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Arcadia “The Promise”

sfilzen — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:24:31 +0000

Arcadia “The Promise” 1986. Today is Simon LeBon’s birthday (b. 1958)! “The Promise” was the third single from the Duran side project Arcadia’s 1985 album So Red the Rose. It went to #37 in the UK – I don’t think it charted in the US (though I loved it, and the entire record which I bought pretty much on its release date, November 18th 1985). “The Promise” features guitar work from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and uncredited, but obvious, backing vocals by Sting. From wiki: “Sometime during the band’s stay in Paris to record So Red the Rose, they went to see a Sting concert there, and decided it would be interesting to have him come over and sing on the album, mainly because they liked the combination of Sting’s and lead singer Simon Le Bon’s voices on the “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” single by Band Aid, and wanted to see what would result from putting them together again. Sting was very amicable about the whole idea, and it turned out to be one of the band’s favourite moments on the record.” The b-side to the single is the gothic instrumental “Rose Arcana.”

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Simon LeBon Interview 1982

sfilzen — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:14:09 +0000

Simon LeBon Interview 1982. Today, October 27th, is Simon LeBon’s birthday (b. 1958). This 7″ limited edition picture disc on Talkies (an unofficial UK record label based in the UK) was released in August of 1982 as part of 3 part series (I have 2 of the 3). It’s an 18 minute interview with Simon (I don’t know who the interviewer is) that touches on Simon’s origin story with the band (his girlfriend at the time was working at the Rum Runner club and told him about a band that was looking for a singer – the rest is, obviously, history). At the time of the interview Duran Duran had yet to have a #1 single and Simon sounded nonplussed by that, saying basically it gave the band a goal (which of course they met). Simon also chats about being categorized as a New Romantic band (and trashes the media a bit for pigeon holing them), the band’s songwriting process (democratic and egalitarian) and if traveling to Sri Lanka to film three videos for Rio was “justifiable” (yep, totally was). It sounds like this interview was from a radio show or similar; while there is no music on the disc, the interviewer does introduce several tracks including “Rio,” “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “The Chauffeur” during the course of interview, making it seem like the conversation was interrupted to play to song. I can’t find any visual or audio link online so here’s a different link, Simon and Nick on MTV from their Secon Annual New Year’s Eve Ball, 1982 in New York City.

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Duran Duran “Future Past”

sfilzen — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 17:45:58 +0000

Duran Duran “Future Past” 2021. Released just a couple of days ago, limited(ish) edition exclusive clear vinyl for “Spotify Fans First” pre-orders. Today, October 27th, is also Simon Le Bon’s birthday (b. 1958)! Future Past is Duran Duran’s 15th studio album and it is GREAT! The track “Anniversary” is pure, crank it to 11 dancing bliss, put it on repeat and as catchy and addictive as any of their other great hits like “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Planet Earth” or “Reach Up for the Sunrise.” My other top tracks so far (I’m on my fourth listen since getting the delivery two days ago) are “All of You” which has an excellent play-that-fucking-bass John rhythm, “Beautiful Lies” which is synthpop goes funk (the secret Duran Duran sauce) and “Invisible” which was the first song I heard a few months ago with that wild AI generated video. I’m working on really liking the songs upon which they collaborate with other artists (“Give It All Up” which features Tove Lo, “More Joy!” featuring Chai and “Falling” which features Mike Garson). But I’m just so happy that I still love this band and they continue to put out fantastic music.

The title Future Past is also resonating with me a lot: about a week ago an old friend of mine who I met through our mutual love of Duran Duran back in 1984 sent me ALL of her old Duran Duran posters, magazine pictures, little tiny newspaper clippings, etc. In that pile of goodness was a letter I had typed and printed out on my dad’s old dot matrix computer that I literally have no recollection of whatsoever. Apparently my Duranie penpal from California (who I did get to meet in-person I think in the summer of ‘84 or ‘85) and I had schemed to write a book about Duran Duran and sent out this form letter to people requesting photos and must have included some sort of survey that the letter references. Spoiler: that book never materialized.

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Duran Duran “Is There Something I Should Know”

sfilzen — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 20:12:27 +0000

Duran Duran “Is There Something I Should Know” 1983. Today, February 16th, is (former) Duran guitarist Andy Taylor’s 60th birthday (b. Andrew Taylor, 1961). Duran Duran released “Is There Something I Should Know?” as a stand-alone single in the UK where it entered the chart at #1 (their first top of the chart single). In the US it went to #4 and the band included the track on the re-release of their debut LP Duran Duran for the US market. This 12″ single has the “Monster Mix” – it’s mainly an instrumental with plenty of extras: keyboards, sound effects, a nice little rockin’ guitar solo for Andy and a ton of funky bass for John. The B-side to the 12″ has another instrumental, “Faith in This Colour.” On the 7″ single in the UK there’s an alternative version: “Faith in This Colour (Alternate Slow Mix)” and in the US the B-side to the 7″of “Is There Something I Should Know” is “Careless Memories,” the band’s second single released in ‘81.

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Arcadia “So Red the Rose”

sfilzen — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 17:42:30 +0000

Arcadia “So Red the Rose” released 35 years ago today, November 18th, 1985. One of my favorite (not actually) Duran Duran records! Arcadia was the side-project of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor (John Taylor and Andy Taylor were off doing Power Station) and their one and only LP hit #23 in the US and #30 in the UK. I think I got my copy the day it was released, or pretty close to that. My Duranie friends and I spent hours working to decode the encrypted numeric messages on the cover and liner notes (this was very pre-internet; now you can just go to Wiki and it tells you that the numbers code out to “So Red the Rose” and “Rhodes, Le Bon and Taylor”).

Arcadia released six singles from the LP, though not all of them globally. “Election Day” was the first single (and features Grace Jones on sing/speak vocals); it went to #6 in the US and #7 in the UK. “Goodbye is Forever” went to #33 in the US, it wasn’t released as a single in the UK however “The Promise” was released in the UK (#37) in a stripped-down format from the longer album version, but it was not released in the US (Sting does a cameo on vocals in “The Promise”). “The Flame” was another UK-only single release (too bad, I love this song!) where it hit #58. “El Diablo” (another fave) was only released as a single in Spain while “Keep Me in the Dark” was a single in the Philippines.

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Arcadia “Election Day”

sfilzen — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 16:57:45 +0000

Arcadia “Election Day” 1985. The best (and only?) song about election day for today, November 3rd, 2020. “Election Day” was the first single from Arcadia (the Duran Duran offshoot of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor) off their one and only LP So Red the Rose. It went to #6 in the US and #7 in the UK. I bought this 12″ single probably the day it was released (in October ‘85). Side A has the extended version “Election Day (Consensus Mix)” which is a bit longer than the album version, but does feature the same awesome sing-speak of 80′s icon Grace Jones. Side B has the single version of “Election Day” and an instrumental of the track “She’s Moody and Grey, She’s Mean and She’s Restless.” Some great Le Bon lyrics on this track for today including “Wild kind of look to the day” and “Hi guys, by the way, are you aware you’re being illegal
It’s making your savior behavior look evil.” VOTE!!!!!!!!

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Duran Duran “Girls on Film”

sfilzen — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:57:07 +0000

Duran Duran “Girls on Film” 1981. 12″ single. Today, October 27th, is Simon Le Bon’s birthday (1958) so I’m spinning their glorious new wave synthpop hit (#5 UK, the notoriously scandalous video too famous to count on any chart; it was banned on the BBC and heavily edited for MTV) in honor of my first boyfriend’s day (he is, I believe, unaware of that fact – the boyfriend part). Side A has “Girls on Film (Night Version)” which is a bit longer, extra echoey effects, amazing. Side B has the single version of “Girls on Film” plus another dramatically new romantic track with a killer bass line from John Taylor, “Faster Than Light” on which Simon’s voice goes into an unbelievable range (but he nails it, of course).

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Duran Duran “I Don’t Want Your Love”

sfilzen — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 13:56:51 +0000

Duran Duran “I Don’t Want Your Love” 1988. ❤️🖤Happy Valentine’s Day🖤❤️

“I Don’t Want Your Love” was Duran Duran’s lead single from their fifth album, Big Thing. The track went to #14 in the UK and #4 in the US. It’s super-funky and super-danceable; it went to #1 on the Billboard dance chart. This 12″ single has the “I Don’t Want Your Love (Big Mix)” on Side A (basically more extended funk) and on Side B is the Album Version (synth/horns a bit more prominent) as well as the 7″ Mix (more John Taylor playing that fuckin’ bass) (but really the two versions aren’t much different).

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Duran Duran “Arena”

sfilzen — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 13:46:59 +0000

Duran Duran “Arena” released 35 years ago today, November 12th, 1984. My original gatefold copy from ‘84, complete with an 8-page glossy booklet featuring sultry photos of each band member (the one of Nick clutching what looks to be a pole is particularly amusing).

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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Duran Duran “Save a Prayer”

sfilzen — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 21:25:06 +0000

Duran Duran “Save a Prayer” 1982. I’m spinning the most perfect 80′s new wave/synthpop ballad today for Simon Le Bon’s 61st birthday (b. Oct. 27th, 1958). Released in the UK as their third single from Rio (it wouldn’t be released in the US until ‘85), “Save a Prayer” was a massive hit, going to #2, their biggest hit to that date. In ‘85 it went to #16 in the US, though American audiences had a ton of exposure to the track before then as it had heavy rotation on MTV. The video is gorgeous, shot in Sri Lanka, and I vaguely remember reading or hearing an interview with one of the other band members – maybe Roger? – lamenting that Simon always got to dance with the pretty girls in Duran Duran videos. Side B of this 12″ has “Hold Back the Rain (remix),” the regular version of which is also on Rio.

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