Seven and the Ragged Tiger

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"Tiger Tiger (song)" redirects here. For other uses, see Tiger Tiger (disambiguation).

Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Seven And The Ragged Tiger.jpg
Studio album by
Duran Duran
Released21 November 1983 (1983-11-21)
RecordedMay–June 1983
StudioAIR, Montserrat
Genre
Length37:36
LabelEMI
Producer
Duran Duran chronology
Rio
(1982) 		Seven and the Ragged Tiger
(1983) 		Arena
(1984)
Singles from Seven and the Ragged Tiger
  1. "Union of the Snake"
    Released: 17 October 1983
  2. "New Moon on Monday"
    Released: 14 January 1984
  3. "The Reflex"
    Released: 16 April 1984

Seven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran. It was released on 21 November 1983 by EMI. It was the band's first and only number-one album on the UK Albums Chart, and would prove to be the last studio album for the band's most famous line-up until 2004's Astronaut.[1]

Vocalist Simon Le Bon said the album "is an adventure story about a little commando team. 'The Seven' is for us—the five band members and the two managers—and 'the Ragged Tiger' is success. Seven people running after success. It's ambition. That's what it's about."[2]

EMI re-released the album 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.

Recording[]

In 1983, Duran Duran intended to spend a year away from the United Kingdom as tax exiles, as their income had increased dramatically after the success of Rio and the reissue of their 1981 debut album Duran Duran the previous year. Thus during May 1983 the band began writing and making demo recordings at a châlet near Cannes in the south of France with producer .[3] The band was having some trouble writing material there but still came up with ideas for most of the songs that appeared on the album. Several were completed, including a track called "Seven and the Ragged Tiger", for which the album was named. This song was never officially released, but parts of it would eventually evolve into the track "The Seventh Stranger". A demo version of the original track has since leaked onto the internet, albeit in very rough, warped form. No quality recording of the song is believed to exist.

With the songs written during their stay in France, the band started recording at George Martin's Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in May.[3] The sessions, which saw producer Ian Little joined by the vastly more experienced Alex Sadkin, would keep Duran Duran in Montserrat for five weeks. During one of these sessions, keyboardist Nick Rhodes collapsed and had to be airlifted to a hospital; newspapers later reported it was due to an episode of paroxysmal tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat).[citation needed]

Prior commitments brought the band back to the UK in July 1983, including a charity gig playing in front of Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Villa Park. It was later revealed that the Irish Republican Army had plotted to plant a bomb at the concert in order to injure Charles and Diana, but the IRA member sent to carry out the plot, Sean O'Callaghan, was in fact an informant working for the Irish Government and successfully helped to pull the plug on the operation.[4]

It was around this time[vague] that the Princess of Wales publicly named Duran Duran as her favourite band. During their time in the UK, the band worked on a few more songs in a studio in London, before returning to Montserrat for one final late summer session.

After the island's isolation, the band moved the project to Sydney, Australia at the end of August. Producers and Alex Sadkin continued working with the band on the album, now titled Seven and the Ragged Tiger, at Studios 301. An argument during this period between John Taylor and Alex Sadkin over the prolonged mixing is said to have been the germination of the Power Station side project that happened in 1985, as Taylor contemplated leaving Duran Duran for the first time.

The album's cover photo was shot on the steps of the State Library of New South Wales.[5]

Release, promotion and tour[]

The band remained in Australia, with their Sing Blue Silver world concert tour due to commence in November 1983 at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Canberra. Beforehand, the band departed for the sands outside of Sydney to film the video for the first single "Union of the Snake" with director Simon Milne. Twenty-four hours before the band were due to deliver the single to EMI, Nick Rhodes and Simon Le Bon did an all-night session to complete the writing, recording and mixing the B-side "Secret Oktober". In October, the band's record company released the "Union of the Snake" video to MTV a full week before the single was released to radio.

The simultaneous worldwide release of the album followed a few weeks later on 21 November. The album entered the UK chart at number one (to date, their only number one album there) and achieved platinum status only a week after its release. It also reached #8 in the US and was certified platinum by January 1984, and eventually double platinum.

The next single "New Moon on Monday" was released in January 1984, accompanied by another ambitious video. In February, the band appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and won two Grammy Awards in the new Long Form and Short Form music video categories.

A Nile Rodgers remix of "The Reflex", released in April, became the band's second number one single in the UK (for four weeks) and first number one in the US (two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100).

The world tour for the album played large indoor arenas and continued through the first four months of 1984. A documentary about the tour, Sing Blue Silver, was made by Russell Mulcahy, as was the promo video for "The Reflex", and the concert videos Arena (An Absurd Notion) and As The Lights Go Down. The live album Arena was also recorded during this tour. The live concert video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Stage Performance (but lost to Van Halen's "Jump").

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3.5/5 stars[6]
The Daily Telegraph3/5 stars[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music2/5 stars[8]
Rolling Stone3/5 stars[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide3.5/5 stars[10]
Spin Alternative Record Guide6/10[11]
The Village VoiceC+[12]

Seven and the Ragged Tiger received mixed reviews upon release, with many critics deeming it inferior to their previous two albums. In a negative review, Ira Robbins of Trouser Press called the album "a sorry collection of half-baked melodies, meaningless lyrics, and over-active studio foolishness," stating that the songs "ain't no damn good." Record Mirror called the album "pathetic," "useless," "no good," "pretentious," "pompous," and "possibly the first chapter in their decline." Robert Christgau gave the album a mixed review, stating 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." In a more favorable review, Melody Maker said that the album "restores danger and menace to a band that was veering dangerously close to the insipid."

In a retrospective review, Mike DeGagne of AllMusic stated that the album's content "has the band moving ever so slightly into a dance club arena," with the songs "leaning more toward their ability to produce a sexier sound through electronics and instrumentation than through a firm lyrical and musical partnership," and said that even the unreleased tracks "trade Duran Duran's handsome edginess for a shinier sound, heard mainly on 'I Take the Dice' and 'Cracks in the Pavement,'" and that "it's here that Le Bon and Taylor's personalities begins to get overshadowed by the demand to produce a more synth-snazzy and fashionable style of music."[13]

Track listing[]

All songs written and composed by Duran Duran.

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

2010 re-issue[]

Disc 2

  1. "Is There Something I Should Know?"
  2. "Faith in This Colour"
  3. "Faith in This Colour" [Alternate slow mix]
  4. "Secret Oktober"
  5. "Tiger Tiger" [Ian Little mix]
  6. "The Reflex" [Single mix]
  7. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" [Live]
  8. "New Religion" [Live]
  9. "The Reflex" [Live]
  10. "Is There Something I Should Know?" [Monster mix]
  11. "Union of the Snake" [Monkey mix]
  12. "New Moon on Monday" [Dance mix]
  13. "The Reflex" [Dance mix]

DVD (As the Lights Go Down)

  1. Intro: "Tiger Tiger"
  2. "Is There Something I Should Know?"
  3. "Hungry Like the Wolf"
  4. "Union of the Snake"
  5. "New Religion"
  6. "Save a Prayer"
  7. "Rio"
  8. "The Seventh Stranger"
  9. "The Chauffeur"
  10. "Planet Earth"
  11. "Careless Memories"
  12. "Girls on Film"

Special features

  • Music videos
    • "Is There Something I Should Know?"
    • "Union of the Snake"
    • "New Moon on Monday" [EP Version]
    • "Reflex"
    • "New Moon on Monday" [Movie Version]
  • Performance from Top of the Pops
    • "Is There Something I Should Know?"
    • "Reflex"

Singles[]

  1. "Union of the Snake" (October 1983) #3 UK, #3 US
  2. "New Moon on Monday" (January 1984) #9 UK, #10 US
  3. "The Reflex" (April 1984) #1 UK, #1 US

Personnel[]

Duran Duran

Additional musicians

Production

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[34] 3× Platinum 300,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[35] Gold 25,000[35]
Japan — 150,000[36]
Netherlands (NVPI)[37] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[38] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[39] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[41] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ "The Charlotte News, 29 March 1984". The Charlotte News. 29 March 1984. p. 41. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  2. ^ Henke, James. "Middle class heroes: with sex and style, Duran Duran savor their American dream", Rolling Stone, 2 February 1984.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Puterbaugh, Parke (12 May 1983), "Duran Duran: The little girls understand", Rolling Stone magazine, no. 395, pp. 62–65
  4. ^ O'Callaghan, Sean. The Informer. Corgi, 1999. ISBN 0-552-14607-2
  5. ^ Duran Duran at GusWorld.com.au
  6. ^ DeGagne, Mike. "Seven and the Ragged Tiger – Duran Duran". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  7. ^ Green, Thomas (26 March 2010). "Duran Duran: Seven and the Ragged Tiger". The Daily Telegraph.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  9. ^ Walters, Barry (4 September 2003). "Fab Five!". Rolling Stone: 146.
  10. ^ Sheffield, Rob (2004). "Duran Duran". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 261–62. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (24 July 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice.
  13. ^ DeGagne, Mike. "Seven and the Ragged Tiger - Duran Duran". AllMusic. All Media Network.
  14. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 97. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6313a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  18. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 1 no. 15. 9 July 1984. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via American Radio History.
  19. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  20. ^ "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 17 January 2019. Select "DURAN DURAN" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Charts.nz – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  25. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Duran Duran Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  28. ^ Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 LPs: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0-906154-04-9.
  29. ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41 no. 17. 5 January 1985. p. 8. ISSN 0315-5994 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1984". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1984". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  33. ^ "Top Pop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 96 no. 51. 22 December 1984. p. TA-17. ISSN 0006-2510.
  34. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Music Canada. 1 June 1984.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b "Duran Duran" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  36. ^ Fujita, Shig (21 January 1984). "International Repertoire Explosion Keys Upturn in Japanese Market" (PDF). Billboard. p. 9. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  37. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 5 November 2019. Enter Seven and the Ragged Tiger in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  38. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Recorded Music NZ. 11 November 1984.
  39. ^ "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music and Media. American Radio History Archive. 26 December 1987. p. 46.
  40. ^ "British album certifications – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". British Phonographic Industry. 29 November 1983.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Seven and the Ragged Tiger in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  41. ^ "American album certifications – Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger". Recording Industry Association of America. 25 November 1991.

External links[]

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