Any Duran Duran/Kajagoogoo fans here?

[Tenny]

Although I enjoy many different kinds of music, these are still one of my favorite bands from 80s! Maybe because I began listening FM radio around that time, I still like some of the 80s bands-DD, Kajagoogo, Eurythmics, A-ha, Culture club, Human League... I finally got to see them live at the Golden Gate Park (their reunion concert after 18 years-I mean the original members) about 2-3 years ago and I was blown away~ ^^. Anyone else?

 

[Phil]

Kajagoogoo LIVE at Gold Gate Park, after 19 years.

Wow...that must have been, simply, one SMOKIN' concert.

 

[Geico]

Duran Duran rules! 8)

 

[bookem]

Lord almighty.... quick, lemme get my case of hair products...

 

[Tenny]

Kajagoogoo LIVE at Gold Gate Park, after 19 years.

Wow...that must have been, simply, one SMOKIN' concert.

Phil, I am sorry, I confused you. It was Duran Duran's reuion concert at GGP. Sadly, they all looked very old (older than they should look. Maybe due to all the fun they had-travel, drug etc).

Simon Le Bon was the fittest and looked like Sean Connery. Best looking man of the day.
Andy Taylor was fit too but he was wearing dark glasses as usual.
Roger Taylor looked normal or 'too ordinary' as for a member of a such a successful band. But he was a very serious drummer (smile a little bit but mostly focused on his drums set-Tama of course).
John Taylor was very chrismatic on the stage but too thin and looked old.
Nick Rhodes...once the prettiest (!) one of the band was now sporting his big belly behind his keyboards (Can you believe this?).

There were many Duranies around me. About 35-40 yr old women mostly. Screaming and dancing. Finally one went topless and the band smiled back, ha ha.

 

[Tenny]

Lord almighty.... quick, lemme get my case of hair products...

Ha ha, yeah, they were pretty boys. But I began enjoying their music before I saw their pictures. It was their debut album from 1981 (DURAN DURAN) which is still my favorite DD album. Dark, experimental yet danceable. Very cool!

 

[MonkeyPox]

Aha is putting out a new cd after their success at Live8. Good for them. That guy still looks just the same, although a bit more weathered, but good for him, that's been 20 years ago.

 

[Tenny]

Aha is putting out a new cd after their success at Live8. Good for them. That guy still looks just the same, although a bit more weathered, but good for him, that's been 20 years ago.

MonkeyPox, glad to meet someone who knows A-ha. I think their music was actually great. The first one was cool although it sounds too 80-ish. 2nd one (Scoundrel days) was even better. But after these two efforts, I lost my interest. Recently I've tried one of their new CDs (major earth, minor sky?). All songs sound same...But again, their first two are worth a listen.

 

[loopy]

I'm a huge fan of that kind of music. I still listen to Duran Duran, their self titled album was much better than their later stuff. A-ha is awesome also, Take on Me was probably one of the worst songs on that album and it's a shame that most people only know that song. I saw them in concert many years ago and they put on a great show. I haven't seen Duran Duran live but would like to. I just hate seeing them look so old, makes me feel older than dirt. Speaking of good old 80's bands does anyone remember Teardop Explodes? Kilimanjaro is still one of my favs and I always liked Julian Cope. I wonder what ever happened to him.

 

[Tenny]

Surprised...(From Wikipedia.com)

A-hem...many of you might be thinking...what the ?!!!!

While I was reading articles from wikipedia.com, I found this surprising article about Mr. Nick Beggs (Leader and bass guitar player of 80s british new wave band, KAJAGOOGOO. Remember 'Too Shy'? Their first album was/is quite charming.

The reason it's very surprising is, he looked so positive and joyful. I remember he started the band when he was only 18 something. Bleached hair and beads, this talented ever smiling man actually was a survivor!


Last time I saw him was about 4-5 years ago in San Francisco. I attended a King Crimson concert. The opening act was John Paul Jones of Led Zep fame. Electric Mandolin blues! Whoa...it was a trio of Mr. Jones, a drummer and a cheerful Chapman stick (a hybrid of bass and guitar. Sort of) player. When the act was finished, Jones introduced his band and that's when I realized the stick player was NICK BEGGS. Here is the article about him in case you are interested.
Nick Beggs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Beggs


Nick Beggs (born December 15, 1961) has pursued his own musical career since Kaja (post Kajagoogoo) split up. In the early 1990s, Beggs played bass for the Celtic rock band Iona. His primary instruments are bass and Chapman Stick.
Beggs was born in Winslow, Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. His mother died when he was a young lad and was left to bring up his sister almost single handedly while his father paid the children little attention. He left school and immediately took up work as a dustman to provide an income for him and his sister, Jackie. It is this bond that has remained over the years and now, some years later, he lives a few minutes walk from her.
He is a devoted father and musician and enjoys his work.
Words of wisdom from Nick are "If you can market a band called Kajagoogoo, you can market anything".
He has worked with many top pop artists and has his own web site.

 

[POGO]

Tenny,

Did you also like "Powerstation" formed by Andy and John Taylor with Robert Palmer back in the mid 80's?

Yes, Duran, Duran is a great band. Rio is a classic.

 

[Tenny]

Tenny,

Did you also like "Powerstation" formed by Andy and John Taylor with Robert Palmer back in the mid 80's?
Yes, Duran, Duran is a great band. Rio is a classic.

Powerstation? Arcadia? None of them were 100% satisfying but I admired them for doing what they really wanted to do rather than routinely repeating their success at their peak. I especially liked the isley brothers' remake "Harvest For The World" (Isley/Isley/Isley/Isley/Isley/Jasper ). Bang a gong and Some like it hot were also fun. Robert Palmer was cool too. Very minimal movement on stage in businessman like suit! Just like the great Beatles, the original 'fab' five had something special IMO.
Arcadia was not that impressive though.

I think Duran Duran should be given more credits. After all, they composed, played their own music! Do you like 80s music, POGO?

 

[ssjkyle31]

Duran Duran had some of the nicest music video around especial Rio and Girls on Film. http://music.yahoo.com/ar-313962-videos--Duran-Duran
Which tend remind me how old I am. I still like Depeche Mode and New Order which was not main stream at the time. http://search.music.yahoo.com/search/?m=video&p=depeche mode Check out Shake this Disease & http://music.yahoo.com/ar-259303-videos--New-Order Check Blue Monday.

 

[POGO]

Powerstation? Arcadia? None of them were 100% satisfying but I admired them for doing what they really wanted to do rather than routinely repeating their success at their peak. I especially liked the isley brothers' remake "Harvest For The World" (Isley/Isley/Isley/Isley/Isley/Jasper ). Bang a gong and Some like it hot were also fun. Robert Palmer was cool too. Very minimal movement on stage in businessman like suit! Just like the great Beatles, the original 'fab' five had something special IMO.
Arcadia was not that impressive though.

I think Duran Duran should be given more credits. After all, they composed, played their own music! Do you like 80s music, POGO?

Yes!!! My older siblings grew up and listened to 80s music ranging from new wave to metal. We had music around the house all the time. But, I kinda lean towards more 80's metal or 60s, 70s, 80s and some 90s hard rock/metal music. The new rock music kinda suck as far as techinical musicianship goes.

What current musician can top or equal Hendrix, Page, Van Halen, Satriani, Clapton, Beck, Vai, Blackmore, Alvin Lee, Moore, BB King, Albert King, just to name a few? Those guys had an identifiable sound, these days every guitar player sound alike, just full on distortion nothing new.

 

[vkartikv]

There is one 'notorious' fan right here tenny! I have a thing for british bands - duran duran, depeche mode, johnny hates jazz, wham and def leppard

 

[Tenny]

There is one 'notorious' fan right here tenny! I have a thing for british bands - duran duran, depeche mode, johnny hates jazz, wham and def leppard

Hahaha, glad to meet 80s music fans! JHJ? Shattered dream? What a great song. What about 'Everything she wants' with cool synth bassline? I didn't really like the whole albums by them unlike DD's, but JHJ, Wham and Def Leppard recorded some songs I really liked. For DL, I still love to listen "photograph" and "Stagefright". Eurythmics was cool but only 3-4 songs appealed to me - Sweet dreams, Here comes the rain again, Who's that girl, and Julia!!!! You gotta see the music video for Julia-Annie could act, what an expressive face she got! I still love Duran Duran but after 'arena' I lost interest. My favorite is their dark yet danceable first self-titled album (1981). They used synthesizers quite cleverly.

PS) I had a chance to listen to their early live bootlegs (circa 1981). They rocked! Very dark and moody.

 

[Tenny]

Yes!!! My older siblings grew up and listened to 80s music ranging from new wave to metal. We had music around the house all the time. But, I kinda lean towards more 80's metal or 60s, 70s, 80s and some 90s hard rock/metal music. The new rock music kinda suck as far as techinical musicianship goes.

What current musician can top or equal Hendrix, Page, Van Halen, Satriani, Clapton, Beck, Vai, Blackmore, Alvin Lee, Moore, BB King, Albert King, just to name a few? Those guys had an identifiable sound, these days every guitar player sound alike, just full on distortion nothing new.

Yeah, great names. Jimi, Jimi, Eddie, Joe, Eric, Jeff, Steve, Richie, Alvin, Gary, BB and Albert...how about Schenker? If I can be a hardrock/metal guitarist, I would want to be Gary Moore or Michael Schenker. What a melody sense they both have.

 

[POGO]

Yeah, great names. Jimi, Jimi, Eddie, Joe, Eric, Jeff, Steve, Richie, Alvin, Gary, BB and Albert...how about Schenker? If I can be a hardrock/metal guitarist, I would want to be Gary Moore or Michael Schenker. What a melody sense they both have.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally found someone who knows his guitar players. You are one of a few that actually know who Gary Moore! is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must be a serious guitar player or a person who knows very techinical guitar players. Since you know Gary Moore, you must also know Vivian Campbel. When I heard Gary Moore's Victim of the Future album with his version of the Yardbyrd's Shapes of Things, it totally blew me away. Talk about one great guitar solo that enchanced the song.


Yes, how could I have forgotten Micheal Schenker. The first time I heard of him was on the UFO strangers in the night live album. That album is amazing and it made me a Schenker fan. Capt Nemo is a great solo showing his great playing. Micheal is certainly virtuso compared to his brother Rudy.

Do you know Tommy Bolin also Tenny?

 

[vkartikv]

Hahaha, glad to meet 80s music fans! JHJ? Shattered dream? What a great song. What about 'Everything she wants' with cool synth bassline? I didn't really like the whole albums by them unlike DD's, but JHJ, Wham and Def Leppard recorded some songs I really liked. For DL, I still love to listen "photograph" and "Stagefright". Eurythmics was cool but only 3-4 songs appealed to me - Sweet dreams, Here comes the rain again, Who's that girl, and Julia!!!! You gotta see the music video for Julia-Annie could act, what an expressive face she got! I still love Duran Duran but after 'arena' I lost interest. My favorite is their dark yet danceable first self-titled album (1981). They used synthesizers quite cleverly.

PS) I had a chance to listen to their early live bootlegs (circa 1981). They rocked! Very dark and moody.

Whether their songs were good or not, DDs videos were always nice to watch. Save A Prayer comes to mind. But nothing compares to DMs early albums, immediately following vince clarkes exit. It brought out the lyricist in Martin Gore, absolute genius - he wrote the lyrics, composed the music, played both the keyboard and guitar and even sang!! Enjoy the Silence...

 

[Tenny]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finally found someone who knows his guitar players. You are one of a few that actually know who Gary Moore! is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must be a serious guitar player or a person who knows very techinical guitar players. Since you know Gary Moore, you must also know Vivian Campbel. When I heard Gary Moore's Victim of the Future album with his version of the Yardbyrd's Shapes of Things, it totally blew me away. Talk about one great guitar solo that enchanced the song.


Yes, how could I have forgotten Micheal Schenker. The first time I heard of him was on the UFO strangers in the night live album. That album is amazing and it made me a Schenker fan. Capt Nemo is a great solo showing his great playing. Micheal is certainly virtuso compared to his brother Rudy.

Do you know Tommy Bolin also Tenny?

Yes but Tommy also died too early. Somehow I haven't really heard his playing during his Deep Purple days but man, the teaser album. Not whole album, however. I love the song "Savannah Woman". The guitar solo in it is what I want to do if I were a good guitarist (well, I have guitars at least). There are many short solos I think great - for example, wasn't EVH's solo in "Beat it" G.R.E.A.T? In case of Schenker, I enjoy his first two Michael Schenker Group albums (1st with Simon Phillips, 2nd with Cozy Powell on drums).

I don't have the 'Victim of the future' by Gary Moore but have 'Corridor of power' (I love this album). Does the former have 'Murder in the sky' and 'End of the world'? If you like Gary Moore, POGO but if you don't have "Strange New Flesh" by Colosseum II (Gary's early/Jazz Rock days. I personally believe he played his best during this period-mid 70s), you haven't heard Gary Moore. I am pretty sure you can find it at amazon.com

 

[Tenny]

Whether their songs were good or not, DDs videos were always nice to watch. Save A Prayer comes to mind. But nothing compares to DMs early albums, immediately following vince clarkes exit. It brought out the lyricist in Martin Gore, absolute genius - he wrote the lyrics, composed the music, played both the keyboard and guitar and even sang!! Enjoy the Silence...

Hmm, I don't know why but somehow I missed whole DM activity. But I know Vince Clarke. I still enjoy his Yazoo days' hit "Don't GO"...wait, was it Vince Clarke? Anyway, I love those dirty, fat early synthesizers' sound! Is there any good compilation of their early stuff? BTW, whose was 'Don't you" "Truth" and "People are people"? Simply Red? DM? Spandau Ballet?

What I really like about Duran Duran is they wrote their songs and played their instruments quite tastefully. Even though they were called 'Synth Pop', there were plenty of human touch in their music. I especially enjoyed bass, drums, cleverly used synth. Initially, I didn't know there were a bunch of good looking lads. Just loved their music. When I first saw their picture, I remember I tried hard to figure out which 3 of them looked like brothers cause 3 of them are Taylors (unrelated I learned later).

 

[AndrewD]

My god, I feel like I've either walked into some kind of a time warp or Im revisiting one of the numerous drunked conversations between my older (child of the 80's) brother and his thin-tie-wearing, shoulder-padded cronies LOL

Still, it does neatly revisit my childhood so thanks for that guys lol.

Tenny,

I'm pretty sure that 'Truth' was Spandau Ballet, 'Dont You (forget about me) was Simple Minds (if we're talking about the same song) and 'People are people' was Depeche Mode. Simply Red would be 'Holding back the years' and 'Money'.

Can I make the assumption that you'd also be into Ultravox and maybe a bit of Falco? Or were you a ska loving Madness fan?

Yes, my brother's musical taste (?) did have a profound influence on me. I mightn't have been into his kind of music (I preferred The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, etc and some late 80's house) but he played it so much that most of the bands and songs are permanently stuck in my head LOL.

 

[vkartikv]

The problem with most 80s bands was that they had 2-3 hits and no one heard from them after that. Only bands like DD, DM and DL have managed to survive. People are people was written by Martin Gore, inspired by this little comic strip:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d116/enjoythesilence8/PeopleArePeople.jpg

BTW, spandau ballet's True (not truth) was copied by PM Dawn and made into Memory Bliss.

 

[Tenny]

his thin-tie-wearing, shoulder-padded cronies LOL

Ha ha ha, yup! Now, I am trying to get a DVD of 'Live Aid'. Woudn't it be a nice X-mas gift for your brother? As vkartikv wrote, it's True, I think. I remember I liked another song in the album but nothing much. I just checked at amazon and yes, Simply Red is a totally different band.
No...I know 'Vienna' was a big hit by Ultravox and the leader was a talent guy but I haven't heard anything (strange huh?). Falco?

Lemme see. Rock me amadeus, Vienna Calling, Jeanny...didn't like him too much but remember I liked "Der Kommoissar". What does it mean?

Madness? I liked 'Our house' but when I had a chance to listen to their other songs, I was a little bit disappointed b/c I was not a fan of ska or reggae I guess I like musicians song to song base. I thought Eurythmics was ultra cool but only liked 4 songs from them. Wham? Only 1 song (Everything she wants). 3-4 songs for Human League... I am quite picky.

Hmmm, I wasn't into these bands(I preferred The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays, etc and some late 80's house) but I can see some trend. Happy mondays? If I had a band, I'd name it 'Saturday' or at least "Friday".

 

[legolas]

i like duran duran