Now, that we have finished reviewing the album, track-by-track, we thought it would be good to provide our thoughts about the album as a whole.
Amanda’s thoughts:
I will never forget the first time I heard the album and I will never forget watching or listening to other people hear the album for the first time. For me, I openly admit that I was a big puddle of goo by the fourth song the first time I heard it with tears falling down my face. It just felt so classically Duran to me. At that time, I didn’t analyze why it felt like them but it did. Then, I got to witness two other Duranie friends hear the album for the first time in person and a third Duranie friend via text messaging. The two Duranies who heard the album in person matched my reaction. One was in tears and the other kept saying that she had goosebumps. Interestingly enough, my friend who was texting me during his first listen also said that he had goosebumps. Ah…I thought to myself, this is it. This is exactly what we had all been waiting for. Our band is back.
Now, since then, I have had the chance to listen to the album over and over again. I have analyzed each song for the qualities we rate: musicality, vocals, lyrics, and production. Based on that, I understood that the album had everything I think of when it comes to the best Duran Duran albums. It features solid instrumentation that stayed consistent between ballads, fast numbers and everything in between. All instruments were present with each one getting its share in the spotlight depending on the song or part of song. Simon’s vocals were excellent throughout. He was clear and sang with a passion that has been lost, in my opinion, in the last few years. It was like Simon had been going through the motions and now was fully engaged again. The same could be said for the whole band. As for his lyrics, I can’t imagine better ones. In all honesty, these might be the strongest lyrics I have heard from him (and others) in decades. The production and mixing seemed solid. Obviously, Mark Ronson has got to receive a great deal of credit here. He was able to bring the band back to life and remind them of who they are and who they could be. Overall, this album features some tremendous songwriting and has made me very proud to be a Duranie once again.
It will be interesting to hear what the additional tracks sound like once the physical album is released next month. If they are anything like these nine, I think we are all in for a real treat. Is this album perfect? No, I obviously didn’t rate each track worthy of 5 cocktails, but I also didn’t hate any of the songs. To find another Duran album that is the equivalent, I would have to go back to those first two albums. This album, like those early albums, becomes greater by grouping the songs together as a WHOLE album. The whole is definitely larger than the sum of its parts, which isn’t saying that it doesn’t have solid parts because it does.
I think that the band should be absolutely proud of what they have accomplished here. I think it is a truly special album and one worth celebrating for years to come!
Rhonda’s turn:
Rather than rehashing what I’ve said throughout the reviews on this album, I just want to touch on a few areas that I found to be the most definitive for this project.
Throughout the entire album, I continue to say that it is so nice to be able to actually hear ALL of the instruments. This album isn’t even remotely close to being pure electronica, but on the same token – it isn’t your basic rock album either. What made Duran Duran a standout band back in the 1980’s is the way that no one member stands over and above anyone else. Nick’s keyboards are no less important to the band than Roger’s drums, John’s bass or the guitar, and vice-versa. Some songs may feature keyboards more than others, and some songs may have a really funky bassline. This is the first album in many years that I’ve been able to sit back and say “Yes, this is definitely Duran Duran.” It’s not just Simon’s voice that makes it recognizable as the band, it’s the way the chords are played, the lyrics, and the way that the songs come together.
I think that the writing throughout the album is especially strong. On previous albums of late, I’ve wondered how some songs have made it to the final record – being filled with lots of “oh yeah’s” and “do-do-do’s”. Seemed like time wasting filler, to be brutally honest, and it’s not that I don’t think the songs were good – it’s really that I felt the band was capable of doing far more. In the case of All You Need Is Now, they’ve really stayed true to what I believe was the original intention of the band as a whole. They’re a pop band, and they’ve embraced that. Finally. Sing it loud and proud, boys – because you’ve earned that. In several interviews as of late I’ve heard Nick suggest that this music on this album is more of an experimental pop. I’m not sure I can totally agree with him (or rather, I’m not sure I can say I understand what he means in order to agree), I just know that whatever it is, I like it.
So the question of the hour becomes, is this really an album that can stand up to Rio? Is Rio truly one of the bookend, or pinnacle albums of the bands’ career? To many in the fan community – it’s the “be all, end all”. I’m not sure that I want to give that much “power” to an album that is back so far in the band’s career, to be honest. Yes, it’s a great album, and I’m sure that the casual fan can name a few songs off of that one album – so I’ll give them that. I think my issue with saying it’s truly the proper follow-up to Rio is that there HAVE been real gems along the way (although Ordinary World and Come Undone are not on my list of gems, as they might be yours…), and I hate the idea of casting all of that work aside just to be able to say that Rio was *the* album to live up to. Talk about having a ghost in your past….the band have certainly been carrying around this ghost for a long time now. I almost want to just say, “Yep, this was the album that should have followed Rio. You’ve done it!” just so that way we can all get past it and move forward from this point. That tends to short change the album though, because this album does anything and everything but live in the past. There is no question that while this album has very firm footing in the catalog of Duran Duran, it was an album made in 2010, not 1985. That’s why I really do stop short of saying that it’s the album that should have been made 25 years ago – it really never could have been.
For this fan, All You Need Is Now is a nearly perfect Duran Duran album in almost every way. That no more makes it a “son of Rio” than Red Carpet Massacre, and I applaud that. We had to wait a very long time for an album like this one to be made, and yet it was worth every second we waited. I believe that this album will come to be one of the true benchmarks of their career, and yet another album to which all others will be compared. Most importantly, it’s an album that brought life back into a band that seemed to be on it’s way out a few years back, and that alone makes me want to stand up and applaud.
