Duran Duran - Seven And The Ragged Tiger (CD 1993)

the cd arrived in new condition and was a real blast from the past.you forget about the album songs that were never released but when you hear them it takes you straight back.

This third studio album from Duran Duran might never have been recorded. The band were spending less time together as a group, EMI were putting pressure on the band for a new album and they had been touring - strain was beginning to show. This would subsequently be the original line-up's last album until 2004. Thankfully, with some great tracks and fine production by Nile Rogers, the signs of any strain on the band doesn't show.

Simon le Bon claims the album is an adventure story - the seven being the band and their two managers (the Berrow brothers) and the Ragged Tiger being success. This is reflected in the treasure-map like sleeve which shows that this is some sort of journey you're listening in to.

Given that this album was recorded under duress, it did produce three hit singles (the best being The Reflex) and some notable pieces - Shadows On Your Side (a personal fave), the instrumental Tiger Tiger and The Seventh Stranger which echoes similar epic anthems like The Chauffeur on Rio.

This isn't the best of Duran Duran's albums, but it's a good place to start if you want to go beyond their range of hit singles and discover Simon le Bon's lyrical maze.