Duran Duran Album: “Medazzaland [Japan]”

Medazzaland did not get anywhere near the attention it deserves. This is clearly one of the best Duran Duran album and there are many excellent ones. Every track on this CD shines. For me the standouts were: "Out Of My Mind", "Buried in The Sand", "Midnight Sun", and "So Long Suicide". I would recommend any Duran Duran album, but this is one of my favorites. Buy a copy and give it a listen and you'll see why.

I wanted to like this album more than I did. I had avoided buying it for some reason when it came out (I did Pop Trash too). I bought "Astronaut" and fell in love with Duran Duran again, and thus was inspired to purchase "Medazzaland" and "Pop Trash". This album has many great reviews here at Amazon so I had high hopes. Not a total let down, "Big Bang Generation", "Electric Barbarella", "Out of My Mind" and "Midnight Sun" are excellent tracks and worth the 10 or 15 dollars, but it just wasn't the dark expirimental masterpeice that I had heard it was. Buy it for those tracks though for sure. ANd don't forget to buy "Astronaut"!!!!

Duran Duran does what their critics don't expect them to do but anyone who listens to them knows they are anything but predictable, playing different styles of music, being anything but the new wave idols tabloids state them to be.

On Notorious they turned their hand to making some funk inspired music and Big Thing was part house/part slow synth landscapes. On Medazzaland they turn to experimenting with electronic music, but with a more traditional rock base producing some of their most interesting music ever. And there's no quickly thrown together drum n bass like some bands resorted to at the time.

Midnight Sun is one the most beautiful songs they've done topping even Ordinary world and Come undone. Michael is a slow ballad also. Both songs comes with layers of Nick's sweeping electronica which might take some getting used to. Out of my mind is a haunting tune, it does what Come Undone does on The Wedding album and somethings about it reminds me of that song too.(Interestingly it also has that short break after the chorus like Come Undone). It could have easily been a big hit if they had been promoted at all by EMI.

So long suicide is one of the best Duran songs to rock out to, when Simon uses his raucous rock voice (like on Wild boys) not even many rock singers can beat him. Buried in the Sand is a cool song with Nick's lyrics about John Taylor's departure, it sounds a bit Smashing Pumpkins while also featuring Indian sounding solo and percussion. I like how Simon's voice sounds dark and ominous here. Silva Halo is quite short and doesn't really sound too good here but live it really turns into something awesome.

Big bang generation, Who do you think you are and Be my icon are not favourites of mine but I can't really find anything wrong with them, they all have strong hooks and melodies going. I suppose it's just not my kind of music. Undergoing treatment and Medazzaland are cool for its weirdness factor I can't say much more. So that's one star less from me.

Overall the album is essential and it blows away other bands attempts at electronic music around that same time (e.g U2, David Bowie). It's a shame that innovative music gets overlooked because of a band's image.

DURAN DURAN were a popular pop band which sang upbeat songs in the early 1980s. However, around 1988, shortly after guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor left the band (to be replaced by guitar genius Warren Cuccurullo formerly of Frank Zappa's band) the band began a descent into dark synth pop/ electronica. After bass player John Taylor left, the trio of LeBon, Rhodes, and Cuccurullo took the darkest route possible.

"MEDAZZALAND" is nothing like the happy earlier Duranie albums. The songs seem more like something off a Depeche Mode album. They are somewhat dark, and rely heavily on electric sounds and bizarre rythms. The title track, "Medazzaland," is sung by keybordist Nick Rhodes, it is brilliant. "Big Bang Generation" is amazing, as are "Electric Barbarella" and "Out Of My Mind." This album is one of the darkest synth-pop albums out there, but I have to say, Duran Duran does the whole glam-goth thing well, and they might even surpass Depeche Mode, the kings of goth-synth with this album. Hey, I like Depeche Mode, but "MEDAZZALAND" is better than anything they have ever put out, and frankly...it needs to be in your collection...

It's amazing to say this, but the last two album the fab five released, Medazzaland and Pop Trash, are the groups most creative and timeless masterpieces. Madazzaland being the greater of the two, this cd continues to inspire more and more fans as time moves on. Although it wasn't an initial success, it has developed a huge respect and almost cult following among Duranies. Duran Duran continue to be a truely under-rated rock band. Hopefully with more albums of this caliber the public will see them for the talent they are.