Here’s a re-hash of my already-written words on the record:

Duran′s third album and my most-listened to in the early-to-mid-80′s. I know and love every single note and every lyric line (and even tried to dissect the meaning behind them). Seven and the Ragged Tiger entered the UK album chart at #1 and a bit later reached #8 in the US despite mixed critical reviews. For example, the bad: “Pathetic, useless, no good. It’s pretentious, pompous and possibly the first chapter in their decline” from Record Mirror and “A sorry collection of half-baked melodies, meaningless lyrics – their earlier work, while not poetry, at least sounded clever – and over-active studio foolishness” from Trouser Press. [ahem, fuck those reviewers] And the good: “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.

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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.

The post Duran Duran “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

The post Duran Duran “Seven and the Ragged Tiger” appeared first on Vinyl From The Vault.

Side A is an extended mix of “Union of the Snake” and Side B has both the single version and “Secret Oktober,” which does not appear on any original Duran Duran albums (though it is on the 2010 reissue CD of Seven and the Ragged Tiger). The band needed a song for the flipside of “Union of the Snake” and quickly wrote “Secret Oktober,” whipping it out, including recording and mixing, in less than 24 hours. Amazing, because it is a beautiful, atmospheric track.

Wise on a birthday party, in a world
Full of surprising fireworks and sudden silence
(Shh)
Lies on a stranger’s bed the new day breaks, like a speeding train
Or an old friend ever expected, but never knocking

Holding your own in a battered car
All night parties cocktail bars
And smile when the butterfly escapes the killing jar

Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over
Wise or naked in secret Oktober

Freefall on a windy morning shore
Nothing but a fading track of footsteps
Could prove that you’d ever been there
Spoken on a cotton cloud like the sound of gunshot
Taken by the wind, and lost in distant thunder

Racing on a shining plane
Tomorrow you’ll be content to watch as the lightning plays
Along the wires, and you’ll wonder

Sure eyes awake before the dancing is over
Wise or naked in secret Oktober

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