Play that funky music white boy.

Thank You was a real risk taker for Duran given they had resurrected themselves only two years earlier with the Wedding Album. While not perfect it was certainly MUCH better than the critics have led the public to believe.



Seriously, outside of The Beatles what other band in history ever took on the task of covering so many songs and gave the original songs the respect they so rightfully deserve? Duran gave these songs their own taste and flavour yet remained true to the spirit of the originals which was an accomplishment all by itself.



For example, I've hear Lay Lady Lay sung by Dylan and it sounds rushed and stumbly to me, almost as if Dylan had only 20 minutes left in the recording studio to completely record and finish the final version from scratch and was down to his last 50 seconds or so. Duran's version recreates this song making it sound almost entirely new, a significant accomplishment.



Even more surprising is that two of Duran's better cover songs never even made it to the North American album release. Both Needle and the Damage Done and Diamond Dogs were bonus tracks to the Japanese release and would have made the American release much stronger in place of Ball of Confusion and 911 is a Joke.



Some of the tracks don't quite work for me but when they do they are superb. The best tracks, in my opinion, are as follows:

Perfect Day

Lay Lady Lay

I Wanna Take You Higher Again

Thank You

White Lines

Watching the Detectives

Needle and the Damage Done

Crystal Ship

Diamond Dogs

Drive-by

Success



Critics be damned. Always true in the past and certainly true today.

Thank you, good night ....take care.

Rarely have the critics layed into a Duran Duran cd with as much venom, Thank You was released with the band trying to keep up the momentum of their new found appeal courtesy of the previous Wedding Album. It failed miserably both critically and publically and Duran slipped off the radar for a while again! But is it that bad???



Honestly it's not, it's certainly not their worst release (Liberty holds that dubious honour) but since when where Duran influenced by hip-hop?? White Lines is listenable (at the VERY least) thanks to Grandmaster Flash's presence but 911 is a Joke??? Laughable, ironically!



Look beyond them though and Duran do justice to such numbers as Lay Lady Lay by Dylan, Crystal Ship by the Doors, Thank You by Zepplin and Watchin the Detectives by Elvis Costello. Tellingly it is perhaps these artists that have had a more significant influence on Duran! Having said that there's still time for them to make a half a$$ed job of Ball of Confusion and I Wanna Take you Higher, compared to White Lines and 911 though these mess ups seem almost minor!!!

You're welcome!

Duran Duran all-covers album "Thank You" elicited a predictable knee-jerk reaction from the critics, along the lines of "How dare they?" The critics apparently hoped to keep the "classics" on a pedestal in the Rock `n' Roll Hall of Fame, or somewhere.



The truth is that Duran Duran rocks out, and has fun doing it, on some of their favorite songs. The selection may strike some as odd; no Roxy Music, David Bowie, or other `70s glam icons that Duran hailed as major influences. Rather, the boys from Birmingham take on the gamut of classic rock & R&B: Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Sly and the Family Stone, and a host of other A-list greats. And for the most part, Duran does them justice.



Grandmaster Flash himself appears on the first track, a turbo-charged rendition of his "White Lines," instantly lending street cred to the proceedings. Duran's cover of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" is a lush, dreamy affair in the tradition of their own "Save a Prayer" or "Ordinary World." Reed himself called this the best cover ever of one of his songs; believe him!



Simon LeBon's crooning on Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" gives the song the vocal treatment it deserves, a great improvement over Dylan's Muppet-like phrasing on the original (Dylan was never the best intepreter of his own songs). Elvis Costello's "Watching the Detectives" gets a high-tech, art-rock workout, replete with ambient sound effects. Even the title track works far better than anyone could have expected, as LeBon effectively matches Robert Plant's histrionic delivery.



The production and engineering are simply astonishing; this is probably Duran Duran's best sounding record. Once you get past the audacity of Duran's song selections, you'll find yourself addicted. "Thank You" is simply fun to listen to.



Duran Duran gives their fans a real treat, a sincere "thank you" card for returning them to the top of the charts in 1993. Don't listen to the critics. Accept Duran's "thanks" - you won't regret it!