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Notorious

Album-notoriousaa

album by Duran Duran
Released 18 November 1986
27 September 2010
(Special Editions)
Recorded 1986
Genre Rock, funk rock, new wave, dance-rock
Length 46:56 minutes
Label Capitol, EMI
Producer(s) Duran Duran
Nile Rodgers
Duran Duran

Notorious is the fourth studio album by Duran Duran, released by Capitol-EMI on 18 November 1986.

About the album[]

The making of Notorious during 1986 was a difficult time for Duran Duran. The band had planned for a much-needed break after the success of their 1984 world tour, but all of the band members had ended up working on one of two side projects - the hard-rock collective of The Power Station in early 1985, and the atmospheric Arcadia project in late '85/early '86. When it came time to record the new Duran Duran album, they found that drummer Roger Taylor was too exhausted to continue in the music business, while guitarist Andy Taylor had developed taste for the spotlight, as well as for a harder, more guitar-heavy sound than the rest of Duran Duran was prepared to pursue.

During this period, the band also began to act as their own management, having dismissed brothers Paul and Michael Berrow who had shepherded them through their first five years. Arrangements for the forthcoming Strange Behaviour Tour which kicked off in March 1987, as well as the tensions with Taylor, are recounted in the documentary Three To Get Ready.

The band gradually coaxed Andy Taylor back from Los Angeles to the UK in order to begin playing on the album, but personal and creative disputes continued and much of the communication was carried on by lawyers, until Taylor finally withdrew from the band. It is rumoured that Andy went so far as to try and stop the band from continuing with using the Duran Duran name; since that time the band ensured that the name is wholly owned by co-founding member Nick Rhodes.

During this time, Andy began jamming with members of Los Angeles pop band Missing Persons who were in the midst of breaking up. Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, noting that Taylor didn't intend to return to Duran Duran, offered his services to them instead. They hired him as a sessions and tour guitarist; he would later become a full member of the band in 1989.

The remaining three original band members, Rhodes, Le Bon and John Taylor continued working on the new album with Cuccurullo and producer Nile Rodgers (himself a guitarist from his days in Chic) providing the remaining guitar work. Incidentally, with material from three guitarists, the band has since found it difficult to tell what guitarist ended up playing on what finished track. Sessions drummer Steve Ferrone took Roger Taylor's place behind the drum kit.

Side-project influences[]

In light of everything the band had experienced since the release of Seven and the Ragged Tiger, one might say that the development of Notorious' sound was an obvious direction, especially due to the fact that the band's last two hit singles "The Wild Boys" and the James Bond theme "A View to a Kill" were much "heavier" in style but were nevertheless worldwide smash hits. "The Wild Boys" was also produced by Nile Rodgers, who had been a spectator during his long-time production partner Bernard Edwards' work on the brass-heavy Power Station album, as well.

With three years between the release of Seven and the Ragged Tiger and Notorious, the band used the added experience garnered from their work with Arcadia and The Power Station, and the many gifted musicians they had encountered (Edwards, Robert Palmer, Dave Gilmour, etc.).

For a large part of 1986, Arcadia was still very much on the radar for Le Bon and Rhodes as the final single from So Red The Rose, "The Flame" was released in July. The video featured a cameo by John Taylor coming out of a closet with a contract to sign. Fans have debated whether this was a thinly veiled dig at the situation with Andy Taylor at the time.

The final Arcadia release, "Say The Word", from the Playing For Keeps soundtrack was released in late September, a mere month before the release of the "Notorious" single.

The Notorious album has a number of tracks titled after Alfred Hitchcock movies. In addition to the album and lead single named for the movie Notorious", there was also "Vertigo" and "Rope", the original title for the demo that became "Hold Me".

Andy Taylor's Participation[]

Andy played on 4 tracks for the album. According to some interviews, Andy Taylor was involved in a lot of early sessions. Although no one remembers which songs feature Andy, a track is available on andytaylor.com, in which Andy plays guitar and sings vocals for "A Matter of Feeling". In an interview with Taylor's replacement Warren Cuccurullo in the 00s, Cucurrullo stated that Taylor played the first guitar solo of 'American Science' with Cuccurullo playing the second making it a situation where both guitarists feature on a Duran track. Warren confirms he eventually filled in on five tracks, “Hold Me, Skin Trade, American Science, Vertigo and Proposition, those are the ones I played on.”

Song Development Credits[]

Song Title Guitars
Notorious Nile
American Science Nile (rhythm), Andy 1st solo, Warren 2nd solo
Skin Trade Nile (rhythm), Warren played the bridge
A Matter of Feeling Andy, Nile
Hold Me Andy, Warren
Vertigo Warren, Andy played the bridge
So Misled Nile
Meet El Presidente Nile
Winter Marches On Nile
Proposition Nile, Warren
We Need You John

Chart position[]

The album peaked at #16 in the UK and #12 in the US.

Singles[]

The singles "Notorious" and "Skin Trade" demonstrated a Duran Duran reaching for white funk, heavy on bass and brass. The gap between previous efforts and the new one, however, was hard to handle for the greater part of the fan base, since the album left the well-worn path of the successful euro-dance-pop of earlier days.

The album's first single "Notorious" did very well in the US peaking at #2 and on their homeground reaching #7. It was the first single to be released with a second, remix 12" single, led off by a remix by The Latin Rascals.

"Skin Trade" was a Bowie-flavored track notable for Simon singing in a Prince-like falsetto, as well as featuring The Borneo Horns quite heavily, culminating in a very un-Duran Duran sound. John Taylor has since been quoted as saying that his disillusion with the charts began when "Skin Trade" peaked at #22.

"Skin Trade" had its sleeve banned in several countries, as it featured an airbrushed naked female buttock. In the UK, the single was released in a plain red sleeve with the Notorious-era Duran wording along the top. In certain markets, like Canada and France, the bare buttock sleeve was used.

To commemorate the band's 1987 tour, several promo-only remixes were commissioned for "Skin Trade", including the "Parisian Mix" and the "S.O.S. Dub". These were initially released on a US-only promo 12" single with mixes of "Meet El Presidente" on the flip-side.

"Meet El Presidente", released to coincide with the tour in April 1987 reached #24 in the charts. It was their first single to be released on CD (catalogue number CD TOUR 1). The CD single featured all the tracks from the 12".

To drum up further interest in the album, a collection of otherwise unavailable remixes was released on a double promo 12" pack called Master Mixes in Asia, Brazil, Hong Kong and the USA. Rumour has it the remixes were commissioned for a possible fourth single (either "Vertigo" or "American Science"), but this release was shelved as the singles for "Skin Trade" and "Meet El Presidente" didn't do so well in the charts.

All in all, this new funkier sound was not the Duran Duran the public wanted to hear, not to mention the critics which were anything but friendly to the band from the beginning.

Track listing[]

  1. "Notorious" - 4:18
  2. "American Science" - 4:43
  3. "Skin Trade" - 5:57
  4. "A Matter of Feeling" - 5:56
  5. "Hold Me" - 4:31
  6. "Vertigo (Do The Demolition)" - 4:44
  7. "So Misled" - 4:04
  8. "Meet El Presidente" - 4:19
  9. "Winter Marches On" - 3:25
  10. "Proposition" - 4:57

Singles[]

  1. "Notorious" (Oct 1986)
  2. "Skin Trade" (Feb 1987)
  3. "Meet El Presidente" (Apr 1987)

Personnel[]

Duran Duran are:

With:

Also credited:

<< Seven and the Ragged Tiger Big Thing >>

See also[]

DURAN DURAN
Simon Le BonNick RhodesJohn TaylorRoger Taylor
Andy TaylorWarren CuccurulloSterling Campbell
DISCOGRAPHY
ALBUMS

Duran DuranRioSeven and the Ragged TigerArenaNotoriousBig ThingLibertyDuran Duran (The Wedding Album)Thank YouMedazzalandPop TrashAstronautRed Carpet MassacreAll You Need Is NowPaper GodsFuture PastDanse Macabre

COMPILATIONS and EPs

CarnivalDecade: Greatest HitsGreatestNight Versions: The Essential Duran DuranStrange BehaviourSingles Box Set 1981-1985Singles Box Set 1986-1995From Mediterranea With Love

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 • "All You Need Is Now • "Girl Panic! • "Leave A Light On • "Pressure Off" • "Five Years" • "Invisible" • "More Joy" • "Anniversary" • "Tonight United" • "Give It All Up " • "Danse Macabre" • "Black Moonlight"

RELATED MATERIAL
ArcadiaPower StationNeurotic OutsidersTerroristenSYNTV ManiaThe Devils
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