Durantime has been a major topic of discussion lately. The debate, like many in Duranland, is full of complexity and cannot be broken into a simple Durantime is good and healthy vs. Durantime is bad and unhealthy. Part of this debate, though, even unsaid, is based on the idea of how much time is too much time. In thinking about this myself, I realized that there isn’t actual information about what Durantime or Duran downtime has been like in the past. Thus, I thought it would benefit all of us in actually compiling that information. I know having information, facts, together helps me in my thinking and maybe it will help you, too, in drawing some conclusions about the current Durantime.
First, it seems to me that one should look at touring, as that is a big event that gets a lot of fans excited. We all know that Duran has taken breaks from touring, but how long have the breaks been and when? To answer that question, I referred to dd. com’s complete tour list and here is what I found.
Tours or individual dates took place in the following years: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992 (2 dates), 1993, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 (private/corporate), 2011, and 2012.
The longest time in between tours was 3 years from 1984-1987 and 3 years from 1989-1992. That said, 1985 saw a tour from Power Station. Perhaps, that should not count as 3 years then. Then, we know that they did not tour after Liberty. We can then debate that this was a good choice or not. Interesting that their longest time in between tours, STILL featured a new album, still had Duran news. Since the reunion in 2003, the band has toured every year since then until 2013. If they don’t tour until 2015, this will the longest stretch since 1989-1992.
Beyond touring, how long has it been between albums or album release dates
Self-titled debut album: June 1981
Rio: May 1982 (11 months after last one)
Seven and the Ragged Tiger: November 1983 (1 year and 6 months after last one)
Notorious: November 1986 (3 years after last one–although Power Station and Arcadia happened in between)
Big Thing: October 1988 (1 year and 11 months after the last one)
Liberty: August 1990 (1 year and 10 months after the last one)
The Wedding Album: February 1993 (2 years and 6 months after the last one)
Thank You: April 1995 (1 year and 10 months after the last one)
Medazzaland: October 1997 (2 years and 6 months after the last one)
Pop Trash: June 2000 (2 years and 8 months after the last one)
Astronaut: October 2004 (4 years and 4 months after the last one)
Red Carpet Massacre: November 2007 (3 years and 1 month after the last one)
All You Need Is Now: December 2010 (digital release) (3 years and 1 month after the last one)
Based on this information, the longest the band has gone between albums is 4 years and 4 months with Astronaut. Obviously, I will point out that this is when the Simon, Nick and Warren version of the band ended and the original five reunited. 4 years and 4 months from All You Need Is Now will be April 2015. On average, though, the band has taken 29 months or a little less than 2 and a half years to release a new album. We are past that, at this point.
Does this information clarify the discussion of Durantime? Does it help you make sense of people’s perspectives? Of yours?
-A
As someone mentioned on Facebook – we should probably point out that while many of the dates on dd.com include years where there was a full-blown tour happening, still others contained just a few scattered dates, or as I call them “mini-tours”. The point being of course that there were still shows in these years of some sort.
-R
Thanks for doing the legwork on this!
July ’85 was Live Aid. Not that it was a DD-only show, but they did perform as a band.
That’s true. I didn’t mention because it was such a unique deal. -A
I really do not understand what the big deal is about Durantime, we’ve all been through this before, and should be used to it by now. In regards to the current Durantime, has anyone considered the fact that the guys are several years older than most of us, and they just might be taking things a little easier these days? I love the music of Duran Duran, and I respect the band members, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder just how much you other Duranies really CARE about them. They have families, friends, and yes they are much older now and need to look after their health more these days, but all I hear from my sister Duranies is how much you can’t wait for the next album and tour. Yes, we are the ones who made them rich and famous, but that does not give us the right to disturb them when they are out with their families, engaging in any other personal activities, or to expect them to be “On” all of the time. They are human beings and they NEED down time to, just like the rest of us. So, be patient the album will be released when they are finished with it, and no sooner. And to think I’m saying this about patients, because my friends know that I am one of the least patient people they know.
Let me see if I am following you. Are you saying that I don’t care about the band members as people? Is that what you are accusing me of? Really? First of all, there is nothing in this post that would indicate anything of the sort. I posted facts. Dates. Information about their careers. I didn’t so much as say ANYTHING here in terms of what I think about Durantime. In fact, I stated that the debate about it is COMPLEX. I have also never uttered one single word along the lines of “we are the ones you made them rich and famous” in this blog or anything else that I have written. Yes, a couple of weeks ago, I talked about Durantime and how times in between albums can cause some fans to leave IF they do not have connections with other fans, which I made clear in last week’s post. The point there was to talk about the importance of friendship in fandom–something you have pointed out yourself.
-A
With all due respect, Feywynn, nothing Amanda posted today would indicate that she didn’t care, and all one needs to do to assure themselves that our hearts are in the right place is read any of the 1300 other blogs we’ve ever written, and I completely resent the implication otherwise. We bring things up for discussion here, it is what we do, and this is one topic of many hundred that we allow people to weigh in on. Do we care about them as people? I am surprised that you feel the need to ask, if you are in fact as you say…a friend. -R
I read their blog very differently than you did apparently. I saw it as a listing of data, showing when tours and albums occurred, and that’s it. I saw no emotion, no nagging, no telling them they need to drop their lives and go on tour for our sake. I think they actually did the band a service by helping to show what the reality is when it feels so much longer to us with the anticipation we have.
My goal really was to give those facts, in order for everyone to be on the same page with the discussion or the debate. Too much of the discussion is about people’s perceptions rather than what actually happened.
-A
Ronda, & Amanda, what I posted was not meant as a reply to today’s blog, but as a comment on why was such a post needed in the first place. This was not an attack on either of you. What I posted was very much in response to those who seem to think the band should be continually producing new albums, or constantly on tour. It’s because of all the griping from others about how long they are taking to record the current album, and of course how that will delay their touring, that this particular blog post was inspired just to show the durations of previous Durantimes in relation to the current one. My post was for those Duranies, who like 5yr old children want the new album and tour, and they want it NOW! We are all adults, supposedly mature adults, but most of what I’ve been reading online from other Duranies reads like the kind of things we said as teenagers in between albums. And though you two ladies do not think this way about the band it appears that many other Duranies do, that just because we buy their albums that they should always be “On” for us, and bow to the wishes of their fans. I apologize if your were offended by my post, as I mentioned it was not an attack on either of you two wonder ladies. I love this blog, and what it is about, and I wish both of you many years of happy blogging.
I promised myself that I would not continue responding on this subject – but I will make one last post simply to respond to you, Feywynn. What you probably don’t realize is that we had many, many responses to this blog on FB, and your response was one seen after an entire day of less-than-wonderful responses. However, you did word it as “You Duranies”…and I took that to mean, well…us. No matter, I’m not one for carrying grudges or making simple misunderstandings into world wars, and as always, my bark is MUCH worse than my bite anyway. I did read it as more of a slap on our wrist than you may have meant, and for that – I apologize for making assumptions. -R
No apologies needed, I am sorry that you ladies were inundated with so much negativity, and that my post add to that negativity. Like I mentioned in my first post, I am not a patient person never have been, so all of the constant griping from other Duranies about how long the band is taking with the new album is beginning to grate on my nerves. Especially since like I also mentioned, we have all been through this many times before, and should be accustomed to it after 30yrs. Plus, I do worry about the fact that the guys are getting older, and I am concerned about their health and well being. So, yeah it kind of ticks me off that it seems like so few of our Duranie sisters care about the guys enough to want them to take care of themselves even if it means fewer shows or tours. Honestly I have nothing but Love for you you two ladies, and wish you nothing but the best. Bless you both.
Keeping in mind all the different personalities (so, the contributions vs. the problems that the different egos have brought in so far) in the line-ups in the years, keeping in mind the resources they could have the accss to in the studios they worked in so far, Duran-time in my view/perspective, is a humanly right schedule.
Our fandom is hot and I’m aware there are more patient people than others, so I can, in part, understand,”people’s” perspective,
Good day! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group?
There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content.
Please let me know. Thank you
Hi there – of course, share away! -R
Aw, this was a really nice post. Taking the time and actyual effort to create a really good article… but what can I say… I
hesitate a whole lot and never manage to gget nearly anything done.