Duran Duran “Duran Goes Dutch” 1987. Recorded live at the Ahoy in Rotterdam on May 7th, 1987 while on The Strange Behavior tour. Promotional only, 5 song EP. The promo live EP was re-issued in 1988 as a bonus CD with the Japanese Big Thing limited edition album. I’m f**king sad and miserable today (reading this and not sure why? Check the post date) and literally nothing will make it better. I could consume a couple dozen cookies and curl up in the fetal position, but I have shit to do (and don’t want to feel sick) so I thought I’d go to the warm comfort of vintage Duran. However….

This is the era of D2 when both Andy and Roger had left the band, so we have Warren Cuccurullo on guitar and Steve Ferrone on drums, along with Simon, John and Nick. I definitely miss Roger’s thundering sound and Andy’s more straightforward rock-n-roll attitude. There are three songs from Notorious (released November ’86), “Notorious,” “Vertigo” and “American Science.” Also included are two older tracks: a pretty wacky version of “New Religion” with a shrieky sax solo that I find a bit jarring, plus Simon goes full-on rap (it’s kinda funny). And then there’s one of the oddest versions of “Hungry Like the Wolf” I’ve ever heard. It starts out with a hair metal mini guitar solo, a full horn section and Simon changed the structure of the vocals completely. I’m so flummoxed by his singing I can’t even find the words to describe it. These videos aren’t from the Rotterdam show but both pretty close to what’s on the EP (from a concert in Rio on The Strange Behavior tour):

Madonna “Like a Virgin” released 40 years ago today, October 31st 1984. 12″ maxi single, extended dance remix. So many vivid memories of when this song came out – the scandalous title (the song may have helped contribute to the creation of the PMRC), the iconic Venetian gondola video and Madonna’s infamous MTV Video Music Awards (its first year!) stage-writhing-in-a-wedding-dress performance (which I watched and loved though at age 13 not sure I totally understood). Written by songwriting partners Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and produced by Nile Rodgers, “Like a Virgin” was a monster smash hit, going to #1 in the US (on multiple charts) and to #1 or at least the Top 10 virtually everywhere else in the world. As the lead single from Like a Virgin (released November 12, 1984), it set up the record to also be a massive success with teens lining up at record stores to buy it on its day of release (I didn’t go that far); the LP is still considered to be one of the best releases of the 80’s. In 2023 the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry added Like a Virgin to its collection due to its “cultural, historically and aesthetic significance. The 12″ extended dance remix of the single, courtesy of Jellybean Benitez, is considerably longer than the album version and radio single, with extra synth effects and dance grooves. The b-side of the 12″ is a mid-tempo dance track that also appears on Like a Virgin: “Stay.” I find it to be one of the less interesting songs on the album but it’s a good flipside choice for the single.

The Spits “The Spits” 2009. Thrift Store Records. All of their LP’s are unhelpfully self-titled; this one is unofficially known as The Spits IV. Formed in ’93, from Michigan and now based in Seattle, The Spits play snappy, snotty classic punk in the spirit of the Ramones (see the tracks “Tonight“and “Live in a Van” in particular) but with a seriously lo-fi/shitty (intentionally, I think) sound – no Spector wall of sound on this album! The vocals are tinny, the backing vocals harsh and the mix way off but in the spirit of punk it totally works. The Spits (IV) is a tight and fun record. My top tracks include the punky anthemic “Rip Up the Streets” (but man is the guitar muddy as hell on this one), the buzzy “Police,” the weird and melodic “Alienize” and the rocker “Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya.” I have no idea if The Spits actually recorded this video for “Alienize” but it’s way weirder than the song.