NewsDuran Duran’s Medazzaland is officially available in the UK for the very first time
New deal sees some lesser known albums on streaming/download
Duran Duran‘s 1997 album Medazzaland gets its first official release in the UK today as it becomes available digitally – on streaming and download – for the first time.
Medazzaland was Duran Duran’s ‘proper’ follow-up to 1993’s triumphant ‘The Wedding Album’ and saw the band returning to their seats and fastening their seat belts as it brought a period severe turbulence. John Taylor left the band during the making of the record and EMI refused to release it in the UK. Fans in Britain had to track down copies from America – where Capitol did issue the album.
It was a bizarre situation. ‘Out of My Mind’ from Medazzaland had been released as a single in Britain in March 1997, to promote the film The Saint and US single ‘Electric Barbarella’ was issued as a UK single in January 1999 (to promote new ‘best of’ Greatest) but the album itself never came out.
The new availability of Medazzaland is down to a fresh deal inked with BMG Rights Management in the US. Other Duran Duran titles now available to stream/download include the wilderness years long-player Pop Trash (2000), reunion album Astronaut (2004) and the we-hope-you-like-our-new-direction offering that was Red Carpet Massacre (2007).
While streaming and downloads may be of limited interest to Super Deluxe readers right now, SDE understands that physical will follow, perhaps as soon as later this year. What shape or form any physical releases will take remains to be seen, but let’s not forget that Medazzaland and Pop Trash have never been issued on vinyl anywhere, and Astronaut and Red Carpet Massacre only got very limited pressings. So while deluxe box sets would obviously be great, getting those titles without any bonus material on vinyl would still be very welcome first step.
Check out Medazzaland on Spotify or your streaming service of choice. CD quality downloads are available from various vendors.
Pop Trash was released in 2000.
Tracklisting
Meddazaland Duran Duran / 1997 album
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- Medazzaland
- Big Bang Generation
- Electric Barbarella
- Out of My Mind
- Who Do You Think You Are?
- Silva Halo
- Be My Icon
- Buried in the Sand
- Michael You’ve Got a Lot to Answer For
- Midnight Sun
- So Long Suicide
- Undergoing Treatment
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First of all, I am really thrilled that DD are still making some fuss among the music lovers. I am 50, and although my understanding of music (and the taste in music itself) has evolved, DD will always be heroes of my youth, no matter in which form (quintet, quartet, trio, another trio… you just name it).
For me, Medazzaland is a collection of hidden gems. You need to hear it and to pick up your own favourites. The same goes for both Pop Trash and (particularly) for Red Carpet Massacre. This time I would just leave out Astronaut and All You Need Is Now as, somewhat, the obvious choices.
Duran Duran was a band I very quickly fell in and out of love with. I had all their 12″ singles from Planet Earth to Save A Prayer (except My Own Way for some reason) and both their debut and Rio albums. But then they just became yet another teeny bopper band. I really can’t see what the attraction with them could be nowadays.
I would say the opposite happened. Notorious and Big Thing are not ‘teeny bopper’ albums!!
If anything I would rank the time from Arcadia to Wedding Album as their most mature works. Pop music for adults much more than teens.
Totally agree.
Wow electric barbarella video and song. Quickly went to Discogs and got 2 maxi single vinyls and an enhanced cd of remixes and video. Thank you sde for bringing attention to this song and album!
Both strange albums in less stranger times. Mesazzaland was of course not the course correction I expected after Thank You. At it’s release I felt Pop Trash was depressing, quite honestly.
Am I really the only one here who bought Medazzaland when it was first issued, in the Japan CD format? With the bonus track, Ball And Chain. PLUS, the Obi, the lyric sheet in English/Japanese and the sound quality is superb. I still think Medazzaland is their bravest, most experimental album and of course I love it!
Joe, I picked the Japanese CD up in HMV Manchester around Oct 2000 for £13.99, same time as getting Beatles Anthology book.
Fantastic album, together with Pop Trash I personally think they were at a creative peak which took a nosedive when the original line up got back together
My thoughts exactly. I bought the US version as soon as I could get my hands on it at one of the big music stores in Berlin that sold imports, back inn Secret Oktober 1997. The Japanese version three years later (Ball And Chain!). To this day it’s one of my fave albums because it has raw energy, great drums, fantastic sound(s) and not one of those we-try-to-be-hip-on-the-dancefloor songs that so often cut their albums in pieces. Even the remixes for OOMM and EB were all-fired-up-perfecto.
At first it looked promising with an album of indie/rock bands covering DD, available around the same time, but it all went downhill and crashed. Just listen to “Still Breathing” from Astronaut. I still prefer both Medazzaland and Pop Trash, and I do love RCM. Guess I’m more into Duran’s obscure sides. I’d buy any re-release right away.
‘Still Breathing’ from Astronaut is sublime! Not sure what you mean by ‘just listen’ to it?!
It’s my fave track on an otherwise mixed bag of a collection of songs. I tried the redux version as suggested by reader The Thorn (see the comment section of “Duran Duran: Deep Cuts” for details) but still – none of my favourites.
Anyway, I was referring to the lyrics that, at least IMHO, point out in which state either SLB and/or DD were before the reunion took place. Knowing that shattered feeling, trampled, yet still breathing. Barely came out alive. It was burnt down, and he’s never going back there again.
I can wait to get a copy
And listen to it as a proper uk release
If anyone here has never heard “Midnight Sun” from “Medazzaland” I highly recomend it. A touching ballad about John leaving the band, though you would never guess it unless you knew. Never a single but definitely a forgotten gem.
“Pop Trash” has it’s moments but it’s a bit dull & stodgy on the whole.
Your Right…i live in mexico and i was happy to get to chance to get it first import fom usa and its pink case and moreover its japanese editon with bonustracks
I remember picking it up at a Record Fair in Glasgow, I saw it and thought ‘what the hell is that?’ had no idea they had the album out, Out of my mind is a great song.
I’ll have to give Meddazzaland a listen. Obviously not a super fan otherwise i’d own it. Actually put on RCM for the first time in aeons after reading this. Still quite like it but can see how it was problematic (to say the least) for a lot of fans.
Finally….the 1995- 2000 is not my favourite DD era, Medazzaland almost ended my interest in the what was left of the band by then. I have mellowed a bit towards the album since then. Astronaut is a bit of a mixed bag but pretty good overall and I do like RCM
I do hope this means a vinyl release is on the way! A vastly underrated album in the DD catalog, in my opinion. Would love to get that crazy Andrew Day art on a 12″ sleeve!
Look forward to the physical release of Medazzaland.
The Track by Track podcast have just covered Durans ‘All you need is now’ album which I’m ashamed to say is an album I’ve neglected to listen to in the past few years, thankfully I’ve rediscovered it this week.
OMG, imagine a video like that being released today …
Still no sign on streaming and download of the Singles Boxset 86-95.
It’s been on Spotify for ages…
https://open.spotify.com/album/2Rc6GvuLjTZMQnuTfJtRyr?si=wK5FoatZRDCSq6CToiMLEA
Yes, your right it is on Spotify. I have Apple Music . I naively thought that the content was same on all sites.
Picked up Medazzaland cd in HMV in Glasgow years ago in a bargain bin for £6! Along with Pop Trash this was a great period of song writing for Duran Duran. Playing With Uranium and Somebody Else Not Me being perfect examples.
Playing With Uranium is the single that should’ve been. I continue to believe that if it had been released as such, the S/N/W lineup would have been much better-regarded.
I really like Be My Icon and Electric Barberella off this album.
Me too. “Be my Icon” is a under-appreciated classic. “Pop Trash” (the album,) , though, is even better “Medazzaland.” I would argue, that “Pop Trash” is as good as, if not better, than “Duran Duran” (1993 – “Wedding Album”)
And I would argue Pop Trash is their best ever, just after Big Thing (but only because rio and 7 are overplayed).
Actually, Paul will you now need to adjust your SDE Curated Duran Duran playlist to include Starting To Remember off Pop Trash? A true gem
After the band’s 1993 impassioned comeback single, Ordinary World which performed the unthinkable by providing Duran Duran a Number 3 hit in the USA and numerous number 1’s in all corners of the globe, a decade since ‘Is there something I should Know’ hit Number 1 in the UK, I felt somewhat deflated after listening to Medazzaland for the first time. My feelings on an album that failed to ignite the imaginations of a fan base that had previously came on board on the back of the success of The Wedding Album and of those stalwarts who screamed themselves hoarse at stadiums during the band’s tenure of the early to mid eighties, have not changed.
Medazzaland was the end result of bickering, in-fighting and the fact that there was no team effort involved. I just could not get my head around why Duran Duran would gamble and risk losing their second cusp of stardom just to ‘experiment’? The band were in no shape or form to begin testing their strengths and weaknesses, especially two years after the ill-timed release of a covers album and a whole four years since their last foray at the top end of the charts in 1993.
The band’s bassist (and crucially, one half of Duran Duran’s founders) John Taylor lost his appetite and departed. Damn, it must have been bad for him to call it quits? That would then leave Simon Le Bon languishing in a state of turmoil while the Rhodes / Cuccurullo show sauntered on. Le Bon is clearly not at his best here. There are a few standouts – ‘Who do you think you are?’, ‘Out of my Mind’ and ‘Electric Barbarella’ but ultimately this album is as depressing and dark as you can get. It probably mirrors what was happening inside their minds at the time. How could it get as bad as this? From the uptempo, positive, inspired pop / rock creativity of The Wedding Album to the downright calamity of an album who’s artwork also featured an out-of-sorts effigy of Rio.
I was there at the beginning. I witnessed the continued assault by the media as the band lost their way in the late eighties, despite having the will to keep trying to bounce back. For me at least, the fightback began with 1990’s Liberty. No, it wasn’t the five star thriller the band so desperately needed but it did cement Warren Cuccurullo in place for a permanent role as a band member, guitarist, song writer and arranger. It’s worth remembering that without him there would be no Duran Duran now. Simon once said of him in an interview we did in 1993 “He gave us confidence in ourselves and to look at songs we got quite jaded with.”
So I do have issues with Medazzaland. It was the catalyst for another difficult spell in the wilderness – only this time it would be longer until the reunion in 2003 happened. Don’t get me wrong, I think Duran Duran have done well surviving this far down the line. They have been masters at reinvention but boy they do make work hard for themselves.
It’s great to see the album is now available for streaming, together with RCM, Astronaut and Pop Trash. It’s a different time now and with the right promo Medazzaland could reach the minds of a younger audience. Who knows, it may have not been a waste of time after all? It’s also a decent sign that we may have something physical to spend our money on later in the year.
I think they lost their momentum with Thank You. But for me Electric Barbarella is one of their best singles ever. I tend to view the album as a whole akin to Bowie doing Earthling at the same time. But I like the songs on Earthling more than most of Medazzaland. I love the experimentalism though.
Remaster/reissue the Wedding Album.
A 40th anniversary restoration of the debut album, replacing the crappy 2010 remaster, would also be great.
Not a favorite but Michael You’ve Got a Lot to Answer For is a true masterpiece. Friendship, love and regret distilled in a perfect ballad from Simon.
I enjoy these albums. I always wondered why they didn’t bring back Warren Cuccurollo back after Andy Taylor’s second departure. I assume there was bad blood, but he would’ve at least added something unpredictable to the band. I guess a hired hand like whatsisface (Dom something?) is less likely to want to rock the boat.
Dom Brown is a really good guitarist. I suppose Warren doing porn might have deterred DD from re-hiring him.
Yeah I agree. Dom Brown fits in with the band nicely. I always felt Warren (stellar guitarist as he undoubtedly is) was a little too inclined to “rawk”, which was of course one of the issues that led Andy to leave.
I read somewhere that when Warren started his line of dildos the writing was on the wall for his continued tenure as a Duranie.
Can’t remember where I read that however.
When he started with the dildos they told him where to stick it.
I was suprised to learn that Dom Brown (thank you Albert!) now has a longer tenure as Duran Duran’s guitar player (15 years) than both Andy and Warren (roughly 12 years apiece)
Oh Paul! :D
Really like Medazzaland, although I always found the production a bit ‘muddy’. I’m sure it was what they were going for but I prefer the ‘cleaner’ Duran sound of albums like Notorious.
Fantastic and under-rated album. One of my favorite DD albums, actually. Definitely happy to see more people exposed to this, even if it is 25 years later.
“Medazzaland” is a fantastic album. Very creative change of direction. Brave even and an artistic high I believe. If another more “hip” band had done it it would have been declared a Masterpiece I’m sure.
I have a bootleg of the demos too. Bought my copy of the album in the Virgin Megastore Times Square when it was released.
Me too, I love some of the alternative versions, and the album itself is vastly underrated.
I totally agree. A brave step in experimentation that for me succeeds.
Great tracks on here. Got mine about a year after US release at a record store. I was surprised to see it as I’d never heard of it.
Roll on vinyl issues of all 4 records! I only have RCM on vinyl out the 4. Then I’ll have all the catalog on vinyl .
Brilliant!
Agreed. Listening to this for the first time ever on Tidal right now and the production sounds right on. Loving the title track – can imagine this may have disappointed Duran fans who were expecting more of the same (or previous), but if I completely divorce myself from what came before and look from an objective POV this is a fantastic album. From what I’m reading on Wikipedia about it, it may have just been ahead of its time. Electric Barbarella was apparently the first song ever offered for download, owning opprobrium from record stores who obviously (and correctly) saw digital content as a threat. On first listen’Out of my Mind’ seems to have parallels to ‘View to a Kill’, both being theme tunes to a spy movie, and somehow being very reminiscent of each other. Overall loving listening to this album as a long time Duran fan who never heard it and would buy it in a heartbeat if issued physically. Hell, I’d even love a large art version of the cover mounted in the music room.
Good album. Guitar work is amazing on this one! Let’s hope a vinyl release will be a reality someday.
An expanded double CD release of ‘Medazzaland’ would be most welcome. It’s the only DD album I never bothered to buy, despite the rather interesting singles off that album. This obsession with vinyl and download I will truly never understand.
So basically you are saying that you like the CD format and can’t understand anyone liking/preferring the other formats available.
Interesting…
Medazzaland is underappreciated and needs reappraisal. This might just be their most experimental album, but they did tour the US in support of it. Excellent news physical reissues may be on the way, and of all these albums. Even though my friend and I have copies of Astronaut we bought on vinyl for under $20, it wouldn’t hurt my conscience seeing the online prices drop in order to expose these records to more people, with Medazzaland and Pop Trash being of particular interest due to not ever being on vinyl as you mentioned. Now…can we get new copies of Rio made again? The demand is getting high…about as high as George Michael’s Faith has become…
Very underrated album, I’m holding my breath that it finally gets a vinyl issue. Here in the US if you bought the CD Single of “Electric Barbarella” (at Best Buy) you got a coupon inside it for $5.00 off the cost of the Medazzaland CD. I ended up paying only $6.00 for it when it came out. Great album.
I also used that coupon from inside the CD single of Barbarella to buy the album a few weeks later… in my case at a Homers Music in Lincoln, Nebraska. I’d say Medazzaland is clearly their best 90s album, definitely in the upper half of the whole discography. All of the albums listed are very good and definitely worthy of greater recognition. I’d place Red Carpet Massacre a bit above Astronaut and Pop Trash since to me RCM has no weak tracks, though I can see why some fans don’t care for it much.
I’m still holding out for a single vinyl release of the 9 track iTunes version of All You Need Is Now. But I’d like some if those mentioned on vinyl too.
RCM was released on double red vinyl through the band’s website in numbered run of 2.000 copies, there are also unnumbered copies I believe. So there could be more than 2.ooo pressed.
i have one of the numbered copies with Cry Baby, Cry, that wasn´t in the CD edition (only available in the Japan edition).
MZL Japan CD edition also came with a bonus track (Ball and Chain) and there were a bunch of remixes of electric barbarella and out of my mind
Pop Trash came with a 15 tracks vesion in the euopean edition (spanish and french versions of SENotM and Snipets of protptypes)
For Astronaut there´s a whole alternative album called beautiful colours which I prefer instead of the released one.
Lovely news! ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ also saw a US vinyl release.
https://www.discogs.com/Duran-Duran-Red-Carpet-Massacre/release/1679259
I thought that looked a bit ‘unofficial’ given it was released by Sony…
Looks to be licensed by the label for a vinyl release (like those Music On Vinyl releases). Discogs generally have a blanket ban on anything deemed “unofficial” to stop people pressing up “limited edition” bootleg green vinyl copies of Oasis albums.
Prices of Duran vinyl definitely on the up. Decided to get a copy of Rio as don’t have one on wax, time was they went for buttons but I hard pressed to find a cheap copy in decent condition, and as for the most recent repress…they go for silly money.
About time too. Good album. A Deluxe with demos/remixes would be welcome.