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All You Need Is Now Image
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 54 Ratings

  • Summary: The 13th studio album from the English pop band of the '80s blends glam with disco and modern pop, melding the various genres together into a catchy collaboration.

Top Track

All You Need Is Now
It's all up to you now find yourself in the moment Go directly to the voodoo now the channel is open Lose your head lose control You come on... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Mar 18, 2011
    90
    This album, Mark Ronson's "imaginary follow up to Rio that never was", is their best for 18 years.
  2. Mar 18, 2011
    80
    Full of tunes and pizzazz, it's unexpectedly good fun.
  3. Mojo
    Apr 6, 2011
    80
    So much more than the original boy band. [March 2011, p. 106]
  4. Mar 22, 2011
    70
    The once bold, sometimes shameless Simon Le Bon sounds a bit tentative in this post-Killers world, and when compared to the tight, original, nine-track version of the album previously made available via digital download, this final, fatter version borders on "too much of a good thing." Fortunately, the emphasis will be on "good thing" for longtime Duran fans or anyone with a taste for melodic, synth-driven pop/rock.
  5. Apr 4, 2011
    70
    More vintage sound than classic album, All You Need Is Now won't revive any careers, theirs or Ronson's.
  6. Mar 22, 2011
    63
    Not everything is worth making the journey; indeed, it's hard to know why the band bothered adding five new songs to the superior nine-track version of "All You Need Is Now" that Duran Duran released through iTunes late last year. But with their sleek keyboard lines, trebly guitar chatter and frontman Simon Le Bon's swooping vocal melodies, taut neo-New Wave gems like "Being Followed" and "Girl Panic!" make a strong argument for the lasting utility of these hitmakers' original formula.
  7. Mar 28, 2011
    40
    Leave A Light On, for example, sounds an awful lot like the Rio-era ballad Save A Prayer. Unfortunately, these doppelgangers are the album's best songs, which makes you wonder why the band bothered.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 13
  2. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Jan 16, 2011
    10
    as badgerfan21 said "Really pretty astonishing - 50-somethings are not supposed to have this kind of album left in them".the great 80s areas badgerfan21 said "Really pretty astonishing - 50-somethings are not supposed to have this kind of album left in them".the great 80s are back for real! Expand
  2. Aug 27, 2011
    10
    The most amazing thing about this album is that it's made of a bunch of "shouldn'ts". A band that's been here this long shouldn't come up withThe most amazing thing about this album is that it's made of a bunch of "shouldn'ts". A band that's been here this long shouldn't come up with new music. They shouldn't revisit their roots. They shouldn't revisit the styles that made them famous. But with a producer that's obviously a huge fan with a deft touch of his own, Duran Duran goes back to what made them huge - the New Romantic/Dance pop of their first three albums - and comes off as current even though they're putting on the old bows and ruffles.

    DD's been some interesting places in the last couple of decades - modern alternative, bluesy, somewhat experimental. While each album has varied in quality, depending on your POV, they've all been brought off with flair. Even the not-so-good stuff is listenable. But this is why we all started listening to DD to begin with. Soaring, synth-drenched choruses, smooth-pitched vocals, meaty melodies and more adept hooks than a sporting goods store's fishing department. They've raided their 1980s wardrobe, found it fit quite well, and it doesn't look in the least bit dated. This is the best album since the "Wedding Album" â
    Expand
  3. Dec 24, 2010
    10
    easily their best album since the fab five days of the mid-80s. the album's fantastic, not a single weak song on it. stand-outs for me areeasily their best album since the fab five days of the mid-80s. the album's fantastic, not a single weak song on it. stand-outs for me are being followed and the man who stole a leopard. Expand
  4. Aug 5, 2014
    9
    All You Need Is Now flew under the radar as far as chart position goes, but this is nothing new for a band who stuck around as trends ebbedAll You Need Is Now flew under the radar as far as chart position goes, but this is nothing new for a band who stuck around as trends ebbed and flowed over the 30+ years they worked together. As each album got released, the promise was "going back to their roots", "being wrapped in chrome", or the best thing they did to date. I have to say, this album did deliver on those promises unlike the others released over the last 15 or so years. It really felt like Rio part 2, and felt like the album was released after Seven and the Ragged Tiger. While Their 1993 self-titled album is my favorite in their discography, this album sits on top of the CD stack. Expand
  5. Dec 21, 2010
    9
    Far and away their best album in at least 20 years. Girl Panic alone is the best song they've done since Notorious ... the new songs willFar and away their best album in at least 20 years. Girl Panic alone is the best song they've done since Notorious ... the new songs will easily slide in with their classics on the upcoming tour. Really pretty astonishing - 50-somethings are not supposed to have this kind of album left in them. Expand
  6. Dec 23, 2010
    9
    The band has said that Mark Ronson coaxed out of them something that they basically forgot they had in them. They remembered they were DuranThe band has said that Mark Ronson coaxed out of them something that they basically forgot they had in them. They remembered they were Duran Duran, the songs are all great, and the album is put together so well. I am reminded of ten years ago when U2 put out "All That You Can't Leave Behind"- they served notice that nobody does U2 better than U2. The same holds true here. Expand
  7. Jan 19, 2011
    5
    Too much pop material, in some way some songs sound like the Take That's last record with less polished production. However, the fan would beToo much pop material, in some way some songs sound like the Take That's last record with less polished production. However, the fan would be happy to see them come back with a listenable album reviving their 80's glory . Collapse

See all 13 User Reviews