Duran Duran “Skin Trade” b/w “We Need You” 1987. I’m spinning Duran Duran’s fifteenth single today, Valentine’s Day, mainly for the b-side’s cover and for the 7″ torn heart artwork (but any day is a good day to play D2).

“Skin Trade” was the band’s second single from Notorious, the group’s first full-length LP after Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor left the band. Andy did a bit of guitar recording for the album but his relationship with the rest of the group was so bad (legal threats, etc) he eventually was released from his recording obligations. The b-side “We Need You” was written specifically about this turmoil during the album’s recording in 1986 (it was the first song that John, Nick and Simon recorded with just the three of them). The A-side “Skin Trade” went to #22 in the UK and #39 in the US – a disappointment because up until then most of Duran’s singles had made the top 20. I’ll admit it’s not my favorite Duran song (the Borneo Horns, the falsetto singing, etc.). The cover sleeve for the single was also controversial: in many countries it featured an airbrushed naked female buttock but in the US and UK you get the plain sleeve pictured here.