Duran Duran “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” released on this date, November 21st, 1983. Limited edition, double vinyl release from 2010. Of course I still have my original album from ‘83 but I couldn’t resist picking up this reissue that has the original record along with a bonus disk with four remixed Duran Duran singles: “Is There Something I Should Know? (Monster Mix),” “Union of the Snake (Monkey Mix),” “New Moon on Monday (Dance Mix)” and “The Reflex (Dance Mix).”

Seven and the Ragged Tiger entered the UK album chart at #1 in 1983 and went to #8 in the US a bit later. Quoting myself (and others) from a year ago when I wrote about the album for its 35th anniversary: “’Opulently produced, their new romantic origins blooming into lush decadent pop’ from The Telegraph and ‘Restores danger and menace [to Duran Duran]’ from Melody Maker. Danger and menace definitely describes several of the tracks on Seven and the Ragged Tiger including their first single from the album, “Union of the Snake” which hit #3 in both the US and the UK, the non-single tracks “(I’m Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement,” “Of Crime and Passion” and “Shadows on Your Side,” as well as the third and final single “The Reflex” which went to #1 in the US and UK. New romantic, opulent and lushly decadent are apt descriptions for the other songs from Seven and the Ragged Tiger like the instrumental “Tiger Tiger,” sultry and aching “The Seventh Stranger” and the second released single “New Moon on Monday.” “New Moon on Monday” has always been one of my favorites (my Duranie name was La Luna Le Bon – we Duranies had our own special names, a worldwide network of penpals and other nutball schemes only pre-teen and teenage girls could come up with); it went to #9 in the UK and #10 in the US and its video won two Grammy awards though Nick and Andy both hated the video and making it: it was miserably cold and by the end of the shoot the entire band was drunk. On the upside we get to see Nick dance which is a rare occurrence.