Arena is a live album by Duran Duran, originally released worldwide in 1984 and reissued with two bonus tracks in 2004.

Contents 1 Background 2 Further events 3 Other live material 4 Track listing 4.1 1984 release 4.2 2004 Reissue 5 Singles 6 Personnel 7 Comments

BackgroundEdit

To cap off the band's highly successful 1983/1984 "Sing Blue Silver" World Tour, EMI released a live album, which according to the sleeve was "Recorded Around The World 1984".

The album featured most of the band's big hits in a live environment, as well as some album tracks from Rio (1982) and Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), and a new studio track "The Wild Boys" produced by Nile Rodgers, who had previously remixed the single "The Reflex".

"The Wild Boys" single was issued with six separate covers - one featuring each individual band member and one of the band collectively.

At the time of release, critics were suspicious that the mix was too polished for a live album, as most of the audience was muted. The unique song arrangements and adlibs like "Is anybody hungry?" indicated that this was indeed a live effort.

Other criticism arose from the omission of some of the band's biggest songs like "The Reflex", "Girls On Film" and "Rio". However, Arena still managed to peak at #6 in the UK (November 24) and #4 in the US (December 1)

The album was eventually re-issued June 1, 2004 and included two bonus tracks "Girls On Film" and "Rio".

Arena would be the only full-length live Duran Duran release until the 2003 Encore series of official bootleg recordings from shows in Japan and the West Coast of the USA.

Further eventsEdit

Capitalising on the band's success, EMI turned the album's release into a multimedia event. The concert film Arena (An Absurd Notion) on long form VHS was quickly followed by "The Making of Arena". These videos featured Duran Duran performing live in Oakland, California between April 12/15 1984 while Milo O'Shea reprised his role as the evil Dr. Durand Durand from Barbarella (film) (1968).

The Arena video also featured the extended video for "The Wild Boys", as directed by Russell Mulcahy. It was meant to be a teaser for a full-length feature film of the same name, based on the 1971 novel The Wild Boys: A Book Of The Dead by William S. Burroughs. The film was never made.

Also released during this period for the Arena multi-media event was the "Duran Duran Game - Into The Arena", a series of collectible cards, the tour documentary Sing Blue Silver and a book about the tour featuring photography by Denis O'Regan, also called Sing Blue Silver. Both the Sing Blue Silver documentary and the Arena film were reissued on DVD in 2004; the Arena DVD features "The Making of Arena" as an extra.

Other live materialEdit

Two further live cuts from the 1984 world tour were released as B-sides to singles in 1984: "New Religion (Live in LA)" on the North American single for "The Reflex" and the live "Cracks in the Pavement (1984)" on "The Wild Boys".

"New Religion" was recorded February 9 at The Forum in Los Angeles, and "Cracks in the Pavement" was recorded at the 5 March 1984 show at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, at the same concert where the video for "The Reflex" was filmed.

Track listingEdit

1984 releaseEdit

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

1. "Is There Something I Should Know?" – 4:34
2. "Hungry Like The Wolf" – 4:01
3. "New Religion" – 5:37
4. "Save A Prayer" – 6:12
5. "The Wild Boys" – 4:18
6. "The Seventh Stranger" – 5:05
7. "The Chauffeur" – 5:23
8. "Union Of The Snake" – 4:09
9. "Planet Earth" – 4:31
10. "Careless Memories" – 4:07

2004 ReissueEdit

All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.

1. "Is There Something I Should Know?" – 4:34
2. "Hungry Like The Wolf" – 4:01
3. "New Religion" – 5:37
4. "Save A Prayer" – 6:12
5. "The Wild Boys" – 4:18
6. "The Seventh Stranger" – 5:05
7. "The Chauffeur" – 5:23
8. "The Union Of The Snake" – 4:09
9. "Planet Earth" – 4:31
10. "Careless Memories" – 4:07
11. "Girls On Film" – 5:59
12. "Rio" – 5:55

SinglesEdit

• "The Wild Boys" (October 1984)
• "Save A Prayer (Live from the Arena)" (January 1985)

PersonnelEdit

Duran Duran are:

• Simon Le Bon - vocals
• Nick Rhodes - keyboards
• John Taylor - bass guitar
• Roger Taylor - drums
• Andy Taylor - guitar

With:

• Andy Hamilton - saxophone
• Raphael Dejesus - percussion
• B.J. Nelson - backing vocals
• Charmaine Burch - backing vocals

Also credited [Live material]:

• Jason Corsaro - engineer and mixer
• George Tutko - engineer
• Duran Duran - producer

Also credited ["The Wild Boys"]:

• Nile Rodgers - producer
• Jason Corsaro - engineer and mixer
• Sleeve produced by Assorted Images

• Outer photography by Mike Owen

DURAN DURAN

Simon Le Bon • Nick Rhodes • John Taylor • Roger Taylor Andy Taylor • Warren Cuccurullo • Sterling Campbell

DISCOGRAPHY

ALBUMS

Duran Duran • Rio • Seven and the Ragged Tiger • Arena • Notorious • Big Thing • Liberty • Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) • Thank You • Medazzaland • Pop Trash • Astronaut • Red Carpet Massacre

COMPILATIONS and EP's

Carnival • Decade: Greatest Hits • Greatest • Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran • Strange Behaviour • Singles Box Set 1981-1985 • Singles Box Set 1986-1995

SINGLES

"Planet Earth" • "Careless Memories" • "Girls on Film" • "My Own Way" • "Hungry Like the Wolf" • "Save a Prayer" • "Rio"• "Is There Something I Should Know?" • "Union of the Snake" • "New Moon on Monday" • "The Reflex" • "The Wild Boys" • "A View to a Kill" • "Notorious" • "Skin Trade" • "Meet El Presidente" • "I Don't Want Your Love" • "All She Wants Is" • "Do You Believe in Shame?" • "Burning the Ground" • "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" • "Serious" • "Ordinary World" • "Come Undone" • "Too Much Information" • "Perfect Day" • "White Lines" • "Out of My Mind" • "Electric Barbarella" • "Someone Else Not Me" • "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise" • "What Happens Tomorrow" • "Nice" • "Falling Down"

RELATED BANDS

Arcadia • Power Station • Neurotic Outsiders • The Devils

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