By Nat Mingo
A plethora of events inspired this blog. We’re in the middle of summer. My days are filled with reading, Momma supporting, house cleaning, and ice cream/coffee jaunts. This is not how I envisioned this summer. Duran Duran very recently celebrated the 40 th anniversary of their first concert. I didn’t think we’d have a new album because of Duran time. But I did anticipate some summer, outdoor concerts. I even dared to blow the
dust off of my passport and consider attending the celebratory, London summer show with Nile. I imagined myself surrounded by sweaty, screaming, fellow music fans as we sang and danced. Alas, here we are. No concerts or new DD music are present (yet!).
Like so many of you, I’m making the best of this unique time. I finally joined Spotify; I am enjoying rediscovering some old tunes. My 70s self is embracing Toto, Journey, and Donna Summers music. My inner Rock Chick was chagrined that I forgot Bon Jovi made ‘Bad Medicine’. While I enjoy the endless variety of music, I’m not in love with the sound quality. Vinyl records were my first music vehicles. They have a warmth that Spotify can’t replicate. It could be due to the downloaded source material and/or my technology. I’m convinced these tunes weren’t made to be listened to through a computer. Such music was made for listeners to drop the needle on the vinyl and auditorily savor.
This vinyl adoration led me to my first Duran Duran LP encounter. I was ten years old and had saved my allowance to buy “Seven and the Ragged Tiger”. My Mom purchased the album for me from our local shopping mall. I remember her triumphantly brandishing the album and exclaiming, “Lucky you! It was on sale.” Sure enough, there was a bright neon sticker in the corner announcing its sale price. I shooed her out of
my bedroom, peeled away the plastic covering and went to my younger sister’s record player. My cool, high school attending older sister had her own room AND her own stereo. I shared a room with a toddler who had
her own plastic, Fisher-Price record player. Such is the life of a middle child. I sat cross legged on the floor and dropped the needle on the original version of ‘The Reflex’ (shudder). “This doesn’t sound like the music video!” my brain wailed. Fortunately, the next track, ‘New Moon on Monday’ gave me comfort. I played that record until dinnertime as the sun set. I was hooked!
Recently, the Daily Duranie has resurrected a 30 day challenge. Each day, a question is posed for fans to answer. I’m relishing the various responses; we all have our preferences. You will find one person who adores a song in the same thread as another who trashes it. May I confess that I’m struggling to participate in the challenge every day? I judge myself because a sliver of my identity is rooted in Duran Duran music. I have all the albums (some in multiple formats), attend as many concerts as I can, and digitally buy band paraphernalia so why can’t I think of a least favorite lyric?
As a result, I’m challenging myself to revisit Duran Duran’s catalog. I let iTunes randomly select Duran songs as I drive or attend to chores. I’ve rediscovered the hidden songs. These songs weren’t selected as a single or had a music video. Yet, they are the gems in between the singles. They add to the album’s overall mood. I created a summer playlist of my “ordinary” favorites. For brevity’s sake, I could only select 2 songs per album.
They are:
Only in Dreams
The Universe Alone
The Man Who Stole A Leopard
Too Bad You’re So Beautiful
The Valley
Tempted
One of Those Days
Astronaut
Playing With Uranium
Last Day on Earth
Big Bang Generation
So Long Suicide
Read My Lips
Breath After Breath
Sin of the City
Lay Lady Lay
I Wanna Take You Higher Again
Land
Drug (It’s Just a State of Mind)
Hold Me
Proposition
Shadows on Your Side
The Seventh Stranger
Hold Back the Rain
Last Chance on the Stairway
Friends of Mine
Anyone Out There
So, I learned that I like dreamy songs, and songs with strong bass lines and/or synths. I’m extending grace towards myself because this is part of being a fan of a band with a large music catalog. I appreciate fan blogs,
Google and YouTube to help me remember all the singles, videos and band trivia. I participate in challenges as I can. I cherish memories of album liners, flipping an album over to the B side, and needle scratches/crackles. I also hope you remember to appreciate your first Duran song, album, video, concert, etc. as we navigate this summer.
In Pop Perfection,
Nat
P.S. Someone should create a mug or shirt that says, “Needs More Synth”. I’d buy it.
