Duran Duran - Do The Madison (2022)

STUNNING 1984 LIVE BROADCAST FROM NYC  Formed in Birmingham in 1978, Duran Duran was a leading band in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US in the 1980s. The group was formed by keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bassist John Taylor, with the later addition of drummer Roger Taylor, and after numerous personnel changes, guitarist Andy Taylor (none of the Taylors are related) and lead singer Simon Le Bon. These five members featured in the group’s most commercially successful line-up.  When Duran Duran emerged they were generally considered part of the English New Romantic scene, along with bands such as Spandau Ballet and Visage.

The video age catapulted Duran Duran into the mainstream and they collaborated with professional film makers to take the quality a step further, often teaming up with Australian director Russell Mulcahy for some of their most memorable offerings. In 1984, the band was an early innovator with video technology in its live stadium shows. The band was one of the most successful acts of the 1980s, though by the end of the decade, membership and music style changes challenged the band before a resurgence in the early 1990s.  Duran had become international superstars by the time they played this sold-out Madison Square Garden show in March of 1984. The group had seen enough success that they could now enhance their onstage presence with extra musicians and vocalists. The expanded line-up invariably changed the live sound of the band, and allowed the songs to sound closer to the full, layered versions heard on the records.  The group was promoting its 1983 release, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, which was produced by Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers. Rodgers was red hot in the studio, having just done successful comeback records for both David Bowie and Diana Ross. Two singles emerged from the record, ‘The Reflex’ and ‘Union of The Snake,’ and five of the album's nine tracks are performed during this show. The rest of this set features mostly the band's early hits, such as ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ and ‘Girls On Film.’ Broadcast live on FM Radio, and available here for the first time on CD, this new release will no doubt delight Duran’s thousands of fans, still flying the flag for this pioneering collective.

Tracklist
1. Is There Something I Should Know? (4:44)
2. Hungry Like The Wolf (4:05)
3. The Reflex (5:54)
4. New Moon On Monday (4:51)
5. Union Of The Snake (4:29)
6. New Religion (5:42)
7. Cracks In The Pavement (5:04)
8. Of Crime And Passion (3:29)
9. Friends Of Mine (6:20)
10. The Seventh Stranger (5:47)
11. The Chauffeur (5:47)
12. Save a Prayer (6:42)
13. Planet Earth (4:59)
14. My Own Way (4:11)
15. Careless Memories (4:33)
16. Rio (6:03)