As a way to comfort more than 100,000 disappointed fans and concert guests around Europe, the band announced Saturday on Twitter that their May 12th performance on Italian radio RDS was released as a free download on DuranDuran.com.

Tracks published:
- All You Need Is Now
- Blame It On The Machines
- Notorious
- Safe
- Save A Prayer
- Ordinary World
- Girl Panic
- View To A Kill
- Careless Memories

This is indeed a good “present”. Especially for the fans who – like us here at Latebar – worried a bit after hearing the initial live performances of the new album songs. To cut to the chase – We REALLY look forward to the AYNIN-tour now more than ever. Especially ‘Girl Panic!‘ works extremely well live, and played as tightly and snappy as on RDS, this will no doubt be four minutes of wild dancing and screaming for the dedicated fans. Here at Latebar we also found that the sligtly sharper edge of guitar and keys on ‘Blame The Machines‘ improves the already intense dance beat tremendously.

So… Simon Le Bon – get well soon. There’s an all night party all over Europe waiting for you!

Now covering almost three decades, the documentary shows fans (and everyone else) the development from the happy Rio days in the early 80′s to the present album produced by Mark Ronson. Personally it reminded me of the fact that most great art comes from crisis and bumpy roads. Duran Duran’s road surely is a bumpy one.

You can either view the show on YouTube-channel DDFullHD or download the entire thing from the blog ‘Big Duran Duran Thing‘.

For the more enlightened audience, the last 5 minutes will be the most interesting. I especially find the interview bits with Mark Ronson very interesting:

“I started a band when I was 9 – specifically because I wanted to play ‘Wild Boys’ at the school talent show. And I wanted to play bass, cause I wanted to be John Taylor”.

Kinda sweet, no?

Anyway, if you haven’t seen it before you should definitely watch it. If you saw the old TV documentary, this remastered edition will add more value to your already excessive knowledge of the best ever selling British band.

Enjoy!

Admitting to the fact that I am biased as hell, it seems I’m not the only one with positive phrases.

PopMatters give it 9 of 10 and writes:
“For the first time in a very long time, Duran Duran sounds like they’re having fun, like they remember what it means to actually be Duran Duran ..//.. All You Need Is Now isn’t Son of Rio, but it’s the best album Duran Duran has released since then.”

The Evigshed blog is equally happy:
“After getting lost on the way musically, the band is back with what they do best, their own romantic new wave 80s sound with a little electro pop / rock and a modern beat. Honestly, it’s awesome.”

Billy Manes from Orlando Weekly concludes the following about ‘All you need is now‘:
“The anthemic chorus lights up like all of the CGI fireworks in the classic ‘New Moon on Monday‘ video, floating on a bed of keyboards directly lifted from that very song. Duran Duran are back, and what’s more, they’re paying tribute to themselves.”

The album also called ‘All you need is now’ will come out two times – on the 21st of December 2010 exclusively on iTunes in a 9 track edition. Consequence of Sound (among others) has a tracklist. And then in the beginning of February 2011, the hardcover ‘real’ 12 track album comes out.

Needless to say – It’ll be part of my collection on that very day.

On the 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon – one of the greatest musicians since Mozart – Britain’s most successful band since The Beatles, Duran Duran, releases the first single ‘All you need is now‘ from their upcoming 13th album.

Coincidence or not I chose to look at it the same holostic way I’m sure John Lennon would have done – that it is all together a reminder of the fact that our own time on this planet is brief and that we all should enjoy and appreciate the ‘now’ much more. Because that’s really all you need!

‘All you need is now’-cover made by Clunie Reid

Enough of the overly philosophical discoursing here. Fact: They’ve done it again!

Duran Duran once again let a young musician into the studio to play. This time shooting star Mark Ronson was welcomed inside to produce.

May I just pay my undivided support and appreciation for that decision. Letting young guitarplayer Dom Brown in to pick up the plectrum after Andy Taylor, who left the band (again) a couple of years ago, was an excellent choice that showed exquisite taste. Later letting Justin Timberlake and Timbaland produce the latest album ‘Red Carpet Massacre‘, was perhaps one of the bravest decisions in many years, leading to a superior album. With Mark Ronson onboard this time the link to the next generation is made.

Let this be a reminder: This is the way to continuously develop an established sound, keeping it alive and interesting after 30 years. (If in doubt, ask David Bowie.)

‘All you need is now‘ is a hit! At least it should be. I’m sure the hardhitting synthetic intro will make a brilliant lift-off to every concert on a hopefully very long tour in 2011-12. One really needs to be very rhythmically disabled NOT to be jumping like a Mad Hatter with the rest of the crowd just one minute into the gig, singing the very melodic chorus:

and we will sway in the moon
the way we did when we were younger
(when we were younger)
when we told everbody
all you need is now

stay with the music let it
play a little longer
(a little longer)
we don’t need anybody
all you need is now

There can be absolutely no excuse for NOT giving this first single 5 of 5 stars. Although I have a strong feeling something even greater is in store for duranies around the world.

Stop reading – go fetch this piece of British brilliance on iTunes for free (at least in some regions) … now!

((Thanks to Simona Barberis for being such an angel – Grazie, Bella Donna))

The screen you often get when trying to view DD’s ‘Boys keep swinging’.

The culprit this time is LA-based Manimal Vinyl, who makes a double own goal. By NOT letting bloggers, Facebook-users, Twitters and fans et al spread the music, they hinder more knowledge of the David Bowie-tribute-album of witch the earnings go to ‘War Child‘ – a group of charity organisations helping children of war around the globe.

So thanks Manimal Vinyl for NOT working for the music
So thanks Manimal Vinyl for NOT working for the artists
So thanks Manimal Vinyl for NOT helping the children of war

I urge everybody to buy this album anyway and NOT let the children down!

Luckily there are exceptions. The recent David Bowie tribute album ‘We were so turned on‘ features a no less than excellent cover of ‘Boys keep swinging‘ by the outfit designed to make you party, Duran Duran.

And the reasons I find this good:

1) Duran Duran have their own unique sound – This cover sounds like a real Duran track.
2) This cover is made with great respect to the original piece by David Bowie.
3) This piece sounds like something that could have been a hit in 1979, when the song was originally published.
4) This piece sounds like something that could be a Top-10 hit next week.
5) The song holds this acute balance on the razor’s edge of 80′s synth and O2-arena live, that ties such a strong musical bond between then and now. It’s like the time didn’t pass anyway.
6) Nick Rhodes is one of the most gifted musical craftsmen of our time. Period! Don’t deny it, Nick.
7) And equally important – The album is for a great cause supporting ‘War Child‘.

Nick Rhodes on the Duran version of ‘Boys keep swinging’.

I’ve put in both tracks – the original (and best) Bowie version and the new (well done) Duran version. Enjoy both!

The 1979 David Bowie hit from the album ‘Lodger’.

The 2010 Duran Duran hit-to-be from tribute album ‘We were so turned on’ (nevermind about this unofficial video).

But Rhodes also comforts the many duranies around the world that 9 out of 12 songs are more or less complete and a new album is due in the beginning of 2011.

Nick Rhodes, by the way, turned 48 this tuesday. The day was celebrated by many fans in the virtual world of Second Life, where a list of 50 favorite songs picked by Nick were aired in the legendary Club Interference.

(Thanks to Peter Jones for the tip and the link)