![]() ![]() In the cases of The Stranglers and OMD in particular! As David Bowie, Elvis Costello, and Duran Duran hit closer to the mainstream, the horns on their albums were less shocking, though the lack of sensitivity to their use on the Bowie album was still hard to believe. ![]() In each case, I’d be lying if I said that there was ever a time where I thought to myself “gosh – when are _ _ _ _ _ ever going to record an album with a horn section?” In some instances, the horn section was a big surprise when it manifest. The horns would continue with Duran Duran for their next album but following that would not be a guaranteed feature of the band.īy the end of the period we’ve looked at horns were far from a novelty on the chart music we have discussed. This was not a horn section that was bolted on as an afterthought as the playing was integral to the song arrangements. Between the strong songwriting and performance, the outside players adding to this album were all carefully considered by producer Rodgers to balance the flavors on offer thoughtfully and for best impact. It was not a case of “what else do we need here?” The brass were present on six of the ten tracks and the arrangements show the care taken with their use. THE BOTTOM LINE: Unlike some of the bands we’ve looked at this week, “Notorious” represented a more full integration into the band and the arrangement of the album. Finally, the album closer, “Proposition,” gave the brass-infused album a punchy finish that “went out like a lion.” Bands often forget the punch a flute can add to a funky track. I especially enjoyed the flutes in this one. Then the third single “Meet El Presidente” gave the horns the full spotlight as they added a Latin flair to the fiesty number. Its inconceivable that the band would have ever made such a track without his guidance. I think we can put this track down to the prowess of producer Rodgers. “So Misled” had the brass returning with a vivid staccato arrangement where they syncopated with the rhythm section. The next three songs stepped back from the brass input leaving Rhodes’ keys the tonal spotlight for a while. That the LP tracks was six minutes but sure didn’t feel like it suggested they were right and the masses were wrong. That this single was only a middling top 20 follow-up to the top ten hit “Notorious” was shocking to me as well as the band, who felt they had created their finest work yet. The horn solos in the middle eight between the gated drum beats created a sense of space that a listener could get lost in. They earned every bit of their crust on the single “Skin Trade.” The horns were put to sturdy use in adding a suitable vulgarity to the falsetto funk number that showed the band quite capable of meeting Prince half way or more. Interestingly, while Nick Rhodes keys were straddling string and horn sounds here the contrast between them and a living, breathing brass section made for an interesting dynamic. The title track really gained from the swagger that the horns added to the gated-drum-whipcrack-funk that was “Notorious.” The brashness of the horns in the intro of “American Science” contrasted wonderfully with the subtlety of the song itself. The same team who had toiled to no benefit on Bowie’s “ Tonight” album. John Taylor had liked working with horns on The Power Station album, so producer Nile Rodgers had roped in The Borneo Horns for the album. Right from the start the all-guns-blazing hit single “Notorious” let everyone know that Double Duran were back. Capitol Records | US | CD | CDP 7 46415 2
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