".

It explains a LOT about the Duran sound, look, atmosphere of the time. Especially since it came out a few years BEFORE Duran hit it big....AND...believe it or not they knew each other.

Heck...Nick Rhodes in the "Notorious" era looks like David Sylvian's lost twin.

But these digressions aside...I always loved the early Duran. I keep hoping for the rebirth (I think everyone does)...but I really haven't been keen on anything much since the Wedding Album. I am NOT a fan of the Timbaland collab.

I think if they went back to the original formula: "Chic meets Roxy Music" they would find the path to redemption...

IMO Girl Panic came close...I guess as close as they could while still shooting for the obligatory 'hit'...but it missed the mystery and elusive aura of the early releases.

Side note: I actually met John Taylor on the streets of Paris in 198x ....I think they were there filming the "View to a Kill" video. I also think he was high as a freakin kite and no WAY would he ever remember me... when I stopped him I called him "Mr. Taylor"...how absurd...but I didn't care...it was awesome and later... I actually got some dates BECAUSE I HAD MET HIM.

Thanks JT!

[djorkaeff]

I was 9 when i heard that track the first time. My cousin had bought their album and it scared the living shit out of me! It is an incredibly intense track that still stands out today. It sounds fresh in contrary to their other stuff, which is starting to sound a bit dated imho

[SlutButtMcNabb]

Amazing track! Written in 1978, apparently (there is an acoustic guitar B-side somewhere if you look for it). TR808 sounds beautiful here - must have been fresh out of the box!!!

A few of the early Duran stuff was very horror movie/John Carpenter influenced I reckon. Kinda creepy and very atmospheric.

Hate it when folks compare Duran to Roxy music. FFS! I mean, really?!

[lilita]

Originally Posted by lineofcontrol

I have always felt that they had more in them before they became global panty-removers extra-ordinaire.

Agreed.

I love this song too

[Music303]

Indeed, The Chauffeur has and will go down as one of the most iconic and important songs ever created by Duran Duran. I imagine all of you have heard the new album. I tend to agree it's the long lost 'album that should have been' between the Rio and Ragged Tiger albums. For those who haven't heard it, lots of great moody synthpop work much in the Rio vein (along with a lot of vintage synth work) and includes this very Chauffeur-esque track titled "The Man Who Stole a Leopard":

[cresshead]

Originally Posted by Kamurah

Agree with you wholeheartedly.


I am a huge DD fan. Have been for ....well....decades.

Had an unusual and eye-opening revelation a while back...

If you haven't already, check out Japan...especially "Gentlemen Take Polaroids".

It explains a LOT about the Duran sound, look, atmosphere of the time. Especially since it came out a few years BEFORE Duran hit it big....AND...believe it or not they knew each other.

Heck...Nick Rhodes in the "Notorious" era looks like David Sylvian's lost twin.

But these digressions aside...I always loved the early Duran. I keep hoping for the rebirth (I think everyone does)...but I really haven't been keen on anything much since the Wedding Album. I am NOT a fan of the Timbaland collab.

I think if they went back to the original formula: "Chic meets Roxy Music" they would find the path to redemption...

IMO Girl Panic came close...I guess as close as they could while still shooting for the obligatory 'hit'...but it missed the mystery and elusive aura of the early releases.

Side note: I actually met John Taylor on the streets of Paris in 198x ....I think they were there filming the "View to a Kill" video. I also think he was high as a freakin kite and no WAY would he ever remember me... when I stopped him I called him "Mr. Taylor"...how absurd...but I didn't care...it was awesome and later... I actually got some dates BECAUSE I HAD MET HIM.

Thanks JT!

have you not heard their latest album?...it's back to their 80's roots...great songs all 14 of them!

[herokiller]

Awesome song.

[spaceacademy]

[QUOTE

[/QUOTE]

When I listen to this track - which I think is good and will certainly check out the Chauffeur album. But is it just me or does anyone else hear the slightly difficult groove. Its not out of time or anything, its kind of static. This is not a criticism of the song writing or engineering in any way. I hear this static thing on so many tunes these days - including my own. That the kind of sh** that keeps me tossing and turning all night long at night

[waveform:blue]

Originally Posted by spaceacademy

When I listen to this track - which I think is good and will certainly check out the Chauffeur album. But is it just me or does anyone else hear the slightly difficult groove. Its not out of time or anything, its kind of static. This is not a criticism of the song writing or engineering in any way. I hear this static thing on so many tunes these days - including my own. That the kind of sh** that keeps me tossing and turning all night long at night

I know exactly what you mean. TMWSaL is a cool track, yet the rhythm sounds...forced. It's like they're trying too hard for that "sparse" sound.

Another peeve about the CD...Simon doesn't know when to shut up. I know that his voice is inseperable from the DD sound, but come on! Couldn't he let the tracks wind down without his flangetastic singing/ah-ing/moaning all the way to...the...last...note. Some of the tracks would have been more powerful if he'd let the band wrap it up.

There was a thread some time ago about favorite albums with poor production. "All You Need is Now" would have been on my list coz of the often intrusive vocals.

But hey...There's still lots of goodies here. "Girl Panic" and "Runway Runaway" are cool. The title track is meh...and "Other People's Lives" is just whiney.

For a spooky blast from the past, try "Night Boat" from DD's first album. The video is a time-capsule of artistic gourmet 80's cheese.

For some cool Duran synth covers, check out willrobinsonensoniq on YouTube.

[spaceacademy]

Interesting how you interpret the groove. I've listened to the track a few times now and its fine in places but in others - yeah sounds forced or awkward depedning on how we interpret it. But I wonder if this has anything to do with the machines they were using.

Ha Ha, I hear you about Le Bon. I think he's very old school in the sense he subconsciously feels the music is more a bed for him to lay his voice all over - constantly

I will certainly check out more of their tracks from this album.

Always had a tremendous amount of respect for the Duran, and its very good to see their still at it.

[Pro5]

I'm a big dd fan - since the early 80s, and I didn't rate the latest album at all sadly. I even find more to like on RCM than the last one. I found 'honest' song-writing on the majority of their past albums but not on AYNIN. I think the production is lacking, or at least lacking dynamics, light and shade, nearly every song is almost wall to wall blips, bleeps and synths and frankly DD sounded better on the first 3 albums because they blended that sound so well with guitar - almost absent on this album.

i'm not having a go at them, i just don't see it as the return to 'rio' as Ronson seemed to think it was. The songwriting just isn't there. Something DD don't usually have problems with, also i feel the vocals were 'stuck on' and phoned in somewhat.

I still love DD though

[oopfoo]

Funny to see this mentioned on GS....I was a big DD fan, as well. In fact, the lyric:

"And the sun drips down, bedding heavy behind, the front of your dress, all shadowy lined, and the droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart."

Has been a sig line for me for years and years.

While I have never thought Simon was the best singer (note the strain in many of his high-tenor notes) for the material he was singing, this particular song makes great use of a sparse arrangement and iconic synthesizers to showcase the band as songwriters.

[SlutButtMcNabb]

1st 2 albums nailed it for me - they should have stuck with Colin Thurston as a producer, as I believe he helped forge that classic Duran 'sound' that has endured.

3rd album had some great songs ruined by some really naff 'funky' production, IMO.

The Arcadia side project was a little better (and lyrically Simon's zentih, for me).

If you are an early Duran fan, you have to check out 'So red the rose'!

[Pro5]

So red the rose has always been like the 4th DD album to me. Much better than the power station.

Also "so red the rose" is NOT an anagram of "Rhodes Stereo" as I often liked to think it may have been - got that from the horse's mouth (via the horse's friend)

I like all 3 of the first albums, probably the first album is my overall favourite - still sounds fresh today unlike a lot of their contemporaries from back then.

A shame that Colin Thurston (and Alex Sadkin) died as they obviously really helped give DD their sound. The best I can hope for is they work with Nile Rodgers again, rather a new 'notorious' than another Mark Ronson 'by the numbers' let down.