Customer Reviews

Big Thing

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was a die-hard Duranie in the 80s, but felt like I got ripped off when I plunked down money for Pop Trash and Medazzaland. I picked up Big Thing in a used CD store and felt like I had stumbled across undiscovered treasure. Very mellow, more like Arcadia's So Red the Rose than Astronaut (or even the wedding album). Like the other reviewers mentioned, Edge of America, Palomino, and Too Late Marlene are haunting, beautiful tracks. It's one of my favorite CDs to listen to at work---quiet enough to not be distracting, yet interesting and anything but bland.

Big thing is yet another transition album from the classic Duran Duran music. However all the experimentation seems to work! Big Thing begins with the title track, intended to warm up the listener for the best songs on the album: "I don't want your love" is a funky groove that is reminiscent of the Notorious album, a dark yet fun dance song. "All she wants" is another dark song, the sounds very experimental but it seems to work extremely well. "Too late marlene" is probably my favorite song on the album, it's very subtle and subdued and utilizes a number of cool sounds, an awesome horn section and a very pleasant keyboard solo. "Drug" is a song full of energy and for those of you who take uppers, this song is for you. "Do you believe in shame" is another damn fine song, which holds back this incredible musical phrase until the third verse. "Palomino" is an amazing song, very subdued and it's beautiful in that it doesn't need to be heavy or adrenaline charged like the first few songs on the album. "Land" is an amazing work, a very peaceful, beautiful and passionate song. "Edge of America", well it makes me think of exactly that.
"Lake Shore Driving" is the last song, a very experimental piece with some awesome sounds. All in All, Big Thing is at the least, a great album.

Coming off the horn heavy funk of "Notorious," Duran Duran the trio stripped the sound down to some heavy beats for "Big Thing." The first single, "I Don't Want Your Love," sounded like a re-invention. Incorporating the current house and new-jack dance trends at the time, it was a major leap away from the candy-floss of "Rio." "All She Wants Is" carried the same sort of dance-floor urgency, and the title track was an arena ready thumper.

But the trademark lushness wasn't ever too far off. "Too Late Marlene" and "Land" are everything you'd expect from Duran Duran, rich arrangements, Simon's grandiose lyrics and Nick Rhodes' atmospheric keyboards. But perhaps "Big Thing's" best moment is the tribute to the band's late friend Alex Sadkin, "Do You Believe In Shame." Slowing down the swamp groove of "Suzie Q" and laying in an emotional vocal, "Shame" connects on a level that only a few songs in the DD library have ever done before.

Equally as good as "Notorious," and in my opinion, better than the "Wedding Album."

I have to admit I was put off by the album Notorious when it initially came out. My favorite group of the time had broken up and taken a new musical direction. This, even though I LOVED Arcadia's So Red The Rose. Then Big Thing came out, and Duran Duran were no longer in vogue. They started to be relegated to bargain bin memorabilia of teeny-bopper days-gone-by. And that was despite the fact that their music was growing up.

In retrospect and upon recent return listening, Notorious is a fabulous album. But I could never understand for the life of me why Big Thing was not greeted with open arms by fans and media-outlets everywhere. It seems evident to me that in the late '80s, Duran Duran were the victims of backlash for the frenzy they created in the first half of the decade. It was suddenly cool and fun to hate them and it was quite easy to be laughed at for still being a fan. They had no obvious political agenda and were not Underground or Indie, and so by virtue of the times Duran Duran were out. They were has-beens.

Big Thing to me is like two incredible albums. There's a great club EP in here on the first half, with Big Thing, I Don't Want Your Love, All She Wants Is and Drug. Then there's a thoughtful, deeply layered, well-conceived and fascinating second half featuring experimental work and really wonderful song writing both lyrically and musically that takes you to a different place altogether.

Palomino, Land, The Edge of America and Lake Shore Driving are some of the best work Duran Duran has and will ever do. The biggest difference between this and most of what Duran Duran is known for is that none of these are radio-friendly, single-type songs. It's to LeBon and Rhode's credit that on an album with such strong singles as All She Wants Is and I Don't Want Your Love, the album they were from really shines in the non-single cuts. Big Thing shouldn't be ignored, it should be embraced.

The late 80's were Duran Duran's darker years, in that their music
didn't really possess the bright, cheerful and extremely fun melodies
to be found on their earliest albums. There are some exceptions to the
rule on 1988's Big Thing, but they sound less like Duran Duran and more
like industrial pop, Drug being the prime example of that.

This is not to judge every song on the album though. Big Thing is probably
the weakest title track on a Duran Duran album(Right after Liberty and Red
Carpet Massacre). But it gets better. On this remaster you've got not just
the original version of I Don't want your love, but the shep pettibone mix
which is the definitive version of the song. All she wants defines dark
Duran to me, it's a very sexual song but it's very powerful in its execution.

Speaking of powerful, I would be amiss if I were to forget to mention Duran
Duran's most powerful and mature song to date, "Do you believe in shame?".
I want to emphasize something very clearly, there's nothing wrong with going
in a more mature direction as long as it's clear you can still write great
music in that direction. Duran Duran already proved that in songs like "A
matter of feeling". But Do you believe in shame is an incredible song, truly
powerful and extremely moving in it's structure and lyrical content.

Then there are tracks like Too Late Marlene and Palamino, which are sadly underrated and
highly neglected even though they are beautifully written and are transcendent in their
tone and melodies. The centerpiece of the album for me though is Land, at 6+ minutes is
Duran Duran's longest song(Even longer than The man who stole a Leopard), but you'll never
notice because it's a masterfully written song. It's not a ballad in the typical sense of
the word, but it has some amazing, just amazing guitar work done by Warren Cuccurullo.

The edge of America is also incredible, I don't completely understand what it's about, but
just like Land, it's amazingly written.

Big Thing is an album that is easily overlooked, mostly because the best tracks on the album
were underplayed and didn't achieve single status.

Really, the transition began with their last album, Notorious, a very funky-hornsy type album. With Big Thing, the band gives us the dance/pop on what then would have been the A-side, while the B-side of the album is full of the contemporary and experimental. Really the BIG deal is the infectious dance remixes of I Don't Want Your Love and especially All She Wants Is, which are not found on the album. Aside from that, Warren seems to get a little more infusion to the band's sound this time around. One thing always with their albums, it's never the same ole same ole. Track 1- BIG THING, Simon actually plays guitar on this one (Warren wouldn't become a full band member until the next album) This tune is stomp & grind. Bang away! #2 I DON'T WANT YOUR LOVE, for Duran fans, this album introduced the fact that what you heard on the radio may or may not be the version on the album. This version is very stripped down compared to the rock/dance groove found on the single, and I like Simon- LIKE NOISE. #3 ALL SHE WANTS IS, one of my all time favorite songs. Whether it's the rock driven album version or the all out jump around and dance version- this a a true DD classic hit. #4 TOO LATE MARLENE, it seems since Save A Prayer (kinda the only ballad type song the band had to hit the radio waves)their idea of a slow song has never hit the mainstream (we would have to wait until The '93 Wedding Album for that), but just like Save A Prayer, their idea of a contemporary song takes the listener to a different place. Here the dying relationship pulls your heart strings. #5 DRUG- dancy with an anti-drug theme. Forget the drugs Take Me instead. Love it. #6 DO YOU BELIEVE IN SHAME?- Like track 4 the band is pursuing the new direction. A powerful lyrical ode to a departed friend. Really touching. #7 PALAMINO, For me this is the oddest song the band has ever done. Talk a little, sing a little and add a dolphin sound effect. Yes, it's odd, but Simon will have you singing along by the end of the song. #8 INTERLUDE I- hmm, just a filler. (maybe to push the track # to 12 songs during a time period when you were lucky to get 9 full songs on a vinyl record. #9 LAND- simply a beautiful song. If this album falls short- it's not because of the lack a true gems. #10 FLUTE INTERLUDE- refer to track 8. #11 THE EDGE OF AMERICA- Touching piece of a music, nice set up for the next song... #12 LAKESHORE DRIVING, Okay, I do like it when the guys do a rock/jam song. No disapointments here. Working with producer Jonathon Elias, whom John Taylor worked with on his debut solo song (I Do What I Do) from the 9 1/2 Weeks soundtrack, the collaboration on this album is a solid piece of work.

Welcome to the most overlooked Duran Duran Album (it's even ignored in the band's future hits compilations). Like "Notorious" it's a transition album. However, it's more solid than "Notorious". It certainly follows what was hip at the time (U2 and INXS) so it's a bit dated. However, it's a perfect preview of "The Wedding Album" which was the band comeback and the record that pull them out of being just and 80s band. It's one of the most underrated CDs of 1989, as well as their 2004 "Astronaut" was the second most underrated CD of that year (behind Blondie's "The Curse of Blondie").

I just discovered this album, and it is amazing - even moer amazing is why it got lambasted by critics when it was released!
The title track has a great beat, but my absolute favorites are "Too Late, Marlene," "Do You Believe in Shame" and "Edge of American" - all three are beautiful (mid-tempo) ballads, and once again, Simon proves he is one of the most talented song writers out there. Definitely recommended.

I was a huge fan of Duran Duran throughout the early '80s -- and I still have the posters and LPs to prove it! But after Andy and Roger left, I was a little saddened at the "ending of an era." I thought "Notorious" was alright. When "Big Thing" was released, I didn't even rush out to buy it. A friend let me borrow his tape (it was the '80s!) after it had been out for around a year, and so I took it home and listened... and was thoroughly blown away and enchanted. And kicking myself that I waited so long to even give it a chance! The pop songs are great, but the ballads are just masterful. Even today, it's one of the CDs that I play often and never get tired of. One favorite is "Do You Believe in Shame?", which was released as a single, I believe, and also used in the movie *Tequila Sunrise* starring Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell, and Michelle Pfieffer (why do I remember this stuff??). But far and away, the songs that stick in my heart and my head are "Palomino" and "Land." Beauty, heartache, loving, longing -- it's all there. Admittedly, Simon has quite a distinct voice, and just hearing it on any song makes me feel like a gawky teenager again (but in a good way). His vocals on these two songs especially make me appreciate his talents. And of course I'm beyond grateful to my friend for letting me borrow his tape in the first place, since I practically wore it out before I returned it. Luckily, CDs last much longer!

Nick Rhodes: "I think from 1986, it was a different Duran Duran. We had a different attitude towards recording, and a different attitude towards life in general [because of the loss of original members, and loss of popularity]."

Simon LeBon: "We wanted to involve ourselves on the production side of things. I don't even think it was because we felt we had the ideas; we just felt that it was the right thing for us to do. We had to expand. We had to give ourselves a challenge."

Warren Cuccurullo: "I think a lot of kind of soul searching was going on and `Big Thing' is a really good record. It's very experimental; there's a lot of interesting guitar on it and synthesizer stuff."

Simon LeBon: "All She Wants Is, which is so out there, it was so current, and so ahead of its...of where we were coming from actually. It was the most experimental thing on the album."

John Taylor: "'Big Thing' just turned into such a lumbering epic of a record that had such a black side to it that people just were not interested."

Warren Cuccurullo: "The unity that we felt as a band at that point, when we decided that we should be writing together more, kind of kept us afloat...as long as we feel that we're doing something strong and we can make something as good as anything we've ever done, that's enough to keep us going."