Welcome to another episode of New Wave Beat. I’m your host, Jason D’Orazio. I’ll discuss Duran Duran’s third studio album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger. With the resounding commercial and critical success of Rio, Duran Duran fans were clamoring for more music. The band struggled with the recording of a follow-up album, but did manage to release it in late 1983. In his autobiography, John Taylor was not particularly pleased with the album, but I am. While it does not reach the mastery and diversity in sound that Rio had, Seven and the Ragged Tiger offers great songs and hooks galore. It is sometimes considered as having more of a poppy sound, but the lyrics throughout the album represent inner struggle and turmoil, and is not as heavy on love and lust themes.
