| Duran Duran | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Duran Duran |
| Cover: | Duran_Duran_-_The_Wedding_Album_-_Cover.jpg |
| Caption: | Upper left: the Le Bons, centre: the Bateses (Rhodes), upper right: the Taylors, lower right: the Cuccurullos. |
| Recorded: | January 1991 – 1992 |
| Studio: | |
| Genre: | |
| Label: | |
| Producer: |
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| Prev Title: | Liberty |
| Prev Year: | 1990 |
| Next Title: | Thank You |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
Duran Duran (commonly known as The Wedding Album[1] ) is the seventh studio album and the second self-titled album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 15 February 1993 through Parlophone and Capitol Records.
As the 1990s progressed, the once-certain popularity that Duran Duran enjoyed in the 1980s began to fade. Many critics began to write them off as a throwback to the new wave era, with some declaring their career "over".[2] [3] [4] [5] During this period, the band found themselves struggling to adjust to the evolving music scene, which was being shaped by the rise of genres like hip hop, techno, and alternative rock. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes said in a 2013 retrospective piece:[6]
Following the release of their studio album Liberty in 1990, Duran Duran faced worsening financial difficulties.[7] This was primarily attributed to poor album sales, lack of touring to promote Liberty, and excessive spending.[8] [9] The album saw limited commercial success, peaking at number 46 in the US.[10] The singles "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" and "Serious" achieved only moderate to low success on the US and UK charts. Despite reaching number eight in the UK, it wasn't enough to convince Capitol or EMI, Duran Duran's record labels, that the band was on the right track.[11] Nonetheless, EMI did not completely abandon them, agreeing to provide financial support for a new album under strict supervision.
Unsure of their musical direction, the band found themselves adrift in a rapidly changing music scene. They contemplated over the sound of their next album. With limited funds and a desire to avoid expensive commercial studios they had used in the past, they relocated to American musician Warren Cuccurullo's home studio, "Privacy", situated in Battersea, London. From January 1991 to 1992, Duran Duran immersed themselves in the living room of Privacy studios, using the space to record and write their album.[12] Opting for a home studio environment provided the band with the freedom to explore their musical ideas without the constraints of deadlines or the expenses associated with traditional studio time. Although recording at Cuccurullo's home lacked the professional setup and soundproofing of commercial studios, it allowed for a more relaxed atmosphere and sparked moments of creativity. However, this setup also led to some challenges, as Simon Le Bon mentioned that extraneous sounds like a bird, child and a car were inadvertently captured on the track "Ordinary World".
In this makeshift studio, each band member arranged their own musical equipment to suit their preferences while also focusing on songwriting. For example, as John Jones explained to Recording Musician magazine in April 1993, "I was placed in the window-bay, and at the other end of the room there was the guitar setup, Warren's sequencer setup, Nick's keyboard setup, and a couple of little Zoom guitar boxes which John [Taylor] could plug straight into. I myself used Notator on the Atari, and I had an Akai S1000, an S900, a Roland D50, other keyboards, and each setup had a Yamaha DMP7 from which I would take a feed straight into the 12-track". Simon Le Bon performed in the middle of the room where a microphone had been installed.
Although the band had been facing low morale due to the declining confidence of their record label in their ability to produce another commercial success, simply demoing new material kept the band on continuing. Utilizing various instruments and setups, they aimed to record approximately 15 demo songs with the intent of seeking feedback from their record company, as they valued the company's input in the creative process over achieving a perfect sound at that stage. Within all of that, the band played live together, everyone initially being miked with a Shure SM58 through which they could sing or talk. The studio sessions consisted of various activities such as demoing new ideas, jam sessions, writing sessions, and recording, with an average of six to eight hours spent per day. Months into the sessions, they brought in John Jones as a co-producer to contribute fresh ideas based on their initial studio recordings. Following varied results, ranging from uninteresting to noteworthy, the band decided to take a week-long break before moving to a proper studio to further develop and mix several unfinished tracks.
After the break, John Jones and the band decided to work at Maison Rouge Studios in South-West London after an unsuccessful attempt at mixing in Privacy Studios. As they were relocating, they commissioned live drums for "Ordinary World" and several other songs. Live drums would be recorded in the span of a few hours using Steve Ferrone's percussive skills and Tony Taverner's engineering at Maison Rouge. In preparation for the mixing of "Ordinary World", Nick Rhodes and Jones remastered the strings, other keyboard parts, acoustic guitar, and drums using an Akai DD1000. Initial attempts at mixing the track were made by various producers, including Steve MacMillion in the US, Jones and keyboardist Dee Long in the UK, and Queen's producer David Richards in Switzerland, but none were satisfying to the band. It wasn't until American record producer David Leonard created a successful mix at Townhouse Studios that they found a version they were pleased with. However, after hearing Leonard's mix while in London for the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, David Richards attempted to mix "Ordinary World" again, which ended up being the final version approved by the band. Richards went on to mix the majority of the album alongside Leonard and Jones.
The band ultimately chose to self-title the album after describing themselves as having to go "back to the basics". After its publication, the album became known alternatively as The Wedding Album, inspired by the album's cover art and to distinguish it from the band's 1981 album.[13]
British visual design artist Nick Egan collaborated with graphic designer Eric Roinestad to create the album cover for Duran Duran. Departing from the band's traditional approach of costly album cover photoshoots, Egan opted to craft a "piece of art" that would stand out. His final design features a collage using sepia-toned wedding photos of each band member's parents, suggested by Nick Rhodes, with a gold Duran Duran logo at the centre. The inspiration behind the collage was drawn from the work of American graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg, known for his influence on the pop art movement. Egan aimed to capture the essence of Rauschenberg's collages, which he describes as having "seemingly random images [laid] on top of each other with the faintest hint of off-register color as if the whole thing were screen-printed". British magazine Classic Pop cited other potential inspirations for the album design, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat for its "raw illustrative sketching" and Andy Warhol for its "overlaid print effects". Throughout the album are liner notes created using embossing tape from a Dymo label printer and grease pencil writing on masking tape, contributing to the do-it-yourself concept Egan envisioned.
Prior to the creation of the album cover, John Taylor was looking for an artist to design the band's new album cover. He mentioned to American actor Billy Zane, who happened to be visiting London at the time, that he was interested in having Nick Egan create the artwork. To Taylor's surprise, Zane revealed that he was good friends with Egan, and that he was also in London. Taylor promptly reached out to Egan, arranging a meeting at his residence within hours to discuss the band's vision for the album design.
Recording of the album was completed in early 1992, with a planned mid-year release by their record label. However, Duran Duran's new management company, Left Bank, was distressed at the industry's lack of interest in the band and the label's seeming lack of enthusiasm for promotion of the album. Despite receiving positive feedback from shared material of the album that Duran Duran had provided to Capitol-EMI, the band's label were hesitant in releasing the album, preferring to focus on what they considered to be "priority" acts. This led to the album being temporarily pulled from the release schedule as a way to address the concerns raised by Left Bank. In an interview with HitQuarters, Left Bank manager Tommy Manzi expressed frustration, stating that the industry seemed resistant to the comeback of Duran Duran. He believed that the focus was on promoting "the next hip band" rather than supporting established acts like Duran Duran. Manzi mentioned that industry insiders even "laughed at" Left Bank while they worked on reviving the careers of not only Duran Duran, but also Meat Loaf. Despite their efforts, industry insiders seemed to dismiss these "old" acts. This lack of recognition and support ultimately resulted in the album being shelved, with a release date set for 1993.
During the delay of the album, the remaining members of Duran Duran found themselves at a creative crossroads. John Taylor returned to his wife in Los Angeles, while Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and Warren Cuccurullo began working on cover songs for what would later become the Thank You album.[14] [15] The unexpected leak of their song "Ordinary World" to radio stations in Jacksonville, Florida caught the band off guard.[16] Speculation arose that their own record label had intentionally leaked the track to gauge public interest, as Duran Duran had seen a decline in popularity after a decade of chart success. To their surprise, "Ordinary World" received positive reception from listeners and was a hit at radio stations, sparking a renewed interest in the band's music. The positive feedback led to Capitol Records advancing the song's release as a single. "Ordinary World" was officially released as a single on 19 December 1992[17] by Capitol Records and made its debut on record charts the following year, reaching number six in the UK[18] and number three in the US.[19]
Adapted from the album's liner notes.[20]
| Peak position | |
| European Albums (Music & Media)[21] | 13 |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[22] | 18 |
| French Albums (IFOP)[23] | 32 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI)[24] | 9 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) | 6 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[25] | 24 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) | 9 |
| Position | ||
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[26] | 23 | |
|---|---|---|
| European Albums (Music & Media)[27] | 35 | |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] | 79 | |
| UK Albums (OCC)[29] | 50 | |
| US Billboard 200[30] | 48 |
