1001 Albums Summary

I can see why most songs from this album haven’t stood the test of time. When I was a kid, I read that Duran Duran was the Princess Di’s favorite band, and I can see why now that I’ve listened to this album. This is a safe kind of fun music, that non-artists think is outside of the box. It does make me wish I was alive when it first released so I had a better context to compare it to. Maybe it was thought-provoking then. Maybe the dissonant instrumentals or the layering of the different-textured instrumental tracks would’ve astounded a 1980s audience. Listening to this album is very similar to looking at famous painting in an art museum, when you don’t have an emotional reaction or connection to it. You can appreciate that it’s great and well-liked, but it doesn’t provoke anything within you. The album starts off with one of my favorite 80s songs, and I thought the second track was a great continuation of that energy. The third track was where it all started to meld together. My second and third listen throughs did little to reveal any lasting impressions on me. It’s not a bad album; it’s just kinda mid. I’ll admit that halfway through my third listen, I started to enjoy the indiscernible 80s noise, the same way a person enjoys Lofi beats to chill/study to, so maybe this album is considered great because of its fans’ Stockholm Syndrome.