I would have to go with Culture Club. The songwriting was better. The range was great. And George has a classic voice with leaves Simon in the dirt. Both were equal with their visual fashion impact. Duran obviously had the better videos and actually came to rely more on them than their music. Culture Club even made good music after the 80s on their reunion album. Duran cant say that

Duran Duran... no contest. Leave the bland Culture Club for the kids and grannies.

Duran experimented and came up with some huge grooves... Culture Club made a handful of "pleasant" pop songs in Barry Manilow mode

This would have been a better topic if it were:

"Duran Duran Versus The Cure"





Definately two bands that could play great live as well.

TheSkinMechanic said:

yeah right. There were so many pubescent screaming teeny bopper girls that were gaga over Duran Duran you can't negate it. Once they grew up Duran Duran were basically over.

And exactly how is this Duran Duran's fault? And even further, what does it have to do with their musical ability?

Prepubescent screaming teeny bopper girls never hurt The Beatles credibility. Or Prince's for that matter.

Since you didn't quote the quote I was responding to I don't expect you to grasp it.

Fair enough. However . . .



Then later . . .



Over with what? Their musical importance?

Since one has nothing to do with the other, looks like you don't know what you're doing and just have nothing better to do.

No, actually I just asked you to expand on the second statement I quoted. Particularly since you appear to contradict yourself based on the first statement.

You obviously have no response and that's fine.

It's pretty much what I expected.

No there is no contradiction, if you think musical importance is defined by having fans you're mistaken. and thats why there will be no explanation. Sorry if i offended one of Duran Duran's pubescent fans or one time pubescent fans.

Okay, now you're reaching. Or you truly don't get it. So I'll try explaining it further for you.

You said, "Having fans has nothing to do with musical importance."

I happen to agree with that statement. However, later in the post you stated that Duran Duran were "basically over" once their fans grew up. Which seemed to imply that they ceased to be musically significant once their fans matured. Or maybe you feel their teeny bopper fan base prevented them from ever being significant. Either way, you had no answer for an seemingly obvious contradiction. Which, again, didn't surprise me.

violator said:

No now you're reaching. Why do you assume I meant they were musically insignificant when their teen fans grew up when before I said having fans has nothing to do with musical importance? It's you who doesn't get it. And it should be obvious.

duran duran, like prince, messed me up for life. funky & hella sexy too... the sensuality in simon le bon's voice alone... DA-YUM! his interpretation of "watching the detectives" (on "thank you," cover album) can melt ya into a little puddle. thanks to him, i practically fell for this dreadful bloke from birmingham, cuz he had a similar voice.

speaking of "thank you," they boast some great influences... sly, bowie, velvet underground, etc etc

their videos were the most innovative around back in MTVs 80's golden years (when they actually used to play videos)... does anyone remember how they beat michael jackson for a best video grammy?

DD are FAR from over. i'll love them forever. was just listening to the wedding album yesterday... talk about an excellent, solid, filler-free work. pop trash is a fine work too (as someone mentioned earlier).

I gotta go with Culture Club on this one.

Singing, songwriting, style, music, etc... Boy George O'Dowd all the way!

Boy George even had a solo hit with "The Crying Game".

Duran Duran were great 2, and have enjoyed more success in the long run, and in the late 90's even had a top40 hit.

I wouldn't count either group out... yet.

I love both bands,but I gotta say Duran Duran wins this prize.I love their songs "Save A Prayer","Is There Something I Should Know?" and "The Reflex".

Damn! Time to pull out my Duran Duran Greatest Hits CD

almost forgot...a cool duranie website:

"John Taylor & Nick Rhodes: Masters of the Universe"

www.geocities.com/ladyxanax13/

Btw,did you guys know that Duran Duran have reunited (all the original members!) and are in the studio working on a comeback CD? The album is being produced by Nile Rodgers,who produced some of their biggest hits in the past.I'm looking forward to this CD!!

I didn't assume anything. If you recall I asked you to expand on the statement you made which was: "yeah right. There were so many pubescent screaming teeny bopper girls that were gaga over Duran Duran you can't negate it. Once they grew up Duran Duran were basically over." You were asked to explain what you meant by Duran Duran being "over". You had no response. It seemed clear that by that statement you seem to equate their importance by the type of fanbase they had. That's a view point that contradicts what you said earlier.

So, like I said before, since you obviously don't understand I'll give you another chance to explain yourself.

What did you mean by they were "over"?

violator said:

You know,there really is no such thing as a band or artist being "over".Long after the hits fade away,many of these bands still have loyal fans who STILL support them,buying their albums and seeing them in concert.There are many people who would say that Prince is "over",but we know better,don't we?

Back in 84' when I was about 6 DD became my first favorite band. And to this day they are one of my favorites. Not that I am stuck in the 80's, but their new music will always have a place in my collection. Their sound have evolved with every album. I am looking forward to hearing the new record with all five members together, although i did like Warren Cuccurullo on guitar. Plus Nile Rodgers was on the boards so there should be some funk going on. My top three DD songs...

1. Lonely in Your Nightmare (off of Rio)
2. Serious (off of Liberty)
3. Skin Trade (off of Notorious)

Good Mornnig Orgers,

I consider Duran Duran to be like the 80's Backstreet Boys in terms of popularity. But at least these dudes as well as Culture Club were instrumentalists. The Fixx were also a good band. I'll take British groups like these guys anyway over these cookie-cutter pop acts now.

Rhondab said:

noddin' my head in agreement

Culture Club is considered somewhat of a joke. Duran Duran at least has some "cred", I mean they have a good reputation and 4 an 80's group that's rare because much of the music was corny except 4 our little guy.

R U Kiddin'? Culture Club was the hit. I just like Boy George, his clothes was sooo wild. Not a fan of DD. CC had much better songs.

To anyone who says that Duran Duran had no musical skills, or that they weren't influencial, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about! There seems to be this mistaken idea that since Duran were popular for a couple of years with teenage girls, that all they were was the 80s equivilant of NSYNC. Not so. Duran came out of the London underground New Romantic movement. The pretty-boy look they cultivated was a direct result of the New Romantic's backlash against the grunginess of Punk. Duran was at the forefront of this scene, so it was quite natural that they would eventually get signed to a major label (they formed in 1979, but their first album did not hit until 1981).

Duran acheived prominence with their second album, Rio, in 1982. It was through their use of video as a medium that they gained recognition. While Michael Jackson often gets credit for being the video pioneer, Duran paved the way. Without Hungry Like The Wolf, Rio, and Save A Prayer, there would never have been a Thriller video. Duran Duran took this new medium, and expanded it into the concept of of them being mini-movies. The visually stunning videos, coupled with the band's New Romantic looks, made them overnight sensations with teenage girls. Unfortunately, it made many people ignore the fact that these boys were putting out incredible music.

The first three Duran Duran records were chock-full of smart, edgy dance tunes. Duran effortlessly blended Rock, pop, new wave, glam and funk. It wasn't until their popularity started to fade, that many true music lovers began to take them seriously. 1986's Notorious was a groundbreaking album, much in the same veign as Prince's Parade from the same year. The Nile Rodger's produced album brought the horn section to the forefront, mixing Sly-inspired funk with Duran's own new wave sensiblilities. I dare anyone to find an album from this time period, aside from the aforementioned Prince disc, with as diverse a mix of styles that blend into such a cohesive whole.

This was also the beginning of Duran's most musically innovative period. Former Zappa/ Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo joined up, adding his blistering axe skills to the mix. While albums like Big Thing and Liberty failed to gain commercial success, they did contain some great music. Ultimately, these discs paved the way for The Wedding Album, their surprise comeback. With incredible tunes like Ordinary World, Come Undone, Too Much Information, UMF and Breath After Breath, Duran made a major impact during a time period when grunge ruled the airwaves.

Duran Duran have continued to kick out incredible music in the past decade. While Medazzaland and Pop Trash were not huge hits, they were still better than most of the albums released in the same time period. One critic noted, in a review of the latter CD, that the song Hallucinating Elvis sounded like something written by a band in their twenties. He went on to state that if radio programmers didn't know the song was by Duran Duran, they would probably put it into heavy rotation.

Duran Duran remain seriously under-rated, but their influence is unmistakeable. I truly hope that the soon to be released reunion album puts them in the spotlight long enough for critics, and the general public, to go back and re-evluate their old discs. They will find fantastic music, with amazing lyrics. True pioneers of their day, no doubt about it!

Nep2nes said:

are u even OLD enough to remember Duran Duran??!

Just so you're all aware Boy George has a new album out in the UK called something like "U Can Never Be Too Straight" and is starring in a West End musical "Taboo" that he has written the music for. Taboo is about the club scene in the 80s - in particular the Blitz club - where the whole New Romantic scene was born. DD and the rest wouldnt have been anything without the Blitz club (where Boy George was a coat attendant).
To say that Boy George is washed up is all wrong. Watch out for Taboo on Broadway next year. DD making a new album with Nile Rodgers?? Talk about retreading old ground. Props to Boy George for moving in new musical circles rather than going backwards...

No props to Matt for panning Duran Duran without even hearing a note of the new album.

violator said:

Amen! What I've heard of the new album is great! Nothing like the old stuff at all. Besides, why compare two artists who really don't have anything in common other than the fact they were contemporaries?

violator said:

Damn! My statement in response to what I quoted is really NOT complicated. If it takes you this long to figure it out it's not worth it. It's obvious when you read both quotes in context by me and the other person, and it had nothing to do with them musically. I should not have to explain what was clearly said to intelligent people. If it helps you out; there was also something in relation to Culture Club said within what I quoted, but you never quoted that when you decided to come to DD's defense. Like I said, sorry if I offended the teen DD fans.