April 30: Emi has just re-released Arcadia's So Red The Rose as a three disc box set. This remastered collected all permutations and remixes of tracks released by the band. The third disc comprised the video collection on dvd. This album doesn't come with a cardboard box just like the most recent Duran Duran remasters, it's just a double jewel case. It would be cool to have all these new reissues with the same kind of packaging. At least the quality of the remastering is far better than the recent Duran reissues. This piece of Art deserves its own space on duranasty.com so here you go:
April 28: April 13th is a very important date for Saffron Le Bon, Simon's second daughter, it's the date of her debut with the band Benji XIII. The gig took place at the Troubadour in London. XIII and the Brave were originally two solo artists [Benji XIII and Saffy Le Bon] who have merged together to create guitar led, folk-like tunes. You can listen Saffron sweet voice in the song 'Worn Out' on their myspace page where they also say: "We are based in london and like playing gigs. We would also like a manager so if you would like to manage us [and you manage people for a living] please contact us".
Benji XIII: Guitar and Lyrics | Saffy Le Bon: Lyrics
Good luck guys from duranasty.com!
April 28: On April 21th Simon, Nick and Roger attended Mark Ronson's night for the launch of his range of footwear for top designer label Gucci. The new line had its London launch at a temporary pop-up store on Earlham Street in Covent Garden and was followed by an after-party at Ronnie Scott's in Soho. Ronson also produced a track with his group, Chauffeur, to celebrate the launch. “We named the band after the Duran Duran song,” Ronson said. “It sounded like something really luxe in the Eighties — a bunch of kids going out and putting on their Gucci, and listening to a band called Chauffeur.”
“I like the ones Mark designed,” said Simon Le Bon, pointing out a pair of gray herringbone tweed kicks. “If I’m lucky enough, maybe he’ll give me a pair — we paid him enough to produce our album.”
Simon LeBon performed The Chauffeur with Ronson's band Chauffeur. After the gig, Simon told Style.com, "Mark is producing our next album. He asked me to sing with him, and how could I refuse?"
download four high resolution professional pics taken at the event!
photo
1 photo
2 photo
3 photo
4
April 17: Huge Warren Cuccurullo update | two exclusive news | I just got the first news from Denise George who's helping Warren Cuccurullo promoting his projects | Personally I'm so glad to announce that our very dear Warren Cuccurullo is back with a smashing new music project: Chicanery is a collaboration between Warren Cuccurullo and Neil Carlill. They first met in London, England in the late 1990's where Neil was a guest on the TV Mania project created by Warren and Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. Many years later after both Neil & Warren had relocated to the USA [East and West coasts respectively] they started work on Chicanery.
Fusing rich sound scapes shaped by Warren's legendary tune craft – densely woven around Neil's ‘tone poet’ vocals and lyrics – Chicanery is both a revival and a dream of a modern day band. It presents challenging, virtuoso musicianship and a daring-but-precise approach that transforms the collection of songs into an art form of its own. The musical terrain covers Zappa, Bowie , Dance, Club and alternative rock. It's a surreal and a psychotic vision of pop music.
Warren and Neil are joined on selected sessions by long-time Cuccurullo collaborator Terry Bozzio, Frank Zappa alumni Joe Travers, world renowned Sarangi virtuoso Ustad Sultan Khan, Muli-instrumentalist and producer Simone Sello and other guests. Chicanery's debut album was produced by Simone Sello and engineered by Fabio Angelini both of Red Rum Productions. Chicanery release their debut album on dPulse Recordings on May 11th 2010. [In conjunction with Fontana/Universal Music Group Distribution]
About Warren Cuccurullo: Perhaps best known for his work with Frank Zappa, Missing Persons and Duran Duran, Warren Cuccurullo today stands alone as one of progressive rock music’s most capable care takers. He has written and recorded Worldwide number one singles and albums, toured the globe extensively, received numerous honors for his songwriting achievements and has the distinction of writing the first single to be available for digital purchase/download on the Internet [Electric Barbarella by Duran Duran]. During his illustrious career Warren has also worked with Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and Dweezil Zappa.About Neil Carlill: Prior to Chicanery, Neil Carlill was a founding member of Delicatessen [Rough Trade/Big Life], who recorded three albums on the 90s alternative/experimental scene. He later was part of Lodger [Island Records], who landed the track ‘I’m Leaving’ in the UK Top 40. Neil is currently one half of Me Me the Moth with Marcelo Radulovich. Neil has also worked on other projects including Vedette with Manuel Stagars and Jayrope, 5 Little Elephants with Charles-Eric Charrier and Shoosh with Craig Murphy and Ed Drury.
listen! |
Chicanery is on facebook myspace.com and warrencuccurullo.com
Warren is so productive lately... I just got another email from Katerina Rhodou of Minoan Music to inform me about another cool project of Warren with some other great names:
Hi Duranasty,
some news for you that may interest you and the readers of your nice site! A new project has come together with Anthony J. Resta ["Medazzaland", "Thank You" producer & mixer], Warren Cuccurullo, Steve Ferrone ["Notorious", "Big Thing", "Ordinary World", "Too Much Information", "Thank You"] and composer Eric Alexandrakis [Eric was discovered by John Taylor, and has a new song coming out this year with John playing bass]. They are currently simply referred to as:
ANTHONY J. RESTA + ERIC ALEXANDRAKIS + STEVE FERRONE + WARREN CUCCURULLO [COMPOSERS]
Here is their FB page: AlexandrakisCuccurulloFerroneResta
Here's a little sounvenir greeting as well: Hi From Warren Steve Anthony Eric [download - save target as]
Check out Warren laying down a solo on his track "Sid Arthur's Message" from "Playing In Tongues" on Edel.
April 16: Duran Duran and Seven and the Ragged Tiger, the new reissues from Emi, so discussed for the quality of the remastering, they are two great collector items, filled with some amazing previously unreleased gems. They can't be missed by all Duran Duran fans! The full package and the tracklist of both reissues look glorious so they really deserve a special space on this site, with pics and press reviews. Enjoy!
April
6: What I offer here is just essential Duran Duran information in
words and pictures, occasionally some frivolousness [hei! I'm a Duran Duran
fan!]. Sometimes what I do is just underline things that are out there but
pass unnoticed losing their impotance among all the non-news and the speculation
circulating around a band with a 30 years long history.
In february John Taylor answered some fan's question in the Kafe. What John
said in the chat is very interesting to say the least! and it has to be read
in perspective of the band's new recording phase. He mentions names and collaborations
he'd love to do, so did Nick. Who knows if these dreams of collaboration will
ever happen and if they'll see the light, sooner or later, in the new Duran
Duran album or just in some solo projects?
The question that made John talk is: "what other musician would you love to jam with?
John says : "well, funnily enough, I was recently put in touch with Mick Karn*, who was the bass player with Japan, and I had a couple of email exchange and I just thought:
how nice would be to have him play on something on the new record
and I imagined to go to the studio with Mick, myself, you know... making something interesting with him. You know... I guess [I'd like to work with] somebody who has some distinct voice, I remember also Nick [Rhodes] being in touch with John Foxx**, who was the singer with Ultravox and thinking how that could be kind of nice to have him sing... I love Gwen Stefani, I'd love to write something with her someday, I'd love to have her come on stage with us..."
* Mick, just like Duran Duran, will be contributing a cover [Ashes to Ashes] to the Bowie tribute on Manimal Vinyl Records in support of War Child.
 |
**
Nick Rhodes contributed two prints at the new DNA exhibition
in July 2009, featuring work by visual artists, film-makers, illustrators,
Manga comic artists, graphic artists and musicians who have been inspired
by different aspects of John Foxx’s 30 year career. Nick’s
two pieces were titled ‘I Want To Be A Machine’
and ‘Artificial Life’, the 2 titles come
from early Ultravox tracks, the version fronted by John Foxx. |
In the same kafe I had a quick answer from John to one of my questions, it was about the orchestral project the band were talking about last year, I just asked if they abbadoned the project or is still under consideration.
John's answer was clear: "it's been put on the shelves". An obvious choice since the band is concentrating all the creative energies in the new album.
In the latest Kafe [march 2010] Nick answers some fan's questions as well, one of these questions was mine. Here is a transcription.
Katy: Nick, Salvo, we all know our friend Salvo
Nick: hello Salvooo,
Katy: from Italy
Nick: of course
Katy: This is a long and a good question… Salvo says: In a recent interview Giorgio Moroder has been asked if he had any regrets for artistic enterprises he has refused over the years. He mentioned the never made remake of George Pal's 'Seven Faces of Doctor Lao' [film with Michael Jackson] and he also said that he renounced to produce Duran Duran before they became Duran Duran. He mentioned that you guys proposed him some demos to produce but he decided that it wasn't worth it... In 2005 some english newspapers reported about your desire to work with the italian producer on Duran Duran's -then next- album. Is there any thruth behind the latter tidbit and can you remember what demos you proposed him back in the days? Did he refer to the very early Duran demos [before you got Colin Thurston]? Are you still interested in working with Moroder on some project/dreams still closed in the drawer and if so did you ever discuss about it with him?
Nick says: Hmmm, well Salvo, Giorgio Moroder, as you probably know, is somebody who all of the band hold in particulary high regard, he was incredibly infuential on our earlier work, particulary for me with regards to his sequencies on songs like I Feel Love and on the Midnight Express soundtrack, later on Cat People and certanly with the fantastic Spark album Number One in Heaven, Beat the Clock and all that songs, Number One in Heaven how great that is, I haven’t heard that for a long time.Sooo yes, I would love to work with Giorgio Moroder one day, even on a song,
I’m not sure what would happen at this point, I don’t know what he has done very recently but somebody who is that clever and has a vision like that usually continues to produce interesting things so that would be a real pleasure at some stage...
I imagine we did approch him very early on, I don’t recall exactly, it probably would it be for our first album around the time, hmm, guess would it be 1980 so those demos would it be things like Girls On Film possibly Planet Earth, but there you go, sometimes things don’t work out, sometimes they come together later, sometimes they never do but certainly he has created some terrific records, even his own solo records called E=MC2, for the mathematicians out there, that’s a beauty. Q: Would you work with hime now if you have the opportunity? A: Yeah! I think so, It would be fun to do a track together, I mean he did that one track with David Bowie, that Cat people sountrack in the mid 80s, one of the best things of that decade.