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"New Romantics... it was pure opportunism in truth. We took that label and even put it in the lyrics of 'Planet Earth'. At that time, we thought we fit into that scene nicely. That movement was born from punk, rock, and glam rock. We added the electronics of Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder, and perhaps got closer to Depeche Mode than to the others" (John Taylor).
The image of England at the end of the '70s fully reflects a nation where economic depression is not a brief transitional phase but a lasting state where there is a great desire for rebirth and expression that reveals itself as a natural outlet through music. The concept of anarchy and freedom that distinguishes punk is the right starting point for the development of that movement initially considered nameless, which will soon become that of the New Romantics.
The date of April 5, 1979, in Birmingham, will gain importance over time, representing the moment when the first performance of a local band, in its own original way, takes place. Starting from an innovative musical and visual proposal, it will, in a few years, monopolize charts and magazines, capturing not only adolescents. The thinking heads of this project are a capable guitarist named Nigel John Taylor and a skilled and talented keyboardist Nicholas James Bates equipped with an Edp Wasp and a K Rhythm Unit, who manage to give substance to their adolescent dreams. The first formation includes a schoolmate of Nigel, the singer and guitarist Stephen Duffy (who calls himself Dufait), who, along with the clarinetist Simon Colley, gives the four an avant-garde flavor that is not amiss. The subsequent involvement of Andy Wickett and the departure of Colley and Dufait begins to stabilize the group with the arrival of Roger Taylor (recruited from the punk band Scent Organs). Titles like "Hawks Don't Share" and "Aztec Moon" reveal an evident literary implication and the right training to reach the first demo, which will include "Girls on Film", "See-Me Repeat-Me" (later "Rio"), and the unpublished "Working the Steel". The first character divergences lead to Wickett's departure, the recruitment of Jeff Thomas (frontman of the Scent Organs), and Alan Curtis on guitar, with whom a second demo will be made, which does not arouse the expected interest.
The subsequent departure of Thomas and Curtis leads to the search through an announcement first and direct hiring afterwards, of a young and promising guitarist named Andy Taylor, with significant live experience, while on May 13, 1980, a young actor from the London hinterland by the name of Simon Le Bon will arrive to take on the role of the band's definitive singer ... and let the fairy tale begin.
After two months of continuous rehearsals on July 16 at the Rum Runner in Birmingham, the Berrow brothers - managers of the venue and responsible, up to a certain point, for the artistic direction of the five musicians, - will present a group with a raw musical flavor, making the Broad Street club the launching point for the final recruitment by Emi, signed on that Monday, December 8, 1980, which will certainly remain in everyone's memory for the loss of John Lennon.
The introduction of the first DD album comes from the repeated clicks of a camera in "Girls on Film" (for which in 1984, with Duran at the peak of their global success, they will pay 600 pounds to Wickett who claimed the parenthood of the chorus), an immediate disco-funk hit where the rhythm section is as simple as the refrain is easy to assimilate. Always marked by its ease of access for a broad audience is "Anyone Outhere", where the band's pop soul takes shape without yielding to predictable affectation. The dark atmosphere of "Nightboat" transports the listener to a dreamy yet reflective dimension, making the hypnotic bass line accompanying it appreciable. With "Sound of Thunder" (used to test the suitability of Simon Le Bon for entry into the group), we return to the track with an artificial fusion between guitar and keyboards where the poetic vein of the young singer finds appropriate expression. Still maintaining the value of an easily perceivable expressive identity thus far, it is certainly "Planet Earth" and "Careless Memories" that capture the listener absolutely, summarizing the stylistic orientation of the entire album; the first, a no-frills piece where the spatial atmosphere of the synths combined with a solid rhythm section (also doubled with percussion and electronic toms) where verse and chorus are artfully blended with the sharp finish and melody work of Andy Taylor."Careless Memories" - unfortunately chosen as the second single by the Emi managers, - is instead an electro-punk song that benefits from an almost hysterical melody where a successful instrumental balance makes it a fairly decent piece. There's also time for the unrest of "Friends of Mine" where a pleasant refrain but never obvious emerges, leaving the album's closure to the oriental fragrance of the first instrumental trial of "Tel Aviv".
Nine tracks for a decent album that primarily targets those who want to know and try to understand the birth of a sound where a simple and pleasant synthesis of glam rock, disco music, electronics, and punk (mainly understood as anarchistic and unrestrained freedom of expression) converges. The first recording cry that from this moment on will ensure that listening to music begins to apply an unfamiliar until then attention also to aesthetic taste, becoming a reference point that the band will exploit to their advantage with the simultaneous dissemination of highly sought-after videoclips that the advent of Mtv will consecrate as the main means of music distribution.
[Among the various versions of this album released on the market, it is right to remember that the 1981 pressing for the American market sacrificed the track "To the Shore" in favor of the night version of "Planet Earth", even if not specifically indicated. The same unfortunate fate for the fourth track occurred for the reissue made by Capitol in 1983, when the original version of "Planet Earth" was once again included in the album, which, together with the hit single of the time "Is There Something I Should Know", made the full-length again appealing. The special editions recently released on the market contain two CDs: the first includes the addition of "Late Bar" (from the 45 rpm of "Planet Earth"), "Khanada" and the bowiana "Fame" (already paired with the single of "Careless Memories"), with "Faster Than Light" as the b-side of "Girls on Film"; the second disc will encourage purchases from those who don't want to miss anything from the Birmingham five, satisfying greed with extended versions and performances for the BBC of the most alluring tracks].
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Too Much Information (04:55)
Destroyed by MTV
I hate to bite the hand that feeds me
so much information
The pressure's on the screen
to sell you things that you don't need
It's too much information for me
Hey TV child
look into my eyes
here by intervention
I want your attention
Promotion boy
in a suit 'n' tie
he wants you to use it
you're too shot to lose it
It's pumpin' down the cable
like never so before
a COLA manufacturer
is sponsoring the war
Here comes the news
with LOVE from me to you
Destroyed by ABC
I hate to bite the hand that feeds me
so much information
The pressure's on the screen
to sell you things that you don't need
It's too much information for me
Turn on the tube
hits you with groove
advertisin' music
we want you to choose it
These teeth are white
trainers ULTRA-BRITE
This band is perfect
just don't scratch the surface
We covered all the angles
the survey people said
Just put us on the cover
we'd be smilin' anyway
This video was made
with LOVE for you
Destroyed by BBC
I hate to bite the hand that feeds me
so much information
The pressure's on the screen
to sell you things that you don't need
It's too much information for me
Destroyed by MTV
I hate to bite the hand that feeds me
so much information
The pressure's on the screen
to sell you things that you don't need
It's too much information for me
Dilate your MIND dilate your MIND
dilate your MIND dilate your MIND...
Got to give it to me
Got to listen to me
Got to give in to me
Now I'm on the line
Got to give it to me
Got to listen to me
Got to give in to me
Now I'm on the line
I try
Yes, I try
Oh, I try
Yes, I try
02 Ordinary World (05:40)
Came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue
Thought I heard you talking softly.
I turned on the lights, the TV and the radio
Still I can't escape the ghost of you
What has happened to it all?
Crazy, some'd say,
Where is the life that I recognize?
Gone away...
But I won't cry for yesterday, there's an ordinary world,
Somehow I have to find.
And as I try to make my way, to the ordinary world...
I will learn to survive
Passion or coincidence once prompted you to say
"Pride will tear us both apart"
Well now pride's gone out the window cross the rooftops, run away,
Left me in the vacuum of my heart.
What is happening to me?
Crazy, some'd say,
Where is my friend when I need you most?
Gone away...
But I won't cry for yesterday, there's an ordinary world,
Somehow I have to find.
And as I try to make my way, to the ordinary world...
I will learn to survive
Papers in the roadside tell of suffering and greed
Here today, forgot tomorrow
Ooh, here besides the news of holy war and holy need
Ours is just a little sorrowed talk
(Just blown away...)
And I don't... (chorus)
Every world, is my world... (I will learn to survive)
Any world, is my world ... (I will learn to survive)
Any world, is my world...
Every world is my world...
04 Drowning Man (05:14)
He's sinking faster than a drowning man
He'll grab a hold of anyone he can
Gun in his pocket and a heart of ham
Uncle Sam
He's dying faster than a rabid dog
Infect us all now he's loosing blood
Nose for trouble and a soul of rock
Smokey's man
Don't drag me down
I don't wanna drown
You're going down
Heyyyy Yeahhhh
Na nana na nana nana na na...
You can see his face
There's not much flesh
Just skull and bone
Cheeks sunk deep
Eyes popping wide
Don't put out a hand to help him
This drowning man will bite it right off
Right Off
RIGHT OFF
RIGHT OFF
RIGHT OFF
Don't drag me down
I don't wanna drown
You're going down
Going down nooowww
Uh-uh, uh-uh, uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh
He's selling faster than a magazine
Infect us all with his TV screen (rept 3 more times)
You're going down
Na nana na nana nana na na...
Going down...
05 Shotgun (00:54)
Get it together
Thing is jumpin'
I wanna see your
Bullets pumpin'
Shotgun
Itchy finger
On the trigger
Got to make the
Shooter bigger
Shotgun
06 Come Undone (04:38)
Mine, immaculate dream made breath and skin
I've been waiting for you
Signed, with a home tattoo,
Happy birthday to you was created for you
(can't ever keep from falling apart
At the seams
Cannot believe you're taking my heart
To pieces)
Oh, it'll take a little time,
might take a little crime
to come undone now
(PRECHORUS)
We'll try to stay blind
to the hope and fear outside
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind
And blow me in to cry
(CHORUS)
Who do you need, who do you love
When you come undone
(repeat)
(Verse 2)
Words, playing me deja vu
Like a radio tune I swear I've heard before
Chill, is it something real
Or the magic I'm feeding off your fingers
(Can't ever keep from falling apart
At the seams
Cannot believe you're taking my heart
To pieces)
Lost, in a snow filled sky, we'll make it alright
To come undone now
07 Breath After Breath (04:57)
Breath after breath. Ama!
Breath after breath. Danca!
Every day I wake up in this room
and I don't know
Where I come from, where I'm going to
then I hear the voice
Senhora musa da paz
Me abraca, me carrega no teu andor
Dormir no colo da dor
Amiga, Arrasa!
A tua m�u desenhou
O sonho na areia
Agora, entrega de vez
Meu rumo E vida
From where I stand
The truth isn't black and white
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath we carry this mortal coil
Safe for tomorrow
Do I dare, oh do I dare
follow through the mass that my whole body hears
Beating on my heart like a feather
beating of a moment 'til I disappear
Diga uma palavra alegre
Manda um recado
Que seja agora
Faz o mundo ficar novo
E dancar no colo do tal de amor
From where I stand
The truth isn't black and white
Alone we live and die
We love and fight
Breath after breath we carry this mortal coil
Circles in sand are washed out into the sea
Just as we slip on through to eternity
Breath after breath we carry this mortal coil
Safe for tomorrow
Diga uma palavra, cara
Bem alegre
Corre, manda logo um recado
Me abraca
Faz um clima doce
Me arrepia!
Chega de suf�co!
Me p�e louco!
Me faz diamante
Teu amante
Danca ao som do vento
Me ensina
Basta de suf�co
N�o faz jogo... (rept until fade)
A flame of Love is burning
Always
The song is of the planets
oh whooooooooo
The dance is to the rhythm of rain
Where everyone is coming from
is coming to
And birth is just a breath after breath
08 UMF (05:32)
Here we stand
in the shadow of the master plan
making trouble wherever we can
stir it up, stir it up, stir it up
Can't you see this boy is going cheap
knockdown to a basement deal
but I really won't stop 'til I get to the top
Take it from me
I'm waiting here on my knees
and I love the way you tease me
oh such a wonderful person
Don't play rough
easy when you know your stuff
say please and sure enough
So kind, I'm making love to the ultimate mind
Come and take a look put it to me baby
you could feel love come tumbling down
I just wanna wrap myself in ya baby
We can tell the world we're fooling around
Ultimately I'd say she's toying with me
It's a case of wait and see
but right now I'm gonna keep my pants on
A to Z
she's doing it to my head
We don't need to go to bed you'll find
to make love to the ultimate mind
(whistle)
Put it to me baby
you could feel love
Wanna wrap myself in ya baby
we could tell the world
Talk me round
Let's do it right here and now
I don't want you cooling down
turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, turn it up
We can fit realities two way split
personality life's a bitch
But I'm fine
making love to the ultimate mind
Heaven's bent
we're completely innocent
We all got to pay the rent
and in time we learn to compromise
Talking tall and I feel invisible
can you see me after all
that I said there's only one thing for it
Take a look put it to me baby
you could feel love come tumbling down
I just wanna wrap myself in ya baby
We can tell the world we're fooling around
Come and take a look put it to me baby
you could feel love come tumbling down
I just wanna wrap myself in ya baby
We can tell the world we're fooling around
Come and take a look put it to me baby
you could feel love come tumbling down
I just wanna wrap myself in ya baby
We can tell the world we're fooling around
Come and take a look put it to me baby
I'm making love to the ultimate mind
Ultimate mind
ultimate mind
Uh-huh, whoa, aaouh...
09 Femme Fatale (04:21)
Here she comes,
You better watch you're step.
She's going to break your heart in two, its true.
It's not hard to realise
Just look into those false coloured eyes,
She'll build to up just to put you down, what a clown,
Coz everybody knows...
(she's a femme fatale)
Things she does to please (she's a femme fatale)
She's just a little tease (she's a femme fatale)
See the way she walks
Hear the way she talks
You're written in her book,
You're number 37, take a look
She's going to smile to make you frown, what a clown.
Little boy she's from the street
Before you start you're already beat
She's going to play you for a fool, yes its true,
Coz everybody kowns...
(chorus)
(Yeh, I seen that girl, so man, I know where you're
commin' from. She's all lips and eyes and legs, and then
its great, but you know what, she's going to mess you up pal..)
She will try to put you down,
The hardest girl around,
Coz everybody knows...
Things she does to please
She's just a little tease
A everybody knows..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
She's a femme fatale..
10 None of the Above (05:18)
I'm I myself alone
Realise I never need to use no one
When it comes down to my soul
Freedom puts my faith in none of the above
There was a time I was so afraid
of everyting people around me said
That I wanted to hide my face in the shadows
There was a time on a bed of nails
I was dreaming a plan I thought could not fail
but no power under the sun could pull it together
I can't take this attitude
Got to show now I've got to move on
God knows where I'm going to
It's a lonely burning question
I'm I myself alone
Realise I never need to use no one
Money, power, Holy roads
Freedom puts my faith in none of the above
Whoa
If there's a time that we ever see
The nature of life in reality
Then I want to be there
to kick at the answer
I can't take this attitude
Got to show now I've got to move on
God knows where I'm going to
It's a lonely burning question
I'm I myself alone (all alone)
Realise I never need to use no one
Money, power, Holy roads (holy roads)
Freedom puts my faith in none of the above
I'm I myself alone (all alone)
Realise I never need to use no one
When it comes down to my soul (to my soul)
Freedom puts my faith in none of the above
(Mid solo)
I'm I myself alone (on my own)
Realise I never need to use no one (no one)
Money, power, Holy roads (holy roads)
Freedom puts my faith in none of the above
I'm I myself alone (myself alone)
Realise I never need to use no one
When it comes down to my soul
Freedom puts my faith in none of the above
None of the above
my faith in none of the above
none of the above
I stand by none of the above... (fade out)
11 Shelter (04:23)
Just come softly to me
In the shelter of my arms
I watch you from my window working this vicious road
You shudder when the wind blows
Girl you're looking beat and cold
Don't know your situation but you look so alone to me
In my imagination this is how the message reads
Reaching out, calling out for your love babe
Just come softly to me
Reaching out, calling out for your love, for your love babe
In the shelter of my heart
Trust my intuition, you're the one I've got to know
I give without condition
Wouldn't try to save your soul
Money or reputation doesn't mean a thing to me
Special communication, it's the only thing we need
Reaching out, calling out
Just come softly to me
Calling out, hear me now
In the shelter of my heart
Reaching out, calling out
Hear me now
Do you read me?
In the shelter of my heart
Just come softly to me
Here there is no hurt to feel
Here is safe for lips unsealed
In the shelter of my heart
Reaching out, calling out for your love babe
Just come softly to me
Reaching out, calling out for your love, for your love babe
In the shelter of my heart
Reaching out, hear me now, calling out
Do you read me?
12 To Whom It May Concern (04:23)
Dear Mr. Bones,
We've had enough
You can try to pull us down with your pinstripe weasel stuff
but word travels in this town
I wouldn't write home about you
We're better off without you
Without you Mr. Bones
Some people feed on other people's troubles
Some people beat on other people's meat
Some people want to bleed us dry and some people..
Gonna drown on your feet
You said "Boys I'll get you more, but you have to pay me by the hour"
Anyway you are just another bore who believes he's a superpower
When you talk about loyalty i just hope you realise,
since you ate my royalties
Mr. Bones this is goodbye
This is goodbye and hereinafter shall be referred
Notwithstanding or foregoing statements unpreferred
Don't claim you understand when you've not heard a single word
A dicky bird...
Some people feed on other people's troubles
Some people beat on other people's meat
Some people want to bleed us dry and some people..
Gonna drown on your feet!
13 Sin of the City (07:14)
Coatcheck girl up in happyland has a violent row with a cuban man
Julio leaves in a drunken rage comes back with the gasoline
The club had no fire exit the club only had one door
Only five people came out alive the sin is that 89 died
89 dead, 89 dead, 89 dead, 89 dead
The sin is that a year and a half before the fire chief's out and he's raising cain
Brands happyland hazzard close down but no no one never paid him no mind
No one ever paid him no mind, no one ever paid him no mind, no one ever paid no
Never paid, never paid no no no
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
City living heavy trouble city living rough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
Daily news reviews the landlords life found six thousand code violations light
The city has more hundred thousand wars all for one of Forbes four hundred whores
Just one firecracker on a big bonfire a self serving penny pinching wiseguy style
Never allowing for the human condition, never allowing for the human condition
Never allowing for the human condition the sin is that these guys survived
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
City living heavy trouble city living rough
(The sin of the city, the sin of the city)
The sin of the city yeah
City living heavy trouble city living rough
Stop killing your people now
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
Stop wasting your people now
City living heavy trouble city living rough You're shooting your people up
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
The sin of the city yeah
City living heavy trouble city living rough
Stop killing your people now
We are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
You're wasting your people yea
City living heavy trouble city living rough we are given angry hearts but anger's not enough
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Other reviews
By SouthMan
Duran Duran, besides being "handsome," are excellent musicians, with a sense of melody and composition superior to many other lauded artists.
A very fresh album, dark in some parts, and the forerunner of the entire new-romantic movement.
By francesco1684
The Wedding Album is a true masterpiece of world pop music, awarded platinum in the States for selling a million copies in no time.
Ordinary World is a piece of a song accompanied by a beautiful video and Le Bon’s falsetto voice, which has certainly gone down in history.
By Palau
I like the imperfections, the spontaneity, the originality, and the low build quality of the instruments.
A strong debut for a band to which few would have predicted such a career consisting of 14 studio albums and about 100 to 120 million records sold.
By Abraham
This record is crafted not just with emotion, unlike its predecessor, but with reason, without frenzy, and with a lot of good sense.
"Love Voodoo" is something never heard before and, unfortunately, never replicated in the Duran’s domain.
