Duran Duran

Duran Duran

It was 1978 in Birmingham when Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass) created Duran Duran, a British New Romantic band. Within two years they were joined by Simon Le Bon (lead vocals), Roger Taylor (drums) and Andy Taylor (guitar) and by 1980 the band was complete.

The band played extensively in both Birmingham and London, finally gaining notice from EMI and Polygram Records, whilst on tour with Hazel O’Connor in late 1980. After lengthy discussion and deliberation, the band finally signed with EMI. They immediately began work on their debut album ‘Duran Duran’, which was released in 1981 and reached number three on the UK charts and sold over 2.5 million copies. The first single ‘Planet Earth’ made the UK’s Top 20, but it was ‘Girls on Film’, their third single, that grabbed everyone’s attention and went to number five on the charts. The saucy video to ‘Girls on Film’ ended up being banned by the BBC and heavily edited by MTV but the controversy only served to pique everyone’s interest in Duran Duran.

Duran Duran Band

Encouraged by their UK reception and wanting to test the American market, the band played an extensive US club tour that included a run at the Roxy in Los Angeles and the Ritz in New York. Duran Duran was an instant success with their undeniable chemistry, pretty-boy looks, catchy synthesizer sounds and vibrant, groundbreaking videos.

Their second album, ‘Rio’ (1981) produced three UK Top 10 hits: ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, ‘Save a Prayer’ and ‘Rio’. The spectacular videos for these singles were filmed in Sri Lanka and Antigua. In 1982, Duran Duran supported Blondie on their US tour. The single ‘Is There Something I Should Know?’ shot straight to number one in the UK and reached number four in the US. It seemed the band could do no wrong.

Rock Bands -Duran Duran

The third album, ‘Seven and the Ragged Tiger’ (1983), was another UK number one, with the single ‘Union of the Snake’ an explosive worldwide success. The album also produced their first US number one single, ‘New Moon on Monday’. Nick Rhodes did some work with Kajagoogoo in 1983, producing their hit ‘Too Shy’. Duran Duran performed on MTV’s first New Year’s Bash, on Saturday Night Live and also at the Prince’s Trust Concert at the Dominion Theatre, London. Both Prince Charles and Princess Diana attended the concert. The band could now count Royalty amongst their fans.

Duran Duran Band

It was 1984 and Duran Duran’s fame had reached superstar status, with some likening it to ‘Beetle Mania’. In reference to this, they were even christened ‘The Fab Five’ when they appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. During a major US arena tour, they were the first band to use screens and live video footage during a live performance, enabling fans further back to have a clear view of the band and to feel more included. They were mobbed wherever they went and their merchandise broke all sales records. One of the shows on this tour was recorded and resulted in the release of the live album ‘Arena’ (1984). A documentary style film ‘Sing Blue Silver’ (1984) was also made during this tour and showed the hysterical hurricane that surrounded Duran Duran. The band then participated in the Band Aid charity single ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas’ (1984) and won two 1984 Grammy Awards for Best Long and Short Form Video.

Duran Duran