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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
You're welcome!, August 13, 2004
Duran Duran all-covers album "Thank You" elicited a predictable knee-jerk reaction from the critics, along the lines of "How dare they?" The critics apparently hoped to keep the "classics" on a pedestal in the Rock `n' Roll Hall of Fame, or somewhere.
The truth is that Duran Duran rocks out, and has fun doing it, on some of their favorite songs. The selection may strike some as odd; no Roxy Music, David Bowie, or other `70s glam icons that Duran hailed as major influences. Rather, the boys from Birmingham take on the gamut of classic rock & R&B: Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, The Doors, Sly and the Family Stone, and a host of other A-list greats. And for the most part, Duran does them justice.
Grandmaster Flash himself appears on the first track, a turbo-charged rendition of his "White Lines," instantly lending street cred to the proceedings. Duran's cover of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" is a lush, dreamy affair in the tradition of their own "Save a Prayer" or "Ordinary World." Reed himself called this the best cover ever of one of his songs; believe him!
Simon LeBon's crooning on Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" gives the song the vocal treatment it deserves, a great improvement over Dylan's Muppet-like phrasing on the original (Dylan was never the best intepreter of his own songs). Elvis Costello's "Watching the Detectives" gets a high-tech, art-rock workout, replete with ambient sound effects. Even the title track works far better than anyone could have expected, as LeBon effectively matches Robert Plant's histrionic delivery.
The production and engineering are simply astonishing; this is probably Duran Duran's best sounding record. Once you get past the audacity of Duran's song selections, you'll find yourself addicted. "Thank You" is simply fun to listen to.
Duran Duran gives their fans a real treat, a sincere "thank you" card for returning them to the top of the charts in 1993. Don't listen to the critics. Accept Duran's "thanks" - you won't regret it!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Non-Duran fan is VERY impressed!, July 13, 2000
I'm not a Duran Duran fan at all, although I admit they do write some good songs here and there. I accidently came across this cd and listened to it and I was totally astonished! I'm not into writing reviews because I know people have different opinions and I respect that, but after reading very bad reviews by critics and fans, I had to make my say. I just think people aren't giving them a chance on this album. Overall, I was very impressed with the creativity, excellent song structures, and musicianship. The first song, they rocked & grooved in "White Lines" but it's going to take a while to get use to Simone LeBon's weak rappin' voice. Even though, the scratchin' was fun to listen to and the beat was heavy and pounding. The follow-up song is a song I love by Sly & the Family Stone,"I Wanna Take You Higher." I loved the guitar riffs in this one, and the ending was cool when everyone is getting down. After that, Duran Duran came out with some mellower stuff, Lou Reed's "Perfect Day," Elvis Costello's Watching the Detectives," and the classic Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay." To appreciate those songs, you would have to listen to it from beginning to end, and LeBon's singing was excellent. Then, they did Public Enemy's "911 is a Joke." This time, LeBon's rappin' was great and funky, and I loved the beginning sound of the Mississippi Blues guitar and harmonica. After that came Iggy Pop's "Success," written by David Bowie. This version was awesome and it made me realized they actually picked GREAT SONGS! for the cover cd. Although, I didn't care for the Doors' "Crystal Ship." It's just not that good of a song period. "Ball of Confusion" was unique and interesting, and I enjoyed it. The surprised part is when I heard Led Zepplin's "Thank You." LeBon sounded like Robert Plant totally, but in a unique way. The atmospheric sound of the song was tremendous. The only song they wrote was "Drive by," which was very creative. The song creeped slowly in an intense atmospheric way again, and after it builds up, somebody breaks out in a recorder solo, which was awesome! The finishing song was another part of the first cover tune of Sly's. This time, they band just got into rocking in a soulful way and LeBon was getting down with his singing. As you can see, I'm loved this cd...I think it has to be one of the greatest cover tunes cd around. I would love to see a good band do some Stones' songs and try to make it fresh and great. I probably won't write another review because this took longer than I thought, but it was worth it. You guys in Duran Duran, I did you righteous. Peace brothers!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
They could have played it safe, but then why bother?, August 16, 2006
So... Q Magazine recently dubbed this record to be the worst album of all time. Hardly. Give the guys in Duran Duran credit for not treading down a worn path with their attempt at a collection of covers. Not only do they choose songs you wouldn't expect from them, but they also take the risk of completely reinventing these works. Sometimes the experiment succeeds wonderfully. Most of the time it doesn't. However, the results are for the most part never less than worthy of a passing listen.
The albums low point is a horrible cover of Public Enemy's "911 Is A Joke". Duran Duran is too stylistically far remeoved from rap and hip-hop for something like this to have even been feasible and I don't understand why it wasn't left in the rehearsal studio. From there on, things only go upwards because they certainly can't go any lower. The opening track, Grandmaster Flash's "White Lines" is decent. A slick version of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady, Lay" is a pleasant but admittedly watered down version of the original. However, the cover of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" and "Drive By", a reworking of an introduction to one of the bands own earlier tracks, are definitely highlights.
I'm not sure why this album received the critical drubbing which it did. Critics complain all of the time about bands failing to take risks, and yet when a disc like this comes along they seem to yell even louder. I will always give greater credit to a noble failure than I will to something which is safely mediocre. I would put this album in the noble failure category.
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