Posts Tagged ‘Girls On Film’

A Diamond In The Mind – Duran Duran

I admit I have form when it comes to reviewing Duran Duran.  I make no attempt to disguise my infatuation with the band that are singularly responsible for introducing me to the world of music but that doesn’t mean I can’t be objective.  Hell, even I don’t listen to Liberty very often.  Except for Serious though, that is criminally overlooked these days.

But anyway, following on from last year’s triumphant ‘All You Need Is Now’ album, widely regarded as the natural successor to 1982s classic Rio, A Diamond In The Mind (Duran Duran Live 2011) captures DD live at both the top of their game and on the brink of personal disaster…

Having rescheduled a string of shows due to Simon Le Bon’s undisclosed vocal problems, it has since transpired that this had indeed posed a very real threat to not just the tour but the band itself…

The CD is trimmed down to a single disc friendly 14 tracks, this does mean that the hard-core fan may be a bit disappointed at the omissions but this is usually always the case with a commercial live album, you can’t please all of the people after all.

With a back catalogue as extensive as Duran, the running order looks like a ramshackle Greatest Hits with a few new tracks thrown in for good measure.  With high energy versions of Planet Earth, A View To A Kill and The Reflex scattered across the 14 tracks, the Duran Duran live show of today is a full on pop assault.  Only Ordinary World and Come Undone offer a chance to catch your breath, at the same time reminding you that Duran are (often under-rated) master song writers.

AYNIN is represented with the title track, Blame The Machines and the Girls On Film Y2K glitz of Girl Panic!  It is a shame that The Man Who Stole A Leopard is omitted, an album and tour highlight, it harked back to the likes of The Chauffeur and the slightly Avant guard sound the band perfected in the 80s.

(Reach Up For The) Sunrise is further proof the Duran boys are not relying solely on the past and marks the run in to the end of the show.  The Wild boys spliced with Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax paves the way for the show stealing finale of Rio.  A regular set finisher these days, it is still easily one of the finest pop singles of the 80s and I have not been to a DD show yet where it fails to raise the roof with a mass sing-a-long.

Maybe I am biased but the magic of a Duran concert is that despite the fact they are an 80s band, a Duran show never feels like a nostalgia trip, their new material is the equal of their 80s output and this is a band with a history, not one relying on a history.

Jules says…

For all Your Duran Duran needs, visit their offical website HERE.