Liberty [Import]

Duran Duran | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 3, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 1990
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: EMI Europe Generic
• ASIN: B000007PSU
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,074 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

DURAN DURAN Liberty (Original 1990 UK 11-track CD album including the single Violence of Summer complete with booklet picture sleeve plus still sealed. This copy comes with an extra booklet picture sleeve which has been AUTOGRAPHED & dedicated to the US Capitol executive who was influential to the success of this album signed by Simon Le Bon Nick Rhodes John Taylor Sterling Campbell and Warren Cuccurullo in a gold pen across the front with Simon on the back with agreat dedication - this is the only item weve had with the full 5 member line-up from this period all signed on the same item. Sterling was only in the band for this album from late 1989 to early 1991 - very hard to find this full line-up signatures on a single item must have for any fan)
** Complete With Certificate Of Authenticity **

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mostly disposable pop with a few nuggets for hardcore fans, June 12, 2004

By 

Eddie Konczal - See all my reviews

This review is from: Liberty (Audio CD)

As a long time Duran Duran fan, I reluctantly give "Liberty" a negative review. Aside from 3 or 4 really good songs, most of "Liberty" is disposable disco music, with little of the New Romantic flair that set Duran apart from the other New Wave bands of the 1980s.

"Liberty" sounds like the work of three different bands: a trendy dance group, a party rock band, and a polished art-rock outfit. Unfortunately, the songs don't segue well from one to another, nor are the lines of demarcation drawn as well as on their previous effort, "Big Thing." The overall impression is more of confusion than of versatility. Duran flourished in the 80s by integrating diverse styles into a cohesive sound. On "Liberty," their signature style is subsumed in uninspired mimicry.

The first three tracks demonstrate the record's conflicting styles. Duran immediately breaks new ground with "Violence of Summer," a bouncy rock anthem. It's catchy and fun, but raises false expectations for the rest of the album. The title track features a hypnotic piano groove and atmospheric pre-chorus, but the chorus is anticlimactic and the outro drags on too long. "Hothead" symbolizes the band's cynical efforts to capitalize on dance music, and unfortunately typifies the majority of "Liberty's" material.

The rest of "Liberty" mainly consists of uninspired dance music, with three notable exceptions. "Serious" is a mature and well-crafted mid-tempo number, with a catchy chorus and dynamic instrumental break. "My Antarctica" is a moody, textured track that wouldn't sound out of place on a Bryan Ferry solo album. "First Impression" gives guitarist Warren Cuccurullo a chance to display his considerable chops. The guitar hero aesthetic of "First Impression" hasn't aged well, but "Serious" and "My Antarctica" qualify as genuine sleepers; they alone justify a place for "Liberty" in the Duranie's collection.

In a way, it's a blessing in disguise that "Liberty" gained little attention. It bombed quietly, allowing the band to regroup and build up anticipation for their 1993 comeback smash "Duran Duran (The Wedding Album)," by far their strongest effort since 1982's "Rio."

"Liberty" remains a curio in Duran Duran's discography, space filler in the five-year gap between "Big Thing" and "The Wedding Album." Most of it is forgettable, but a handful of songs make it worthwhile for the Duran fan.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Underrated gem, November 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Liberty (Audio CD)

Okay...so Duran Duran were falling out of favor around 1990. Sure, it would be another three years before they made a staggering comeback with "The Wedding Album," but "Liberty" is a solid, and sadly overlooked, gem.

True, the CD lacks focus, and it's obvious the band wasn't sure where to go stylistically at the time (this CD also introduced a couple of new band members), but there are some excellent tracks here...."Violence of Summer" is odd but catchy as hell, and "Serious" is a straightforward pop ballad...one of the best songs the Duranies have ever done.

The album as a whole, as previously mentioned, goes all over the place stylistically, and suffers a bit from Chris Kimsey's bloated production. But "Liberty" is far better than "Seven and the Ragged Tiger," a horrible mess that remains one of their most popular albums. "Liberty" has a bad rep from critics and three people may have actually bought the thing, but it truly is worth the time and money.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but worth rediscovering, April 7, 2008

By 

M. D. Lewis (Ravenstown, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Liberty (Audio CD)

Liberty is certainly an interesting album; I have listened to it extensively of recent times after having relegated it to the bottom of my cassette bin 17+ years ago as the deathknell of an era of great music.

Upon re-listen, the highs are higher, and the lows are lower - a lot of it sounds dreadfully outdated. "Hothead" was dreadful lo those many years ago and is just unlistenable now with its faux-pocalypse predictions; "First Impression", which sounded great in 1990, is just sort of laughable now for Simon LeBon's pseudo-metal pretensions. And there is simply no reason for "Downtown" to have ever been committed to tape.

And yet - some of it has aged phenomenally well. "Liberty" never grabbed me before; it now sounds very mature and smart. "My Antarctica" is far more beautiful for its age and may become recognized at last (perhaps as a tune for global warming documentaries?) And then there's "Serious", which may well be the best track this band has ever recorded. It is a crime that it is as unrecognized as it is; to be very honest, it belongs in the very top pantheon of 1990s singles along with U2's "One", Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Oasis' "Live Forever" and the Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony". That Capitol Records did not better promote the album to allow this track to blast out of every radio on the planet is a crime because it is truly a sublime four minutes of music.

In short, worth re-examination, or examination...but phenomenally uneven, to the point of being case study material.