DURAN DURAN Save A Prayer

Untouchable_888 · Post by **Untouchable_888** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 8:36 pm

Yeah i love this song to death, some nice gothy stuff for me...

But, I read once about how the song came about, BUT I CAN NO LONGER FIND THE ARTICLE!! Anyone know what I am talking about? Somehting about a Jupiter 4 and the studio or something... idk. Please help.

ashton · Post by **ashton** » Sat Jul 12, 2008 9:51 pm

I've read that article as well. From what I remember, Duran were in the south of France writing/recording the RIO album and John Taylor was playing around with the bass part of Save A Prayer and I believe Nick came up with the sequenced synth part using a Roland SH-2 (though it might have been the JP-4), a Roland sequencer (JSQ-60 maybe) and a Roland Tape Echo. I think he used the SH-2 on tour early in 1982 when he was also using the Jupiter-4 but when he got the Jupiter-8, he phased out the SH-2 and the Jupiter-4 for live use. From 83-85 is was pretty much the Jupiter-8, Fairlight CMI, Prophet-5 and the Crummar Performer along with the analog rack mounted Roland Tape Echo, Phaser and a Flanger. I saw them in 1984 and that's what he used on that tour, the best live synth setup I've heard to date.

Untouchable_888 · Post by **Untouchable_888** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 1:48 pm

ashton wrote:I saw them in 1984 and that's what he used on that tour, the best live synth setup I've heard to date.

Ah, so you're a fellow die hard?

I wish I could see them. I really do. But they never come to Wisconsin... Rhodes is my all time hero.......

I am pretty sure I was conceived to Duran Duran...

Joey · Post by **Joey** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:08 pm

I'm pretty sure the SH-2 does the main sequence with a tape echo, and then the jupiter does the pad/lead sound

Post by **Dano** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:30 pm

Untouchable_888 wrote:
ashton wrote:I saw them in 1984 and that's what he used on that tour, the best live synth setup I've heard to date.
Ah, so you're a fellow die hard?

I wish I could see them. I really do. But they never come to Wisconsin... Rhodes is my all time hero.......

I am pretty sure I was conceived to Duran Duran...

They played Alpine Valley on the Notorious Tour in the Summer of '87.

The DD timeline page says Andy Taylor opened for them but I find that hard to believe considering it was somewhat of an acrimonious split. I know a couple people who were at that concert and they said that Erasure opened for them (as they did on a lot of their other summer '87 tour dates).

Anyhow, you can get pretty close to the Save A Prayer sound if you set an arpeggiator to a "last note played" pattern, add a delay effect, and then you have to nimbly switch back and forth between two different sets of notes held...easier with a sequencer I guess.

Post by **nathanscribe** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:26 pm

Untouchable_888 wrote:some nice gothy stuff

That is the first time I have heard Duran Duran labelled in any way "goth". Hopefully, it won't happen again... I mean, Sisters of Mercy were goth. Fields of the Nephilim were goth. Even the Mission were a bit goth. DD? Hmmm.

Untouchable_888 · Post by **Untouchable_888** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:45 pm

nathanscribe wrote:
Untouchable_888 wrote:some nice gothy stuff
That is the first time I have heard Duran Duran labelled in any way "goth". Hopefully, it won't happen again... I mean, Sisters of Mercy were goth. Fields of the Nephilim were goth. Even the Mission were a bit goth. DD? Hmmm.

The Emotion.
The pretty synth lines and leads. Pads.
The beautiful vocals.
That guitar pedal they use in that song in particular and "Eyes of a Stranger." Whatever it is. I don't know. They won't tell me..

Just all around, i think. And I think that Duran Duran blows The Cure out of the water. "Cracks in the Pavement" is WAY better than "Just Like Heaven" or "High." Some say goth, some say not. It doesnt matter.
You could at least say that Arcadia was..

voicedood · Post by **voicedood** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 6:56 pm

yeah, goth is a term i dont relate with Duran Duran..
..although Arcadia did have nick with black hair and ever increasing make-up, lol

I saw them at the oakland colliseum arena in '84 and shoreline amphitheater in '87 and pretty much every other bay area show since. and i do recall erasure opened for them on the 'Strange Behaviour' tour..

and the original recorded sequences are the SH2, since sampled..

Post by **nathanscribe** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:05 pm

Untouchable_888 wrote:The Emotion.
The pretty synth lines and leads. Pads.
The beautiful vocals.
That guitar pedal they use in that song in particular and "Eyes of a Stranger."

It doesnt matter.

I disagree. By these standards, Nina Simone, St Etienne or Add N to X could all be goth. It's more of a particular feel I think that marks out goth, that I find lacking in Duran Duran, but as you say it doesn't matter, and genre-classification is both dull and unhelpful.

DD might be goth if you drop it an octave or two though.

Untouchable_888 · Post by **Untouchable_888** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 8:13 pm

nathanscribe wrote: DD might be goth if you drop it an octave or two though.

clubbedtodeath · Post by **clubbedtodeath** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:20 pm

Let's not forget the male vocalist singing in an indeterminate London accent with heavy vibrato.

(Would that make Men Without Hats goth too?)

Untouchable_888 · Post by **Untouchable_888** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 9:22 pm

^haha.

gilwe · Post by **gilwe** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 10:41 pm

They used the JP4 on just about every song on "Rio",
including "save a prayer". You just hear that immediately when tweaking the JP4 with the arpeggio going. The lead must be JP8.

Hossinfeffa · Post by **Hossinfeffa** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:09 pm

gilwe wrote:They used the JP4 on just about every song on "Rio",
including "save a prayer". You just hear that immediately when tweaking the JP4 with the arpeggio going. The lead must be JP8.

This seems like a job for AC! Maybe he could get his JP4 out and replicate some of the sounds?

gilwe · Post by **gilwe** » Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:35 pm

The JP4 is an arpeggio king, really. Mine is pure Duran Duran and Human League. They both used them mainly as arpeggio machines ! So much FAT.

DURAN DURAN Save A Prayer

Synths used on Save A Prayer

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