Duran Duran: Arena : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Come on -- did the world really need a live album from Duran Duran? Of course it did! At the height of Duran-mania in 1984, Arena was the closest most fans could get to actually seeing the Fab Five in the flesh, with live versions of "Hungry Like the Wolf," "New Religion" and "Union of the Snake." Duran Duran didn't exactly kick out the jams onstage; in fact, the only way you can tell these live cuts from the studio versions is that the girls in the audience scream like their ovaries are on fire and Simon Le Bon sounds alarmingly close to an asthma attack. But Arena also features the studio hit "The Wild Boys," one of the most ridiculous things ever attempted by this most ridiculous of bands.