Hungry Like the Werewolf

Duran Duran have announced the looming release of Danse Macabre, a Halloween-themed album consisting mostly of covers of dark ditties like "Psycho Killer," "Paint It Black" and "Spellbound."

I have to say that, even without hearing a note, this is an effective bit of seasonal product. The very thought of Simon LeBon vocalizing "Psycho Killer" or "Spellbound" has caused me to loudly shriek and piss my pants in abject horror.

Please note that I actually like Duran Duran just fine, but their record as a covers band is as spotty as a Dalmatian wielding a paint sprayer. Simon's huffing and puffing can be effective on his own purple poesy, but I suspect he'll sound more like he's agonizingly constipated when tackling Siouxsie lyrics than spellbound.

Well, I never liked Duran Duran, awful lead vox being reason #1. Slick dance-y stuff generally gets a hard pass from me. But I do like spookiness, so morbid curiosity compelled me to check this out. Err... so they'll also be covering "Ghost Town” by The Specials DEAR GOD NO.

"...as well as a take on Rick James‘ 1981 hit “Super Freak” with “Super Lonely Freak.” What could go wrong?!?

According to the web site Americansongwriter.com, Nick Rhodes is quoted as saying that "the record metamorphosed through a pure, organic process." Interesting comment from someone who uses so much hair product and makeup that he doesn't appear to be biodegradable.

Yeah, "horror" was the thought that came to mind when I read about this, especially the cover of "Spellbound." My first thought, though, wasn't the vocals, but whether the guitarist can do justice to the McGeoch's parts.

Graham Coxon was the guitarist on DurDur's most recent album, and I'd be okay with him stepping into a McGeoch song. Kinda wish Blur was doing a Halloween album now.

However, it looks like the guitarists on this will be Andy Taylor returning for three songs (none of which be "Spellbound"), with Nile Rogers and Warren CuccaSpellItYourself handling the rest. Nile Rogers' badassedness is indisputable, but trying to think if he's ever gotten any closer to Bansheedom than Let's Dance. Not because I doubt he could do it, I'm just curious now. He's been post-punk adjacent plenty of times, but it's usually been post-punksters gravitating into his musical orbit rather than vice versa.

and Warren C comes from the L.A. Zappa/Missing Persons end of things. Not so much "dark" as "jazzy/progressive" - talents not usually required for gothic Halloween-isms. (Unless they plan to flip "Spellbound" into a Boingo "Dead Man's Party"-type song, which would be REALLY inadvisable.)

The whole covers plus "updated" Duran songs worked so well on "Thank You," didn't it??!! The best thing I can say about it on the face of it is that at least it isn't a Christmas Album. That they will be revisiting a song that I feel represents their peak ["Secret Oktober"] suggests rough terrain ahead as they can only end up diminishing it. The big question will be "by how much?" DD are amazing to me in that just when you think they have bottomed out ["Seven + The Ragged Tiger"] there comes a new "Liberty" or "Thank You," or "Paper Gods" to make past sins seem triumphs in comparison.

Former TP subscriber [81, 82, 83, 84]

[postpunkmonk.com]
For further rumination on the Fresh New Sound of Yesterday®