Saturday Deluxe / 11 March 2017
I wasn’t really surprised to see U2 revisit The Joshua Tree again as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations…
The band’s fifth studio album is unarguably a great record and when they reissued it the first time around in 2007, the market for music box sets / super deluxe editions was still developing. The 2CD+DVD set that was issued back then was good value (about £35) and well packaged. However, only three years later U2 were putting out the Super and Uber Deluxe Editions of Achtung Baby which were around £85 and £260 respectively. Fans were suddenly willing to dig deeper into their pockets for some quite lavish sets.
No doubt the record label have looked at the data from Achtung Baby and are confident that there is a market for the relatively expensive CD and vinyl box sets. The content of the new Joshua Tree package is interesting because it neither supersedes the old box (which has the DVD and one exclusive track on the B-sides disc) nor properly complements it, since two of the discs (album and B-sides) are more or less repeated (there are some slight variations on the latter).
By making the CD box set ‘large format’ they can create one 12-inch book and use it for both sets. That’s also a sly way of being able to charge more for the four-CD box set, since it’s a bigger, weightier and more impressive package with the book and prints etc.
I do expect the prices (at least in the UK) to drop, although I thought Paul McCartney‘s Flowers in the Dirt super deluxe would drop also and that has remained stubbornly at £135 for months.
Read more about the 30th anniversary reissue of The Joshua Tree
In search of a Duran Duran single…
Whoever at Warners is in charge of marketing Duran Duran’s 2015 album Paper Gods, should hang their head in shame…
Once the initial excitement and intrigue of the various editions of the album had worn off, what were fans left with? Not much. The fact is, fans want regular opportunities to re-pledge their allegiance to the band. After they’ve bought the album, the way they do that is to perhaps go and see them play live and buy all the singles. But what singles?
Pressure Off was the ‘buzz’ track when the album was announced but it seems someone ‘forgot’ to release it as a single. No remixes, no seven-inch, no coloured vinyl 12-inch, no CD single, nothing. There weren’t even any remixes made available to buy as MP3s or to stream.
For a while, What Are The Chances? was talked about a some kind of single, but I really don’t know, was it a single? With no PHYSICAL evidence, it’s hard to be sure.
Now apparently, apropos of nothing, four remixes of Last Night In The City have turned up on Spotify. Head over to Duran Duran’s website and you’ll see a splash screen that reads “Paper Gods featuring the single Last Night In The City“. So it IS a single! I don’t know how long this has been up, but there is a video too. Although further ‘research’ shows that the video was published to YouTube on 10 September last year. Six months later some remixes turn up on Spotify. There has been no physical release, obviously.
Wikipedia doesn’t think Last Night In The City has been a single, it lists Pressure Off as the only single. No What Are The Chances?, either. It goes back to the earlier point, where is the evidence? We can look back at the 1970s and 1980s and see proof of single releases in books of pop charts, Top Of The Pops appearances, the physical existence of the singles on vinyl and the publication of sheet music.
Future generations and music historians who look back at Duran Duran’s releases of 2015/16 surely won’t have a clue. Does that matter? Maybe not, but despite how much social media and downloading/streaming music has changed the game (not as much as you think – 63% of sales of Ed Sheeran’s new album were CD and vinyl) it’s a surely a band’s JOB to release albums and singles. DD are doing the former but are now shockingly bad at the latter. It’s surprising, since Nick Rhodes always comes across as an intelligent musician who seems to have a very fan-centric attitude. Thoughts? Leave a comment.
Here’s a great little DEAL I spotted… Get this five-disc bundle which combines the truly superb three-disc Rory Gallagher Kickback City set with the 2CD reissue of Crowded House‘s Time On Earth – total cost £15!
Amazon are doing both releases are part of their 2-for-£15 deal so it’s stunning value and both are lovingly presented. They are also available for £7.99 each. You can view more images of Kickback City (and read about it) here. Links for both sets are below.
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News
Looking through the comments here about the single charts and eligibility, I think people who use this site need to realise that times have changed and we live in a post 7″ vinyl / CD single world and have done for about 10 years. Why would a label release a physical copy of a Litte Mix or Ed Sheeran songs that they’re promoting as singles? Hardly anyone would buy them. Little Mix fans, most Ed Sheeran fans and One Direction fans etc. are unlikely to fork out £4 for a CD single that might feature a couple of inferior extra tracks. They just want a quick free or 99p fix of the songs they want and they want them instantly. The single charts have always just reflected what particular songs are popular each week. So what if Sheeran occupies 16 of the Top 20 places in the singles chart? So what if Duran Duran haven’t released a physical single for more years than most fans care to remember? Do any visitors this site use the singles chart for guidance when buying music? I haven’t for years and I doubt many others here do. I can understand people wanting the go back to the days where there would be a massive Top 40 7″ singles display in Woolworths and you’d tune into Radio 1 on Sunday evening to listen to the Top 40 countdown and watch Top of the Pops on a Thursday night, but it isn’t going to happen. “Collectors and fans who love holding the music in their hands” should just enjoy the vinyl revival and the ongoing box sets bonanza whilst they last and leave the singles charts to it’s rightful owners, teenagers.
But if they are fans they already have the song. There’s no need to sell it as a single if you can buy the track individually.
For me, it’s not about following the charts – it’s about wanting to have more than just the album. I find something special about a CD single – I like to hear one or two songs that maybe didn’t quite fit the album. And I love remixes – re-interpreting/re-imagining can sometimes bring out something that I may not have noticed before. (I didn’t explain that last bit very well – I know what I wanted to say, I just didn’t know how to say it, LOL)
@ Kauwgompie
“Obviously AYNIN was filled with singles that should have been released and remixed. The record company could have really milked that album as it was full of singles. But nothing was done except a very cool video for Girl Panic. There were some remixes here and there but nothing on a cd single, mainly promotional. Even the David Lynch remix was never officially released on cd single. Real shame and lots of missed opportunities there. ”
Actually, there was a physical single released from AYNIN and that was a 7″ vinyl of “Girl Panic!” which was released during Record Store Day. So, whilst it was a numbered limited edition single, it was a single nonetheless. Astronaut was really the last album that gave us proper single released, but even that was a bit marred by not issuing remixes (on CD) – you had to hunt down promo CD singles or vinyl to get the remixes.
That RSD single was US-only. So no physical singles at all in the UK for the British band!
I know this is at best tangential to the discussions in the thread but I wishave they would do a proper reissue deluxe thingymebob for UK Rattle & Hum. For me that was the start of a short period when they were really interesting (up to Zoorapa) and Bono’s live rants are really entertaining in a fantastically cringe worthy way. Thank you for allowing me to interrupt. Now back to the charts and Duran Duran.
The last proper cd singles from Duran Duran were from Astronaut in 2004. There are singles containing remixes of Sunrise and What Happens Tomorrow and there were promo mixes of Nice. There was even a proper B side with Silent Icy River. That was it. The Red Carpet album contained the single Falling Down which was released as cd single but it contained no remixes and the b side was a lame 3 minute live version of Sunrise. That single was entirely uninteresting. Duran or the record company was not giving the fans what it wanted.
Obviously AYNIN was filled with singles that should have been released and remixed. The record company could have really milked that album as it was full of singles. But nothing was done except a very cool video for Girl Panic. There were some remixes here and there but nothing on a cd single, mainly promotional. Even the David Lynch remix was never officially released on cd single. Real shame and lots of missed opportunities there.
But is it the record company or is it Duran Duran or both? Duran fans were on fire after the AYNIN album. In my opinion their best since Notorious or perhaps even Rio. So what does Duran do? In stead of giving fans what they want, they came up with Paper Gods which had almost nothing in common with AYNIN. Felt almost like they were gving their fans the finger. We dont care what you want, we only make music that we want to make. Fans had been waiting for an album like this for many years. They did this before with Thank You after The Wedding Album. Duran is just not very good at giving fans what they want. They release what only they like. Ok, fair enough, but if they dont care about what their fans want, why would they release cd singles with remixes and B sides that their fans want so much? I think that’s the issue. DD is either out of touch with their fans or they just dont give a hoot.
As far as the record company, these cd singles and remixes need to be paid for. May be the record company sees no value in it. Duran Duran’s new albums are not selling so why should they spend more money on expensive remixes and subsequent cd singles.
It does seem to go together. If Duran Duran is not giving the fans what they want, their record company sees no value in investing in promotion, remixes and cd singles for those same fams either. Although that logic didn’t apply to AYNIN. The missing cd singles with remixes from that album (not withstanding promo remixes) was painful to me. The record company really dropped the ball there, or was it Duran Duran not caring about what their fans wanted? Both seem to be true.
All good points. Duran and the label must have spent a fortune on that Girl Panic video and then they didn’t even release it properly as an actual single (yes, I know it was an RSD release, in the US). Tail wagging the dog surely. Bands used to make expensive videos so that people would BUY the actual single.
Found the Last night in the city mixes on i tunes this morning so that will do for now.
Maybe Duran should just knock up small quantities of their singles & sell them through their website as limited editions. That way they will be exclusive to buy & should keep fans happy (for the most part).
Johnson Somerset has an excellent eighties style extended remix of Pressure Off on his YouTube channel.
I stopped buying Pet Shop Boys, New Order or Depeche singles years ago like most fans and stick with the album releases. Certainly not commercial as neither has had hit singles for years. It obviously shows some regard for fans. Adding to their huge body of work with say, 10 mixes of their latest single incurs no excitement in me. To be honest I find it a little curious that anyone still would unless their just completists. Fair play to PSB for still releasing actual new b sides. Perhaps PSB and Depeche have more male fans than Duran who I think would be more likely to collect all their releases.
Maybe Warners dont mind alienating a very small percentage of fans for them not to release Duran singles. I’d be interested if the band even care if they know it has no chance of being a hit. I suppose they could be accused of having bad form or disregard for the cult of fandom – albeit for few fans, by taking that choice to purchase away.
However promoting a record as a “single” with no mixes or released formats is a bit ignorant and insulting the intelligence of anyone who notices. The band have a case to answer!
It’s true that Duran Duran won’t have another ‘hit’ single (at least very unlikely). But they don’t have ‘hit’ albums either, really, and that doesn’t stop them releasing albums. You say ‘very small percentage’ but I’d argue that the loyal Duran Duran fanbase, that would buy physical singles, is a large percentage of their total audience.
Well, not officially, obviously, but a single of “Last night n the city” has been released.. It’s not really an official because it is only sold by the DD fan club, but , at least, it’s a proper physical format, and NOT a CD-R !
Just when I knew that , I went deeper to search for it and then ordered it ! At least it’s what I can buy : I’m still waiting to see the full “out of range-priced” content of the vinyl factory reissue of the album on 2 proper CDs… maybe one day !
I Do agree with gwynogue saying that single charts are now completely useless … Now that the CD album format has been killed and now turns to a full-mp3 singles , any track of any album has become a “single”… That’s completely nonsense ! The shame is now the artists and the majors follow this line, and now an album success can only last 3 months, with a “new” single” every 15 days (see how was promoted the lastest Bon jovi album!) If the major companies follow this rule for too long, they will just hit the wall and destroy completely the music market…
They really need to ditch that rule about any digital track being eligible for the ‘singles’ chart. Really stupid. I actually think they should insist on a physical format being issued for single eligibility. Some might see that as a backwards step, but that hasn’t stopped the industry embracing vinyl. In a way, it’s just too easy to issue a single these days. Labels just hedge their bets randomly ‘promoting’ songs from albums as the new ‘single’ without really needing to do very much. Completely devalues the idea of a single.
I think a digital release should have at least 3 tracks to be classified as a single. And you have to buy ALL tracks for it to count as a sale. Which raises a question I’ve always wanted to ask – although UK rules and Australian rules probably differ. What counts as a digital ALBUM sale? Do you have to buy the whole album or a certain number of tracks?
The charts became a joke a long time ago and it saddens me bands like Coldplay resorted to appealing to the kiddies a while back. On the subject of Duran Duran when i bought All You Need Is Now it came with a CD single of the title track with mixes on it which was an HMV exclusive.
Yeah, I’ve got that one. There was still no physical singles from that album, though…
Girl Panic – numbered 7″. USA Record Store Day exclusive 2011. Album version plus David Lynch remix on b side.
Well, quite. Why was this limited to USA and issued as an RSD release. They should have given it a full release.
The singles charts have no credibility anymore – and that’s all thanks to downloading. An album track can be made available individually for no reason whatsoever, but enough downloads of it can make it chart. And the result? Ed Sheeran having SIXTEEN songs in the ARIA (Australian) Top 50 singles in one week (and 2 more in the 50-100 range)…VOMIT! And the rest of the chart isn’t much better…
I completely agree. Those 16 Sheeran songs are in the Top 20 of the UK Official Singles Chart, along with three other titles further down in the top 100. (Mercifully only two make the U.S. Hot 100.) Artists today get credited for singles sales when someone buys a partial album or individual track, something that wasn’t an option prior to the last 10 years. They also get credit for one single sale for each of any amount of individual mixes on a Maxi-single or multi-track iTunes bundle, as in a 10-track remix counts for 10 singles sales, whereas for much of the ’80s 12″ remix sales weren’t counted as standard singles sales at all (there was eventually a separate award for those, set unrealistically high resulting in only a rare few certifications).
Now consider that then, you had to have a physical single commercially available in order to chart in the first place regardless of airplay or whether that track was driving album sales (really, don’t all tracks theoretically drive sales of an album, particularly for album artists?), and that there were several rules in place to prevent songs from lingering in or resurging from the lower regions of the chart—rules that were dropped in the ’90s.
There were “midline” catalog albums charts a few times a year, but I recall no accounting of strong oldies singles sellers, much less oldies airplay (and that in the heyday of classic-rock and AOR radio formats).
For that matter, the first Billboard rock chart didn’t appear until 1981, more than a quarter-century after the genre exploded in popular culture. There was never a punk chart or a new wave chart; in those genres golden years there was no hi-NRG dance chart, or hard rock/metal chart; and there was never albums charts for any of those formats, or indeed for mainstream rock or AC or dance. Until late 1985 they didn’t split the Hot 100 out into its sales and airplay components, and then only for the top 30.
Now there are like 59 different Billboard charts, when for much of the ’80s there were basically six or seven generally very discriminating charts for singles (General Hot 100, Black, Country, Latin, AC, Disco, and Rock) and four for albums (General Top 200, Black, Country, Latin—I omit the sporadic Religious, Jazz, and Classical charts), the effect of which being that artists that would once have been relegated to “bubbling under” get netted up into some chart somewhere now and artists that once would’ve scaled one chart wind up splayed atop several splintered subgenre and component charts.
Meanwhile, in the ’90s they halved the number of unit sales it takes to achieve Gold or Platinum/Multi-Platinum certification, even as the population is nearly twice now what it was is the ’70s. Finally, consider how few countries even had charts measuring international pop music sales in the ’80s, and how most of those few that did generally had only one chart and published only the top 10 or 20.
Factor in the great effort and often extra cost it once took to get out and track down your favorite music if you ever even knew it was out back then, compared to e-mails and push-notifications to your phone about Amazon pre-orders months in advance now, and the fact that we paid nearly twice as much then for singles and albums with half as many tracks: most LPs had 10, 9, even 8 tracks and most twelve-inches only 1 or 2 mixes compared to more like 15 and 7 respectively now to incentivize sales.
And back then they played games, bringing in import singles to charge several times as much but which wouldn’t accrue to their chart placement in the territory where the single was purchased by the consumer, whereas today they limit digital purchases of singles and albums and most egregiously remixes to consumers in the territories to which they’re targeted. (I say most egregiously because generally I can get a foreign ALBUM shipped to the U.S. but digital-only, region-exclusive single/remix releases mean I can’t obtain those, a perplexing choice I can’t figure out for the life of me. Does the record company WANT interested parties in the U.S. to hold off for the 10-year SDE?)
For that matter, consider how a web-connected fanbase now slams a single or album debut onto the charts at its chart peak (often dwindling rapidly thereafter, to meager total sales), whereas those sales were previously drawn out over a greater period of time as awareness and interest built to a crescendo that found better-selling hits peaking at lower placements in their second or third month on the charts (and some albums actually reaching their peak a full year after release—I’m thinking Def Leppard’s Hysteria).
Don’t even get me started on the plethora of TV talent-show franchises exploiting the drama of our fascination with preformulated “reality” to pump out so-called idols by popular demand. (Guilty pleasure, I do rather like Will Young, even though I wouldn’t deign to watch U.S.-based talent competitions.)
All of these are industry tricks devised to hype up artists into hopeful self-fulfilling prophecies of mind-blowingly successful multi-format smashes today compared to the scrappy survivors we grew up with—or indeed that the artists we grew up with have greater appeal now than ever—when the opposite is the case.
And it all wouldn’t be so offensive if only they didn’t make such a big deal out of things like Ed Sheeran having 16 songs on the charts at the same time. Or “singles” selling 4.5 million copies when 1 million of that are album-cut purchases and 3 million are 300,000 actual transactions of a 10-track maxi-single. Or redundant diva X having her umpteenth “number one,” all due almost exclusively to lower thresholds and broader, tilted fields of play.
It’s like a carnival game in reverse, where rather than trying to toss a small ring over a large, round-topped spindle at several paces, they’re given hula hoops to drop directly onto several narrow spires bunched together. That metaphor even figures into the jargon. Music isn’t “released” any more, like the ring-toss pitch into the general public, it’s “dropped,” as if from lofty height, directly onto its target audience.
Conversely, to Paul’s question about whether Duran Duran can be said to have actually released singles, even physical promo singles, in the absence of actual commercially available product, didn’t count as singles chartwise. And if a song was released only in a 12″ format—even if commercially—it was similarly not technically a single in the proper sense of the word, and ineligible to chart on the Hot 100, at least for most if not all of the 1970s and ’80s. Personally, as a music lover and physical product consumer, I’ll take a 12″ or CD Maxi single over the alternative any day, and call it whatever they want, but 12″-only releases were not eligible for the singles chart, whereas the Dance, Rock, and AC charts were actually “tracks” charts; I recall Prince, Pointer Sisters, and Dead or Alive Dance chartings for “album cuts” and all the Rock chartings were for album cuts, at least initially, where immediately upon release you might have five tracks from a superstar artist on the 40- or 50-song chart. But again, that was a radio tracks chart, not a singles chart. Singles are singles. Either words have fixed meaning for everyone or at some point we lose our civilization (he said with histrionic fastidiousness, having only just been able to bring himself to watch Donald Trump’s inauguration coverage for the first time last night).
It’s certainly a more certain way to run an industry, with the chart refs gamely moving the ever-increasing and ever-widening series of goalposts in the direction of the incoming kicks. I don’t begrudge today’s talents the opportunity to make a splash, and I’d probably relish the greater opportunity if I were coming up today. But I guess the reason I and perhaps others here object to it so strenuously is the fact that the timeless, epic classics of yesteryear look puny in comparison when you contrast, say, their Wikipedia entry chart stats, or for that matter go to the source for their (actually less-reliable) Billboard.com chart histories. To the Wikipedia aspect, placing a promo-only single in a chart-peak table gives the impression it failed to sell when in fact it was never offered for sale. Sheeran’s 16 songs crowd out what in any other era would’ve been 15 other deserving artists (and today would be, whatd’you figure, five?!) and diva-du-decade’s 30th “number one” makes it look like her career is on a par with—indeed, far exceeding—the giants of the 20th century. It’s apples and oranges. Make that cranberries and oranges.
In my book, if you hit before the early ’90s—particularly if you did so on more than one format/chart, and especially if you got a Platinum record to your name—you really hit it big. If you hit since then, it’s largely a technicality, and all those other formats/charts are, in the words of a good man the ilk of whom I’m missing these days even more than some of my AWOL ’80s singers and bands, “a bunch of malarkey.”
I have the original Joshua Tree box and Ill get this one, after awhile when it drops in price. I like the Actung Baby box so its worth doing the Joshua Tree again. I saw them twice on the Joshua Tree tour : Once in Chicago and once in Tampa and it was exciting musically for me.
I don’t understand why we are not getting remixes in abundance from a band that has been around this long.
Somebody needs to get their act together at the record company…..
That said All can be forgiven it they sneak something out in time for RSD!
It is possible that DD did want or planned a more robust marketing campaign, but possibly Warner had no confidence in the delivered product and simply pulled any plans for multiple commercial singles. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We are all responsible for the death of physical singles. Sales dwindled because consumers went to instant gratification inferior downloads.
I just can’t get my head around that self-defeating attitude some record companies/execs have: they think a record is gonna flop so they don’t bother trying to promote it. I guess it’s a question of cost and ‘risk’, but still…
Held my breath at the midweeks. Never again.
Like the man (at the top) said..
The Beatles / The King / FGTH Is Dead.. Long Live Ed Sheeran !
Err I think you’ve missed the point. Eamonn was being droll.
Time On Earth by Crowded House is a damn fine album if you haven’t got it.
Warners and Duran Duran really cocked up the release of this album. So, so shoddy. No physical commercial singles in any format and the promise of a super deluxe edition of the album seemed to be just a vague rumor (it did come out). The band and their label really need to take a page from what New Order did. I mean, my god – the super deluxe edition was up front and there from the get go (2xLP on clear vinyl PLUS extended versions on colored vinyls no less!!), there were singles released in digital format, CD format AND vinyl! And the CD singles could be housed in a specially designed box. The vinyl singles were also issued on color vinyl. Add to that, there was also a vinyl single released in Japan. Plus, there were other anomaly goodies as well (Japanese box set with bandana and cassette!). As much as I love Duran Duran, they and their label seriously dropped the ball on PG, not to mention the release of this “EP”.
No singles for AYNIN either. That album screamed singles and quality remixes for sure.
2007 was the last physical single release from a contemporary album (i.e. not including RSD specials etc.). That was Falling Down.
Erasure have also kept up physical singles and I’m crossing my fingers they will keep that up with the releases from World Be Gone. But I always worry the day will come when there quietly just won’t be one. I’m even okay with download only singles if they are proper singles *packages* with mixes, a new b-side track or two – in short, some new music content (plus bespoke ‘cover’ art). But – as a big DD fan – I have been disappointed with the lack of true singles/EPs from the last 2 albums. I still struggle to think of the ability to just download the album version of a song – in some cases just drawn from iTunes’ folder of the album – as a ‘single’ (Divine Comedy take note, among others).
It’s not Duran Duran who are out of touch, it’s their fans! Most are probably pushing 50 and upwards and struggle with technology and are stuck in a time warp where Saturday afternoons involved a trip to Our Price to pick up the latest hit parade “smashes”! Seriously though, times have changed and I don’t really understand the fuss about a band whose best days (and song: Skin Trade) are 30 years behind them. If people are that desperate to hear remixes of album tracks they already own then it’s time to visit Spotify and / or YouTube or wait for the inevitable Super Deluxe Edition all-encompassing box set.
Duran Duran fans are basically the same age as New Order, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode fans. Those other bands issue singles across many formats and those same ‘out of touch’ fans happily buy them.
Also, you’re missing the point that Duran Duran didn’t release any remixes of the first ‘single’ from the album (Pressure Off) until over a year later and you had to buy a £300 box set to get them. With the Last Night In The City single, the remixes turned up six months after the band promoted it with a video. So not only are the band not issuing physical music, they can’t even get do the streaming/download thing properly either! Utter shambles.
These failings have absolutely nothing to do with the fans – if you are right and they are all pushing 50 and upwards then *that* is the audience they need to be targeting. Duran Duran’s vanity is such that they think ‘the kids’ love ’em, when they don’t!
Ageist git rjswinchester,yes im a duran fan and nearly 50.i dont struggle with technology and if you got your head out of the clouds you would realise it aint the fans that are out of touch
Come on, it’s SDE comment cummugion RJS! Why expect anything different from him?
I agree strongly with Paul on this issue. Unfortunately I don’t think Duran can be bothered with anything other than touring the USA and keeping a high profile over there. Even when you would have expected a media overload when Paper Gods was officially release all they could be bothered to do to promote it over here was a brief appearance on Loose Women, the one show and Jools Holland’s show. Oh and an album with stickers ! It’s so saddening as a fan and collector.
And if he actually comes from winchester that may explain the attitude…
Totally concur with Paul, Paper Gods has been a marketing shambles from beginning to end. Pressure Off being released weeks before the album with no real publicity; a second (great) single that wasnt; another ridiculous content lite box set; and a belief that Last Night in the City us any good.. i suppose its what an average album though deserved.
Itunes singles with no b-sides are the worst. What’s the point?
What’s even worse than the one-track digital single is the single-sided vinyl single.
B-side tracks were often brilliant. There was always that joy of buying the single and playing the hit side over and over, followed by the curiosity of what’s on the reverse, then discovering a new favorite track (or not).
When the Stone Roses dropped the single-sided physical singles last year, I didn’t even bother. What a letdown, their b-sides were always brilliant.
Ugh, that’s true. Same with Elbow. But I meant what’s the point of releasing a digital single when you can buy individual tracks from the album? Different cover?
To listen to the song with a “different” cover perhaps 2 months before the album release.
You would think singles would have made a proper comeback with with resurgence of vinyl and the demand for physical box sets. The younger generation have actually cottoned onto the fact that ‘owning’ and ‘handling’ music is far more rewarding than instant downloads and streaming – there is a market for all mediums and I personally like both but prefer a physical format. I’ve bought 5 vinyl LPs in the last few weeks and I love them – not because of a ‘band wagon’ but I simply enjoy the process of handling music and everything that comes with it. If any artists or labels read this – more physical formats please! On a similar note, i’ve pre-ordered 2 vinyl LPs – Goldfrapp’s “silver eye” (clear vinyl) and Step’s “Tears on the dancefloor (neon blue vinyl) (and yes, there is no accounting for taste) and i’m really excited for their release!
I think it is more accurate to say that a small / modest number of the younger generation have decided that physical items are more rewarding. Overall sales of physical media continue to decline ( at least in the UK).
Funnily enough, a lossless download (including all the mixes) of Last Night in the City was released yesterday – https://www.7digital.com/artist/duran-duran/release/last-night-in-the-city-feat-kiesza-the-remixes-6246675
Duran Duran, Hurts, White Lies – all bands with no physical singles from their recent albums which I gladly would have purchased if they existed. It does make me even more thankful for bands like New Order, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode that still release actual singles on CD and vinyl.
Duran Duran is a disaster under the wings of Warner. European fans doesn’t exist anymore in their tour schedules, all attention goes to the U.S. and not particulary with great succes ‘cos since all the lack of promotion the album Paper Gods turned up as a giveaway to concert visitors for a while…
Your are absolutely spot concerning Duran Duran. They have completely lost touch with the fan base.
It drives me nuts that you can’t buy singles anymore except as download. I end up buying a now album or the Brits album to get a physical copy of ,3 or 4 songs i like. I was happy to pay 3 or 4 pound for a 12″ or cd single back in the day for the cover, remixes, extra tracks so I’m sure lots of people would pay more now for a physical copy.
A couple of Duran physical promo singles and mixes on Discogs. Nothing for the general public though.
Whilst I agree 100% with your Duran comments, it’s worth remembering that CD promos do exist for all the first two singles – two different Pressure Off ones (one has a radio edit and t’other the album version); a radio edit one for What Are the Chances and there’s also a five track LNitC (although I suspect that may be from the DD Collectors Club rather than an official promo like the other two – although the quality of DDCC stuff is usually higher than that of anything official). So I’d take that to imply PO and WatC count as singles, even if download only (ie pointless) ones.
No, that’s not strictly true. Nowadays, promo CD’s are to promote ‘stand out’ tracks from the album. I have the promo CD’s you mention by the way. There a ‘few’ official promo CD’s of What are the Chances knocking about but many collectors have been ripped off with the bootleg copies.
The fact remains Warners have really cocked up with the promo train of Paper Gods and it’s pretty obvious their management company, Magus, have no say in the matter, maintaining a deafening silence on the issue.
I’ll be very surprised if Duran Duran and Warners don’t part company when this dreadful campaign is over.
I can’t comment on the Duran Duran singles however an album that was screaming for some proper singles and mixes was ABC’s Lexicon of Love II.
@Tim, too right about ABC. I have lost count of the amount of times I have played LOL 2, in fact I have got it on again now! Like being a teenager again at 52 :) Half of these tracks should have been radio staples.
Apparently the top twenty singles chart is almost exclusively Ed Sheeran tracks this week. Little use trying to make sense of what a lazy mess the “hit parade” has become.