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Seven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 21 November 1983 through EMI and Capitol Records. It was co-produced by Alex Sadkin, Ian Little and the band. Following their decision to record outside the United Kingdom as tax exiles, recording sessions took place across studios in France, the Caribbean and Australia between April and October 1983. Unlike their previous two studio albums, the sessions were marred by a lack of productivity and tensions rose between the band members over its direction.

Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Studio album by Duran Duran
Released	21 November 1983 (1983-11-21)
Recorded	April–October 1983
Studio	Mobile studio (Côte d'Azur, France) AIR (Montserrat, Caribbean) 301 (Sydney, Australia)
Genre	Synth-pop dance
Length	37:36
Label	EMI Capitol
Producer	Alex Sadkin Ian Little Duran Duran
Duran Duran chronology
Rio (1982) Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) Arena (1984)
Singles from Seven and the Ragged Tiger
"Union of the Snake" Released: 17 October 1983 "New Moon on Monday" Released: 14 January 1984 "The Reflex (Remix)" Released: 16 April 1984

Wanting a change in direction from 1982's Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger is a synth-pop and dance-driven record, with emphasis on synthesiser-based textures. The lyrics are ambiguous and cover a wide variety of topics; singer Simon Le Bon described the record as "an adventure story about a little commando team".[1] The title refers to the five band members and their two managers; the "ragged tiger" meaning success. The cover artwork was shot at the State Library of New South Wales and designed by Malcolm Garrett.

Despite scathing reviews from music critics, Seven and the Ragged Tiger was a commercial success, becoming the band's first and only UK number-one album. It also peaked at number eight in the United States, eventually going double platinum. A remix of "The Reflex" by Nile Rodgers was a UK and US number one single. A worldwide concert tour, which yielded several concert films and a live album, ran from November 1983 to April 1984. It was the band's last studio album with the original line-up until 2004's Astronaut. In later decades, Seven and the Ragged Tiger has received mixed reactions, with critics finding weaker songwriting compared to their first two records. It was reissued by EMI in 2010.

Background

By the start of 1983, Duran Duran had established themselves as one of the biggest bands in the world.[2][3] They were enjoying commercial success following the release of Rio (1982) but received hate from the press and their musical peers; tabloids painted them as, in the words of biographer Steve Malins, "silly playboys living absurdly lavish lifestyles, imprisoned by the screams of even sillier teenage girls and apparently hated by almost everyone else."[4] In March 1983, Duran Duran issued the non-album single "Is There Something I Should Know?", which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and remained there for three weeks.[4][5] To capitalise on its success, Capitol Records reissued the band's 1981 self-titled debut album in the United States with an updated sleeve photo and replacing "To the Shore" with the new single.[5] From March to April, Duran Duran underwent an exhaustive press tour and live performances before recording commenced on their third studio album.[6]

Recording history

French sessions

At the decision of their managers, Paul and Michael Berrow,[7] Duran Duran opted to spend a year away from the UK as tax exiles to avoid paying the very high tax rates successful UK musicians were required to pay.[4][8] To record their third studio album, the band moved into a three-story château in Valbonne, France on the Côte d'Azur in April 1983, installing a 24-track mobile studio that was rented from North London's RAK Studios.[2][9][7] According to author Stephen Davis, the idea was for work to ensue amidst the lavender-scented hills above the city.[8] They almost immediately attracted tabloid criticism. In an interview with The Times in 1995, bassist John Taylor stated:[4]

We were recording in the south of France and pretending we were the Rolling Stones when we were only making our third record. We'd just barely moved out of our parents' homes. We didn't know anything about tax years but our managers did and that's why we were there. And that really began a negative roll of publicity.

Despite the criticism, Duran Duran managed to escape some of the large media hype surrounding them, which their photographer, Denis O'Regan, attributed to the château's relaxed atmosphere.[4] The band had ended their partnership with the producer of their first two studio albums, Colin Thurston,[7] so Ian Little, who had co-produced "Is There Something I Should Know?", was brought in to produce the sessions.[2] At the château, the instruments were set up in a large empty room upstairs and wired to the recording equipment outside, meaning the musicians were forced to travel back and forth in between takes to verify it was taping properly.[8] The group spent three months working out demos and ideas.[2][10] Like their previous studio albums, the rhythm tracks were recorded first, with lyrics written and taped at a later date.[9]

The sessions began timidly but productivity quickly decreased due to a lack of new material; John later said that all their material had been used up for the first two studio albums.[4] The musicians were burned out, so creativity was at an all-time low.[11] Little later verified that "nothing had been written in advance, so the biggest starting point they'd ever have would be another song."[2] Workdays did not start until 4 p.m. due to the antics of the band members, particularly John, and only lasted a couple of hours.[4][8] On one instance, the musicians briefly visited the music video set of Elton John's "I'm Still Standing" at Cannes; its director was Russell Mulcahy, who had directed Duran Duran's videos.[9][8] Additionally, the band members individually flew back to the UK for other commitments on several occasions.[8] Reflecting on the times in his 2008 memoir, guitarist Andy Taylor stated that "it was the start of the megadamage" due to the acceleration of his and John's cocaine addictions. "We were living the high life to the full, and soon we were partying in Cannes every night."[9]

Throughout the recording days, Duran Duran primarily wrote through jam sessions, receiving feedback from Little on which parts were worth developing further. The producer gave the band a songwriting method he had learned working with Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera, wherein he would create a groove using a programmed drum with effects on top. "Bryan would then vamp on the keyboard and produce what he called a 'moody synth' sound, which was like a pad sound with plenty of movement and character. That would enable him to get a lot of feeling out of a couple of chords, and Duran Duran did the same thing."[2] By the end, the group had yielded what Malins calls several "embryonic ideas", a demo of "Union of the Snake" and an unreleased track titled "Seven and the Ragged Tiger", parts of which evolved into "The Seventh Stranger".[4] According to John's 2012 memoir, the band devised sketches of the tracks "Of Crime and Passion", "(I'm Looking for) Cracks in the Pavement", "I Take the Dice" and "Spidermouse", which became "New Moon on Monday", during their time in France.[7]

Caribbean sessions

As a means to increase their concentration amid tabloid scrutiny and paparazzi bombardment, Duran Duran relocated to George Martin's AIR Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat to resume recording.[4][9][12] According to John, the group viewed a BBC documentary chronicling the recording of the Police's fifth and final studio album Synchronicity (1983) at AIR and felt it would be a good fit for Duran Duran.[7] Believing Little's inexperience as a producer was slowing down progress, EMI brought in the mixer of "Is There Something I Should Know?", Alex Sadkin, to replace Little before the new producer intervened, finding Little was important to the band's writing process. Little later said he contributed several ideas despite not receiving any writing credits on the finished album.[2]

Duran Duran spent five to six weeks recording in Montserrat. Peter Wade-Schwier acted as engineer during these sessions.[2][11] Tracks produced at AIR included "The Reflex" and "Union of the Snake" by mid-June 1983,[13] as well as the chorus of "New Moon on Monday".[11] Chic backing vocalists Michelle Cobbs and B. J. Nelson were flown in from New York City to provide backing vocals for "The Reflex".[2][14] The group's time at AIR proved irritating due to encountering numerous technical problems. Keyboardist Nick Rhodes later said that the tape machines failed to run at the correct speeds.[4][13] Little elaborated: "Anything that was in tune at the beginning was out of tune by the time we got to the end."[2] When the producers complained to the local studio engineers about the faulty equipment, the engineers passed them off as whiny and unprofessional.[14] With a deadline of a Christmas release,[2] the band members were worried the album would not be delivered on time.[9]

Duran Duran also encountered personal conflicts at AIR. Their massive success led to rising tensions between the band members, primarily due to inflated egos and the presence of the members' girlfriends.[4][8] Paul Berrow later said of the period: "At first it was military—videos, tour, album, tour—but what do you do when you get there? [You] get a girlfriend, and a demanding one almost certainly—and then the whole entity changes. The band comes together for just work and then goes away again to a new set of friends. There's conflict among the merry men."[11] Recording faced a minor setback when Rhodes, suffering from exhaustion, stress and sun burning, collapsed one night and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Miami, Florida. Newspapers reported it was due to an episode of paroxysmal tachycardia, or an abnormally fast heartbeat. After the incident, the keyboardist started taking his health much more seriously, laying off drugs and limiting himself to red wine.[4][9][11]

On 20 July 1983, Duran Duran briefly halted the sessions to play at the Prince's Trust concert with Dire Straits at the Dominion Theatre in London, with Prince Charles and Princess Diana in attendance.[lower-alpha 1] Having not performed live in several months, Duran Duran were under-rehearsed, leading to a poor performance amidst technical problems, but spoke briefly with the royal couple afterwards. A photograph taken of Diana with singer Simon Le Bon, John and Andy made headlines the following day.[lower-alpha 2][4][9][11] Three days later, the band played a charity concert at Aston Villa's football stadium, Villa Park, in Birmingham before returning back to Montserrat.[lower-alpha 3][4][14]

Upon their return to Montserrat, Duran Duran supporter Steve Sutherland of Melody Maker briefly visited the sessions to check on progress. According to Malins, the band played him eight new songs "in various states of disarray".[4] Sutherland predicted "Union of the Snake" would be the first single, while opining that "['The Reflex'] is sharper and more brutal than anything they've recorded before."[14] The writer was informed by Sadkin that the album was far from completion amidst the studio's technical problems.[14] Sadkin had a hard time producing the record overall and later said he was surprised at how little material the band had.[11]

Australian sessions

With tensions rising in Montserrat, Sadkin suggested a change of location to his home base at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, the Bahamas, but the members grew tired of being on "deserted islands";[14] according to John, Duran Duran were "now completely turned off the idea of 'getting away from it all'. We wanted to get to it."[15] They settled in Sydney, Australia at the end of August 1983 as they felt their relationship with the country was special following their previous tours and commercial success there. There, Duran Duran recorded and mixed the rest of the album, now called Seven and the Ragged Tiger, at Studios 301 throughout September.[4][15][16] The studio was inferior to AIR, but superior to the mobile studio in France; the producers found technical problems could be resolved easier.[lower-alpha 4][4][15][16] Phil Thornalley, Sadkin's personal engineer, assumed the role for these sessions.[2]

With the majority of the rhythm tracks cut,[15] the band primarily used 301 to record lyrics, synthesiser and guitar overdubs, and Andy Hamilton's saxophone parts.[2] Le Bon, suffering from writer's block,[16] composed melody lines after listening back to the rhythm parts and wrote lyrics based on those later. Little later felt that he was the "least involved" and the "least active" of the five members.[2] Meanwhile, Rhodes used a new Fairlight CMI digital sampling synthesizer to help change the band's sound, as he wanted Seven to be a more "sophisticated pop album full of minutiae and multiple textures".[4][7]

Other band members also experimented during the sessions: John used a different technique for his bass playing, playing fewer notes as a way to "get more feel" out of the instrument;[16] drummer Roger Taylor worked with Sadkin to create a more natural sound compared to the "machine-like, rigid beats" of the first two studio albums;[4] and Andy used a more melodic style of playing compared to his "usual cut-and-thrust".[4] Rafael de Jesus and Mark Kennedy also contributed percussion, which Malins felt helped create a "more exciting, dynamic foundation for the songs".[4] Nevertheless, the tracks did not come together easily, going through different versions regularly. By this time, the band members grew tired of the album's long recording process and tensions rose over its direction. Andy later described its recording as a "laborious plod",[17] while Rhodes said:[4]

I thought the thing was never going to get finished. Everybody was pulling and tugging in different directions. To me, that album, more than any of them, on the surface of it, there's a lot of pretty songs on there, but then underneath there's this sort of not quite controllable hysteria.

Sadkin and Rhodes discarded several of the rhythm tracks during mixing and received backlash from John and Andy over rerecording their parts.[4] Reflecting in his memoir, John acknowledged the period as the beginning of a split in the band that only grew worse over the next year: "[It was] Andy and I on one side. Simon, Nick and the Berrows on the other. Roger did a balancing act."[lower-alpha 5][15][16] Alongside growing tensions in the studio, the band members were forced to relocate from their hotels due to the constant barrage of fans.[4][9] Rhodes and Sadkin ultimately worked 15-hour days with Little to mix Seven and the Ragged Tiger, which lasted into October 1983. By the time the first single, "Union of the Snake", was being mixed, Rhodes and Sadkin only had 24 hours to write and record its B-side, "Secret Oktober", which Malins describes as a "moody electronic-carousel".[4][18]

Music and lyrics

Commentators have recognised Seven and the Ragged Tiger as a departure from Duran Duran's first two studio albums. Richard Buskin of Sound on Sound observed more of a "synth-dance sound",[2] while author Annie Zaleski wrote that Seven is "indebted less to guitar-driven post-punk and more the sleeker synth-pop sounds popular at the time".[10] Writing for AllMusic, Mike DeGagne found that the album's content has the band "moving ever so slightly into a danceclub arena", with "their ability to produce a sexier sound" favouring electronics and instrumentation over "a firm lyrical and musical partnership".[19] Malins agrees, referring to Seven as a "very detailed, technology-based record".[4]

AllMusic's Stewart Mason described the opening track, "The Reflex", as sounding like "an underwritten exercise in art-funk", drawing comparisons to Rio's "Hold Back the Rain".[20] "New Moon on Monday" and "Union of the Snake" showcase the band's influences: the former boasts an echo of Roxy Music,[16] while the latter was written based on the bass drum pattern for David Bowie's "Let's Dance" (1983).[2] Discussing the up-tempo tracks "Of Crime and Passion" and "Shadows on Your Side", Malins finds the two tracks evoke feelings of insomnia and hysteria.[4] Davis describes "(I'm Looking for) Cracks in the Pavement" as sounding like an homage to the Police with a "carnival vibe".[16] The album also features an atmospheric, electronic-based instrumental, "Tiger Tiger",[4][10] which Davis dubs a "pastoral drone, evoking a jungle painted by Rousseau with hidden tribes playing rattles and sticks".[16] The final track, "The Seventh Stranger", Malins and Davis deem a "moody finale" and a "tepid ballad", respectively.[4][16]

Described by Le Bon as "an adventure story about a little commando team",[1] the album's lyrics are ambiguous and cover a wide variety of topics, including the dark side of fame the band were experiencing ("Shadows on Your Side"), living based on pure instinct ("The Reflex"), being "dragged by a passionate undertow" ("Of Crime and Passion") and changing identities as a means of escape ("The Seventh Stranger").[4][16] According to Malins, almost every track portrays a character in a "manic, slightly deranged state", naming "Union of the Snake", "I Take the Dice", "Shadows on Your Side" and "(I'm Looking for) Cracks in the Pavement".[4] In "Union of the Snake", the words visualise a dreamlike revolution being led by music,[21] while "New Moon on Monday" presents a character's attempt to flatter a shy potential lover.[22] According to Davis, the lyrics took influence from Le Bon's relationship uncertainties and "romantic ambivalences" with his then-girlfriend Claire.[16]

Title and packaging

The album's title was devised by Le Bon and taken from the unreleased track of the same name.[4][7] The "seven" refers to the five band members and their two managers, while the "ragged tiger" is success: "Seven people running after success. It's ambition. That's what it's about."[1] Rhodes disliked the title, stating in 1983: "It seems to me like the name of a kids' book, not so much the Famous Five, more sort of piratey." According to Malins, the keyboardist still refers to the LP simply as "the third album".[4]

The album cover was shot during a lavish photoshoot with photographer Rebecca Blake at the State Library of New South Wales. Sleeve designer Malcolm Garrett was flown in from the UK, as well as a live Bengal tiger from Melbourne to be pictured on both the album cover and upcoming tour programme. Surrounded by crew members, local journalists, TV cameramen and fans,[4][18] Duran Duran were dressed in all-black attire: Rhodes donned a "black lizard suit", John and Roger in "evening dress", while Le Bon and Andy wore suede and leather; John later quipped in his memoir that "we all looked like successful young men".[23] The shoot reportedly cost upwards of £65,000.[18]

According to Paul Berrow, the plan was to shoot a promo in Kashmir involving the tiger but Andy and Rhodes vetoed the idea. Another idea involving the use of smoke bombs was scrapped when the tiger was spooked by them. Garrett's final sleeve design solely features the tiger's eye and a small portion of its fur.[4][18] Against the caramel-coloured artwork are various logos, including the band's new DD logo, a crescent moon, a triple-X glyph and a Chinese-style antique map depicting snowy mountains and rivers; Davis says this represents the trips Duran Duran would venture on during their upcoming tour.[4][18] Malins finds the map suggests secrets that are waiting to be unfolded, offering a visual representation of Le Bon's "soul-searching on the album through [the] admittedly ambiguous lyrics".[4]

Release and singles

The music video for "Union of the Snake", featuring the band members in a cave with serpent-like dancers and Le Bon as a Mad Max-type road warrior, was sent to MTV by Capitol a full week before the single was set to release to radio, which drew backlash from radio stations who found the move unfair.[4][21][18] The band later expressed distaste for the video.[24] Upon its release as a single on 17 October 1983, "Union of the Snake" peaked at number three in both the UK and the US. However, the placement earned disenchantment from the band who were expecting another number one following "Is There Something I Should Know?";[9][18][23] Le Bon confessed to its poor release in 1984. Additionally, the group's failure to hit number one led some critics to conclude Duran Duran had hit their peak.[4]

The simultaneous worldwide release of Seven and the Ragged Tiger followed a month later on 21 November 1983,[10] shortly after the band commenced a worldwide tour.[25][26] It entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, becoming the band's first number-one album. Nevertheless, the LP's sales fell off after the first week at a faster pace than EMI had expected.[4] Upon debuting on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart on 10 December, both Rio and the reissued Duran Duran were still high on the chart.[27] It reached number eight and within months achieved platinum status with sales of one million units,[4] eventually going double platinum.[20] Elsewhere, Seven and the Ragged Tiger topped the chart in the Netherlands and reached number two in Australia,[28][29] three in Finland,[29] seven in Canada,[29] 11 in Austria and New Zealand,[30][31] 12 in Italy,[32] 14 in Norway,[33] 16 in Switzerland,[34] 17 in Germany and 19 in Sweden.[35][36]

"New Moon on Monday" was issued as the second single on 14 January 1984, backed by "Tiger Tiger".[37] Its ambitious video, directed by Mulcahy's colleague Brian Grant, contained images of a medieval French town and was shot during a two-day shoot in Paris before the tour resumed in Japan. Although hated by the band members, the video received heavy airplay on MTV.[4][37][38] The single itself stalled at number nine in the UK and number ten in the US.[4][37] With both singles performing below the label's expectations, EMI executives grew concerned that Sadkin lacked the skill to produce a great single for Duran Duran.[37]

The third single, a remix of "The Reflex" by Chic member Nile Rodgers, was released on 16 April 1984. The B-side was a live rendition of Rio's "New Religion" in the US and a live version of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" in the UK.[39] While in Australia on tour, John Taylor had heard a prerelease copy of the INXS single "Original Sin", produced by Rodgers and engineered by Jason Coruso, and felt a remix of "The Reflex" would perform well as a single.[23][25] For the remix, Rodgers made the song more dance-oriented, adding looping vocals, additional percussion, increased the tempo and cut the runtime.[20][39] It initially received backlash from EMI and Capitol,[40] who felt it was "too black" for Duran Duran.[41] Executives were eventually convinced and upon release, the remixed song became the band's first US and second UK number-one single.[39][41] Its success also boosted sales for Seven and the Ragged Tiger five months after its release.[26] The single's accompanying video was shot by Mulcahy over two days at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto; John wanted the video to be taken from a live show as a way to showcase their strength as a live band and to dismiss interviewers who referred to Duran Duran solely as a "video band".[39][40]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Initial reviews
Review scores
Source	Rating
Record Mirror	[42]
The Village Voice	C+[43]

Despite its commercial success, reviews for Seven and the Ragged Tiger were predominantly negative upon release.[4] Critics cited poor lyrics and found the group utilised their musical influences in unoriginal ways.[lower-alpha 6] Record Mirror's Jim Reid, in particular, felt the record marked the first chapter in the band's decline, deeming the music "no more than a sub-art school mix of plagiarism" and the lyrics "chickenfeed mysteries that neither say or mean anything". Reid ultimately found the LP "bad as in pathetic, useless, no good" and a "painful [listening] experience" that showcases the band's "mediocre talent".[42] Ira Robbins was also negative in Trouser Press, describing Seven as "a harmless, useless mishmash of old riffs and weak songs that undoes all the progress evidenced on Rio". Unlike Reid, Robbins concluded the band were "too talented to be satisfied with such a dismal showing".[45] In an extremely negative review, Sounds dubbed the record "Seven and the Rancid Ravings", arguing that it is "so assuredly awful it breaks new ground in badness", and concluding: "Seven is more redolent of illness – a nervous disorder of people near to cracking up – than it is of just being an amusingly dreadful recording."[4] In NME, Paolo Hewitt argued that pop stars are only interested in themselves, with Duran Duran being "perhaps the most striking example". Hewitt found the lyrics "fail gloriously" at "attempting to add drama and shade" to the material's "already weak structures".[44]

Nevertheless, Seven and the Ragged Tiger did receive some positive reviews. Melody Maker's Michael Oldfield found the album a bold move at this stage of the band's career, in which they solidify the 1980s dancefloor sound while simultaneously putting an end to their "wimpish image". He also said that Seven "restores danger and menace to a band that was veering dangerously close to the insipid."[46] Meanwhile, Billboard considered the LP a "well-crafted set that refines their new-pop style without risking any major shifts in direction. Here, that yields fresh bursts of their now familiar choral sound, more playful eroticism and, throughout, plenty of dance-oriented rhythmic momentum for their club fans," giving particular recognition to the production.[47] Smash Hits wrote: "The arrangements are watertight, the melodies are razor-sharp and every number is drenched with the mystique of a James Bond theme. A classy concoction, it should ensure they'll be around for quite a while yet."[4] In a more mixed review, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice stated that "as public figures and maybe as people, these imperialist wimps are the most deplorable pop stars of the postpunk if not post-Presley era," calling the lyrics "obtuse at best," and said "if you'd sooner listen to a machine sing than Simon Le Bon, what are you going to do with both?" However, he praised the album's singles as being "twice as pleasurable as anything Thomas Dolby is synthesizing these days."[43]

Tour

To support Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Duran Duran embarked on a world tour that covered shows in Australia, Japan, England, the US and Canada.[25] Dubbed the Sing Blue Silver Tour after a lyric in Rio's "The Chauffeur",[14] the tour was documented by a film crew, who were directed by Mulcahy.[48] It commenced in Canberra, Australia in mid-November 1983 before returning to the UK for concerts in London in early December.[25] The short Japanese leg of seven dates occurred throughout mid-to-late January 1984. While there, Duran Duran played at larger venues than they were used to;[39][26] audiences screamed so loud they could not hear themselves play.[38] Throughout the tour, the ensemble displayed a harder and heavier sound compared to the supporting album. Roger Taylor stated: "The guitar is more upfront. We go for more power and everyone projects a lot. It's basically a rock show. We're not a synthesiser band."[26]

The North American leg commenced at the end of January 1984; according to Malins, the band members were on an "adrenaline-charged 'voyage of discovery'" during this time.[26] While on the road in February, the band won two Grammy Awards in the new Best Long Form and Best Short Form music video categories,[lower-alpha 7][39][26] and appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, who dubbed them the "Fab Five" in comparison to the Beatles.[41][38]

Although the tour was massively successful, including through the selling of merchandise, the non-stop touring schedule took a toll on the band members by the end of February 1984.[26] Additionally, the cold weather, the constant use of drugs and alcohol and the presence of members' girlfriends led to increased tensions and fights amongst the players.[39] Their egos were inflated to new proportions; video collaborator Marcello Anciano recalled Andy's party behaviour getting rampant on several occasions.[26] Throughout March, Duran Duran continued playing in the northeastern US and Canada before playing two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, achieving their goal they had made when they signed to EMI in 1981.[39][38]

The Sing Blue Silver Tour continued through late March and April 1984 around the US. By the final dates in California, John was doing drugs on stage. Footage from the shows at Oakland, California were compiled for the concert film Arena (1985). The tour concluded in San Diego in mid-April.[39][26] A planned European leg was cancelled due to the band's exhaustion.[49] It was the final tour of the 1980s with the original line-up.[41] Following its end, the band filmed more material using studio sets for the Arena concert film, which was released in late 1984 along with a documentary about the tour, Sing Blue Silver.[lower-alpha 8] Live recordings from across the tour, along with a new studio song, the Rodgers-produced "The Wild Boys", were compiled and released by EMI on a live album, also titled Arena, in late 1984.[50]

Legacy

Professional ratings

Retrospective reviews
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[19]
The Daily Telegraph	[51]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[52]
Q	[53]
Rolling Stone	[54]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[55]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	6/10[56]

Seven and the Ragged Tiger was Duran Duran's final studio album with the original five-piece line-up until 2004's Astronaut.[52] The band members mostly collaborated on different projects from 1984 to 1985: Andy and John worked with singer Robert Palmer and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson as the Power Station, while Le Bon, Rhodes and Roger recorded a studio album, So Red the Rose (1985), as Arcadia. Duran Duran briefly regrouped to record the title song of the James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985) before Andy and Roger departed the band shortly before the recording of their Rodgers-produced fourth studio album Notorious (1986).[50][57]

The album continues to receive mixed reactions in later decades. In a retrospective review, DeGagne found Seven and the Ragged Tiger fails to match the "unrestrained pop/rock ebullience" of Rio with weaker songwriting, as well as favouring synthesisers over Andy's guitar stylings, but still displays strong singles and enough musicality to equal a "bright, energetic and effectual" record.[19] Writing for The Daily Telegraph in 2010, Thomas H. Green described Seven as "opulently produced", with "their new romantic origins blooming into lush decadent pop".[51] On the other hand, Chris Gerard found the album more uneven in Metro Weekly but also stated Seven predicted the musical direction of both Arcadia's So Red the Rose (1985) and Notorious (1986).[58]

In his biography of the band, Malins wrote that the album's primary flaw is a "lack of punch and power", and its "frenzied, chaotic bluster" lacks the effectiveness of Rio (1982).[4] Davis also opined that good lyrics were "hard-earned" as Le Bon's "beatnik muse" had vanished.[16] The band as a whole were not satisfied with it musically.[38] John, in particular, felt Seven was anticlimactic after Rio (1982),[23] writing in his memoir: "Seven and the Ragged Tiger is a beautifully textured record, but it didn't hit you viscerally in the way the earlier albums had."[38]

EMI re-released Seven and the Ragged Tiger in 2010 in two configurations: a two-disc digipak and a three-disc box set (consisting of two CDs and one DVD). The latter includes on the DVD the first official release of the As the Lights Go Down video.[51] Like the reissue of their self-titled debut released the same year, the remastering had a negative reaction from fans as a victim of the loudness war.[59] Andy Taylor (who had left the band)[60] criticised the remaster, saying that it "sounds like it was done down the pub" and condemning EMI for promoting the demos as bonus tracks: "they should be gifting them to fans after 30 years of support...shame on all involved". EMI refused to recall the reissue because complaints about its sound quality were "by far in the minority".[59]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Simon Le Bon, Andy Taylor, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Nick Rhodes.

Side one

1. "The Reflex" – 5:29
2. "New Moon on Monday" – 4:16
3. "(I'm Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement" – 3:38
4. "I Take the Dice" – 3:18
5. "Of Crime and Passion" – 3:50

Side two

1. "Union of the Snake" – 4:20
2. "Shadows on Your Side" – 4:03
3. "Tiger Tiger" – 3:20
4. "The Seventh Stranger" – 5:24

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic:[61]

Duran Duran

• Simon Le Bon – lead vocals
• Andy Taylor – guitar
• John Taylor – bass
• Roger Taylor – drums
• Nick Rhodes – keyboards

Additional musicians

• Andy Hamilton – soprano and tenor saxophone
• Rafael de Jesus – percussion
• Mark Kennedy – percussion
• Michelle Cobbs – backing vocals on "Union of the Snake" and "The Reflex"
• B. J. Nelson – backing vocals on "Union of the Snake" and "The Reflex"

Production

• Alex Sadkin – producer
• Ian Little – associate producer
• Duran Duran – associate producers
• Phil Thornalley – recording and mixing engineer
• Peter Wade-Schwier – recording engineer
• Jim Taig – tape operator
• Malcolm Garrett – graphic design
• Keith Breeden – illustration

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[75]	3× Platinum	300,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[76]	Gold	25,000[76]
Japan	—	150,000[77]
Netherlands (NVPI)[78]	Gold	50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[79]	Platinum	15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[80]	Gold	25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[81]	Platinum	300,000^
United States (RIAA)[82]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

References

Sources

• Davis, Stephen (2021). Please Please Tell Me Now: The Duran Duran Story. New York City: Hachette Books. ISBN 978-0-306-84606-9.
• Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
• Malins, Steve (2013). Duran Duran – Wild Boys: The Unauthorised Biography (Updated ed.). London: André Deutsch. ISBN 978-0-233-00392-4.
• Taylor, Andy (2008). Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran. New York City: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-0-446-54606-5.
• Taylor, John (2012). In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran. New York City: Penguin Random House. ISBN 978-0-52595-800-0.
• Zaleski, Annie (2021). Duran Duran's Rio (33 1/3, 156). 33 1/3. New York City: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-50135-518-9.

External links

• Seven and the Ragged Tiger at Discogs (list of releases)

На других языках

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[de] Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Seven and the Ragged Tiger ist das dritte Studioalbum der englischen Musikgruppe Duran Duran. Es wurde am 21. November 1983 veröffentlicht.

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- [en] Seven and the Ragged Tiger

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[es] Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Seven and the Ragged Tiger (Siete Y El Tigre Harapiento) es el tercer disco del grupo de New wave británico Duran Duran lanzado mundialmente en noviembre de 1983, siendo el último álbum con la formación inicial del grupo hasta su vuelta en 2004.

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[ru] Seven and the Ragged Tiger

Seven and the Ragged Tiger — третий студийный альбом британской нью-вейв группы Duran Duran, выпущенный 21 ноября 1983 года, с последующим перевыпуском 29 марта 2010 года. Наряду со своим прошлогодним предшественником Rio (1982) считается самым коммерчески успешным в дискографии группы, дебютировав Великобритании на 1-м месте UK Albums Chart, а в Американском Billboard 200 — на 8-м.

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