Medazzaland is the ninth studio album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran. It was released on 14 October 1997 by Capitol Records solely in North America, Latin America and Japan. The title is a reference to the anesthetic midazolam, which Simon Le Bon was given during dental surgery.[7] It reached number 58 on the Billboard 200 and number 66 on RPM's albums chart.
Medazzaland was available in Europe as an import or digital download, it was only in 2021 (when the band signed a deal for the album with BMG), when it was officially released in the UK on various digital platforms.[8] A physical 25th anniversary release on CD and coloured vinyl followed in 2022.
The lead single, "Electric Barbarella" (a nod to the film Barbarella, from which the band took their name), was released on 16 September in the United States, and peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 1 November.[citation needed] It was touted as the first ever song by a major label artist available for digital purchase/download on the internet.[11]
Release
The album was eventually released on 14 October 1997 in North America and Japan. Due to poor sales, plans for a UK release were pushed back, and, later, shelved indefinitely by EMI/Capitol. It was not physically released in any other area of the world for many years, although in July 2008 the album was made available to buy digitally through iTunes Store in Europe and the US.[12]
Track listing
All tracks are produced by TV Mania in association with Syn Pro Tokyo except where noted.
Steve Alexander – live drums (tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10 to 12)
Anthony J. Resta – live drums (tracks 2, 3, 5, 8 to 11, and 13), mixing (tracks 1 to 5 and 7 to 13), additional production (tracks 1, 8 and 13), additional rhythm and programming