![]() ![]() And Spandau Ballet made a splash in 1980 with the glamorous "To Cut a Long Story Short," which paired a swerving keyboard line with dramatic vocals and reached No. Classix Nouveaux, a band formed from the ashes of X-Ray Spex, debuted with "The Robots Dance," a creepy slab of electro-gothic cabaret. Although the Steve Strange-led Visage had a major UK hit in 1980 with their second 45, "Fade to Grey," the 1979 single "Tar" was a synth-industrial grind that presaged what electro group The Faint would do decades later. and spawned from certain danceclubs, the trend was distinguished by sonic melodrama and a fancy sartorial aesthetic.Īs it so happens, each of the major New Romantic bands also released stellar debut singles. In fact, circa "Planet Earth," the group were being tagged as part of the burgeoning New Romantic movement. Of course, back in 1981, that desire to rearrange the status quo was a driving force for Duran Duran and other hungry young bands. Andy Taylor once said the "essence" of the song was from Rod Stewart's rakish 1979 disco-rock hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" Taylor, who worked with Stewart later in the '80s, added, "The synth-guitar hook line that kicks off the tune is played on the same scale and key the first two chords Dm7 and F are the same, so the melody/counter-melody lines are interchangeable."īut "Planet Earth" is great because it feels like a response to trends - punk, disco, Krautrock, Bowie - not a direct replication of what had already been done. He wasn't the only band member who saw parallels between other genre-blending rockers. So 'Planet Earth' for me, as a bass player, was an expression of sort of my punky aspiration to be danceable to have that disco thing going on." But I was a punk and I never was going to be able to play like Chic. When I discovered disco, I didn't want to be a guitar player in a punk band. I was really a punk rocker," John Taylor told Complex in 2012 about the song. The occasional burst of texture - handclaps, sparkling synth ambience, bass curlicues, and a smoldering bridge - adds verve throughout. Atop this Duran Duran members layer shimmering synths from Nick Rhodes and a zig-zagging melodic line from guitarist Andy Taylor these parts alternate like a genial call-and-response. "Planet Earth" is a bold opening salvo, based on a rhythmic foundation comprising John Taylor's galloping bass and Roger Taylor's stomping beats. Named one of the "100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time" by Rolling Stone, "Planet Earth" remains in the band's live setlists and has inspired younger generations: Both The Killers and My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way have performed the song with Duran Duran. singles chart led to the band making an appearance on "Top of the Pops" and even made inroads on the U.S. ![]() Released 40 years ago, on February 2, 1981, the song reached No. But the Birmingham-formed Duran Duran experienced remarkable success from the release of their first single, "Planet Earth." It's true, it will remind us that we are, after all, not God.Some new artists take a while to find their creative groove or footing. And your father's name will shine again like a beacon in the galaxy. Then, having reached the heights, this all-but-divine race perished in a single night, and nothing was preserved above ground.Īlta, about a million years from now the human race will have crawled up to where the Krell stood in their great moment of triumph and tragedy. Ethically and technologically they were a million years ahead of humankind, for in unlocking the mysteries of nature they had conquered even their baser selves, and when in the course of eons they had abolished sickness and insanity, crime and all injustice, they turned, still in high benevolence, upwards towards space. In times long past, this planet was the home of a mighty, noble race of beings who called themselves the Krell. United Planets Cruiser C57D, now more than a year out from Earth Base on a special mission to the planetary system of the great main-sequence star Altair. And so, at last, mankind began the conquest and colonization of deep space. Almost at once there followed the discovery of hyperdrive through which the speed of light was first obtained and later greatly surpassed. By 2200 A.D., they had reached the other planets of our solar system. In the final decade of the 21st Century, men and women in rocket ships landed on the moon. ![]()
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