Big Thing (Duran Duran album)
1988 studio album by Duran Duran
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Big Thing is the fifth studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released on 17 October 1988 by EMI Records. Produced by the band, Jonathan Elias and Daniel Abraham, it continued the change in musical direction the band began with their previous album Notorious (1986).
| Big Thing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 October 1988[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1988 | |||
| Studio | Davout (Paris) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:48 | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Duran Duran chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Big Thing | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Classic Pop | [3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| MusicHound Rock | [5] |
| PopMatters | [6] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 2/10[10] |
The band features drummer Sterling Campbell and guitarist Warren Cuccurullo, who previously started work with the band on Notorious after the departure of Andy Taylor. Both would become full members of the group in 1989.
The album was a moderate commercial success, reaching number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number 24 on the US Billboard 200. The album received mixed reviews by critics, but some praised the experimental compositions and the band's evolving musical style. The album featured two top 20 hits: the first, "I Don't Want Your Love", which went to number 14 in the UK and number 4 in the US, with the second single "All She Wants Is" reaching number 9 in the UK and number 22 in the US, the last of Duran Duran's top 10 hits during the 1980s.
A CD reissue (with one bonus track) was released in 1994. The album was reissued again by EMI in 2010.[11]
Singles
- "I Don't Want Your Love" (September 1988) #14 UK, #4 US
- "All She Wants Is" (December 1988) #9 UK, #22 US
- "Do You Believe in Shame?" (April 1989) #30 UK, #72 US
Promotional singles
- "Official Bootleg: LSD Edit" (as the Krush Brothers)
- "Big Thing" (UK and Mexico only)
- "Too Late Marlene" (Brazil only)
Track listing
1988 original release
All songs written and arranged by Duran Duran.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Thing" | 3:41 |
| 2. | "I Don't Want Your Love" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "All She Wants Is" | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Too Late Marlene" | 5:08 |
| 5. | "Drug (It's Just a State of Mind)" | 4:36 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Do You Believe in Shame?" | 4:23 |
| 7. | "Palomino" | 5:19 |
| 8. | "Interlude One" | 0:32 |
| 9. | "Land" | 6:12 |
| 10. | "Flute Interlude" | 0:32 |
| 11. | "The Edge of America" | 2:37 |
| 12. | "Lake Shore Driving" | 3:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Drug (It's Just a State of Mind)" (Daniel Abraham mix) | 4:20 |
As neither of the UK CDs show the track listings the difference between them can be identified by the catalogue numbers. These are:
- 0777 7 909582 7 (UK: CDDDB 33) Original 12 track CD
- 0777 7 898342 2 (UK: CDPRG 1007) 1994 reissue with bonus track
2010 reissue
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Thing (Nocymb)" | 3:41 |
| 2. | "I Don't Want Your Love" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "All She Wants Is" | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Too Late Marlene" | 5:08 |
| 5. | "Drug (It's Just a State of Mind)*" | 4:18 |
| 6. | "Do You Believe in Shame?" | 4:23 |
| 7. | "Palomino" | 5:19 |
| 8. | "Interlude One" | 0:32 |
| 9. | "Land" | 6:12 |
| 10. | "Flute Interlude" | 0:32 |
| 11. | "The Edge of America" | 2:37 |
| 12. | "Lake Shore Driving" | 3:03 |
- "Drug" as included here is actually the Daniel Abraham mix included on previous releases, which is how the song was originally meant to be included on the album. The version which appeared on the original album, remixed by Joe Dworniak and Duncan Bridgeman, is included on disc two, labelled "remix".
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Don't Want Your Love" (7" mix) | 3:47 |
| 2. | "All She Wants Is" (45 mix) | 4:36 |
| 3. | "I Believe/All I Need to Know" (full version) | 6:21 |
| 4. | "The Krush Brothers LSD Edit" | 3:30 |
| 5. | "God (London)" | 1:40 |
| 6. | "This Is How a Road Gets Made" | 0:47 |
| 7. | "Palomino" (edit) | 3:30 |
| 8. | "Drug (It's Just a State of Mind)" (remix) | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Big Thing" (7" mix) | 3:53 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "I Don't Want Your Love" (Big mix) | 7:24 |
| 11. | "All She Wants Is" (US master mix) | 7:19 |
| 12. | "Big Thing" (12" mix) | 6:40 |
| 13. | "All She Wants Is" (Eurohouse mix) | 7:34 |
- Tracks 3, 9 and 12 are previously unreleased.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction/God" | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Big Thing" | 4:10 |
| 3. | "I Don't Want Your Love" | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Hungry Like the Wolf" | 4:28 |
| 5. | "Do You Believe in Shame?" | 4:39 |
| 6. | "All She Wants Is/Planet Earth" | 5:47 |
| 7. | "This Is How a Road Gets Made/Winter Marches On" | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Palomino" | 5:47 |
| 9. | "Too Late Marlene" | 5:52 |
| 10. | "Girls on Film" | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Notorious" | 4:54 |
| 12. | "Skin Trade" | 5:58 |
| 13. | "Is There Something I Should Know?" | 4:56 |
| 14. | "The Wild Boys/Drug" | 8:02 |
| 15. | "Band Introduction/Save a Prayer" | 7:48 |
| 16. | "The Reflex" | 4:03 |
| 17. | "Rio" | 3:41 |
| 18. | "The Edge of America" | 9:42 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 19. | "I Don't Want Your Love" | |
| 20. | "All She Wants Is" | |
| 21. | "Do You Believe in Shame?" |
Japanese bonus disc
Toshiba EMI also released Big Thing in a two-disc set, which featured not only the complete album, but a five-song live CD, Previously released as Duran Goes Dutch (US promo EP, 1987):
- "Notorious" (live)
- "Vertigo (Do the Demolition)" (live)
- "New Religion" (live)
- "Hungry Like the Wolf" (live)
- "American Science" (live)
Personnel
Duran Duran
- Simon Le Bon – lead vocals
- Nick Rhodes – keyboards
- John Taylor – bass guitars
Additional musicians
- Warren Cuccurullo – guitars (tracks: 1–7, 9–12)
- Steve Ferrone – drums (tracks: 1–4, 6, 9, 12)
- Chester Kamen – guitars (tracks: 2, 3)
Technical
- Jonathan Elias – co-producer
- Daniel Abraham – co-producer and mixer
- Ted Jensen – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[27] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[28] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||