![]() Duran Duran were glitzy, fashionable and popular. I have always considered Duran Duran very highly, in fact, along with a handful of other bands, they defined the pop sound of the 1980's. This is really the last original record to contain their “traditional” sound, and the final with the essential five. This record, with its successful singles and eye-catching videos, helped the band have a massively popular year in 1984. The sound this time was a little darker, a little more artsy, and a little less New Romantic, and for the most part it was a solid bit of growth. Rio is, for many, their watershed moment or perhaps their self-titled debut although this album certainly continued the band's success, with the "The Reflex", "New Moon on Monday", and "Union of the Snake" charting high worldwide. They simply “Funked” it up a notch or two The problem is that the lyrics are some of cryptic and bazar, paradoxically speaking not too a different from their counterparts the Bunnymen, The Cure and Joy Division. However, this one wasn't.Īlex Sadkin and Ian Little worked feverishly with the band at 301 Studios in downtown Sydney to transform and rework these rough tracks into the final masterpieces, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, which was to be the band's most pivotal album.After the excellent Rio, Duran Duran went in a bit of a different direction with Seven and the Ragged Tiger, which seemed an attempt at a more mature album. Perhaps we shall let you guess who the singer is? The tape these tracks were taken from was really only meant to be used as a one-time reference medium to be recorded over the next day, or just simply erased. At the time, Simon had a cold, which prevented him from singing on all the tracks. Initial song ideas that were formed in France and in Montserrat are played about with many different sounds morphed into new ones. The songs collected here (most completely unfinished) are certainly rough works of art that were never meant to be seen (or heard) outside of the studio. It was during this period that the band (in one form or another) sneaked into a demo studio in London to continue working on tracks for the new album. Simon, Nick, Andy, Roger and John returned to London to play two well-publicized outdoor festivals the first at London's Dominion Theatre on July 20th and the second at the Aston Villa Park in Birmingham three days later. But things had to wait, as the royal family was calling. Regardless, the band was not completely happy with the results. The majority of the album was recorded in Montserrat, waiting only for the final mix-downs before completion. Again, it truly did not suit the band's style and after 5 weeks there, they hated it. It was supposed to keep them away from the outside pressures of the media and fans. AIR Studios on that island was to become their home, with Alex Sadkin as Producer. So the band flew on to Montserrat to continue recording songs. But Duran Duran became bored, feeling isolated and far from civilization or nightlife. They remixed some old songs for a live video, wrote new songs for the next album, visited the Cannes Film Festival and also played host to Jools Holland from The Tube. But the media circus loved it, and printed fact and fiction about it in huge quantities.Īt the beginning of recording, the band found themselves at a private chateau in the south of France. It was no secret that all five members would loathe to give over 40% of their hard earned cash to the British government, especially as they all were aware of the fickleness of pop culture. Another problem - the band were leaving the country to record songs on their new album, prompting speculation that they would become tax exiles. Unless, of course, you are Duran Duran and EMI is expecting you to produce an album in time for the Christmas season. ![]() The only known Seven and the Ragged Tiger album demo is the song " Seven and the Ragged Tiger", a track available on Perfect Days: Now And Then. If you really want this song, you will have to look harder for the original!". " Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (the song) is especially interesting as someone has gone to the trouble of replicating the demos using drum machines. We were not using drum machines and sequencers at the time except on " Tiger Tiger", which came at the end of the sessions. "Very interesting! Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make this sound like it's Duran Duran in the studio, work in progress. The Rare CD Guide Site published a message from John Taylor on 12 March 1999 confirming the album was fake. Released as an extra to the unofficial Night Version Companion, the album features a collection of fake Duran Duran recordings. Seven and the Ragged Tiger Demos is an unofficial Duran Duran related compilation album, released by Decade in 1999.
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