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1979 demo version of Duran Duran’s ‘Girls On Film’ issued on special EP

By Paul Sinclair

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32

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US West Coast label, Cleopatra Records are issuing some ‘historic’ unreleased demo recordings from Duran Duran in the pre-Simon Le Bon era, when early frontman Andy Wickett was part of the line-up.

Girls On Film 1979 Demo is effectively a four-track EP which features September ’79 recordings made by Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Wickett (who had replaced Stephen Duffy). The early version of Girls On Film is very recognisable, despite different verse melodies and lyrics, while See Me Repeat Me is an embryonic take on Rio. The are two other songs are called Reincarnation and Working On The Steel. All these pre-date the band signing with EMI, although there isn’t any indication as to where these recordings actually came from.

This EP is being put out on CD and clear coloured vinyl and you can take a listen to the tracks on this page. Girls On Film 1979 Demo is already out in some territories, although will not be released in the UK until 29 April 2016.

pre-order

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CD version

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Clear/Coloured vinyl version

track_listing

1. See Me, Repeat Me
2. Reincarnation
3. Girls On Film
4. Working The Steel

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32 Comments

32 thoughts on “1979 demo version of Duran Duran’s ‘Girls On Film’ issued on special EP”

  1. Just came across this…interesting comments regarding demos that should have stayed that way, but my main chuckle was about the price. . .. Take a look at the price for the RSD Carnival remixes release, makes this look like a bargain especially for mixes mostly available elsewhere.

  3. Apropos of nothing but something I think about a lot because it was a period when I was totally obsessed with the band …. it occurred to me that the trajectory of the first three DD albums was very similar to that of Oasis. DD = Definitely Maybe, Rio = Morning Glory, SATRT = Be Here Now. The influences and causes of the pros and cons of each also probably very similar. That said, never a huge fan of the Gallaghers, don’t rate their albums anywhere as highly as DDs and they certainly won’t have the longevity of DD.

  4. I think this demo just underlines what a significant contribution SLB made to DD’s success… both lyrically and melody-wise, he added the missing ingredient

  5. as much as i like duran duran.

    these are horrible.

    the only value they have is historical.

    hearing them once is enough.

    later
    -1

  6. I would prefer a hard copy, so ordered the vinyl. Thanks Canada for having a good price. :) By the way people in the rest of the world, the exchange rate with Canada might mean you get it a huge amount cheaper. just 8.99 GBP for the vinyl and 7.92 GBP for the CD, plus shipping of course, but it might work out better for you?

  7. Is it still April Fools Day? They expect people to pay 12 quid (approx $AUD20) for a CD of only four DEMOS from nearly 40 YEARS ago? I. Think. Not.
    $USD4 download (available in flac), here I come!

  11. These tracks date from a demo recorded at Bob (UB40) Lamb’s home studio in Kings Heath,Birmingham.Andy Wickett has made them available long-time.
    Hope Cleopatra gave him a few bob…

    1. Why doesn’t Wickett get a co-write credit on the actual Girls On Film, or was he not involved in the melody/words of the chorus?

          2. Chocolate? Looks like a perfectly healthy normal man in his 50’s to me

      2. ISTR reading that Andy sued them for royalties or some such once GoF became successful but settled, out of court, for a paltry (in retrospect) sum.

      3. I think he was given a £1000? payment for him to sign away any future rights or earnings from the song as it is recognisable in parts to what became the version of Girls on Film that everybody knows.

    2. Oh to have a free run at Bob Lamb’s secret stash. I wonder if he had any of the Duffy era Duran Duran on tape. I managed to get the beg / borrow / steal the whole “The Hawks” album which never saw the light of day from Bob’s Vault’s. So somewhere in the drawers of forgotten tat there will be a tape of the very earliest Duran material, the year before this release.

  13. And the record companies wonder why people download instead of paying for stuff……… Disgusting price for some half finished tracks!

  14. Unfortunately this seems now to be the bitter price, that all real music Fans now have to pay for the digital Revolution in music and for the comfort streaming. I have ended up buying The new PSB Single in Germany almost at The same price as for the CD Album.

  16. I know… lame… but really 12 UKP for a 4-track cd-single or 21 UKP for the vinyl version? Seems I am not any longer living on the same planet earth as those recordcompanies…

  17. I love hearing old/lost material surface and being a DD fan I was keen to check this out.

    Whilst I love the sound on these 4 tracks (thanks bandcamp) I have reviewed purchasing options.

    Whilst $4 for the download seems great value for money, I think there should be an arrest for theft at
    £11.99 for a 4 track CD and £20.99 for vinyl!

    Not doing my campaign of buying a turntable and buying vinyl much good with the wife! :-(

  18. Oh it’s such a shame they only go as far back as Andy Wickett and don’t have any of the original Stephen Duffy line up recordings. I know they exist. I am coming at this as a Stephen Duffy / Lilac time fan not a Durannie. I was in Swordfish records (Birmingham UK) in the very late 1980s and chatting to a chap (owner?) who said he had a couple of tapes of the earliest incarnation of Duran with Stephen on Vocals, whether he did or not I can only take it at face value, he seemed very genuine about other things he had and I had got my Signed Swordfish “The Lilac Time” LP from him a couple of years earlier. “The Devils” album with Nick Rhodes was based around Stephen finding some early Duran demo and live cassettes in an old school desk, with Duffy himself on vocals, so they do exist. But Stephen is about as much a fan of his old stuff as George Michael is of Wham! So it’ll probably remain buried. Still Wickett on vocals is a step back closer to the Holy Grail.

    1. Chris,you probably conversed with Mike or Gaz at Swordfish.They are great blokes who were around from the early days/gigs of the band.They know-and have- their stuff…
      Thankfully, Swordfish still trades as a proper record shop in Brum.
      (where else would Nick and John have got Japan’s Quiet Life on release date,back in the day?)

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