Red Carpet Massacre

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Red Carpet Massacre
Red Carpet Massacre cover
Studio album by Duran Duran
Released Flag of the United States November 13, 2007[1]
Flag of Europe November 19, 2007[2]
Recorded 2006-2007
Genre New Wave
Rock
Length 49:13
Label Epic
Producer Duran Duran (11/12)
Danja (11/12)
Timbaland (3/12)
Justin Timberlake (1/12)
Professional reviews
Duran Duran chronology
Astronaut
(2004)		 Red Carpet Massacre
(2007)

The cover of the Deluxe version
The cover of the Deluxe version
Singles from Red Carpet Massacre
  1. "Falling Down"
    Released: November 5, 2007
    United Kingdom
  2. "Nite Runner"
    Released: TBA

Red Carpet Massacre is the 12th studio album by British pop group Duran Duran. It was released on November 19, 2007 in Europe, and on the 13th in the United States. On June 26, the official Duran Duran website confirmed the title of the album and announced some of the song titles.[3]

Most of the music on the current incarnation of the album was completed in late 2006 after the departure of band member Andy Taylor, when music producer Timbaland began working with the band.

For the week of November 19th, Red Carpet Massacre debuted at #36 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling about 29,000 copies in its first week.[4] However, the following week the album fell to #116. For the week of November 26th, the album debuted at #44 in the UK, becoming the 2nd poorest UK Chart entry in the band's career. The album entered the Italian chart at #10. As of May 2nd, 2008, the album has moved to 88,000 copies sold in the U.S.[5]. The album spent only 3 consecutive weeks in the Billboard 200 chart.

"Skin Divers" has been said by members of the band to be the next single. It was to be released in the UK on June 2nd, but that date has since been changed to an unsaid date in the future.

Contents

[edit] Early sessions

The band did its initial recording for its follow-up to Astronaut with producer Michael Patterson between September 2005 and April 2006. Roger Taylor said in March of 2006, "The record will be in some ways a homage to our roots as a band, more direct and a return to our dance and 'new wave' origins," and that they had brought fifteen tracks to near completion.[6]

The record was provisionally titled Reportage and expected in late May 2006 with a summer tour to follow but as reported in Billboard, the new album was delayed as guitarist Andy Taylor had a falling out with the rest of the band for unknown reasons. [7][8]

In early October, vocalist Simon Le Bon announced that the band had recorded three songs with famed hip-hop producer Timbaland, his protégé Nate "Danja" Hills and engineer Jimmy Douglass at Manhattan Center Studios during September.[9] Trade magazine Billboard reported that one of those tracks was "Nite Runner", featuring Justin Timberlake, which at the time was expected to be the first single from the album. Two additional songs on which the band worked with Timbaland were titled "Skin Divers" and "Zooming In." Also mentioned were two other tracks; "48 Hours Later" and "Transcendental Mental".[7]

[edit] Andy Taylor leaves the band

Andy Taylor did not perform at any of Duran Duran's October shows and had not participated during the New York sessions with Timbaland, and on October 25, a message posted on the band's site announced: "As of last weekend [...] the four of us have dissolved our partnership and will be continuing as Duran Duran without Andy, as we have reached a point in our relationship with him where there is an unworkable gulf between us and we can no longer effectively function together."[10]

Dominic Brown, who had taken Taylor's place at several previous missed concerts in the past, was hired as Duran Duran's guitarist, taking part in the recording sessions. Brown has since performed with the band as their full-time touring guitarist.

Andy told Rolling Stone magazine that he was in favour of a more electric sound, whereas Simon wanted to go in a different direction involving people like Justin Timberlake.

[edit] Remaking the album

The band decided to rewrite the whole album following Taylor's departure. Fourteen songs had been completed for Reportage but according to Simon le Bon: “When we sat down and listened to what we had done on our own, we didn’t feel we had a lead track, so we got in touch with Timbaland, who was the only producer out there that we knew we all liked."

Following the New York sessions in September, Duran Duran moved to Metropolis Studios in London with Danja and Douglass for the next sessions. According to tabloid newspaper The Sun, in March 2007 Duran Duran had one track left that needed a female vocal, and they were trying to arrange to work with Nelly Furtado and/or Lily Allen.

In June, Duran Duran announced on their official website that they were recording yet another track with Justin Timberlake titled "Falling Down". However, it was "Nite Runner" that the band decided to debut live at the much-anticipated fan-club only Hammerstein Ballroom concert in New York City on 17 June, and Le Bon was still touting it as the probable first single in a post to the band's official website.[11] Several other album tracks ("The Valley", "Red Carpet Massacre", "Skin Divers" and "Box Full O' Honey") were played over the sound system at the concert, but were not performed live.

Following the New York concert and a listening party for the media at which the album title was announced, band members Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor went back to England to work on some mixes for the album and perform at the Concert for Diana and the Live Earth concerts in London. They completed one more recording session in New York and then returned to London to put the finishing touches on the album before its release.[12]

[edit] Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Duran Duran and Nate 'Danja' Hills unless otherwise stated:

[edit] Standard Edition

  1. "The Valley" - 4:57
  2. "Red Carpet Massacre" - 3:17
  3. "Nite-Runner" (written, produced and featuring Timbaland & Justin Timberlake) - 3:58
  4. "Falling Down" (written, produced and featuring Justin Timberlake) - 5:41
  5. "Box Full O' Honey" - 3:10
  6. "Skin Divers" (written, produced and featuring Timbaland) - 4:24
  7. "Tempted" - 4:22
  8. "Tricked Out" - 2:45 (instrumental)
  9. "Zoom In" (written and produced with Timbaland) - 3:25
  10. "She's Too Much" - 5:30
  11. "Dirty Great Monster" - 3:40
  12. "Last Man Standing" - 4:05

Bonus tracks:

  1. "Cry Baby Cry" - 3:57 (iTunes and Japan bonus track) [13]
  2. "Nite-Runner (Live)" - 4:05 (iTunes UK and Italy bonus track)
  3. "Red Carpet Massacre (Live)" - 3:09 (iTunes UK and Italy bonus track)

[edit] Deluxe Edition DVD

Consists of videos showing the making of the album.

  1. "The Album"
  2. "The Artwork"
  3. "The Video" - the making of the "Falling Down" music video
  4. "The Campaign"
  5. "The Out-Takes"

[edit] Singles

Single
"Falling Down"
"Nite Runner" / "Skin Divers"

[edit] Personnel

[edit] Performances

[edit] Production

[edit] References

  1. ^ Duran Duran official website
  2. ^ Duran Duran official website
  3. ^ Duran Duran gear up for the Red Carpet Massacre. Retrieved on 2007-12-27.
  4. ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Keys Storms Chart With Mega-Selling 'As I Am'", Billboard.com, November 21, 2007.
  5. ^ "Ask Billboard, 'TRASH' FOR SALE", Billboard.com, May 2, 2008.
  6. ^ "A postcard from the studio", Roger Taylor, March 22, 2006.
  7. ^ a b Duran Duran Grooves With Timbaland, Timberlake - Billboard.com, Dec. 20, 2006
  8. ^ Newton, Victoria. "Back to the Duran board, lads", The Sun Online. 15 March, 2007.
  9. ^ "Duran Duran and Timbaland", HHNLive, October 03, 2006.
  10. ^ "A Message to our Fans", Duran Duran official site: News page, October 25, 2006. (large page)
  11. ^ "A Postcard from Gotham", Simon Le Bon, 21 June 2007.
  12. ^ Greene, Andy. Duran Duran's Techno Jam" Rolling Stone 2007"
  13. ^ (Japanese) Sony Music Online Japan : デュラン・デュラン

[edit] External links

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