All You Need Is Now

According to their official site the new Duran Duran album is nearly complete! Of course, the news makes this fan extremely happy.  As of now, the name of the new album is All You Need Is Now.  There is the disclaimer that the name might change but I, personally, doubt it.  Why would they release any sort of name if they weren't pretty darn certain about it?

Duran Duran to Tour in S. Africa - First Time in 17 Years

DURAN DURAN – LIVE IN SA – TICKETS ON SALE TUESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER !!
A Hunta Live Production
7 December – 12 December 2010

DATES MARK FIRST SOUTH AFRICA SHOWS IN 17 YEARS!

(South Africa – 25 September 2010) – Original band members – Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor – return this December for their highly anticipated 5-date tour, kicking off at the ICC in Durban on the 7th, before heading to The Big Top at Carnival City in Johannesburg on the 8th and 9th, and finally the Grand Arena at GrandWest in Cape Town on the 11th and 12th of December 2010.

This outing marks the band’s first in this part of the world in seventeen years and the start of an enormous global campaign around the release of their next studio album, which they have been working on for the past eighteen months with super-star producer, Mark Ronson.

The flamboyant group DURAN DURAN sound better today than they did when they first exploded onto the scene in the UK and rapidly became the biggest band in the world with a string of hits including “Planet Earth”, “Rio”, “Hungry Like The Wolf”, “Save a Prayer”, “Wild Boys” and “A View To A Kill”.

“Duran Duran last played in South Africa in 1993 and was one of the first international bands to perform here after the end of apartheid. Now, 17 years later, we are thrilled to bring one of the most popular bands of all time back to our shores in what will musically and visually be one of the greatest tours this country has ever seen”, says Sam Hendrikse, CEO of Hunta Live.

With their unique fusion of pop music, art and fashion, DURAN DURAN remains an unstoppable force, three decades after their inception. Their fan-base spans five continents and two generations, and their records have sold in excess of 85 million globally. The band has also been honoured with numerous “Lifetime Achievement” Awards, Grammys, Ivor Novello and MTV awards amongst others, and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

Their eponymous 1981 debut album, spawning the giant hit single ‘Planet Earth,’ stayed on the charts for an astonishing 118 weeks and classic chart-toppers such as ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ ‘Rio’ and ‘Save A Prayer’ soon turned Duran’s second album ‘Rio’ multi-platinum worldwide. ‘Is There Something I Should Know’ went straight to #1 in the UK and hit #4 in the US. The band’s third album, 1984’s ‘Seven and the Ragged Tiger’ earned DURAN DURAN their first Stateside #1, with ‘The Reflex.’ Their smash hit “A View to a Kill’ went on to become the only Bond theme tune to this day to make it to #1 on the Billboard charts! Their next few albums included the hit singles ‘Notorious’, which was subsequently sampled by P.Diddy in his tribute to Notorious BIG, ‘Ordinary World’, ‘Come Undone’, ‘(Reach Up For The) Sunrise’ and ‘Falling Down’.

Their last studio album, “Red Carpet Massacre,” saw the current line-up of original members collaborating with top producers Timbaland and Nate ‘Danja’ Hills, as well as long-time fan Justin Timberlake. A global tour followed at the end of which they went back into the studio to start work on their next record with Grammy Award-winning producer Mark Ronson. This new body of work is set for release shortly after their upcoming South African tour!

With their melodically bright dance-inducing rhythms and experimental electronics DURAN DURAN has the world spinning perpetually to music fuelled by creativity and passion. Get your tickets now for one of the most extraordinary evenings this decade and see why the ‘Wild Boys’ still continue to influence and define today’s music scene.

TOUR ITINERARY DECEMBER 2010
Tues 7 December: – ICC, Durban
Wed 8 & Thurs 9 December: – The Big Top, Carnival City, Johannesburg
Sat 11 & Sun 12 December: – The Grand Arena, GrandWest, Cape Town
Tickets are available September 28th from Computicket on 083 915 8000, www.computicket.com and outlets countrywide.

Members of Duran Duran’s Fan Community will have access to special tickets and VIP ticket packages starting Mon 27 September at 4pm SAST (10am EST). For purchase information, go to http://www.duranduranmusic.com./

Yes, I got this piece straight from the official Duran Duran website.  No, I'm not trying to do anything shady.  As I've said in previous posts - I'm just spreading the Duran Duran love and news!

Playlist

At the official Duran Duran website they have a section called jukebox under their music tab.  They update it every so often and have done so recently.  What's so wonderful about this? Quite simply, that it is a playlist made up entirely of Duran Duran songs.  And more often than not - it's a mix of their songs that I wouldn't necessarily think to put together.  it's quite fun.  To listen to the latest Duran jukebox selections, go here.  Enjoy.

Roger Taylor's Album Update

This is a lovely video that was done last month.  Roger gives an update on the recording of the latest Duran album.  It's quite funny, especially the bit with windchimes.  Enjoy.

The Chauffeur

Another modern performance of a classic Duran Duran song.  The Chauffeur originally appeared on the album Rio.  I remember being shocked by the video but still so in love with the song. 

I also remember my English teacher asking my class if anyone knew how to spell the word chauffeur.  Only a handful of the students knew the correct spelling.  Yes, we were all Duran Duran fans.  LOL I don't know why I still recall that but I do.

What Is It Like Working With Duran Duran?

Mark Ronson answers the very question here.  This is on CNN and they offer nothing obvious to share the video.  So, I'm linking you to it because it's a video worth watching.

John Taylor to Host ---

--- This is the Day on First Wave.

If you’re lucky enough to have Sirius/XM, listen for John the week of September 13th at 3pm EST/12pm PST as he will be guest hosting “This is the Day” during Richard Blade’s show on First Wave.

John invited Richard over to his home to play him some new DD tracks and Richard couldn’t resist getting John on the air.

First Wave is on Sirius Channel 22 and XM Channel 44.

Yes, I lifted this from duranduran.com.  As always, I'm not trying to cause harm - just spread the love.  By the way, I'm so stinking jealous (yes, I'm admitting it) that Richard Blade has heard tracks from the new DD album.  So. Stinking. Jealous. 

Boys Keep Swinging

The David Bowie tribute album - which features Boys Keep Swinging by Duran Duran - is available on iTunes and Amazon.  There are links for both sites but I'm not including them as I'm not certain if it's legal for me to do so.  I just wanted to metion that the album, and the individual song on iTunes, are available for purchase.  At least in America.  I think the U.K. release date is indeed September 13th.

Hungry Like the Wolf

In my mind this is a classic song and video.  It feels weird to me that a song that was new when I was a teenager is now a classic.  Oh well, at least it has stood the test of time.

Ordinary World

Oh, Ordinary World.  How I love this song.  I remember the first time I heard it, I was beyond giddy because it was the first release from the long anticipated 'Wedding Album'.  There is a theme with Duran Duran in waiting rather large chunks of time between their albums.  Fortunately the wait is always (well, with one unnamed exception) worth it.  Anyway, I was super excited to hear the song and then cried during it.  To this day (17 1/2 years later, wow!) I still get emotional over this song.  It just really touches me.

As for the video - I'd love to know the outdoor location of the shoot.  It looks like a park to me and it's quite beautiful.  Also, I know this is really silly but I can not stand the bow on the bride's dress.  UGH!! I KNOW it's meant to be ridiculous but it makes me cringe.  Maybe that's because I actually like her dress minus the God-awful bow.  Hey, I said I know it's silly but I just can't help it.

Save a Prayer

A somewaht recent (but new to me) performance of the always beautiful Save A Prayer.

Nick Rhodes on Bowie Tribute

Question: How can you go wrong with Duran Duran covering a David Bowie song? Answer: You can't. As stated by Nick in the video Duran Duran covered Bowie's song Fame as a B-side (that's the flip side to a vinyl single) in the 80's. I heard Duran Duran's version of Fame before I even knew about David Bowie's but I like both versions immensely.

I'm quite looking forward to this David Bowie tribute album. According to the Official Duran Duran website the album is due out on September 13th but according to Amazon it is coming September 6th. Perhaps one is the U.K. release date and the other is the U.S. release date. Either way, it's soon! The song Duran Duran are covering is Boys Keep Swinging.

The money raised by the album is going to War Child International.

Revised question: How can you go wrong with Duran Duran covering a David Bowie song and all the money going to help children stricken by war? Revised answer: You absolutely can not!

So, look for the album within the next two weeks. And know that while you enjoy all the tracks there are children around the world benefitting in a positive way.

Falling Down

Another video - LOL.  There are a couple of reasons for this one.  In my opinion this is the best song on Red Carpet Massacre.  I also like the video quite a lot.  It's a little freaky and yet it (along with the song) makes you think.  Plus, the video just seems very true to Duran Duran's style to me.  The final reason I chose this song/video is because I heard it at 24 Hour Fitness the other night when I started thinking about how much I still love this band.  Then I thought of my friends blog to a music artist she loves.  From the combination Duran Duran Daily was born.


As always, enjoy.