Sing Blue Silver
Encyclopedia
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.
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
.
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.
All the while, the documentary doesn't attempt to gloss over the problems and pitfalls of trying to put on such a large scale show. Professional to the last, tour manager Spy Matthews manages to keep the show running even when the venue won't accommodate the band's stage setup.
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.
Micheal Collins left the tour after the first few weeks.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
'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.
Sing Blue Silver was originally released on videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
(in VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
formats) and on laserdisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
, near the end of 1984. It was re-issued on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in April 2004. A 1984 book of the same name featured still photography by official tour photographer Denis O'Regan
Denis O'Regan
Denis O'Regan is a renowned English rock photographer. His imagery is particularly associated with the punk movement, Queen, David Bowie, and Duran Duran, and O'Regan has photographed everyone from AC/DC to ZZ Top, documenting Punk, New Romanticism, Grunge, and Heavy Metal along the way...
.
"18,000 miles, 51 shows, 79 days, over 1,000,000 fans..."
Filmed at the height of their fame, Sing Blue Silver follows Duran DuranDuran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
around Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for three months from 30 January - 17 April 1984 as they toured in support of their Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Seven and the Ragged Tiger
Seven and the Ragged Tiger is the third studio album by English pop rock band Duran Duran, released globally in November 1983. It would prove to be the last studio album for the band's original lineup until 2004's Astronaut....
album around North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
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
Francesco Scavullo
Francesco Scavullo was an American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of Cosmopolitan and his celebrity portraits.-Biography:...
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.
All the while, the documentary doesn't attempt to gloss over the problems and pitfalls of trying to put on such a large scale show. Professional to the last, tour manager Spy Matthews manages to keep the show running even when the venue won't accommodate the band's stage setup.
The film also documented the band's teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
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)
Arena (An Absurd Notion)
Arena is a concept concert video filmed during the course of Duran Duran's 1984 Sing Blue Silver North American Tour in support of the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger.-Background:...
long-form video and the As The Lights Go Down
As The Lights Go Down
Duran Duran's Oakland, California concerts that were filmed for the Arena movie were also edited to form the one-hour As The Lights Go Down concert video...
concert video. The video for "The Reflex
The Reflex
"The Reflex" is the eleventh single by Duran Duran, released worldwide on 16 April 1984.The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third album Seven and the Ragged Tiger.-Song history:...
" was shot in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens
Maple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
in March 1984.
Micheal 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