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Astronaut (Duran Duran album)

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Astronaut
Studio album by
Duran Duran
Released28 September 2004 (2004-09-28)
Recorded2001–2004
StudioSphere (London)
Genre
Length49:52
LabelEpic
Producer
Duran Duran chronology
The Singles 1986–1995
(2004) 		Astronaut
(2004) 		Red Carpet Massacre
(2007)
Singles from Astronaut
  1. "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise"
    Released: 30 August 2004
  2. "What Happens Tomorrow"
    Released: 18 January 2005
  3. "Nice"
    Released: 2005

Astronaut is the eleventh studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 28 September 2004 by Epic Records. It was Duran Duran's first studio album since Pop Trash (2000), and the first (and to date, last) full album since Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983) to be recorded by the most famous five-member lineup of the band (the stand-alone 1985 single "A View to a Kill" was their last studio recording together).

Astronaut received mixed reviews from critics but was nevertheless a commercial success, peaking at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart to become the band's highest-charting album in the UK since Seven and the Ragged Tiger in 1983. The album also peaked at 17 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached the top ten in six other countries.

In 2021, the band signed a deal for the album with BMG (along with Medazzaland, Pop Trash and Red Carpet Massacre) which saw it being re-issued in the UK on various digital platforms.[1]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic52/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Austin Chronicle[4]
Billboard[5]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB[7]
The Guardian[8]
Los Angeles Times[9]
NME[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Uncut[12]

Astronaut was met with "mixed or average" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 52 based on 17 reviews.[2]

Upon its release, the album was well received by Billboard, stating that "Duran Duran has a new lease on life, sounding more vibrant and exciting than it has in eons".[5] Sarah Pratt in Rolling Stone also positively reviewed the album, describing it as "feel-good pop".[11] Doug Brod in Entertainment Weekly found "Glistening zero-gravity synth-funk that's mostly unembarrassing and at times shockingly vital",[7] while reviews in NME and The Guardian were largely negative.[10] Dorian Lynskey in the latter publication finding "Duran Duran are adrift in an unforgiving sea of disco-dad dance-pop, anaemic vocals and lyrics too distressingly awful to repeat in a family newspaper."[8] Matt Dentler of The Austin Chronicle called the album an "overproduced synth shuffle", going on to say "With too many songs trying too hard, Duranies will still go hungry for quality."[4]

In a review for AllMusic, Andy Kellman wrote: "Even with a handful of forgettable songs beyond that, the album is easily the best one credited to the Duran Duran name since 1993's Wedding Album."[3]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Astronaut debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and at number 17 on the US Billboard 200, with similar top-20 debuts elsewhere in the world. Meanwhile, the CD/DVD set debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Music Video chart. The album peaked at number 29 in Japan.[citation needed]

The first single, "(Reach Up for The) Sunrise", was released in the US on 30 August 2004 and in the UK on 4 October 2004.[13][14] It debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart. In late November, it topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.[citation needed]

The second single, "What Happens Tomorrow", was released on 18 January 2005 in the US and on 31 January 2005 in the UK.[15][16]

Astronaut has been certified "Gold" in the UK for sales of over 100,000 copies. It was certified Gold in Italy. As of 2008, it had sold around 260,000 copies in the US.[17]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Duran Duran

Astronaut – standard edition
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."(Reach Up for The) Sunrise"
3:27
2."Want You More!"
3:39
3."What Happens Tomorrow"
  • Gilmore
  • Duran Duran
4:06
4."Astronaut"
  • Austin
  • Duran Duran
3:26
5."Bedroom Toys"
  • Duran Duran
  • Gilmore[b]
  • Rodgers[b]
3:53
6."Nice"
  • Gilmore
  • Duran Duran
3:28
7."Taste the Summer"
  • Duran Duran
  • Gilmore
3:55
8."Finest Hour"
  • Gilmore
  • Duran Duran
3:57
9."Chains"
  • Gilmore
  • Duran Duran
4:48
10."One of Those Days"
  • Austin
  • Duran Duran
3:47
11."Point of No Return"
  • Duran Duran
  • Rodgers
4:59
12."Still Breathing"
5:59
Astronaut – Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Virus"4:07

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a vocal producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies a pre-production

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Astronaut.[18]

Duran Duran

[edit]

Additional musicians

[edit]
  • Mark Tinley – programming (track 12)
  • Lily Gonzalez – additional percussion (tracks 3, 8, 12)
  • Guy Farley – string arrangement (tracks 3, 8, 12)
  • Sally Boyden – background vocals (track 1)
  • Tessa Niles – background vocals (tracks 4, 5, 7)
  • Jason Nevins – additional programming (track 1)

Technical

[edit]
  • Duran Duran – executive production, production
  • Don Gilmore – production (tracks 1–3, 6–9); additional production (tracks 5, 12); engineering (tracks 1–3, 5–9, 12)
  • Nile Rodgers – vocal production (track 1); additional production (track 5); production (track 11)
  • Dallas Austin – production (tracks 2, 4, 10), engineering (tracks 4, 10)
  • Mark Tinley – pre-production, engineering (track 12)
  • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing at Townhouse Studios, London
  • Leon Zervos – mastering at Sterling Sound, New York City
  • Rich Hilton – Pro Tools, engineering (track 11)
  • Daniel Mendez – Pro Tools, additional engineering (tracks 1–3, 5–9, 12)
  • Rick Sheppard – Pro Tools, additional engineering (tracks 4, 10)
  • Francesco Cameli – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 5–9, 12)
  • Richard Edgeler – engineering assistance (tracks 4, 10)
  • Dean Barratt – engineering assistance (track 11)
  • Jason Nevins – additional recording (track 1)

Artwork

[edit]
  • Kristian Schuller – cover photography
  • Richard Haughton – guitar photography
  • FAILE – art
  • Clarissa Tossin – art
  • Sean Hogan – art
  • Bernie Beca – art
  • Patty Palazzo – art
  • John Warwicker – creative direction, graphics remix
  • Sara Syms – graphic art

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Astronaut
Chart (2004) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] 22
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[20] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[21] 40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[22] 35
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 9
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[24] 53
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[25] 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[26] 17
European Albums (Billboard)[27] 4
French Albums (SNEP)[28] 87
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[29] 23
Greek International Albums (IFPI)[30] 6
Irish Albums (IRMA)[31] 38
Italian Albums (FIMI)[32] 2
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 29
Scottish Albums (OCC)[34] 5
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 41
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 21
UK Albums (OCC)[37] 3
US Billboard 200[38] 17

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Astronaut
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[39] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release history for Astronaut
Region Date Format Label Catalog
United States 28 September 2004[40] LP Epic E2 92900
United Kingdom 11 October 2004 CD 517920 8
CD+DVD EPC 517920 3
United States 12 October 2004 CD EK 92900
CD+DVD EK 93463
South Korea 15 October 2004 CD Sony CPK 3348 (517920.6)
Cassette CPT-3348 (517920.4)
Japan 20 October 2004 CD EICP 426
CD+DVD EICP-424-5
United States 29 March 2005 DualDisc Epic EN 93512
20 December 2005 SACD 82876761752

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Duran Duran's Medazzaland is officially available in the UK for the very first time". SuperDeluxeEdition. 19 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Astronaut Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Astronaut – Duran Duran". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. ^ a b Dentler, Matt (26 November 2004). "The Austin Chronicle Review". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Duran Duran: Astronaut". Billboard. 23 October 2004. Archived from the original on 13 November 2004. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  7. ^ a b Brod, Doug (15 October 2004). "Astronaut Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  8. ^ a b Lynskey, Dorian (1 October 2004). "Duran Duran: Astronaut". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Duran Duran: Astronaut". Los Angeles Times. 31 October 2004.
  10. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Rob (12 September 2005). "Duran Duran: Astronaut". NME. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  11. ^ a b Pratt, Sarah (28 October 2004). "CD Review – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 4 November 2004. Retrieved 25 April 2012.
  12. ^ "Duran Duran: Astronaut". Uncut. November 2004. p. 120.
  13. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1570. 27 August 2004. p. 17.
  14. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 2 October 2004. p. 33.
  15. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1589. 14 January 2005. p. 21.
  16. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 29 January 2005. p. 31.
  17. ^ Caulfied, Keith."Ask Billboard". Billboard. 4 January 2008.
  18. ^ Astronaut (liner notes). Duran Duran. Epic Records. 2004. 517920 8.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  20. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Duran Duran – Astronaut" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Duran Duran – Astronaut" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Duran Duran – Astronaut" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  23. ^ "Duran Duran Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  24. ^ "Oficiální česká hitparáda IFPI ČR – 43. týden 2004". Marketing & Media (in Czech). 22 October 2004. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  25. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Duran Duran – Astronaut" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  27. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 44. 30 October 2004. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Duran Duran – Astronaut" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  30. ^ "Top 50 Ξένων Άλμπουμ" [Top 50 Foreign Albums] (in Greek). IFPI Greece. 21–27 November 2004. Archived from the original on 27 November 2004. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  31. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Duran Duran". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  32. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  33. ^ "Charts.nz – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  34. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  35. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  36. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Duran Duran – Astronaut". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  37. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  38. ^ "Duran Duran Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  39. ^ "British album certifications – Duran Duran – Astronaut". British Phonographic Industry. 15 October 2004. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  40. ^ "Astronaut – Duran Duran (LP - Epic #82796929001)". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
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