What makes the perfect James Bond theme song? It’s got to have some sex in it, for sure. It needs an air of sophistication about it (taking about half of the actual Bond themes out of the running). Modern, yet a hint of old school as well. A bonus if you can reference the original Bond theme somehow. A Bond theme should stand on its own as a great tune, but it should also evoke and become an essential facet of the film, it needs to evoke the Bond character in all of his complexity. Many fans would pick Shirley Bassey’s brassy, bombastic “Goldfinger.” 70’s fans will, I’m sure, go to Paul McCartney’s great “Live and Let Die.” But I maintain that the perfect Bond song is Duran Duran’s “A View To a Kill.” It was also the only #1 charting song for the band, and the highest charting Bond song out of 22 movies so far. We can set aside the fact that the actual film was the absolute nadir of the series. (Fun fact for ANCIANT: the Christopher Walken role almost went to David Bowie).
Back to the song. In a brief 3:40, Duran Duran delivers a punchy, seductive, sophisticated, groovy tune full of action and sex that sounds modern (for its time, the mid-1980’s) yet gives a sly nod to older influences (bonus points for creatively throwing in the original Bond theme). At their very best, that is Duran Duran. Seductive, sophisticated and full of punchy pop grooves that can fill a dance floor. The flip side to that is that they are often not at their best, but they hit that peak enough to qualify them as a great band. In fact, they are one of the greatest pop bands of the last thirty years. Often lost in the mascara, feathered hair and screaming teenage girls is the fact that they are excellent musicians. John Taylor is such a great bassist, playing buoyant, funk-inflected bass lines, while Nick Rhodes creates massive synth soundscapes as underrated, estranged guitarist Andy Taylor weaves in lithe and crisp riffs and rhythms.
Returning to my theme of perfection, Duran Duran created the perfect 80’s specimen with 1982’s Rio. I am sure that my readers recall my Favorite 100 Albums List from a couple of years back, where Rio made its appearance at #15. Here is what I wrote then about Rio:
“[Rio] defines a certain period of the 80’s…glitzy, superficial, dangerous, fun, excessive. But as with much of Duran Duran’s material, what on the surface may seem slight synthesizer pop, there is an interesting undercurrent of unease and melancholy. These guys were much better musicians than their detractors give them credit for (especially bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor), and Rio is their seminal release. It remains as glitzy and as listenable today as it was when it was released. The title track and “Hungry Like the Wolf” are both classic 80’s glam singles, accompanied by iconic music videos. But the album tracks are just as interesting, such as the brooding Roxy Music-ish “The Chauffeur” and “Lonely In Your Nightmare.” The highlight is “Save a Prayer,” which captures what is great about Duran Duran and also the essence of 80’s excess culture, it is both glamorous and wistful, and full of sweet regret. It is easy to make glamorous pop singles about the wild night on the town, but harder to write them about the morning after. DD simultaneously captures the seductive hedonism of 80’s excess and the consequences only fully understood on the day after. Even further, the song is ambiguous enough to where the listener is not sure whether Simon le Bon, even knowing the consequences, would have done anything differently.”
ABOVE: Even the Nagel-designed album cover for Rio is perfect 80's
What To Listen To:
Debut Duran Duran is a landmark recording of the New Romantic movement, and features some wonderful mood pieces in the second half that would make Brian Eno proud. As discussed above, Rio is their peak. Seven and the Ragged Tiger rounds out the “classic” period, and while not as great as the first two records, it still has many worthwhile tracks. Duran Duran, phase 2 started out promisingly with the Nile Rodgers-produced, dance-oriented Notorious. Duran Duran (aka The Wedding Album) was a surprising comeback in the early 90’s, featuring more adult-oriented pop, highlighted by the gorgeous pair of singles, “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone.” Some of their side projects are worth searching out. John Taylor and Andy Taylor joined forces with Robert Palmer for a couple of albums under the name The Power Station. The debut is good. At the same time, Nick Rhodes, Simon le Bon and Duran drummer Roger Taylor recorded their one-off side project record under the name Arcadia, and the record is called So Red the Rose. That is really worth finding, it is moody and excellent. Since they were the consummate pop band, Duran is well represented on a good compilation. Greatest is the greatest of them. Also, it is well worth it to download the debut, Rio and Seven and the Ragged Tiger from iTunes, because for a great price they have the expanded, super-duper, deluxe, remastered editions, featuring their often outstanding b-sides and remixes as bonus tracks. In my view, Duran had the best remixes of any band of the 80’s, beating out even Depeche Mode or New Order. Look for the “Night Versions,” those are the best remixes of their early songs.
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