Duran Duran vs. Power Station vs. Arcadia

Don't forget that this was at a time (early to mid 80's) where Duran were considered a girls group and no male in my neck of the woods (Burnley in Lancashire) who wished to avoid beating on a daily basis would ever admit to liking them.

I listened a bit harder a few years later and some of their stuff, especially the first 2 albums was not as bad as I had expected but the things I liked best eg the bass and drums always seem to these ears to be much funkier and shinier on the Power station stuff.

Yeah, Power Station was the Arena Rock Chic. And I mark down today as a sad day: the day when people forgot how much they sucked.

What's he up to now? anyone know? (Tony Thompson, not Bowie!)

Oh dear.

A mate of mine bought that single. Obviously an Arcadia rarity. May be included as a bonus track if "So Red The Rose" is ever remastered, I guess. (Not that it represents them at their best anyway)

always loved tha tone that Nick has on "lady ice" that completely captures the sound of ice, imo. just picked up the new re-ish and am listening and liking.
yes, "say the word" is documented.

"The Promise" is still an opulent, obscene hoot.

Wow, this thing is huge. Did the world need three extended remixes of "Say the Word"?

I love the Arcadia album. There's a singles box set floating around the internet that is worth downloading.

i looked at that once and it was an insane amount of remixes. i could be wrong, but i don't think arcadia's remixes were so good i need 3 cd's worth

http://thequietus.com/articles/17506-coke-wet-arcadia-versus-the-power-station-by-simon-price

Another way in which the studio was remarkable, even by rock & roll standards, was the availability of Class As. John Taylor, whose own coke habit had reached the point of getting high during Duran Duran gigs, slotted in comfortably. "I'd never seen more drugs in my life," he later recalled. "The access to cocaine was unlimited." The studio even used a phoney bike courier service, through which 23 different types of drug could be ordered from a menu, attached to photographic sheets. The bassist's intake became so prodigious that Park Belvedere neighbour Boy George, no saint himself, mischievously left a silver tray piled high with white powder (actually sugar) outside Taylor and Simonsen's door. Andy Taylor, speaking to Goldmine magazine, was candid about the chaotic lifestyle the band were living: "We used to hang out down in the Village at Beebop and get whacked, do Power Station and fuck about. We were really living it up, spending $500 a night, just doing stupid things. It was just a massive party all the time. I don't know how we got any work done. It was great." John would put it more tersely: "1985. Nobody ate that year."

Ahhhh great article

Duran Duran, easily. The Arcadia/Power Station stuff does very little for me, but then the same could be said for the majority of post-Rio Duran Duran.

So Red the Rose and Notorious are both great. The drums on the 12" of Some Like It Hot are great.