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 decision to record outside the United Kingdom as tax exiles, recording sessions took place across studios in France, the Caribbean and Australia between April and October 1983. Unlike their previous two studio albums, the sessions were marred by a lack of productivity and tensions rose between the band members over its direction. Wanting a change in direction from their previous studio album Rio (1982), Seven and the Ragged Tiger is a synth-pop and dance-driven record, with emphasis on synthesiser-based textures. The lyrics are ambiguous and cover a wide variety of topics; lead vocalist Simon Le Bon described the album as "an adventure story about a little commando team". The title refers to the five band members and their two managers; the "ragged tiger" meaning success. The cover artwork was shot at the State Library of New South Wales and designed by Malcolm Garrett. Despite scathing reviews from music critics, Seven and the Ragged Tiger was a commercial success, becoming the band's first and only UK number-one album. It also peaked at number eight in the United States, eventually going double platinum. A remix of "The Reflex" by Nile Rodgers was a UK and US number-one single. A worldwide concert tour, which yielded several concert films and a live album, ran from November 1983 to April 1984. It was the band's last studio album with the original line-up until 2004's Astronaut. In later decades, Seven and the Ragged Tiger has received mixed reactions, with critics finding weaker songwriting compared to their first two records. It was reissued by EMI in 2010. Background By the start of 1983, Duran Duran had established themselves as one of the biggest bands in the world. They were enjoying commercial success following the release of Rio (1982) but received hate from the press and their musical peers; tabloids painted them as, in the words of biographer Steve Malins, "silly playboys living absurdly lavish lifestyles, imprisoned by the screams of even sillier teenage girls and apparently hated by almost everyone else." In March 1983, Duran Duran issued the non-album single "Is There Something I Should Know?", which debuted at number one in the United Kingdom and remained