Customer Reviews

Duran Duran - Sing Blue Silver

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Whoever came up with the idea of releasing "Sing Blue Silver" on DVD must have been reading my mind. Back in the 1980s, MTV aired this special documentary on Duran Duran's 1984 North American tour in support of their "Seven and the Ragged Tiger" LP. Today, it's now restored on DVD with 25 additional minutes of footage that wasn't shown on MTV. It's a wonderful glimpse of the band behind the scenes, and it shows the tons of work that goes into each individual show, from stage setup, to makeup to soundcheck. "Sing Blue Silver" also follows the band as they make promotional stops in America including press conferences, radio interviews, and a brief appearance on the now defunct "Friday Night Videos" in which Simon LeBon rigorously defends Duran Duran as a credible group and not some faceless boyband. We also catch them meeting members of the L.A. Raiders, brainstorming with video director Russell Mulcahy, and we also discover that keyboardist Nick Rhodes was (and probably still is) a huge fan of arcade video games. But more important, "Sing Blue Silver" catches the band in concert, performing many of their hits including "Hungry Like the Wolf," "Is There Something I Should Know," and a rousing rendition of "Careless Memories." Aside from decent sound quality and picture, "Sing Blue Silver" offers no extra features, but we do get a booklet featuring photos of the band on tour, and we get postcard-size photos of each of the members: Simon, Nick, Andy, Roger, and John. Despite the lack of extras, "Sing Blue Silver" is a dream come true for Durannies and a pretty solid documentary of the band on tour during their peak in popularity.

My favorite band of all times (what started out as a teen crush quickly turned into a love for the band for life) were wise to have this stellar concert tour filmed - documentary style. This was the height of their mainstream fame, a snapshot of classic '80s. I saw the 2nd Oakland Area show back in April 1984, my first concert. I remember when this documentary played on MTV and how I watched my homemade VHS copy for years after. The behind the scenes stuff is classic and a thread of respect is paid to all the work and people power it takes to put on concert shows, especially spectacular shows such as they were! Watching this again 20 years later brought tears to my eyes. I saw D2 back in January 2004 in San Antonio and am so glad to have the chance to see them together again and see them in a smaller more personal venue, front row. Part of me is torn between wanting the recognition of 1984 for them but also enjoying the personal touch of today. Sing Blue Silver is a significant milestone for D2 and I'm so glad this was captured on film (very well filmed I might add.)

absolutely a must have!!! not only for duran fans but for music fans that appreciate great tour documentaries. this was 1984 people and to this day i havn't seen a tour documentary that comes close to being as good as this. it is simply the best. great concert footage, great interviews, great insight on the bands free time on tour and great quality. definetly worth the price. so skip the arena dvd- because thats a joke - and pick this up.

This is the best documentary of a band I have seen at the time of it's release in '84 and till it's looooong overdue release on dvd, haven't seen one to beat it yet. A great documentary focusing on the US tour, how serious and dedicated the band is about what they do, and the relaxed side of the band.

Russel directed a brilliant insight to this band. I would recommend this to anyone who likes music documentaries and wants a little closer look at the Fab5.

This is basically a single-feature DVD of the official movie from Duran Duran's 1984 North American concert tour. Obviously, it won't mean much unless you happen to like this band, but it scores points for portraying Duran Duran at the top of its popularity, and there is a genuine feeling of excitement surrounding the band's concert appearances. More a compilation of bits of footage from the tour/concert/promotions circus than a live concert film, Sing Blue Silver does have some live tracks , most in edited form. Their hit song Save A Prayer is shown in full. Other hits from their peak era 1981-84 are also included. The backstage stuff shows you enough of the happenings surrounding the band to give a fair indication of the crazy world of hype and fashion that commercially-successful pop artists live in.

Duran Duran is a good band, and fans will enjoy having this film to watch as it has been unavailable for many years. I'll give it 3.5 stars.

If you were a teenage girl in 1984, your life probably revolved around three things - clothes, your friends, and Duran Duran. Although I never had the opportunity to see the original Fab Five on this tour - I had to wait 20 years for that - watching this dvd makes me feel like I did. It's amazing, even though I may be "mature" now, married with children and loads of responsibilities, I slip in this DVD and I get all sweaty and expect to look up at my bedroom walls and see it covered with Duran Duran posters, Simon Lebon staring down at me while I sleep. For an hour or so, I am magically transported back to 1984, when life was simple, yet so complicated. I get butterflies in my stomach, get all giggly, and watch to grab the phone to call my best Duran friends, only to remember that, alas, those friendships fell apart the minute we graduated and went to college. You really get caught up in the excitement that was 1984, all the flurry, the fashion, the excess. What a great decade - who wouldn't want to relive it (well, for a few moments, anyway).

If you are a Duran Duran fan, there really is no excuse for not having this dvd, if for no other reason than to shamelessly escape briefly into the past, where we can let our hearts beat to our foolish, 14 year old passions.

I highly recommend this DVD. As I say in my title, this documentary is how it should be done. You not only get great live concert action, but you see the in's and out's of how a tour of this size is put together. You also get to see the "human" side of the band as they tour the different cities they visit. I've been a Duran Duran fan since 1983 and Sing Blue Silver brings me back to my teenage years and the Duran Fab 5 hysteria of 1984!!! A definate must for all fans! (P.S. - I'm so glad the band is back together again!!! Saw them in November 2003 and look forward to their new album!!)

If you only ever own one piece of Duran Duran memorabilia, make it this one. This "rockumentary" was made when the group was touring at the height of its popularity- in 1984. The video catalogues the North American leg of their tour. It includes priceless concert footage and a few light moments with the band backstage and on the road.

What makes this video a keeper is its balance. It shows off some of the best performances of the tour- without being too heavy on stage show. Also, it gives a fun perspective on life with the band at that time, whether they were exhausted, goofing off, or promoting the tour. It captures Duran Duran as its true 1980's fans would love to always remember them- young, energetic, and with a song list full of hits. You can't bring back the arena concerts of the 80's, but you can reminisce with Sing Blue Silver!

Duran Duran started out in 1981 with Planet Earth, and finished up with 1985's "View to a Kill". This band could do no wrong, although I believe their best year was 1982 (The RIO album). They split in late 1985 to form different projects (Arcadia and Powerhouse), before reforming in the early nineties.

SING BLUE SILVER was filmed in 1984 when Duran Duran were at their peak. This documentary covers a period of touring across United Kingdom and America where the band played to thousands of screaming fans. It is definitely a snapshot of the popularity of Duran Duran at the time. Fans will be grateful that someone filmed this tour. Saved forever!

While I enjoyed parts of the DVD, there were definite moments when I was bored with it. Dragged at times. The most interesting aspect was discovering that the band could actually perform live very well. My original perception was that this was a band who relied on studio to make them sound good. WRONG!!! Other aspects of the DVD which I enjoyed were the discussions with Simon Le Bon and other band members in 1984. Gee, did people really dress like that then? Afraid so.

The DVD comes in a nice sueude like box with concert cards. The disc itself only features the documentary , there are NO additional features. Personally, I think they could have included a discography or some video clips.

I would recommend the DVD to die-hard fans. For others, it might be worth renting before buying.

The "Sing Blue Silver" DVD release makes up for the mediocre packagaging and confusion of the "Greatest" DVD. The DVD comes in a blue velvet-like box. I admit the design of the box does make the writing on the back a tad bit hard to read but that isn't a huge problem. Inside of the box is decent size 12 page booklet with black and white still of the group. Now comes the totally awesome extra-5 glossy black and white pictures of the group.

The DVD itself is great. The picture quality is great along with the sound quality. It is great to have this film available on DVD and EMI did Duran Duran and their fans justice with this release.