Duran Duran Astronaut

With all of the changes and upheavals in the pop music industry, is it possible for lightning to strike thrice? In Duran Duran’s case it already has. While the band has continued with differing lineups over the years (to varying degrees of success), the original band line-up of Simon LeBon, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor have reunited and produced “Astronaut”, their first studio album since 1983. And while 21 years in the pop music scenario might as well be centuries, the band sounds as if they have never stopped playing. In fact, “Astronaut” is easily their most ebullient record in many years.

From the very first note, it becomes apparent that no one comes close, although many still try, to successfully cross dance floor rhythms with rock and roll bravado.  For shear pop perfection, simply listen to the refrains of the jubilant first single “(Reach Up For The) Sunrise ”, the naughty “Bedroom Toys” or the electro-funk workout of “Want You More”.  And just to make sure you don’t stop the “body rock”, the band throws in the effervescent “Nice”, “Astronaut”, and “Taste The Summer”. These six songs beautifully showcase the powerful rhythm section of the unrelated Taylors, John, Andy and Roger. Between John’s throbbing, buoyant bass lines and Andy’s sophisticated yet funky guitar playing, “Astronaut” simply crackles with enough energy to power New York City for months.

That covers the “upbeat” side of things but “Astronaut” is very much a double-sided coin as the second half of the album is far more mature sounding than the earlier tracks and reminiscent of the 90’s era Duran. “Finest Hour” and “Chains” are simply stunning and high points of the album with their soaring, dramatic choruses.  Vocalist Simon LeBon has never sounded better and on “Chains” John Taylor shows why he so highly revered in the bass-playing community – he simply dominates this track!  As previewed on their 2003 tour, “What Happens Tomorrow”, with its optimistic message of hope in these uncertain times, is highly moving anthem; or at least it was. Drowned in slick production, the song has lost the sense of urgency it had when played live – and what happened to Andy Taylor’s backing vocals? As his classic solo album “Thunder” amply showed, Mr. Taylor is a great singer himself but is nowhere to be found on this track, which is a shame, his vocal work was an integral part of this track. They even chopped his already short but lyrical guitar solo down even further! For those who are not familiar with the aforementioned live track – you will probably not find this a hindrance; it IS a great song after all.

So, is it like 1983 all over again?  Simply put – no, the band has never been one to rest on past achievements, despite what the press has mentioned in the past. One of the best things about “Astronaut” is that it also leaves one with the sense that they are moving ahead, that the next record will in a totally different place, perhaps a bit more experimental than they are here. For now, Duran Duran has produced a fine album that smartly pays tribute to their past but does not wallow in it.

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Release Date: October 12, 2004
Tracks: 12 - Time: 49:06
Produced by: Don Gilmore, Dallas Austin & Duran Duran
Format: CD
Website: www.duranduran.com

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Duran Duran:

Simon LeBon - Vocals
John Taylor - Bass
Roger Taylor - Drums
Andy Taylor - Guitar
Nick Rhodes - Keyboards