Astronaut
Studio album by Duran Duran
Released	October 11, 2004
Recorded	Sphere Studios, London, 2001-2004
Genre	Dance, New Wave
Length	49:52
Label	Epic Records
Producer	Duran Duran, Don Gilmore, Nile Rodgers, Dallas Austin
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Amazon.com (Favourable) link NME link CD-WOW (Album of the Week) link Rolling Stone link
Duran Duran chronology
Singles Box Set 1986-1995 (2004) Astronaut (2004) Red Carpet Massacre (2007)
Singles from Astronaut
"(Reach Up For The) Sunrise" Released: October 4, 2004 (2004-10-04) "What Happens Tomorrow" Released: January 31, 2005 (2005-01-31) "Nice" Released: iTunes download

Astronaut is an album by British band Duran Duran, first released on October 11, 2004 (see 2004 in music). Duran Duran Astronaut album cover This is an album cover. ... A studio album is a collection of studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Duran Duran are an English pop group notable for a long series of popular singles and vivid music videos. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sphere Studios Sphere Studios, launched in 2000, is a large modern recording studio in Battersea in London, United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... New Wave was a pop and rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the early-to-mid 1980s. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Epic Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Nile Gregory Rodgers (born September 19, 1952 in New York City) is a prolific and influential musician, composer, arranger, guitarist and music producer, and co-founding member of the seminal multi-platinum hit R&B band Chic, with influential bassist, the late Bernard Edwards. ... Dallas Austin (born December 29, 1970 in Columbus, Georgia) is a Grammy-winning American songwriter, record producer, guitarist, and keyboardist. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 2. ... Amazon. ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Stars10050. ... This article is about the magazine. ... Image File history File links 3_stars. ... Duran Duran are an English pop group notable for a long series of popular singles and vivid music videos. ... Singles Box Set 1981-1985 is a boxset by Duran Duran. ... It has been confirmed by that Duran Durans new album is expected this year in May. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... (Reach Up For The) Sunrise is a song by Duran Duran, the first single from the album Astronaut and their 31st single overall. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... What Happens Tomorrow is the 33rd single by British pop band Duran Duran. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nice is the 34th single by British pop band Duran Duran. ... This article is about the iTunes application. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Duran Duran are an English pop group notable for a long series of popular singles and vivid music videos. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 2004 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2004 Record labels established in 2004 2000s in music. ...

This was Duran Duran's first studio album since Pop Trash (2000), and the first full album since Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) to be recorded by the original five members of the band. (The stand-alone single "A View to a Kill" was their last studio recording together.) Pop Trash is an album released in 2000 by Duran Duran. ... Seven and the Ragged Tiger is Duran Durans third studio album, released globally in November, 1983. ... A View to a Kill is the 13th single recorded by Duran Duran, released in May 1985. ...

Background

Duran Duran made its fame and fortune with its original line-up (singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor, guitarist Andy Taylor, and drummer Roger Taylor) from 1980 to 1985. This "Fab Five" line-up released three studio albums, each with great success. Then Roger retired, and Andy pursued a solo and producing career. The band membership of Simon, Nick, and John with guitarist Warren Cuccurullo remained intact until 1997, when John left Duran Duran. Despite major hits with "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone" in 1993, they were never able to sustain the same level of success as they had achieved as a five-piece band. Simon John Charles Le Bon (born October 27, 1958) is the lead singer and lyricist of the pop/rock band Duran Duran. ... Nick Rhodes in 1981. ... Taylors first solo recording was a hit single for the 9½ Weeks movie soundtrack. ... Andy Taylor (born February 16, 1961) is an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter, best known as a member of Duran Duran and The Power Station. ... Roger Andrew Taylor (born April 26, 1960) is the drummer for the pop band Duran Duran. ... Warren Bruce Cuccurullo (born December 8, 1956 in Brooklyn) is a rock and pop guitarist who has worked with Frank Zappa, Duran Duran, and Missing Persons. ...

The band was signed with Capitol/EMI from 1980 to 1999, and had a brief contract with Hollywood Records in 2000, but entered their reunion phase without a contract. Capitol Records is a major United States-based record label, owned by EMI. // The Capitol Records company was founded by the songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, with the financial help of movie producer Buddy DeSylva and the business acumen of Glenn Wallichs, (1910-1971) (owner of Music City, at the... For other uses, see EMI (disambiguation). ... Hollywood Records is a record label owned by Disney. ...

The making of the album

Duran Duran originally announced a reunion of the original five members in 2001, and began writing new music together in the south of France. They continued to write and record intermittently, working hard for a few months at a time, throughout 2002 and 2003. The band's friend Nile Rodgers did preliminary production work on several tracks. Nile Gregory Rodgers (born September 19, 1952 in New York City) is a prolific and influential musician, composer, arranger, guitarist and music producer, and co-founding member of the seminal multi-platinum hit R&B band Chic, with influential bassist, the late Bernard Edwards. ...

Meanwhile, the search for a record label went on, complicated by the band's desire for independence, control, strong promotional support, and a commitment for more than one album, at the same time that the cash-strapped and risk-averse recording industry was unwilling to gamble on the "leftover fame" of a band best-known for a series of twenty-year-old hits. The record industry (or recording industry) is the industry that manufactures and distributes mechanical recordings of music. ...

The band, frustrated and with nearly thirty new songs approaching completion, set out on a world tour in 2003 to show that the band still had drawing power. The sold-out dates in Japan, America, the United Kingdom and Australia and New Zealand -- and the nearly delirious news coverage that followed the reunited band -- warmed the record labels to the possibilities. The new songs "Sunrise", "Still Breathing", "Virus", "Beautiful Colours" and "What Happens Tomorrow" were played during these concerts; John Taylor also played a demo recording of "What Happens Tomorrow" on the air at Los Angeles radio station STAR 98.7. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American...

During this period, a "teaser CD" with short demo versions of a few of the unfinished songs (used to demonstrate the new work to potential labels and producers) was leaked to the Internet and quickly copied throughout the band's fan base. The songs were "Virus", "Sunrise", "TV vs. Radio", "Salt in the Rainbow", and "Pretty Ones". The band was very unhappy about the leak, and with the exception of "Sunrise" (which became the first single) the leaked songs were not included in the final track listing for the album. ("Virus" later appeared as a bonus track on a Japanese release of Astronaut). For other uses, see demo. ...

A remix of "Sunrise" by Jason Nevins was included on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy soundtrack in February; it received a warm reception by DJs anticipating new work from Duran Duran, but the song was not released as a single from the soundtrack. In March, the band donated "Beautiful Colours" to FIFA, the international governing body for football, to use as its Centennial song. At the awards ceremony for the FIFA 100, honouring the top living footballers, a video of top moments in the sport was accompanied by the song. Jason Nevins is an American producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions. ... Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is an hour-long American television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network on July 15, 2003, and promptly became both a surprise hit (at least by the standards of cable TV) and one of the most talked-about television programs of... This article is about an international football organization. ... A player (wearing the red kit) has penetrated the defence (in the white kit) and is taking a shot at goal. ... Pelé The FIFA 100 is a list of the world-renowned Brazilian striker Pelés choice of the greatest living footballers. Unveiled on March 4, 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the F...

New deal, new album

Finally, after lengthy negotiations, the band signed a four-album deal with Epic Records (a subsidiary of Sony BMG Music Entertainment) in June of 2004. The songs were given a final polishing with producer Don Gilmore at Sphere Studios in London, and then mixed by Jeremy Wheatley in June and July. R&B producer Dallas Austin produced three tracks on the album, and Nile Rodgers' early production work remains on another three. Epic Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... The Sony BMG Music Entertainment logo. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Sphere Studios Sphere Studios, launched in 2000, is a large modern recording studio in Battersea in London, United Kingdom. ...

Limited copies of the new album were released with a bonus DVD which included 45 minutes of live and behind-the-scenes footage from Wembley Arena, recorded in April 2004. The CD/DVD set came in DVD-sized packaging and European copies bore copy protection, a holdover from the BMG days. Wembley Arena at Night (Taken at a live WWE Show). ...

A worldwide media tour accompanied the September release of the first single, "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise", with more surrounding the release of Astronaut in October; in fact, the pace became too hectic for guitarist Andy Taylor, and in November Duran Duran announced he was suffering from exhaustion and flu, and would not be participating in band promotion until January 2005. The remaining four members continued with television appearances, and a stand-in guitarist (Dominic Brown) was hired for the scheduled radio station Christmas concerts in December. Subsequently, January concert dates in Japan had to be postponed until the summer, after drummer Roger Taylor broke a bone in his right foot in December.

Chart success

Astronaut debuted at #1 on the Internet album chart (that is, physical albums bought through Internet vendors), #3 in the UK album chart, and at #17 in the US Billboard 200 album chart, with similar Top Twenty debuts elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, the CD/DVD set debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Music Video chart. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

The album went to #29 in Japan (See Notorious page 276)

The first single, "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise" debuted at #5 in the UK singles chart. In late November, it reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Chart. (Reach Up For The) Sunrise is a song by Duran Duran, the first single from the album Astronaut and their 31st single overall. ...

The second single, "What Happens Tomorrow" was released 31 January 2005. It was not the quick starter that "Sunrise" was, but slowly gained chart position and radio play, supported by a nearly sold-out tour of North American arenas and stadiums, touted as the band's "largest tour ever". Later in 2005, "What Happens Tomorrow" was used in a promotional spot for the U.S. digital cable network Fox Soccer Channel; Simon LeBon and John Taylor had also appeared in a separate spot for the network. Andy Taylor missed several American dates in February and March to attend his ill father's hospital bed and subsequent funeral. is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Digital cable is a term for a type of cable digital television that delivers more channels than possible with analog cable by using digital video compression. ... Fox Soccer Channel is a United States digital cable network, owned by News Corporation, that specializes in soccer. ...

Live favourite "Nice" was announced to be the next single in Europe to coincide with the band's tour there. It was believed that the single would not have a commercial release or music video, but would be downloadable. However, "Nice" was only released to radio in Europe, was promoted poorly, and disappeared quickly from the airwaves.

Embracing new media

On March 29, 2005 (2005-03-29) Sony BMG reissued Astronaut on the burgeoning DualDisc format. This double sided disc included the CD version on one side and a remixed 5.1 DVD-Audio surround mix of the album on the other side. The DVD side also included a 25 minute program with new behind-the-scenes footage. is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sony BMG Music Entertainment logo. ... DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5. ...

On December 20, 2005 (2005-12-20), Astronaut was released on the SACD format. Similar to DualDisc, this release featured the album in three formats - multichannel SACD, stereo SACD and stereo CD. is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Super Audio CD (SACD) is a read-only optical audio disc format aimed at providing much higher fidelity digital audio reproduction than the Red Book audio CD. Introduced in 2000, it was developed by Sony and Philips Electronics, the same companies that created the Compact Disc. ...

Track listing

All tracks written by Duran Duran.

1. "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise" – 3:27
2. "Want You More!" – 3:39
3. "What Happens Tomorrow" – 4:11
4. "Astronaut" – 3:26
5. "Bedroom Toys" – 4:01
6. "Nice" – 3:33
7. "Taste the Summer" – 3:55
8. "Finest Hour" – 4:02
9. "Chains" – 4:48
10. "One Of Those Days" – 3:52
11. "Point Of No Return" – 4:59
12. "Still Breathing" – 5:59

• Extra Tracks

13. "Virus" (Japan bonus track)

(Reach Up For The) Sunrise is a song by Duran Duran, the first single from the album Astronaut and their 31st single overall. ... What Happens Tomorrow is the 33rd single by British pop band Duran Duran. ...

Singles

1. "(Reach Up For The) Sunrise" (Australia September 20, 2004, UK October 4, 2004) – Charted #5 in the UK on October 10, 2004; Charted #89 in the US on November 13, 2004
2. "What Happens Tomorrow" (January 31, 2005) – Charted #11 in the UK on February 6, 2005
3. "Nice" (European radio release, iTunes download)

(Reach Up For The) Sunrise is a song by Duran Duran, the first single from the album Astronaut and their 31st single overall. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... What Happens Tomorrow is the 33rd single by British pop band Duran Duran. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nice is the 34th single by British pop band Duran Duran. ... This article is about the iTunes application. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Epic Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... A gramophone record, (also phonograph record - often simply record) is an analog sound recording medium: a flat disc rotating at a constant angular velocity, with inscribed spiral grooves in which a stylus or needle rides. ... CD redirects here. ... DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) is a popular optical disc storage media format. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sony Music Entertainment is a major global record label controlled by the Sony Corporation. ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... DualDisc is a type of double-sided optical disc product developed by a group of record companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony/BMG Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and 5. ... is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Duran Duran Discography (Adobe PDF file)