Review: “Seven And The Ragged Tiger” by Duran Duran (Vinyl, 1983)

Today’s Pop Rescue from a fate unknown, is the 1983 album Seven And The Ragged Tiger by the British pop group, Duran Duran. Will this album score Seven out of five, or is it a Snake in the grass? Read on…

Duran Duran - Seven And The Ragged Tiger (1983) album — Duran Duran – Seven And The Ragged Tiger (1983) album.

This 9 track LP opens its Side One with third and final single The Reflex – or at least the album version of it. It has some beautiful synths in the intro, but it certainly sounds differently to the actual single version which enjoyed Nile Rodgers on the remix. This is a song that sits amongst those that are synonymous with the band’s name. The track hit the #1 spot in the UK, and cemented its place on most ’80’s hits compilations ever since. This version does lack a little, and Rodgers’ remix tightened it up nicely into the hit we knew.

The tempo shifts for next song New Moon On Monday – the album’s second single. The chorus echoes a bit of hit Rio with the soaring vocals and harmonies, but the song is somewhat weaker. Despite this, the track reached #9 in the UK singles chart.

(I’m Looking For) Cracks In The Pavement follows this, with some drunk synths alongside guitars. An equally wonky set of lyrics arrive too, sounding a bit like a slurring Smiths song initially, with echoes of The Beatles later sound.

Then it’s I Take The Dice, and we have some more lush synths at play here, and this alongside the castanets makes it quite a catchy foot-tapping pop song with a latin edge to it. It’s a good return to form compared to the previous two songs.

This side closes with a burst of racing guitars Of Crime And Passion, and this track reminds me a bit of what would become 1985’s A View To A Kill James Bond theme – as it carries a similar weight of bass, guitars, speed, and deeper vocals. It’s a good strong ending to the first half.

Side Two opens with lead single Union Of The Snake, and there’s a sort of plodding Reflex feeling to this song. It’s an odd choice for a lead single, but that aside, it reached #3 in the UK chart, perhaps helped in part by it’s strange video.

Shadows On Your Side follows this, injecting some much needed energy back into the album. Once again, we’re treated to some soaring vocals and harmonies and these sound perfect here, against a racing beat – and this is what we need more of here.

Then it’s Tiger Tiger – an instrumental, which kind of drifts along quite nicely, sounding like the background music for a nice sequence whilst a young pair of lovers go yachting for the afternoon in the sunshine.

The album closes with The Seventh Stranger, which is a mid-tempo track that gives us a smattering of nice synths, beats, and vocals and harmonies – unmistakably Duran Duran, but a bit meanderingly dramatic.

Duran Duran’s lead single ‘Union Of The Snake’ (1983).

Verdict

Over all, this album is a mixture of familiar echoes and benign 80’s fillers.

Highlights are definitely this album version of The Reflex, but The Seventh Stranger, I Take The Dice and Shadows On Your Side, all have great moments that are unmistakably Duran Duran and exciting, but the songs also lack the growling energy that Le Bon et al often ply to their hits.

The album’s lowest point is (I’m Looking For) Cracks In The Pavement, which itself is like a huge crack into which all joy fell via the late bar. Instrumental Tiger Tiger offers little else here to shore up side two but at least seems coherent.

Unfortunately the album stalls, plays things too safe, and just seems to lack the energy Duran Duran can definitely give us. Thankfully at least, Nile got his hands on The Reflex.