Duran Duran reissue iconic albums

Duran Duran to reissue iconic first five studio albums

Long out of print and long overdue, Duran Duran, Rio, Seven And The Ragged Tiger, Notorious, and Big Thing, will be reissued in the original 1LP and 1CD format for the first time since their initial release.

Both LP and CD will feature the latest album remasters, with vinyl editions cut at Abbey Road Studios. The album artworks have been closely restored to the original sleeve designs, overseen by Malcolm Garrett, the visionary designer behind the band’s first three albums.

Duran Duran’s first five albums – 1981’s Duran Duran, 1982’s Rio, 1983’s Seven And The Ragged Tiger, 1986’s Notorious, and 1988’s Big Thing – have defined the sound and style of generations.

Acclaimed singles like Hungry Like The Wolf, Rio, Girls On Film and Save A Prayer consistently dominated singles charts around the world on their release, and continue to soundtrack the lives of millions of fans.

Cultural Icons

The music and magic within these five records propelled the band to the very front of the global music scene, establishing Duran Duran’s status as cultural icons and one of the most influential groups of all time.

Now, 16 studio albums deep into their recording career, and counting, Duran Duran are still performing many of these songs in packed arenas all over the world.

The five albums, which between them graced over 20 Top 10 album charts around the world, provide a rich cross section of Duran Duran’s formative years.

Their self-titled debut’s era-defining boldness completely solidified the signature sound of Duran Duran, while simultaneously soundtracking turn of the decade angst, and introducing a new British pop order. As opener Girls On Film presented the first use of “found sound” in music with its instantly recognisable camera motor drive clicks, and the apocalyptic shock of Planet Earth took hold, Duran Duran’s innovation was signalling what British pop music would do next.

Duran Duran

Side A
1. Girls on Film
2. Planet Earth
3. Anyone Out There
4. To the Shore
5. Careless Memories
Side B
1. Night Boat
2. Sound of Thunder
3. Friends of Mine
4. Tel Aviv

The year between Duran Duran’s release and the dawn of the Rio era was shaped by huge artistic growth. The album elevated the band to global status and produced a trio of Top 10 hits in Save A Prayer, Rio and Hungry Like The Wolf. The latter two of which birthed some of the first-ever music videos that fans all over the world would fall in love with as MTV launched them into heavy rotation, also helping the band reach super-stardom in the US and beyond.

Rio

Side A
1. Rio
2. My Own Way
3. Lonely in Your Nightmare
4. Hungry Like the Wolf
5. Hold Back the Rain
Side B
1. New Religion
2. Last Chance on the Stairway
3. Save a Prayer
4. The Chauffeur

Rio’s achievements set the stage for Seven And The Ragged Tiger, Duran Duran’s first UK No.1 album. Truly global in its scope – recorded between studios in France, Australia and the Caribbean – the album paved the way for the Sing Blue Silver Tour, their biggest live outing yet, and saw the band’s debut No.1 single in the US with The Reflex.

Seven And The Ragged Tiger

Side A
1. The Reflex
2. New Moon on Monday
3. (I’m Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement
4. I Take the Dice
5. Of Crime and Passion
Side B
1. Union of the Snake
2. Shadows on Your Side
3. Tiger Tiger
4. The Seventh Stranger

After their success working with Nile Rodgers to re-imagine The Reflex, and produce The Wild Boys in the same year, Duran Duran turned to him to produce their next LP, Notorious. The band’s first outing as a three piece, together they created a definitive Duran Duran album that captured the experimental spirit at the core of the band.

Notorious

Side A
1. Notorious
2. American Science
3. Skin Trade
4. A Matter of Feeling
5. Hold Me
Side B
1. Vertigo (Do the Demolition)
2. So Misled
3. Meet El Presidente
4. Winter Marches On
5. Proposition

Never a group to sit still creatively, Duran Duran expanded to a nine-piece complete with horn section and backing singers for the accompanying tour to the Big Thing album, presenting Duran Duran’s most exploratory work to date at that time.

Big Thing

Side A
1. Big Thing
2. I Don’t Want Your Love
3. All She Wants Is
4. Too Late Marlene
5. Drug (It’s Just a State of Mind)
Side B
1. Do You Believe in Shame?
2. Palomino
3. Interlude One
4. Land
5. Flute Interlude
6. The Edge of America
7. Lake Shore Driving

The news of the reissues arrives as Duran Duran look ahead to a big summer of live activity, including an exclusive UK festival headline performance at Latitude Festival on 28 July.

This major festival booking will follow sold-out arena tours across the UK and North America through 2023, the latest in a series of landmark achievements including Duran Duran’s 10th UK Top 5 album release Danse Macabre, and their 2022 induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Duran Duran will reissue these iconic albums via Warner Music from 19 July. To pre-order click here

For more check out our 40 of the best Duran Duran songs – year by year