'Duran Duran On Track': 'Danse Macabre'—the Halloween gift that keeps on giving

It’s Halloween, and the US release date of Duran Duran On Track has finally arrived! It’s also the perfect time to look back at the band’s last studio album, Danse Macabre.

Duran Duran’s Halloween-themed LP didn’t make the cover of Duran Duran On Track, which features Rio, Seven And The Ragged Tiger, The Wedding Album and Paper Gods, with Future Past on the back cover. In this series, I’ve also covered All You Need Is Now (along with the preceding Red Carpet Massacre), as well as taking a look back over the years at some of the band’s other albums, including Duran Duran and Notorious.

In my original review of Danse Macabre, I called it a joyful gift for Duranies. The band have resurrected the album each Halloween season in the form of deluxe editions, special concerts, and this year, a reboot of one of their most beloved tracks, “Shadows On Your Side,” which has gotten mixed reviews from fans, to say the least. (Despite this, I still stand by my original assessment of the entire project.)

The album shone a spotlight on Duran Duran in the wake of their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and proved that they were capable of turning around a studio LP in under a year—and mature enough to invite both former guitarists back into the fold.

The ambitious LP managed to make a collection of new songs and cover versions of their own tracks and others sound surprisingly cohesive—and arguably put to rest the legacy of the ill-fated Thank You. In addition to the original 13-track album, 2024 saw the release of a De Luxe version with new songs, including a disco-inflected cover of ELO’s “Evil Woman.” And this year’s “Shadows On Your Side” works fine as a remix, though any new version could never top the original.

Whether the band decides to get back into the Halloween spirit every year is still in question. Last year’s sold-out show at Madison Square Garden in New York is being followed with one in Manchester, in their home country.

Duran Duran On Track is available now in the UK and the US. Check out Linktree for order links. I also have a limited number of author-signed copies available for purchase via PayPal.

And if you’re already enjoying the book, please leave a review on Amazon or wherever you purchased your copy.

'Duran Duran On Track': 'All You Need Is Now' reignites fans' passion

As the new US release date of Duran Duran On Track approaches, I’ll revisit one of my favorite albums, All You Need Is Now.

Duran Duran’s Mark Ronson-produced masterstroke didn’t make the cover of Duran Duran On Track, which features Rio, Seven And The Ragged Tiger, The Wedding Album and Paper Gods, with Future Past on the back cover. 

The sales of All You Need Is Now were likely affected by the fact that it was released via an independent label, Nick Rhodes’ and Stephen Duffy’s Tape Modern, during a time when downloads had greatly affected album sales in general. But the LP, on which the band returned to their musical roots, remains a fan favorite.

I had lost touch with my Duran Duran fandom after the release of their last album on Epic Records, Red Carpet Massacre. The decision to work with Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nate ‘Danja’ Hills was a polarizing one (which is detailed in the book), and the band was aware that it was a risk in terms of what Duranies would like. I bought the album and listened to it extensively, of course, but that era marked the first time I didn’t attend a single show on a tour to promote a new LP since I had become a fan.

All You Need Is Now, on the other hand, was just what I needed to reignite my passion, and I’m likely not the only such fan. I bought the digital download, followed by the expanded album three months later, attended three shows on the tour and, at a friend’s suggestion, started writing in a professional capacity about the band for a news website. That eventually morphed into this blog, and then the book. 

Duran Duran On Track is available now in the UK and will be released on October 31 in the US. While the book’s US release date was delayed from September 26, I have a limited number of UK import copies available for purchase via PayPal.

Or check out Linktree for preorder links. And if you’re already enjoying the book, please leave a review on Amazon or wherever you purchased your copy.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club return with a ‘Howl’

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, which hasn’t released a new album in over seven years and has played live only sporadically for the past few years, at last returned to the stage for a headlining tour to mark the 20-year anniversary of their third LP, Howl.

BRMC played the album in full, followed by some of their hardest rock songs, lighting up a crowd packed “like sardines” into the Summit Music Hall in Denver on Sept. 28. Although Howl has been described as an “acoustic gospel album,” its roots are more in folk music. 

Indeed, BRMC took the stage as the labor union folk song “Which Side Are You On?” played. Then they launched into the gospel-tinged “Devil’s Waitin’” before playing the rest of the LP’s tracks mostly in order, including the stand-out singles “Shuffle Your Feet,” “Ain’t No Easy Way” and “Weight Of The World.”

Been (top) and Hayes, with trombone.
All photos by Christopher Windle

The band, singers and multi-instrumentalists Robert Levon Been and Peter Hayes and drummer Leah Shapiro, impressed at every turn. That included stints at a seemingly taped-together upright piano by Been and the trombone by Hayes. They didn’t miss a beat until Been flubbed the opening lines to “The Line,” after which the apologetic singer restarted the song and sang it to perfection along with Hayes.

Howl straddles the line between folk, blues and old-time country, with some gospel for good measure. The angelic voices of Been and Hayes keep the music from sounding like that “twangy cowboy shit” that Been recently said he hates “so much,” according to Spin magazine. Been’s songs definitely sounded the least like country music in the setlist, including “Weight Of The World” and the gentle “Promise.”

Hayes had the stage to himself for a few songs, including “Complicated Situation” and “Fault Line.” The rest of the band returned to close out the Howl tracks strong with “Sympathetic Noose,” “Gospel Song” and “The Line.”

Then they truly went electric, storming through some of their biggest songs, including “Beat The Devil's Tattoo,” “Whatever Happened To My Rock ‘n’ Roll (Punk Song)” and “Spread Your Love.” Been teetered at the edge of the stage, at times holding his bass guitar like a shotgun. Hayes, his face obscured by a mop of gray curls, was a whirlwind on guitar, and Shapiro pounded the drums, attuned to every move by her bandmates.

BRMC closed out the concert with the highlight of the evening, a roaring, extended jam of “Shadow’s Keeper,” then circled back to Howl, winding down the anniversary show with “Open Invitation,” the LP’s “hidden” closing track.

One hopes that BRMC gets to a point at which they want to record a new album together again. But in the meantime, a tour revisiting one of their best LPs is just as welcome.