Reviews of Duran Duran cover songs

Reviews of Duran Duran cover songs

When a band or an individual puts forth the effort to cover their favorite songs, it's quite the compliment. But then again, things can go wrong.

Below are my personal reviews (in no particular order):

1. The Duran Duran Tribute Album (Mojo Records 1997)
2. Shut Up & Dance - Save it 'til the Mourning After (1995)
3. Notorious (Notorious B.I.G. - Poop Daddy and Lil' Kim 1999)
4. Undone, the Song of Duran Duran (Crucial/EMI Australia, 1999)
5. Durantastic (The Ultimate Dance Beat Collection, Cover Versions 1998)
6. The Best of Duran Duran (Starnice Limited 1993)
7. GLUE a tribute to the music of Duran Duran (Serious Vanity Music, 1999)

Remember, these are only my own personal views, but I believe that because I've been a huge Duran Duran fan since 1983, there is some credibility in my opinion. I grade hard though.

I certainly can't sing or write music, but then again neither can some of these people. At least I stay off the airwaves.

Ratings (Likert scale) are the numbers listed after songs and albums (1 = sucks real bad, 5 = I can tolerate it, 10 = almost better than the original by Duran Duran themselves).

Best cover song: Girls on Film by Bjorn Again.

Worst cover song: Shelter by Post Orgasmic Trauma.

1. The Duran Duran Tribute Album (Mojo Records 1997) (3.9)

I was largely disappointed to hear that Americans were doing the covers. Duran is a British band and I believe their influence has had the most impact on younger British bands. Even more unfortunate, these American bands were primarily ska bands with trashy sounding / grunge type music. The album starts strong and then loses it.

Goldfinger (Rio) gave us the "pleasure" of foul language, barely listenable, lots of variety, some altered lyrics, mainly more a joke than anything (3)

Hold Back the Rain by Buck o Nine also throws in some bad language, but I like the horns, real bad backing vocals, lead singer is not exactly singing (4)

Planet Earth by Home Grown is really good, keeps it simple, good vocals, I could actually listen to it more than once! (7)

The Chauffeur by Deftones: fairly good, they too keep it simple. They lack Duran's magic on this song, but stick to providing an accurate rendition, something lost later in the album. (5)

Come Undone by Wise Crack: starts out accurate and nicely done, but then shamelessly falls into their own brand of trashy music. Vocals bite. Sucks. (2)

Hungry Like the Wolf by Reel Big Fish: Fantastic! Hilarious! This is what I call a great cover. They totally changed it, yet kept the "Wolf" energy. Their own brand of music and personality took this song for a great ride. Truly a highlight of the CD, this is a classic. Great to dance to and tons of fun to play around with. (9)

The Reflex by Less Than Jake: makes my have the gag reflex. Trash. Poop. (1)

Ordinary World by Riverfenix: They took my favorite song and transformed it into a pile of crap. Makes me wanna have a bowel movement. (1)

A View to a Kill by GOB. At first I hated it, but then it grew on me. Very cool intro, then turns into psycho music. If you can imagine some goof going crazy singing this song, then you can tolerate it. Kinda fun, but not for light Duran fans. (5)

Girls on Film by Bjorn Again. I can't get enough of the song. This is the best track on the CD. Angelic yet sexy voices! Nice to hear some women! Very stylistic yet personal. (9.5)

The Seventh Stranger by The Wrens. Annoying intro moves into bad vocals. Boring. Makes you wonder what the next track is going to be. (3)

Save a Prayer by Eve's Plum. Major boring. Her voice is way too weak. Not enough backing instruments to carry the song along. (3)

New Religion by Jimmy Eat World. Again, boring. Too slow. Amateurish. Fair vocals. (3)

Is There Something I Should Know? by Mr. T Experience. A bit on the messy side. Vocals suck, hardly any actual singing. Doesn't do it for me at all. Some parts were very Green Day for me. (2)

Girls on Film by Wesley Willis Fiasco. Dear God, what is this track? Sucks. Must be a joke. Voice could not possibly be any worse than what it is. Makes my want to cry and laugh at the same time. (1)

2. Shut Up & Dance - Save it 'til the Mourning After (1995) (6)

This is a CD single from a rap group in England that pulled a Poop Daddy/sampling job on Save a Prayer. Yes, they changed the spelling of morning to mourning. As much as I don't like rap, I'm ok with this remake/sampling job. I think their lyrics are positive and I see nothing wrong with this song. Good to dance to, but does get old quickly. Not much in terms of diversity, but the beat is great.

3. Notorious (Notorious B.I.G. - Poop Daddy and Lil' Kim 1999) (6)

Isn't he dead? Again, I don't like rap, but this was ok. I don't like that I have an edited version that seemingly cuts out bad words that litter the remix, very unfortunate to have such a swiss-cheesy song. Also, it's hard to find, but amazon can get it, but it takes a while. Poop Daddy sounds inarticulate as always, he's basically a moron. Lil Kim is sounds strong on the track. A fair song, but I suggest listening before you buy. Import only for a single.

4. Undone, the Song of Duran Duran (Crucial/EMI Australia, 1999) (5)

I expected a lot more from this CD. I thought that a highly commerical CD like this would be great, but I was sorely disappointed. I really don't listen to it often.

The Mavis's Planet Earth: awesome introduction, sounds very good. Probably the best track on the CD. Great, even if overproduced, vocals and backing vocals. I'm impressed. (8)

The Chauffeur by Powderfinger: Very interesting. I like the deep horns in the background. A slick feeling to it all, vocals are pretty good. Sounds like Runaway, that older song. Easy to dance to. (7)

Rio by Bodyjar: Nothing special. Stronger and with more rock than Duran's, but this isn't to imply it's better. I wouldn't write home to mom about it. (5)

The Reflex by Kylie Minogue and Ben Lee: Considering the press they got with this, it is not very good. A big let down. They sound like they just ate some downers and washed them down with some beer. High point are the keyboards in the background. Boring. No electricity. (4)

Hungry Like the Wolf by Jebediah: Sounds depressed and lackluster. No energy. Makes me think of the word slack. (4)

Notorious by Groove Terminator: Great beginning, even if not reminescent of Notorious. Then I made the mistake on continuing to listen. Basically this is their own song (which eventually sucks) with the Notorious lyrics. Sucks. (2)

The Wild Boys by Robyn Loau with Ronin System: Real bad. Awful vocals. Annoying triangle. Sounds like Oprah Winfrey remixed it. Amateurish. (1)

Come Undone by Bachelor Girl. Wonderful instruments. Atmospheric, modern, easy to fall into. She sounds ok, but I don't like the style that much. Backing vocals fair at best. Grows on you as you listen to it more. I think I may need to listen to it a few more times. (6)

Ordinary World by Something For Kate: What would be Warren's guitar is lost here. Vocals sound angry. Doesn't fit with the song itself. Strange sounds in background not pleasing to my ear. Doesn't hook me. (3)

Careless Memories by Area 7: Love the echo on the vocals. Repetitive guitars are lost, fortunately, with the strong vocals. Good cover! (7)

Save a Prayer by Pollyanna: Too depressed. Too slow. Not enough kick that Duran's version had that pulled you in. (4)

Girls on Film by The Living End: Too college-bandish. Vocals are weak. Too simple. (3)

A View to a Kill by Custard: Annoying electronic introduction. Wow, this sucks. Only redeeming value is the Bond theme in the song. Voice is really weak. No energy like the original. Chorus makes me want to kill people. (1)

5. Durantastic (The Ultimate Dance Beat Collection, Cover Versions 1998) (7)

This is just one artist, not a collection of artists. I don't know how most people would react to this CD. It's amateurish to some degree, but really, I think it sounds great. Skin Trade is by far the best track. Very techno oriented! I got it off of eBay for a good price. Has 10 songs, all of which are similar in nature. Vocals are good, but lacks the professionalism that many of us are used to. Here is a list of the tracks:

Planet Earth
Rio
Hungry Like the Wolf
Save a Prayer
A View to a Kill
Union of the Snake
Girls on Film
The Reflex
Is There Something I Should Know?
Skin Trade

6. The Best of Duran Duran (Starnice Limited, 1993) (4.5)

This is similar to Durantastic, but the vocalist is not as confident. Songs are fair, sounds like they've been done on one keyboard. Not very strong overall, but it's a good effort. Nothing to throw away. Take a listen before buying. Track listing:

Ordinary World
Come Undone
Burning the Ground
All She Wants Is
I Don't Want Your Love
The Wild Boys
A View to a Kill
Save a Prayer
Is There Something I Should Know?
Girls on Film
The Reflex
New Moon on Monday
Union of the Snake
Hungry Like the Wolf

7. GLUE a tribute to the music of Duran Duran (Serious Vanity Music 1999) (3.1)

This is when things get bad. I try to give credit to people that love Duran Duran and wish to share their own musical interpretations with other Duran Duran fans. But there is no reason for this CD. With few good songs, this CD makes me cringe. After my first listen, I almost felt guilty for being a Duran Duran fan. It's that bad. I feel bad for some songs on the CD because they are not half bad, but to be associated with some others is just not a good thing.

At least the CD benefitted the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. www.RAINN.com

Here's my abusive rundown:

Hold Back the Rain by Anthony Gravley/The Atonement: Really quite good. Fast, strong and energetic. I certainly like this version of HBTR. If this CD was like this throughout, I'd listen to it quite often. Great song! Very easy to listen to. (8)

The Chauffeur by Anna Swank: Bad. Terrible vocals, something you'd hear in a dungeon. (2)

Girls on Film by Nathan Stack: Not bad at all. Not the best in sound quality, but a valient effort. I like the vocals, and although it sticks closely to the original and has very detectable synth, I dig it. Nicely done. (7)

Careless Memories by Fantastic Elastic: Wow, really bad. Vocals are from some Crow-like depressed dude. Horrible. Can't even listen to 30 seconds of it. (1)

Come Undone by Earth Thing: No vocals at all. Sounds like it was done with a cheap Casio keyboard. Something you would subject prisoners to. God-awful. (1)

Secret Oktober by J Truck: Stupid. There's a stop in the first few seconds that I'm not convinced was intentional. Vocals can barely be heard at all in the beginning. Later, when they are actually audible, you wish they weren't! Piano riff is ok, nothing special. Reminds me of music from Curse of Monkey Island by LucasArts (computer game). (2)

Shelter by Post Orgasmic Trauma: Trauma is right! I've heard better music from my ass after a night of drinking. (1)

I Don't Want Your Love by Deep 13: Ok introduction, very German techno sounding. Then the vocals absolutely destroy and chance of making it past 40 seconds. Is the singer drunk? Real bad. (1.5)

Palomino by Frances L. Paliotta: I kept wondering if I was going to get into the music. Seems to run by me and not let me get aboard. Not great. Guitar and new age sounds make it tolerable, but vocals need a lot of work in terms of style and timing. (3)

Secret Oktober by Static Hum: We're getting better. Very simple, fair vocals. Not something I'd say was not worth it, a pretty good version for an amateur. (5)

Girls on Film by Madmen in Vienna: Atmospheric beginning (a strong plus) with the all-too-familiar camera shutter clicking. Great techno increases speed. You are pulled in by the bass. All components work well together here. Guitars are good, but the vocals completely ruin it. When the vocals start, the laughter begins. (3)

Don't Talk Much by Dana Muse: A very average song. Background music from a low-budget 90s movie. (4)

The Chauffeur (Professor Ace Remix) by Arcanum: I think the professor needs to go back to school. Terrible vocals. I like the weird background sounds and the voices. Nothing to support the vocals at all though. (3)

Demolition Suite (Vertigo and Out of my Mind) by Dana Detrick: Overly simple. She sounds like many of the other female vocalists here: weak, and improperly mixed. Transition from one song to the next is completely jumbled. Not good by any means. (3)

That's it! Surely my scathing reviews may cause some waves, but when you sell a product, get ready for honest customer feedback!