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Arena (which went to #6 in the UK and #4 in the US) was “recorded around the world” when Duran Duran toured in ‘83 and ‘84 promoting Seven and the Ragged Tiger and includes songs from that album performed live like “The Seventh Stranger” and “Union of the Snake” but also many from Rio. Those are the always popular “Hungry Like the Wolf” which Simon introduces by asking the audience “Is anybody hungry??!!” as well as “New Religion” (which fabulously demonstrates the tension between Andy’s desire to play guitar in a hard rock-n-roll/metal band, Simon and Nick’s art-rock tendencies and John’s funky disco bass playing), “Save a Prayer” (I love it when Simon sings this live, adding in  “ch-ch-ch” after the word “fire”), and “The Chauffeur.” They also perform the stand-alone “Is There Something I Should Know?” which appears on the US reissue of their debut record Duran Duran, plus “Planet Earth” and “Careless Memories” from that LP. The only non-live track on Arena is “The Wild Boys” (produced by Nile Rodgers) which they released as a single just prior to Arena; it went to #2 in both the US and the UK and became infamous for having the most expensive video ever made up to that point. 

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The record sleeve insert for Disc Two has this amazing photo of the band – it also makes me laugh because my dear friend Carrie keeps a file on her computer titled “Awkward Photos of Duran Duran” that includes several that either highlight or try (in vain) to obscure the massive height difference between Simon and John vs Nick, Roger and Andy. This is one that highlights it, obviously. Plus OMG Nick’s hair!!!

The second record in this double LP set is a bonus 12″ single with the aforementioned “Planet Earth (Night Version)” plus the Extended Night Version of “Girls on Film” that has previously been unreleased,  another variant of “Planet Earth” – the Night Mix – and “Girls on Film (Night Mix)” – also previously unreleased.” Overkill? Nope, I cannot ever get enough of those songs.

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My DD2 obsession is long-lasting and never-ending (I recently renewed my Duran Duran fan club membership…aaaanndd I’m not that far away from 50 years old. Sigh). I’ve written about this a couple of times previously, but back at age 13 or 14 my Duranie pal and I went a little nuts and wrote an entire story based on the lyrics from Rio (and a few tracks from Seven and the Ragged Tiger). Dig through some of my older Duran posts for a read and a laugh.

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As the Lights Go Down is a live recording from the Oakland Coliseum’s 3-night concert series, April 12th, 13th and 15th, in 1984. The edited concerts were originally released as the video Arena (An Absurd Notion) in 1985 (aired on Cinemax and MTV), a loose story interwoven with concert footage from the Oakland performances; included, too, was the notoriously expensive video for the single “The Wild Boys” (also on the album Arena, 1985). The first official release of the music-only album came out in 2010 as a bonus disc as part of the reissue for Seven and the Ragged Tiger (there are bootleg copies floating around as well).

The three-sided album is gorgeous, a collection of some of Duran Duran’s best tracks from their first three albums: Duran Duran, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger (weirdly “The Reflex,” one of their best-selling and most popular songs from that era is not on As the Lights Go Down). Side A starts off with the deep-cut instrumental “Tiger Tiger” and from there segues directly into one of the best live versions of “Is There Something I Should Know?” I’ve ever heard, with some extra bright keyboard work by Nick Rhodes. “Hungry Like the Wolf” comes next, complete with an amazing howl by Simon LeBon at the song’s end. Simon introduces the next track by saying “Hello! Good evening! Nice to see you here! This is a sexual fantasy of mine, it’s called “Union of the Snake” and Side A then concludes with the dark and rollicking “New Religion.” Side B begins with one of the most beautiful songs ever written, “Save a Prayer” and it’s just as mysteriously lush live as on the original Rio recording. “Rio,” the perennial Duran party song, is next (lots of extra by Nick on this one, too, and John Taylor’s bass is intricate, deep and funky; Andy Taylor gets down, whipping out the power chords and Simon whoops and hollers), followed by another Seven and the Ragged Tiger deep-cut, “The Seventh Stranger” which I’ve always loved. Side B ends with another beauty from Rio: “The Chauffeur” (it’s really a tie with “Save a Prayer” for most beautiful song ever).  Side 3 has three tracks from Duran Duran: “Planet Earth,” “Careless Memories” (Andy is in really fine guitar form and Roger’s drumming is relentless on both those songs), and encore with “Girls on Film” – Simon invites the audience to sing along on its chorus, resulting in a stadium full of teenage girls ecstatically shrieking “GIRLS ON FILM!” (Had I been there, I would have shrieked too) Side 4 is blank but etched with the album’s cover design.

I have soooooo much Duran Duran and so did I really need another album in my collection??? I absolutely did – As the Lights Go Down is pure perfection: 80′s pastel, big 80′s sound and production and my boys performing at the height of their popularity. This album makes me so happy ☺️

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“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.

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The track listing is a mix of the great old stuff including “Hungry Like the Wolf,”  “A View to a Kill,” “Save a Prayer” (which Simon dedicates to Michael Hutchence who had just committed suicide), “Friends of Mine,” “Careless Memories,” “Rio” and a super-deep cut “Secret Oktober” (always an old fave of mine) and what was then newer stuff from their 1997 album Medazzaland like “Electric Barbarella,” “Medazzaland,” “Big Bang Generation,” “Who Do You Think You Are?,” “Out of My Mind,” “Be My Icon,” and “Buried in the Sand.” I love Duran Duran but the usual sparkling joy of their music just isn’t present on this live album.

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