EVERY DURAN DURAN ALBUM RANKED, by Geoff Jackson

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away … British new wave music invaded US shores in the late 1970’s and early 80’s. And Duran Duran bedazzled our senses: they being progenitors of androgenous disco-rock, following in the mold of David Bowie and Roxy Music. In this post, I’ll rank every Duran Duran studio album released since 1981, with a bit of personal commentary attached to each.

Full disclosure: I’m a huge Duranie and I’ve been one for 40 years. I remember when Duranmania was at a fever’s pitch in 1983. MTV played the band’s sexy, short music videos every hour and around the clock. Since D2 first got signed to Capitol Records (the same label as the Beatles), we’ve been treated to some absolutely mind-blowing albums and singles, along with a few misfires and WTF’s. From Rio to the Wedding Album – and in anticipation of their newest LP, Danse Macabre – I’ll rate Duran’s output as it stacks up against itself.

(Check back soon for my review and reactions to Danse Macabre and see where I’ll position it below.)

To clarify, these are just my subjective opinions; yours may differ.

Let’s roll.

#15. PAPER GODS (2015)

Is it any wonder this is last on the list? You know you’ve never heard of it. I’m a huge fan and I barely heard of it, and I don’t own it in my collection. To be fair, there’s one solid single called “Pressure Off”. It features a longstanding collaboration with Niles Rogers and showcases the backing vocals of the multi-talented Janelle Monae. It’s strong -- Google it on YouTube and see for yourself. It sounds a bit like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”—a song Nile Rogers also worked on -- and has a funky, infectious groove.

But anything else on the record? Beats me what it sounds like, because I never bothered to find out. Its 2015 album cover art also features some uninspired clip-art imagery, signaling a bit of laziness and disengagement. Overall, Paper Gods failed to make any impression on me whatsoever, and for that reason alone, it lands squarely on the bottom of my list.

Personal Favorite: “Pressure Off” -- again, because it’s the only song I’m actually aware of.

#14. THANK YOU (1995)

Oh boy -- this one could’ve been fun! Rather, on the heels of an unexpected resurgence up the pop charts, Duran dropped this 1995 dud of covers to a whopping thud within the music industry. (And I was there; I heard it.) It features Duran’s attempts to cover iconic classic rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin and the Doors to contemporary rap singles “White Lines” and “911 Is A Joke”.

Depending on your charitable disposition, your mileage may vary. It doesn’t take me particularly far but not all of it fails - - a few slower ballads like “Femme Fatale”, “Perfect Day”, and “Lay Lady Lay” work, and some covers of 70’s funk offer solid interpretations … but overall it’s bad. Like, really bad. Tread lightly when exploring.

Personal Favorite: “I Wanna Take You Higher” – both LP versions

#13. SEVEN AND THE RAGGED TIGER (1983)

I’m sure I’m aggravating a few Duranies by listing this one so far down the list. Aside from a couple tracks here and there, this album sucks. It just does. Even the LP’s title sucks. This is where Duran lost the thread and put something out in 1984 that was a step down from the magic of their first two efforts. It’s super-synth heavy and it sounds dated. Nothing is particularly inspired and I basically can’t stand their first single, “New Moon on Monday” – it’s so frickin’ pretentious. Even the video starts in a playhouse with a French mime talking about cultural revolution, or something. Such rubbish.

Yes, “The Reflex” is iconic (a song about lead singer Simon LeBon’s erections – TMI, for sure), and yes, “Union of the Snake” is well-known, too. But so much filler and forgettable music plague this forgettable album. And I just never listen to it. So there.

Personal Favorite: “Seventh Stranger”

#12. RED CARPET MASSACRE (2007)

Next up – RCM. Red Carpet Massacre. A strange release with some heavy beats of electronica and techno mixed with the urban stylings of Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. An odd concoction of whatever Duran was trying to say back in 2007. Personally, I like aspects of it, but I realize it’s an album nobody asked for. And I’m not sure who their target market was, and I’m pretty sure the band doesn’t know either. Still, “Skin Divers” is fun and “The Valley” is fairly infectious.

To be fair, Duran had an entire unreleased album in the can and ready to go called Reportage. If you do a little internet sleuthing, you’ll find it featured their original guitarist, Andy Taylor, and delved into some dark and unsettling material. I heard their record label deemed it too depressing and called it a commercial disaster. There’s hope Reportage will eventually see the light of day, but that might only happen once the band dissolves or stops making music. It’ll surely be better than what we got in 2007 instead. Fingers crossed.

Personal Favorite: "Box Full O' Honey"

# 11. Big Thing (1998)

In the fall of 1988, this LP got released at my local record store up at college. I saw its videos and enjoyed most all of its songs. In hindsight, it’s not great but it’s OK. “I Don’t Want Your Love” and “All She Wants Is” made it onto the charts, and each single had its requisite stylish video shown on MTV. The band was still a trio at this point, having lost a couple original members, so it was a strange time for Duran. They were lost in the wilderness. They also tried to look more “mod” and did strange stuff with their hair and makeup (even stranger than before).

Duran submitted a song from this LP that was ultimately selected to be the soundtrack for the movie “Tequila Sunrise” starring Kurt Russel and Mel Gibson: “Do You Believe in Shame”. It’s actually rather good. Very moody and sharp, classic Duran emo music that captures their sound back from the late 1980s. A few other standouts feature prominently on the second side.

Personal Favorite: "I Believe/All I Need to Know” – a deep cut that remains forgotten as a B-side. (The internet, People. The internet.)

#10. MEDAZZALAND (1997)

Charting this one leaves me a bit conflicted. It contains possibly my favorite Duran Duran song of all time. Well, that distinction goes to “Ordinary World” (and more on that later), but “Out of My Mind” is haltingly amazing. It’s original and it’s spectacular. It’s the third track on the album and the two preceding tracks are excellent, too. “Big Bang Generation” and “Electric Barbarella” are fun; they’re quick and hooky, and I can listen to all three of these songs on endless repeat. “Out of My Mind” features a mandolin, a series of gongs, and other stuff so spooky and out-of-character, it leaves a lasting impression on the most casual of listeners. It’s also the theme song for the 1997 spy film “The Saint” staring Val Kilmer. Google the track to be enchanted. Thank me later.

But the rest of Medazzaland is nothing to write home about. I think since 1997, I’ve listened to the entire album once. I found the overall tone depressing and I feel Duran went too far out of their way to denigrate artwork from their excellent Rio LP on its back cover. I’d read “Medazzaland” refers to the drug “midazolam”, a common medication used to relieve anxiety before dental procedures; as a medication, it whacked-out Simon Le Bon so severely he codified the name forever as slurred in the album’s title. Funny how that story stuck with me for 25 years. Ultimately, in their entirety, there are just far better Duran Duran albums out there worth your time enjoying.

Personal Favorite: "Out of My Mind" (hands down)

# 9. LIBERTY (1990)

“Liberty” enjoys its position at #10 on the list simply on the strength of Side 1 alone. All the songs on Side 1 are great – like, 6 in a row. The problem is, all the songs on the second side are misfires that don’t seem to gel or mesh with what came before. In total, it’s a pretty mediocre release that flirted with greatness. The highs: “Violence of Summer”, “Liberty”, “Hothead”. The lows: “Venice Drowning”, “Downtown”, literally everything else on Side 2.

This was also a weird line-up for Duran since they replaced original members and struggled to project the same image they had when first starting out. In my mind, Duran is a five-piece band, but for most its history it’s been a quartette or a trio. Kudos to them for getting back to five guys ( … at least for a while)!

Personal Favorite: "Liberty”

#8. Future Past (2021)

Now we’re firmly in the average-to-awesome stage of my personal rankings – the following 4 or 5 LPs being a cut above than the ones that’ve come before, starting with the recent 2021 Future Past. It’s slick, it’s modern, and it’s different. It’s got heavy bass lines and throwback choruses, and it works when it works, which is surprisingly often.

Good songs include “More Joy”, “Anniversary”, and “Give It All Up”. The LP’s got a contemporary feel but with some classic sounds and familiar structures – literally living up to its stated purpose: Future Past. Worth exploring. I’d read that most the album was written before the global Covid-19 pandemic, but issues of relationship breakdown and isolation became more pronounced and relevant to the world after 2020. Duran released it to relative success.

Personal Favorite: “Tonight United”

#7. Notorious (1986)

Shit’s about to get funky now – as in, fun-keeee!

Duran as a trio put out their 1986 LP Notorious. I’d read somewhere bassist John Taylor steered the direction for this album after he felt his side-project, The Power Station, was more successful than his other bandmates’ side-project, Arcadia. He’d had chart success with horns and brass, and he wanted to continue those themes by having Duran do stylistic funk-pop. It shows. Every song has a trumpet somewhere, and the rhythm section grooves to the beat of jazz and fusion drummer, Steve Ferrone. Mix-in more Niles Rogers (at the start of their longstanding collaborations) and it all works rather well. Funk-pop at its finest, indeed.

The title track “Notorious” still gets played live at concerts 40 years later. And be sure to listen to “Proposition” at the LP’s conclusion.

Personal Favorite: “American Science”

#6. Pop Trash (1999)

Some consider this a misfire (their label considered it a misfire, because they dropped the band after doing only 1 album with them back in 1999), but I think it’s great. I’d read most songs here are reworked tinkerings from another side-project called TVMania. The song “Pop Trash Movie” was originally written for Debbie Harry for her band, Blondie, but she passed on it. That’s Blondie’s loss.

The first single and album opener, “Someone Else, Not Me”, is classic Duran. It’s a new wave, new romantic power ballad that creeps along at a slow, methodical pace. Reminiscent of their prior single, “Ordinary World”, it explores troubled romance and plays to the band’s signature strengths – beautiful lyrics, exotic guitars, unusual synths, and a mellow, esoteric feeling throughout. It stands to note Duran were back as a trio this time, without any Taylors left in the group. With the addition of rockstar guitarist, Warren Cuccurullo, formerly of Missing Persons, the band do a great job building on prior work. This album is often overlooked, but I believe it’s fun, quirky, and worth whatever you need to pay for it.

Personal Favorite: “Mars Meets Venus”

# 5. Astronaut (2004)

This album is really good; it’s solid. A return to form for the Fab 5. Literally, because all three of the band’s lost original members rejoined. All the famous dudes were back for this one, and every song reeks of sunshine and positivity – good vibes and bright energy spew everywhere. “Reach Up For the Sunshine” starts the first side, and mostly everything stays up-tempo. The band embarked on a huge reunion tour in 2004 for this record - - seen twice by yours truly - - and they never seemed to sound better live.

High-spots include “Nice”, “Chains”, and “What Happens Tomorrow”. Some might find Astronaut’s tracks overproduced or just a bit too syrupy, but it’s one of the band’s strongest releases and one that rightly deserves to be in their Top 5. Listen to it and prove me wrong!

Personal Favorite: “Virus” -- a Japanese Bonus Track I heard live in a small NYC venue.

#4. All You Need is Now (2010)

Another triumphant return to form! With new producer Mark Ronson, the intention with this 2010 record was to go back to the beginning and capture the classic sound of the band’s first two successful LPs. It succeeds. Here we have songs that sound vintage, song titles that sound familiar, and styles that sound authentic to the disco-influenced rock that initially took us all by storm.

From the first track on, we’re treated to classic Duran – All You Need is Now is worth finding and buying, whatever your general take on the band. “Before the Rain” is epic, and “Being Followed” sounds like something Blondie, INXS, or even early Depeche Mode could’ve done back in the day. Like their 2021 release, this is “Future Past” -- in style, feel, and enjoyment.

Personal Favorite: “Girl Panic” - yes, it intentionally sounds like “Girls on Film” and even has a similar Roger Taylor drum highlight in the middle.

#3. Rio (1983)

Ah, the Big One. Well, one of two classic Big Ones. This 1982 LP and its 1981 predecessor are called “brother and sister” releases by former guitarist, Andy Taylor because they sound like a set and go together seamlessly. With Rio, the world got the singles and videos for “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “Rio”, and “Save a Prayer”. All these things were gamechangers not just the band, but for MTV, the music industry, and our general pop culture -- something that reignited fan hysteria on a par with early Beatlemania. Duran were never the same.

The lipstick on keyboardist Nick Rhodes, the soothing yet dangerous voice of Simon LeBon, all the rock guitar and heavy basslines – it’s all pretty special. Not much more really needs to be written here about Rio because I’m sure you’ve listened to it a thousand times, at least if you’ve made it this far reading this particular blog post. You can’t call yourself a Duranie without owning or loving this album. It simply is “the New Romantic” sound as defined at that time.

Personal Favorite: “New Religion”

#2. Duran Duran (1981)

Can we go one better? Yes, yes we can. The band’s first release, simply titled Duran Duran hits the mark. It’s all the style, energy, passion, and Sci Fi weirdness that started the phenomenon that is Duran Duran. The band’s name was taken from the crazy 1968 film, Barbarella – about a space floozie who has sex with random men and aliens, and is on a quest looking for a mad scientist named “Durand Durand” to save her. I won’t get into how big a whore or libertine Barbarella is, or how her infinite sexuality broke and overwhelmed a torture device called the Orgasmatron – that’s for you to find out, if you can actually sit through the movie. But you get the point about the name.

The music? Pure goodness. “Planet Earth”, “Girls on Film”, “Friends of Mine” – staples the band still play live today, and songs that now belong to the ages. I really can’t do this album justice on a blog post – you have to hear it for yourself. And I know you already have.

Personal Favorite: “(Waiting for the) Night Boat”

#1. Duran Duran aka The Wedding Album (1993)

But can we go even one better AGAIN? Yes, yes we can. As Simon LeBon sings, I WANT TO TAKE YOU HIGHER! We’ve arrived at the end of the list, and at the top of the heap for me sits the band’s 1993 release, Duran Duran (The Wedding Album). I get this will be a controversial pick, but if I had to take one D2 album to a desert island, this’d be it. Why? Because it’s a bit of everything – new, old, familiar, different, vintage, contemporary, and experimental. And it’s got the best single and video the band ever did (IMHO) in “Ordinary World”.

A lot can be said about “Ordinary World” alone – how it’s hopeful in a time of tragedy, how it’s hauntingly beautiful and macabre at the same time, and how it’s pop yet deeper than that, too. It’s the song my wife and I chose as our wedding song (yes, from the Wedding Album; I know that’s a little ironic or too on-the-nose), but the song still says something to us every time we hear it.

The rest of the album is loaded with powerful nuggets like “Too Much Information”, “Come Undone”, and “Love VooDoo”. As an aside, this line-up of the band – original members Simon LeBon on vocals, Nick Rhodes on keyboards, and original bassist John Taylor, coupled with the addition of Missing Persons’s Warren Cucurrulo on guitar – is my personal favorite (even if not a five-piece and only a quartet). They looked the best in their videos, they had the most musicianship possible, and they gave the world one of the best albums I own, period. With that, I say THANK YOU to Duran Duran!

Personal Favorite: (Do I even need to say it?) “Ordinary World”

Thanks for reading this very long, very personal post. I hope you got something from it, and if you’d like to dialogue further, leave me comments in the section below or send me a personal DM.

May your eyeliner not run, your hairstyles stay gelled, and your love of all things 80s Britannica rule!