a very solid debut

For the record, this is the THIRD version of DD's debut album. As originally released in 1981, it contained the re-recorded, extended club version of Planet Earth ( cheesy string arrangements and all), and the excellent, moody rocker To the Shore was inexplicably left off.( It still had the same cover, though, with the odd car and the silly New Romantic clothing the band then sported) When re-released in the spring of 1983, after Duran mania had swept the US, the far superior 7" single mix of Planet Earth was put back on, but To the Shore was still left off, in favour of their current hit Is There Something I Should Know? and the cover was changed. FINALLY , more than 20 years later, American fans get the original album as it was released in the UK, with all the tracks as they originally appeared. This is actually quite a good album. Better than their reputation as "teeny-bop" would leave one to believe. And Duran Duran were an actual self-contained BAND, playing their own instruments, writing their own ( rather good ) material. A more polished, assured and accomplished debut you are not likely to find from this era. I actually still play this one pretty regularly, along with Rio and Big Thing, as I think they are the band's best, most consistant albums.

Awesome debut album

Duran Duran (1981.) Duran Duran's first album.

What disco was to the seventies, new wave was to the eighties. Both genres reached an unrealistically high peak and shot out more one-hit wonders than any other genres. However, come the end of the styles reigns of power, and they would never peak again. Just about every new wave band was a one or two-hit wonder. But, there was a single exception to this fateful rule - Duran Duran. If anyone knew how to write good music in the eighties, it was these guys. Though new wave was their dominant music style, they managed to combine it with a plethora of other styles - rock, jazz, and blues, just to name a few. In the early eighties, the band released its self-titled debut album. How does it measure up? Read on and find out.

Before you continue reading, I should probably give a warning - don't be expecting the upbeat eighties-pop sounding Duran Duran you're used to; the sound here is considerably darker and more sinister than that of later albums. Girls On Film starts the album. It's one of the band's early singles. This is a fun-filled new wave rocker about, oddly enough, modeling. Of all the tracks here, this is the one that best resembles the sound that would bring the band its later successes. Planet Earth was the band's very first single, which is much darker and more sinister track than what the band would release in its later days. Keyboards are the main instrument here, and Simon's vocals (especially in the chorus) really must be heard to be appreciated. Anyone Out There sounds like a fusion of the two previous tracks. It's a good track, but I would've liked it better if it wasn't so similar to those two. Careless Memories, another early single, is gloomy and dark, but not quite to the extent of the other tracks found here. Once again, Simon's vocals are top notch, especially in the chorus. Night Boat is the song I like to call this song the album's underrated gem. It's a solid, yet gloomy new wave rocker that never got the credit it deserved. Don't skip this track; you'll only be hurting yourself! Sound Of Thunder is a good track over, but it just doesn't stand out, and is probably the weakest one here overall. That's not to say it's bad, though. Friends Of Mine is one of the album's many darker tracks, this one deals with a man being betrayed by people that claimed they were his friends. It's another good track, which shouldn't come as a surprise. And as for Tel Aviv, the closer, unless you count chanting as a form of lyrics, this one is an instrumental. It makes for an excellent album closer, and it's sort of a rarity, since new wave instrumentals are very hard to come by. In the end it's a damn fine album.

A little pre-emptive warning if you plan on buying this album - Some releases have removed To The Shore from the album and replaced it with the more popular Is There Something I Should Know, which is just plain stupid. Accordingly, make sure you get one of the 2003 reissues so you don't miss out. Sadly, the reissue doesn't add any bonus tracks (the Night Version tracks would have been nice), but it's great to finally have the album as it was originally meant to be enjoyed.

Duran Duran's debut album is pure excellence, even if it's not too similar to the sound that brought the band its later successes. Still, due to the style difference, I can only really recommend this album to fans of the band who are a step up from casual fans (they'd be better off getting a hits compilation.) New wave doesn't get much better than this.

Before they made videos

The formula for Duran Duran's first album was simple, blend the synthesizer wash of Berlin-era Bowie and the art leanings of Japan with the four-on-the-floor rhythm of Disco and the groove of Chic. Though it contains two obvious "pop" songs, "Girls On Film" and "Planet Earth", most of the album is atmospheric and dark. On tracks like "Night Boat" and "Friends of Mine" Duran Duran's beginnings as an "art school band" are still present.

This remastered version uses the album track listing (and artwork) from the original release in 1981. Gone is the song "Is There Something I Should Know". Originally released only as a single it was inserted on the album when it was re-released in 1983 to capitalise on the American success the band had finally achieved. In it's place is "To The Shore" a song similar in style to "The Chauffeur" from RIO, and a much better fit for the albums overall atmosphere.

Brilliant

This is one of those albums that define a decade. Even listening to it now -- 20 years later -- the music is timeless. Unlike so many other acts of the 80's who, once you've forgotten their songs that didn't make the Top 40 originally, sound like every other 80's band, Duran Duran still stand out as innovative and unique musicians. Granted their later works fizzled and lacked the creativity, they are still one of the few bands who write, and sing, and produce their own work. This is quite an accomplishment for the amount of "polish" their songs have. The great thing about their lyrics is that they rarely make sense. Just think if you were trying to learn English listening to the first 3 Duran Duran albums!!

Till my dying day, my all time favorite band.

GET IT RIGHT!

To everyone out there who thinks this TRULY Duran's first album, you'd be wrong. This is the re-release of the first album that came out after RIO when IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW was released. Check the listing for the DURAN DURAN (Original recording remastered) - THAT'S the first album.
The re-released dropped the track TO THE SHORE, edited PLANET EARTH, which was originally a remix version, and rearanged the track listing adding IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW.
For those of you who desire to have the omitted track and the added one, get Duran Duran+1 which contains all the original tracks and it puts TO THE SHORE back where it belongs. I am really disappointed in the so-called Duran Fans out there who have the mistake in touting this as the first album.
Die hard Durans such as myself, will want all three as they each slightly different.

Her Name Is............

Great music that makes you want to dance. This is the album that started it all and brought Duran Duran to the forefront in the 80's. A CD that is timeless, with music that has stood the test of time, even though many in this genre have long been forgotten.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM

This and 'Rio' are easily the best Duran Duran albums. Come to think about it, I like this album BETTER than 'Rio.' After 'Rio' they became to "Pop." This album came out when Duran Duran were pretty much unheard of in the U.S. The beats are simple and Simon Lebon sounds entirely different then he does on later works such as "Seven and the Ragged Tiger." The songs on this album are really beautiful. It's too bad that Duran Duran didnt stick to THIS style. A wonderful album!!! MUST HAVE for any MUSIC fan.

The star debut! Redifining the 80's.

In 1981, residents of the United States of America needed something to entertain them. That 'something' is now known as "New Wave". There was Blondie, Missing Persons, Berlin, and A-Ha. A flock of seagulls and Falco were two other well known names in the 80's. But one band who stood above them all...one band who introduced another hot band to the 80's...one band who redifined the 80's...their name was Duran Duran. And here is the 3rd version of their debut album. The star debut.



"Girls On Film" basically saved MTV with its controversial music video. No, I don't mean controversy as in an Eminem parody. I mean controversial as in an uncensored, long romp of pure...uncensoredness. Despite the suggestive video, the song is still played at clubs and is a highly enjoyable song.



"Planet Earth" was the first music video I ever saw from Duran Duran, and I must admit I fell on the floor laughing at Simon's remarkable dancing. The song is very enjoyable to listen to because of its cheesyness. The keyboards are very...vintage, and Simon's voice is still shining.



"Anyone Out There" is my favorite song on this album. It's really fun to dance to, and I've even tried singing it. Didn't work too well...heh. I still love this song because of the awesome bass lines and the guitars that spell 80's all over them. Simon's voice is very relaxing, as it is in the next track.



"To the shore" has a cool machine-esque background music-type thing. Simon's voice is very moody and relaxing, and I'm really getting used to his pre-Thank You voice. It's much better than it is in some other albums...like Arena.



"Careless Memories" isn't the best song on this album, but it's pretty darn close. Very fast, very enjoyable, but not as good as the one on Arena. Although, on Arena, I could've sworn that Simon was saying "With a gasp in the rain" instead of "With a careless memories". Oh well, though.



"Night Boat" is eerie, and I'd watch the music video 60 times if I had to. It's a good song, and I love the music video so much only because it gave me nightmares in my 'younger years'. A very good Halloween-Esque song.



"Sound of Thunder" is another good dance song that was unfortunately never made into a single. That's a shame, because this and Anyone Out There were my favorite songs on the album. Very good. The pace of the song isn't too fast, nor too slow. Just perfect. Awesome song.



"Friends of Mine" is a little weird. It's talking about some friends that...weren't true friends...and...yeah. Not too sure about this one. It was okay, a good groove-esque pace, but those dark demonic voices were kinda scary. This one's in the upper middle on my scale.



"Tel Aviv" is THE best instrumental song D.D. has ever done. The orchestral beats are pure energetic, whereas the guitars are pure Duran. That cello is the best instrument in the song. Great stuff.



Overall, Duran Duran is the band that saved the 80's from pure extinction. Without Duran Duran, my name would probably read "Ryan 'culture club fan'". And that just doesn't sound as good as it does now...erm...I think. I love this album, and it's on my top ten, along with 8 other Duran albums and one Daft Punk.

Top Notch, guys.

TOTALLY AWESOME ALBUM

THIS IS A GREAT ALBUM. THIS ALBUM CONTAINS LOTS OF GREAT SONGS AND STANDS UP WELL AGAINST THE TEST OF TIME. THIS ALBUM SPAWNED SEVERAL GREAT SINGLES - PLANET EARTH, GIRLS ON FILM, ANYONE OUT THERE, FRIENDS OF MINE, CARELESSS MEMORIES, AND NIGHT BOAT. ALL OF THE SINGLES ARE GREAT. THIS ALBUM IS INCREDIBLY GREAT. ANYONE WHO LISTENS TO THIS GREAT ALBUM WILL QUICKLY SEE WHY DURAN DURAN ARE ONE OF THE GREATEST BANDS IN HISTORY, AND ARE TIMELESS. DURAN DURAN ARE LEGENDS AND SUPER LEGENDS. ITS EASY TO SEE WHY DURAN DURAN'S POPULARITY KEEPS GROWING YEAR AFTER YEAR, DECADE AFTER DECADE. I HIGHLY RECOMEND THIS GREAT MASTERPIECE OF AN ALBUM TO EVERYONE OUT THERE.

Voices but not a sound, can you hear me now.....

When Duran Duran first came onto the scene in 1981, one of the ways they were described was as "Chic meets the Sex Pistols". When you listen to their debut album, you can really tell where that was coming from. This album is just pure goodness, it's New Wave at one of it's finest moments, and every song is just pure gold.



Of course, included are the hit songs "Girls on Film" (with a rather racy video that caused quite a stir on MTV) and "Planet Earth", as well as "Careless Memories", which was released as a single in the UK. Particularly awesome songs in the non-release section include the moody "To The Shore", the rather eerie "(Waiting For The) Nightboat", and the immensely impressive "Tel Aviv", probably one of the best instrumentals the band has ever done. If you want an album that embodies the essential elements of new wave, this one is definitely it. Buy it, I'm sure you'll love it!