9.4 /10 1 Votes
4.8/5 Goodreads Director Michael Collins | 4.5/5 Discogs Recorded 1984 Length 85 min. (runtime) Initial release 1984 Initial DVD release 5 April 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sing Blue Silver(1984) Arena (An Absurd Notion)(1984) Cast Duran Duran, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes Similar Arena, A Diamond in the Mind, Duran Duran: Unstaged, Barbarella, Concert for Diana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sing Blue Silver is a documentary about Duran Duran's 1983-1984 World Tour directed by Michael Collins. A sixty-minute edited version of the documentary was aired on MTV (and later other music channels) under the title Blue Silver.
Contents
Sing Blue Silver was originally released on videotape (in VHS and Betamax formats) and on laserdisc, near the end of 1984. It was re-issued on DVD in April 2004. A 1984 book of the same name featured still photography by official tour photographer Denis O'Regan. The title comes from a verse from the song The Chauffeur, released in 1982. It was certified gold by the RIAA ( Billboard magazine week ending of February 23th, 1985 ).
Synopsis
Filmed at the height of their fame, Sing Blue Silver follows Duran Duran around Canada and the United States for three months from 30 January - 17 April 1984 as they toured in support of their Seven and the Ragged Tiger album around North America.
Primarily, Sing Blue Silver is about the job of making music, so live musical performances feature quite heavily throughout the video.
The documentary features many other standout moments, including a Francesco Scavullo photo shoot in New York, meeting the L.A. Raiders backstage, and a Beatles-style press conference tinged with a bit of comedy. It also captures the band in more candid moments, from backstage antics to trying to stay entertained on the journey between cities.
The film also documented the band's teen idol status, showing hordes of hysterical young — mainly female — fans attempting to cope with seeing their heroes in a live arena.
Live footage from this tour was later used for the Arena (An Absurd Notion) long-form video and the As The Lights Go Down concert video. The video for "The Reflex" was shot in Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens in March 1984.
Michael Collins left the tour after the first few weeks.
DVD Track Listing
- Intro
- Press Conference
- Load In/Backstage
- Is There Something I Should Know?
- Meeting the L.A. Raiders
- On The Road Again/Planet Earth
- 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