Listen Without Prejudice: #1 in the Charts!

It was teased at the beginning of the year that a brand new remaster of the classic George Michael album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 would be released in the autumn, and would also include a unreleased live performance at MTV Unplugged in 1996. Firstly, we were treated to a Nile Rodgers remix of classic hit Fantasy at the end of September, which is brilliant! Check it out on YouTube, it's worth a listen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdOSUIXlI0I

Following the release of Fantasy, the nation of George Michael fanatics finally got some good news. Listen Without Prejudice would be released at the end of October, after it was delayed numerous times. It was really nice to see my timeline that week of happy fans with their new CDs, streaming it on Spotify, etc. I promised myself, being a self-professed shopaholic, that I wouldn't tap into my student loan anymore and wait until Christmas, but I caved in to the little devil on my shoulder and downloaded it from iTunes. I'm going to admit this is the first time I've heard L.W.P, due to only having Ladies and Gentlemen (G.M.'s greatest hits) and Older in my possession until recently. After playing the first couple of tracks, I was really impressed, and sat down doing my quantitative research methods reading listening to it the whole way through. Bliss! Following that, I took time to listen to the MTV Unplugged segment of the album. My favourite track from it would be Fastlove. Loved the use of saxophones in the introduction.

Pure brilliance!

I'm really glad that it made it's way to #1 in the British charts again. Well deserved, it's a brilliant album from start to finish with a great live bonus album that gives you the real feel of actually being at one of his concerts. I would sell my soul to the devil just to go back in time and see him live just once. George would have been ecstatic, and probably proud. No predicting about it...he probably would have been!

Wherever you are in the world, I want to wish all my followers a happy Bonfire Night and if you're celebrating it, keep safe but have a great time all the same.

Thank you for reading!

Duran Duran Appreciation Day 2017

Every year, on August 10th, Duran Duran fans (or Durannies) from around the globe come together to appreciate the music of Duran Duran. Now for some bizarre reason I've missed out on today 2 years in a row so this time, I was certain to prepare myself. I definitely put it down to neglecting my Twitter account for so long. It's taken me a long time to catch up with people I used to be close to. The first people I met on there were DD fans, some I still speak to, today. I'm proud to call the majority of them my friends.

Duran Duran: Uniting generations of fans since 1981.
From left: John, Roger (both Taylor), Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor

But anyway...I've loved DD for years, five almost, I discovered them when I went into Year Nine in secondary school. I honestly think now, in retrospect, 2012 was the pinnacle year for me to get into the 80s and all the good things that came with the decade, mainly the music, the bizarre but wonderful hair and make up and the hilarity of classic British sitcoms. Some mothers do indeed 'ave em! The first Duran Duran song I listened to was Save a Prayer; it was on a compilation of '80s love songs that I'd been given by my father when he was clearing out some junk and I thought it was really good, to say it was only the 3 minute version, not the full one you find on Rio. Yesterday marked 35 years since it entered the charts as a single, fun fact. The first album I got was Seven and the Ragged Tiger, on LP,  slowly completing the collection to this date. My one regret is that I wish I'd gone to see them live on the Paper Gods tour back in 2015. My best friend went to the Cardiff event and commented how incredible they still are. Envious much! That's what I get for being broke.

I would also say I've taken much style inspiration from the group. John Taylor, whatever hair length and colour he dyed it, always suited him. He was the reason why I dyed my hair bright red at age 14. Nick Rhodes showed, being male, he could flaunt make up just as well as a female! I'm not afraid to try any colour of lipstick but I'm still hugely rusty at doing eyeliner...getting there, hopefully. One step at a time I'm getting closer to preventing people thinking that I've been punched in the face. If anyone knows where I can get a decent quality 'Change Life' tee at a good price, please let me know in the comments or tweet me at @SigourneyVox - I need one for my collection, just in case another 80s weekend happens near me. I've got plans!

So, for this year's DDAD, I'm going to be playing every single Duran Duran album that I own, and swapping my regular George Michael appreciation tweets for this group, just for one day (so don't panic, I haven't gone off him! 😉) My goal is to do more with each passing year, build on my collection and keep sharing the love, that's if I remember the day of course!

Here's what's spinning on the decks tonight!

We're living on a big thing!

My beloved LPs will be first - starting from the top that is!

I'm really glad I got a record player the Christmas before last - there were a whole trove worth of treasures sitting in a box, gathering dust, and there was nothing to unleash their forgotten sound on, now there is, blast from the past here I come.

To all the others celebrating DDAD17 alongside me, have a good one!

Yours truly,

Sigourney

A Thought For This Weekend

RE: Tony Hadley Leaves Spandau Ballet

Yesterday Tony Hadley released a statement to the press stating that he had left Spandau Ballet and would no longer be a member of the group. The official Twitter page for the group would also share this, hours later. Twitter and Facebook were full of mixed reactions, some wishing him the best of luck, some wondering if there was another underlying reason, and others were understandably upset as this was a band they had been following for many years, like myself, even though, I am considerably quite young. To be honest, it's really saddening, but sometimes, things have to come to an end. I have lots of happy memories listening to such an iconic group growing up, and feel quite fortunate to have seen them once, on the last tour. I bet you, the reader, have many too. Most of the followers on my Ultravox/Spandau Ballet Twitter fan page got to see them in their 80s prime, and have spoken about how amazing they were. I wish I was that lucky.

Sheffield Arena March 6th 2015

With all that being said, best of luck in whatever you decide to do next, Tone.

- S

P.S. A very happy Independence Day to all of my American readers!

Review of Soul Boys of the Western World (Blog Mirror)

(Mirrored from an old blog dated 12/10/14)

As most of you know, the UK premiere for the all new Spandau Ballet documentary "Soul Boys of the Western World" premiered in cinemas all across the country last Tuesday, with a special live performance following that. When I was sitting watching the film with my friend, I was very surprised that there was only roughly 20 people dotted around the cinema, not many at all! I guess Yorkshire isn't home to, if any, Spandau fans. It took forever to come on, and when it did, first impressions did last! The opening part where each member discussed how they took interest to music, where they grew up in the Swingin' Sixties was really good. They were all quite cute as little boys, especially Steve Norman, where my friend was literally drooling! I liked where they all had a chance to speak, their own personal opinion about the band. The best bit, in my eye, was when they were discussing the making of the True album in the Bahamas. Definitely plenty of eye candy there, ladies! I noticed that their fan base had a higher proportion of women. Maybe because there's (at the time), five good looking men on stage, flaunting themselves in skin tight leather and luxury Anthony Price suits. Towards the middle of the film, when it flashes back to 1979 when Gary says "We don't want to lose each other" - who could possibly think he was foreshadowing the band's demise! This is the first time I've heard this - but Gary Kemp? A bully? I can't believe he picked on Tony Hadley like he did! But take it from personal experience, not everyone gets on with him. Enjoyed the bit about The Krays and Spandau living their separate lives in the 1990s, but when it got to the court case in 1999, from what I've read in "I Know This Much", it was a very stressful period in the band's history. Ten years later when they reformed, I breath a huge sigh of relief. I haven't even discovered Spandau Ballet yet (I was 10 in 2009) but a band as good as this by certain needs an excellent comeback and oh boy they sure did! What a fantastic film and a cracking good way to end it!

I was very disappointed that they only got the chance to answer only 3 questions, it would have been better if they could have answered more. 

I think the highlight of the whole night was the actual live performance at the end. TCALSS and Chant No.1 have been given a brand new, upbeat, 21st century punk sound - it was great!! It sounded just as good as the original eighties version! True and Only When You Leave were good as well!! I wish I was there in front of them!

Overall, it was a really good night and I highly recommend the film to new and old Spandau Ballet fans. 5/5!!! 

Six Months On...The Legacy Continues...

On Sunday it would have been George Michael's 54th birthday. It also marked six months since his tragic passing from heart and liver failure on Christmas Day. I would have made a post then, but I'm still quite emotional from the event, and other things came up at the very last minute so that was a bit of a push back for me but I promised myself I would get on the computer and write something.

It was very enlightening to see people flock to Highgate and Goring to pay their tributes, oh I wish I had some cash and a big toe that wasn't broken so I could go down there and show my personal respect to a man I found truly inspiring. It's nice to know his beloved dogs are okay too and are receiving the best care. However a few weeks ago I did make my own advance tribute video dedicated to him, which I don't doubt that some of you have seen already. Others have made brilliant ones too. I suggest you check out the one created by Twitter user Lady Sunshine here.

Sorry it's been a short post today, but stay tuned for the next one.

- S

Happy Birthday John Taylor!

A very happy birthday to the legendary Duran Duran bass player John Taylor, who celebrates his 57th birthday today. Duran Duran was one of the first 80s bands that I listened to alongside Spandau Ballet from the get go and John certainly had enabled me to have big dreams about my hair. First brown, then red, and then hopefully black at the end of next month. Might add a little blonde too.

All the best on your special day!

Time to crack out the Duran Duran records and partayy!

- S