Big Thing

Big Thing is the fifth album by Duran Duran, released worldwide in 1988. It reached #15 in the UK and #24 in the US.

A CD reissue (with one bonus track) was released in 1994. The album was reissued as a three disc boxset on September 27, 2010.

In 1988, the musical climate was changing, veering to a more dance-based groove. Duran Duran were known primarily as an early ’80s new wave synth-pop act, and the band was sitting at a career crossroads; Big Thing was their stab at maintaining mainstream popularity.

Turning to more synth- and bass-heavy grooves than their previous efforts, Big Thing was seen by many as the band’s “house music” album. Tracks like the first single “I Don’t Want Your Love”, the title track, and the album’s second single “All She Wants Is” cemented the band’s more aggressive dance angle.

The band decided to stylise how they spell their name, shortening it to the single word “Duranduran”.

To get the new music played without preconceived ‘teeny bopper band’ notions of Duranduran, the band sent an edited three minute version of album tracks “The Edge Of America” and “Lake Shore Driving” to radio stations, known as “Official Bootleg: The LSD Edit”. The promo was credited to “The Krush Brothers”, which the band also used in a few surprise live dates.

Dance music and stylist respellings aside, Big Thing was an album of contrasts.