Duran Duran - Seven And The Ragged Tiger (Limited Edition) [Remastered] (CD 2003)

I used to be cynical about reissues of old stuff with "added extras" or "remastered" - particularly where Duran Duran are concerned because their back catalogue has been reissued so many times in different formats and collections fans would need to be very rich to keep up. However, it's always good to see great albums that I enjoyed as a child get new life breathed into them and introduced to a newer audience. Perhaps you've only discovered Duran Duran?

"Seven and The Ragged Tiger" was a difficult album for the band to make due to friction in the band and increasing pressure from the record company for The Fab Five to issue new material. However, with some help from Nile Rodgers, they came up with an interesting pop album which according to Le Bon, was all about them chasing fame.

Contained within are some great pop records - not just the singles "The Reflex", "New Moon On Monday" and "Union Of The Snake" but album tracks which could easily have been singles themselves including my personal fave "Shadows On Your Side". There's even an instrumental piece "Tiger Tiger" which harks back to "Tel Aviv" on their debut album, and I always enjoy the riddled poetry of Simon's lyrics.

The great thing about remastered stuff is that you often pick out sounds that you might've missed before, and this is no exception. With the layered vocals and synth sounds it's great to listen to this album again in a clearer sound. Recommended to anyone.