Duran Duran (1993 album)
| Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Duran Duran | ||||
| Released | 11 February 1993 | |||
| Recorded | 1991–1993 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, pop rock, soft rock | |||
| Length | 63:34 | |||
| Label |
Capitol (US) Parlophone/EMI | |||
| Producer | John Jones and Duran Duran | |||
| Duran Duran chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Duran Duran | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (D)[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Duran Duran (commonly known as The Wedding Album) is the seventh studio album and the second self-titled album by Duran Duran, released on 11 February 1993.
After dwindling commercial success since the mid-1980s, Duran Duran returned to the UK Top Five and US Top Ten with this album, which has been certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in the US. The single "Ordinary World" also reached the UK and US top ten.
The cover art by Nick Egan features wedding photos from the parents of the four band members.[4]
Background
Recording of the album was completed in early 1992 with an impending release by Capitol Records in the United States. Duran Duran's new management company, Left Bank, was distressed at the apparent lack of enthusiasm for the album and had it pulled from the release schedule. Manager Tommy Manzi later told HitQuarters it was the industry that were unenthusiastic about the return of the band rather than the music consumer.[5] Manzi said that industry insiders "laughed at" Left Bank while they worked on reviving the careers of not only Duran Duran but also Meat Loaf because they would rather focus on "the next hip band" than perceived "old" acts.[5] As it happened, the album reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart, their highest charting album since 1983's Seven and the Ragged Tiger.
In the UK, three singles from the album reached the Top 40 including "Ordinary World" (#6), "Come Undone" (#13) and "Too Much Information" (#35). Four singles taken from the album charted in the US: "Ordinary World" (#3), "Come Undone" (#7), "Too Much Information" and "Drowning Man". "Breath After Breath", a collaboration with Milton Nascimento, was released only in Brazil, "None of the Above" in Japan and "Femme Fatale" (cover of The Velvet Underground song) in France. The song "Sin of the City" is about the Happy Land arson fire that killed 87 people trapped in an unlicensed social club in New York City on March 25, 1990.
During the hiatus while waiting for the album to be released, the band began working on what would become the Thank You album, and a Warren Cuccurullo-derived riff of "First Impression" led to the rapid inclusion of the song "Come Undone".
Frank Zappa (who died months later) and Lou Reed were collaborators in the post-production of the album.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Duran Duran, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Too Much Information" | 4:56 |
| 2. | "Ordinary World" | 5:39 |
| 3. | "Love Voodoo" | 4:58 |
| 4. | "Drowning Man" | 5:15 |
| 5. | "Shotgun" | 0:54 |
| 6. | "Come Undone" | 4:38 |
| 7. | "Breath After Breath" (Duran Duran, Milton Nascimento) | 4:58 |
| 8. | "UMF" | 5:33 |
| 9. | "Femme Fatale" (Lou Reed) | 4:21 |
| 10. | "None of the Above" | 5:19 |
| 11. | "Shelter" | 4:25 |
| 12. | "To Whom It May Concern" (lyrics by Nick Rhodes) | 4:24 |
| 13. | "Sin of the City" | 7:14 |
| Japan bonus tracks | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Time for Temptation" (alternate version) | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Stop Dead" (edit) | 3:52 |
| Bonus disc (UK Tour Edition) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Falling Angel" | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Stop Dead" | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Time for Temptation" | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Come Undone" (12" mix - Comin' Together) | 7:21 |
| 5. | "Ordinary World" (acoustic version) | 5:07 |
| 6. | "Too Much Information" (David Richards 12" mix) | 4:14 |
Personnel
- Simon Le Bon – vocals
- Warren Cuccurullo – acoustic and electric guitars
- Nick Rhodes – keyboards
- John Taylor – bass guitar
- Steve Ferrone – drums on tracks 1 ("Too Much Information") & 2 ("Ordinary World") and percussion on track 10 ("Femme Fatale")
Additional Personnel
- John Jones – co-producer, engineer, programming, keyboards, guitar, vocals
- Milton Nascimento – vocals on track 7 ("Breath After Breath")
- Vinnie Colaiuta – drums on track 7 ("Breath After Breath")
- Dee Long - additional keyboards on track 11 ("Shelter")
- Bosco – percussion on track 7 ("Breath After Breath")
- Lamya – backing vocals on track 3 ("Love Voodoo")
- Tessa Niles – backing vocals on track 6 ("Come Undone")
- Karen Hendrix & Jack Merigg – vocal samples on track 4 ("Drowning Man")
- Fergus Gerrand – drums
Production
- Produced by Duran Duran and John Jones, except "Come Undone" and "Femme Fatale" produced by Duran Duran
- All instruments and vocals recorded by John Jones, except "Femme Fatale" (recorded by Tony Taverner) and drums on all tracks, which were recorded by Tony Taverner and assisted by Stuart Every
- Mixed by David Richards, except "Drowning Man" and "Femme Fatale" (mixed by David Leonard) and "Shotgun" (mixed by Duran Duran and John Jones)
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Entertainment Weekly review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ "REFLECTIONS ON DURAN DURAN’S “THE WEDDING ALBUM”". www.DuranDuran.com. 20 February 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- 1 2 "Interview With Tommy Manzi". HitQuarters. 7 May 2001. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
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