''Sing Blue Silver'' is a documentary about

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

'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 is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...

(in VHS and

Betamax Betamax (also known as Beta, as in its logo) is a consumer-level analog recording and cassette format of magnetic tape for video, commonly known as a video cassette recorder. It was developed by Sony and was released in Japan on May 10, 1975, ...

formats) and on

LaserDisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...

, near the end of 1984. It was re-issued on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

in April 2004. A 1984 book of the same name featured still photography by official tour photographer

Denis O'Regan Denis O'Regan is an English 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, an ...

. The title comes from a verse from the song "

The Chauffeur ''Rio'' is the second studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 10May 1982 through EMI Records. The band wrote and demoed most of the material before recording the album at AIR Studios in London from January to March 19 ...

", released in 1982. It was certified gold by the RIAA (''Billboard'' magazine week ending February 23, 1985).

Synopsis

Filmed at the height of their fame, ''Sing Blue Silver'' follows

around

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

for three months from 30 January to 17 April 1984 as they toured in support of their ''

Seven and the Ragged Tiger ''Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' is the third studio album by English new wave band Duran Duran, released on 21 November 1983 through EMI and Capitol Records. It was co-produced by Alex Sadkin, Ian Little and the band. Following their deci ...

'' album around

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. 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 (January 16, 1921 – January 6, 2004) was an American fashion photographer best known for his work on the covers of ''Cosmopolitan'' and his celebrity portraits. Biography Scavullo was born January 16, 1921, on Staten Island, ...

photo shoot in New York, meeting a couple of L.A. Raiders players backstage, and a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

-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. The film also documented the band's

teen idol A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

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)'' 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 Instead of releasing a straight conc ...

'' long-form video and the '' As The Lights Go Down'' concert video. The video for "

The Reflex "The Reflex" is the eleventh single by English new wave band Duran Duran, released in 1984. The song was heavily remixed for single release and was the third and last to be taken from their third studio album '' Seven and the Ragged Tiger'' ...

" was shot at

Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

on March 5, 1984. Michael 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 & Nick on Image & Recording # In New York # Francesco Scavullo: Photo Shoot # Back on the road # Girls on Film # Coca-Cola Press Conference # Visit to the 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 # Credits

References

External links

*
Duran Duran Timeline: 1984

Denis O'Regan – official Sing Blue Silver tour photographer and author of Sing Blue Silver official book

AllMovie review
{{Duran Duran Duran Duran video albums Documentary films about music and musicians 1984 films British musical films 1980s British films