FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Capitol Records/EMI To Reissue Two Duran Duran DVDs To Commemorate 20th Anniversary of Their Legendary 1984 Arena Tour Arena (An Absurd Notion & The Making Of Arena) DVD and Sing Blue Silver DVD Along With CD Reissue of Arena
All Releases In Stores on May 4, 2004
Greatest 2-DVD Video Collection Now Certified Platinum
Hollywood, CA, March 10, 2004 Capitol Records/EMI will reissue the concert film Arena (An Absurd Notion & The Making Of Arena) DVD, the Sing Blue Silver DVD tour documentary, and the Arena live concert CD on May 4, 2004. These releases offer special insight into the lives of Duran Duran and the hysteria that engulfed them. Nearly every moment of Duran Durans 1984 Arena world tour (51 shows in 43 cities over 79 days for over half million fans in the United States and Canada) was captured by a documentary film crew. Both DVDs have been remastered and capture mesmerizing live performances from one of the most important and innovative tours of the decade. The Arena CD is remastered with two bonus tracks.
Arena (An Absurd Notion & The Making Of Arena) DVD
Arena is the legendary Duran Duran concert filmed in Oakland, CA by director Russell Mulcahy. Part live concert and part sci-fi adventure, Arena finds the band in battle with the original Duran Duran (actor Milo OShea) from the cult film Barbarella. Elements of Max Headroom and Mad Max (as seen in the video for Wild Boys) are combined with one of the most exhilarating live concerts of that decade. The remastered DVD shows the concert in extraordinary sight and sound.
Included is a host of unreleased extras is the Making of Arena", a documentary that reveals the creative processes involved, how each band member contributed ideas and how 1 million pounds were spent on extraordinary sets, stunning costumes, original dance sequences and visual effects. It also helps to explain director Russell Mulcahys motto If I can imagine it, then I can film it. Extras include the film trailer, TV commercial, video megamix, the video for Save A Prayer live and an interview with Simon LeBon.
The Arena DVD will be packaged in a clamshell box containing an 8-page poster booklet, and a sheet of stickers of the band members and characters from Arena.
Sing Blue Silver DVD
The entire North American leg of the Arena tour was filmed for this documentary. Sing Blue Silver, while not as well known as Arena, is a brilliant look into the life of the worlds biggest pop band at that moment. It provides true behind the scenes footage offering a fascinating portal into the fun, glamour, agony, ecstasy and ultimate glory of 3 months on the road. Witness Simon, Nick, John Roger and Andy thriving on the pressures, psyching themselves up pre-stage and then delivering incredible shows night after night to thunderous responses. Inner workings of backstage are revealed through the production manager, tour manager and road crew who are frequently fraught with last minute panics and touring nerves. Hoards of hysterical Duran fans are seen stampeding into arenas and chasing down the bands limo.
Sing Blue Silver provides the best pure live footage from various shows on the Arena tour. Mixed in 5.1 surround sound, Sing Blue Silver sounds remarkable. Sing Blue Silver captures the excitement and hysteria that was, and still is, the live Duran Duran experience.
Arena CD with bonus tracks
The Arena CD is the live Oakland, CA concert on CD. It includes all the mega-hits like Hungry Like The Wolf, Save A Prayer and for the first time, Girls On Film and Rio have been added to the reissue.
For a band that utilized the video format as vibrantly as the their music, these releases give the Duran Duran fan vehicle to re-experience the magic of a phenomenon. These releases follow in the success of the recently released Duran Duran Greatest 2-disc DVD that compiles most of their legendary music videos. Greatest has just been certified platinum by the RIAA.
Duran Duran has recently reunited with the original line-up from the Arena tour. The five original members of Duran Duran Simon LeBon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitars), Roger Taylor (drums), John Taylor (bass) and Nick Rhodes (keyboards) are currently playing stadiums and arenas in their home country, England through April and May. They are recording a new album and have one new song Sunrise featured on the recently released Capitol Records soundtrack to the hit TV show Queer Eye For The Straight Guy.
Tracklistings
Arena (An Absurd Notion)
DVD Chapters:
- The Return of Duran Duran
- Is There Something I Should Know?
- Hungry Like The Wolf
- Union of the Snake
- Save a Prayer
- The Wild Boys the video
- Planet Earth
- Careless Memories
- Girls on Film
- The Reflex
- Rio
The Making Of Arena:
DVD Chapters:
- Concepts and windmills
- Costumes, choreography and make-up
- Hanging around robots
- Milo and stilts
- Blowing it all up
Arena Extras:
- Arena TV ad
- Arena trailer
- Arena video mix
- Save a Prayer Live
- Simon Le Bon interview
Sing Blue Silver
DVD Chapters:
- Intro
- Press Conference
- Load In/Backstage
- Is There Something I Should Know?
- Meeting the L.A. Raiders
- On The Road Again/Planet Earth Cont
- John on touring
- Simon and Nick on image and recording in New York
- Francesco Scavullo photo shoot
- Back on the road
- Girls on Film
- Coca Cola press conference
- Visit to F.B.I.
- Discussing Filming/The Seventh Stranger
- In New Orleans
- Save a Prayer
- Oakland, California
- Soundcheck/Backstage
- Hungry Like The Wolf
- Careless Memories
- The end of the tour
Arena CD
- Is There Something I Should Know?
- Hungry Like The Wolf
- New Religion
- Save A Prayer
- Wild Boys
- The Seventh Stranger
- The Chauffeur
- Union Of The Snake
- Planet Earth
- Careless
- Girls On Film *
- Rio *
*new material