Cleopatra Records unearthed and released four rare early recordings from Duran Duran - including the original demo version of "Girls On Film" and "See Me Repeat Me," which was later reworked and became the classic "Rio."
The recordings were made in 1979 with vocalist Andy Wickett. Rounding out the rest of Duran Duran: John Taylor on guitar, Roger Taylor on drums, and Nick Rhodes on keyboards. [Founding member Stephen Tin Tin Duffy parted ways with Duran Duran in 1978 and Simon Le Bon hadn't joined Duran Duran yet - Le Bon would later meet up and go on to become Duran Duran's vocalist in 1980]
"Girls On Film" became a mega-hit for Duran Duran and is well known for its provocative music video, however the original Wickett version sounds much different - and much darker sounding - than the re-worked version featuring Simon Le Bon. Wickett reveals that his original lyrics to "Girls On Film" were inspired by the lives of the stars of old black and white movies:
"This song was inspired by the dark side of the glitz and glamour, where these perfect idols suffered tragedy and addiction. The film Sunset Boulevard was also a big influence with its tale of a fading movie star."
Stream "Girls On Film" (original demo)
Meanwhile, Duran Duran's song "Rio" was adapted from Wickett's song "See Me Repeat Me" ("See Me Repeat Me" was previously titled "Stevie's Radio Station" which was written by Wickett's old band TV Eye). While the early version of "See Me Repeat Me" is a long way from what eventually became "Rio" you can hear formative elements of the classic song.
Stream "See Me Repeat Me"
The four song EP Girls On Film - 1979 Demo is now available on CD, LP (red and clear vinyl) and as a digital download. Stream all four tracks in full and order directly from Bandcamp.
FYI: Andy Wickett and his band World Service released a new album titled Creatures Of Love in the fall. The album will be released as a physical CD on March 9th.
Published January 12th, 2018