Duran Duran (1981 album)

Duran Duran is an album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1981, and reissued to greater success in 1983.

The album reached #3 on the United Kingdom charts on 27 June 1981, and remained in the chart for 118 weeks, although the initial release was largely ignored in America. The 1983 reissue reached at #10 on the US charts, and remained on that chart for 87 weeks (although it was overshadowed by the ongoing American success of the Rio album from 1982). Duran Duran was certified platinum (a shipment of one million units) by the RIAA on 4 June, 1985.

Original release - 1981
Demos for the album were written and recorded at AIR Studios in late 1980, while one of Duran Duran's influences, the band Japan, was recording Gentlemen Take Polaroids just down the hall.

The album was formally recorded in December of 1980 at various recording studios in London (as well as Chipping Norton Studios) with record producer Colin Thurston, shortly after Duran Duran signed their record deal with EMI. In interviews, the band has recalled the struggle to continue recording after hearing of the 8 December death of John Lennon.

Relatively primitive music videos for "Planet Earth" and "Careless Memories" were also filmed in December.

The first pressing of the album did not include the track "To The Shore"; it was added in second and subsequent pressings, and was also included in the 2003 remastered edition. The US version of this release used the 'night version' of "Planet Earth".

The band's first single was "Planet Earth" (released on 2 February, 1981) and it reached #12 on the UK charts on 21 February.

The band followed up with the release of "Careless Memories" on 20 April, 1981, but it only reached UK #37 (on 9 May).

The third single was to become the most successful from this album. "Girls On Film", released 13 July, went to #5 in the UK on 25 July, before the notorious video was even filmed. That video (featuring topless women mud wrestling and other not-very-stylised depictions of sexual fetishes), was made with directors Godley & Creme, and was filmed in August just two weeks after MTV was launched in the United States, before anyone knew what an impact the music channel would have on the industry. The raunchy video created an uproar (it was consequently banned by the BBC and a heavily edited "day version" was aired on MTV), and the band enjoyed and capitalized on all the fuss.

Reissue - 1983
Duran Duran was re-released worldwide on 25 April 1983, after the wild success of their second album Rio in America gave the band another chance to market their first album there. The album sported different cover art and three changes to the track listing.

For this version of the album Capitol Records dropped "To The Shore", and swapped the original 'night version' of "Planet Earth" for the more popular single version.

Most notably, they added the new track "Is There Something I Should Know?", recorded with producer Ian Little at the end of 1982. This song was released in the UK as a stand-alone single on 19 March, 1983, and debuted in the #1 position on the UK charts on 26 March -- Duran Duran were one of the very few acts since Elvis Presley and The Beatles to debut at the top, before the revamping of the chart system in the late 1980s made it a much easier goal to achieve. This was the band's first number one record.

The "Is There Something I Should Know?" single also had great success in America, where it was released in late May: it reached #4 on the Billboard charts on 6 August, and sold more than a million copies.

The video was directed by future movie director Russell Mulcahy, and was one of the most popular videos of the year on MTV.

Track listing
All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

1981 release

 * 1) "Girls on Film"  – 3:30
 * 2) "Planet Earth"  – 3:59
 * 3) "Anyone Out There"  – 4:02
 * 4) "To The Shore"  – 3:49
 * 5) "Careless Memories"  – 3:53
 * 6) "Night Boat"  – 5:25
 * 7) "Sound of Thunder"  – 4:06
 * 8) "Friends of Mine"  – 5:42
 * 9) "Tel Aviv"  – 5:16

1981 Rare US first release

 * 1) "Planet Earth [Night Version]"  – 6:20
 * 2) "Girls on Film"  – 3:30
 * 3) "Is There Anyone Out There"  – 4:02
 * 4) "Careless Memories"  – 3:53
 * 5) "(Waiting For The) Night Boat"  – 5:25
 * 6) "Sound of Thunder"  – 4:06
 * 7) "Friends of Mine"  – 5:42
 * 8) "Tel Aviv"  – 5:16


 * Drops "To The Shore" and adds the Night Version of "Planet Earth"
 * On the Harvest label, catalogue number ST-12158

1983 release

 * 1) "Girls On Film"  – 3:30
 * 2) "Planet Earth"  – 3:59 [single version]
 * 3) "Is There Anyone Out There"  – 4:02
 * 4) "Careless Memories"  – 3:53
 * 5) "Is There Something I Should Know?"  – 4:07
 * 6) "Night Boat"  – 5:25
 * 7) "Sound Of Thunder"  – 4:06
 * 8) "Friends Of Mine"  – 5:42
 * 9) "Tel Aviv"  – 5:16 [instrumental]

1995 CD re-release

 * 1) "Girls On Film"  – 3:30
 * 2) "Planet Earth"  – 3:59 [single version]
 * 3) "Is There Anyone Out There"  – 4:02
 * 4) "Careless Memories"  – 3:53
 * 5) "Is There Something I Should Know?"  – 4:07
 * 6) "Night Boat"  – 5:25
 * 7) "Sound Of Thunder"  – 4:06
 * 8) "Friends Of Mine"  – 5:42
 * 9) "Tel Aviv"  – 5:16 [instrumental]
 * 10) "To the Shore"  – 3:49

2003 CD remastered

 * 1) "Girls On Film"  – 3:36
 * 2) "Planet Earth"  – 4:03
 * 3) "Anyone Out There"  – 4:05
 * 4) "To The Shore"  – 3:50
 * 5) "Careless Memories"  – 3:55
 * 6) "Night Boat"  – 5:25
 * 7) "Sound Of Thunder"  – 4:07
 * 8) "Friends Of Mine"  – 5:45
 * 9) "Tel Aviv"  – 5:17 [instrumental]


 * The 2003 remastered CD release restored the original tracklisting of the album, dropping "Is There Something I Should Know?"

Singles

 * 1) "Planet Earth"
 * 2) "Careless Memories"
 * 3) "Girls on Film"
 * 4) "Is There Something I Should Know?" (1983 reissue)

Personnel
Duran Duran are:
 * Simon Le Bon - vocals
 * Nick Rhodes - keyboards
 * John Taylor - bass guitar
 * Roger Taylor - drums
 * Andy Taylor - guitar

Also credited:
 * Colin Thurston - producer and engineer
 * Ian Little - producer of "Is There Something I Should Know"

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