Bonus Lost B-sides: Duran Duran & Kissing the Pink

Á¢€Å“Secret OktoberÁ¢€, the flip side of DuranÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“Union of the SnakeÁ¢€ is truly a buried gem, a song that would have considerably brightened the overblown and overly bloated Á¢€Å“Seven and the Ragged TigerÁ¢€ (perhaps replacing the unnecessary instrumental Á¢€Å“Tiger, TigerÁ¢€?). Á¢€Å“Secret OktoberÁ¢€ is basically Simon and Nick, vocals and synths, very much in the vein of Á¢€Å“The ChaufferÁ¢€ off Á¢€Å“RioÁ¢€, a nice melody over a comparatively understated synth riff. It continues to be a big fan favorite to this day Á¢€” I even saw them do it live in 1994 during the Cucurillo years, so it must be close to the boys. Luckily for Durannies, each and every b-side and remix is available on two different box sets. The first one (Á¢€â„¢81-Á¢€â„¢85) is essential, the second, not so much.

And by request, hereÁ¢€â„¢s a pretty rare Kissing the Pink b-side Á¢€” Á¢€Å“Garden PartyÁ¢€ is not the Ricky Nelson hit, but rather an extension of its a-side, Á¢€Å“Maybe This DayÁ¢€ (which we’ve talked about here). IÁ¢€â„¢d like to think it was meant to describe the party sung about in Á¢€Å“Maybe This DayÁ¢€ (over the garden wall she said / letÁ¢€â„¢s go to the party). Perhaps, or maybe it has nothing to do with it. In any case, itÁ¢€â„¢s an arty, moody little number, worth a couple of listens, but hardly their best.