Arena [Live, Original recording reissued]

Duran Duran | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live, Original recording reissued
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000002U8K
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #303,456 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Arena by Duran Duran

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Back to the "Arena" 20 Years Later., June 6, 2004

By 

The Groove (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arena (Audio CD)

WHAT IS IT? The 20th anniversary reissue of Duran Duran's live CD, digitally remastered and with two bonus tracks: the live versions of "Girls on Film" and "Rio."

THE PROS: Thanks to the remastering, the sound quality is a huge improvement over the original 1984 recording. The bonus tracks, especially the dynamic live version of "Girls on Film," are so good that they're almost worth the price of this CD. It makes you wonder why they weren't included in the first place. And, of course, we have the Nile Rodgers-produced "Wild Boys," a killer studio track that went to Number Two in the fall of 1984.

THE CONS: With a few exceptions, the audience is eliminated from the recording. As a result, you don't really feel a connection between the band and their fans. Also, the live versions are, for the most part, note-for-note replicas of the originals, although the kickass "Careless Memories" is a true standout.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Worth a purchase only for Duran Duran fans, even if they already have the original release. While its flaws remain, the remastering is top-notch, and the two extra tracks are worth checking out.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better for the bonus tracks, but still a disappointment, June 17, 2004

By 

Giacomo Holdini (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arena (Audio CD)

Arena was a major disappointment in its original incarnation. Duran Duran, one of the world's biggest bands in 1984, had just completed a major world tour, and their fans deserved a proper live album as a representation of the concerts on that tour. Instead, they got Arena, which was mixed and edited much more like a studio album. With a distant audience sound, a recording that sounded more processed than live, and smoothed down fades and edits between songs, Arena actually lent credence to the lie that Duran Duran was nothing more than a studio band. Matters were not helped any by the fact that one of the best tracks on the original release was the studio single, "The Wild Boys." Although it is a terrific song, its inclusion on a live album was, and remains, totally out of place. Subtract "The Wild Boys," and you were left with precisely nine live songs totaling under forty-five minutes in length: hardly a definitive example of what a Duran Duran concert was like in person.

This remastered version does little to improve the situation. Although the remastering adds greater clarity, texture and immediacy to the existing sound, the lackluster mix and slick edits are the same, as are the original song selection and order. If anything, the improved sound somehow makes the whole album sound even more sterile, since it clarifies just how much effort was put into making this album as "un-live" as possible.

What makes this new disc worth having are the two bonus tracks, totally thrilling live versions of "Girls On Film" and "Rio." These two cuts possess what most of the rest of the album lacks: vigor, vitality, and a genuine interplay between band and audience. Along with "Careless Memories," they indicate just how good Arena could have been if it had been better conceived and executed. Tacked on to the end of the disc, however, these two tracks are true bonuses, doing nothing to improve the main body of the album.

Perhaps someday EMI/Capitol will see fit to release a totally new live album documenting Duran Duran's 1984 tour, one that does justice to what the band was actually doing on stage at that time. Arena, simply put, does not. It remains a must-have for die-hard fans only. Everyone else should look elsewhere for their Duran fix.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait!, October 10, 2004

By 

Dorrie Wheeler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arena (Audio CD)

"Arena" is the only official U.S. release of a live Duran Duran music. I bought it twenty years ago and I recently purchased the remaster. I have always loved "Arena" for several reasons. For one, Simon's voice sounds awesome live. Two, it is always nice to hear your favorites songs slightly different than the way they sound on the studio albums. My absolute favorite song on the album is "Careless Memories," I love this song live. The addition of "Rio" and "Girls on Film" really make this set complete. I always wondered why they would include lesser known songs like "The Chauffeur" and "The Seventh Stranger" on this set vs. more popular songs, now we have them all. It's just a great album to listen to when driving too.