Duran Duran

Duran Duran are an English rock band from Birmingham, United Kingdom. They were one of the most commercially successful of the 1980s bands and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States. Since the 1980s they have placed 14 in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart and 21 in the Billboard Hot 100 and have sold more than 70 million records.[8] The band was created by Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy, with the later addition of Roger Taylor and, after numerous personnel changes, Andy Taylor, and Simon Le Bon. (None of the Taylors is related.) The group has never disbanded, but the line-up has changed to include guitarist Warren Cuccurullo from 1989 to 2001, and drummer Sterling Campbell from 1989 to 1991. The reunion of the original five members in the early 2000s created a stir among the band's fans and music media.[9][10] Andy Taylor left the band in summer 2006, and London guitarist Dom Brown has since been working with the band as a session player and touring member, but is not considered a full member of the band. A full time replacement guitarist for Andy Taylor so far has not been appointed.

John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in Birmingham, UK in 1978, where they would become the resident band at the city's Rum Runner nightclub,doing jobs such as John working the door, with Nick deejaying for £10 a night,rehearsing and regularly playing at the venue.There were many close by nightclubs,one significantly where bands such as The Sex Pistols and The Clash played gigs at which was called "Barbarella`s" ,they would go on to name the band after the villian from the Barbarella movie.The villain's name been "Dr. Durand Durand" played by Milo O'Shea in the Roger Vadim's science-fiction film. Their first singer was Stephen Duffy. Simon Colley soon joined Taylor, Rhodes and Duffy. Colley was the band's original bass player, as Taylor was the guitarist, at this point. This was the first complete line-up of the band that played live shows. For drums and percussion, an electronic drum machine, belonging to Rhodes, was used. (Colley left the band prior to the addition of A. Taylor.) A few guitarists were subsequently auditioned (for the most part, unsuccessfully) and, as well, a handful of vocalists joined, after Duffy left Duran Duran early in 1979.[11] Among the handful of vocalists they had, prior to Simon LeBon, was Andy Wickett, who had a major part in the writing of Girls on Film, during his tenure with the band, according to A. Taylor's autobiography. (Wickett is also featured on some of the demos that were presented to EMI.) Further, according to the websites belonging to Wickett and J. Taylor, respectively, Wickett co-wrote an early version of the song that came to be known as Rio. Upon Colley's and Wickett's departures, they enlisted singer Jeff Thomas and guitarist Alan Curtis, respectively, each for only a relatively brief period of time, before finally settling on A. Taylor, for lead guitar and, later, in 1980, on LeBon for vocals. Duran Duran in 1981. Clockwise from top left: Nick Rhodes (keyboards), Simon Le Bon (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Andy Taylor (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) The meeting of drummer Roger Taylor, in 1979, with J. Taylor, Rhodes and Wickett at a party, as well as the departure of Colley, led John Taylor to switch to bass. R. Taylor then became their original (human) drummer. It was this lineup (J. Taylor on bass and guitar, along with Rhodes, Wickett and R. Taylor) that made the first-ever Duran Duran studio demo tapes. Guitarist Andy Taylor then came, months later, from Newcastle to audition after responding to an advertisement in Melody Maker, and London vocalist Le Bon was, later, recommended to the band by an ex-girlfriend who worked at the Rum Runner nightclub where the band rehearsed.[12] The owners of the club, brothers Paul and Michael Berrow, became the band's management, paying them to work as doormen, disc jockeys and glass collectors when they were not rehearsing. The group were generally considered part of the New Romantic scene, with other style-and-dance bands such as Spandau Ballet, Japan and ABC.[13] In 1980, they recorded two demo tapes and performed in clubs around Birmingham and London. In late 1980, when touring as an opening act for Hazel O'Connor, the band attracted critical attention, resulting in a bidding war between the record companies EMI and Phonogram Records.[14] "A certain patriotism" toward the label of The Beatles led them to sign with EMI in December. However, Nick Rhodes said in a 1998 interview with Deluxe magazine, that the band felt they were "appallingly ripped off" by the EMI contract.[15] Duran Duran were amongst the earliest bands to work on their own remixes. Before the days of digital synthesizers and easy audio sampling, they created multilayered arrangements of their singles, sometimes recording entirely different extended performances of the songs in the studio. These "night versions" were generally available only on vinyl, as b-sides to 45 rpm singles or on 12-inch club singles, until the release of the compilation Night Versions: The Essential Duran Duran in 1998. It is widely thought[who?], nowadays, that the band Japan was probably the main inspirational force behind Duran Duran, at least until 1982's "Rio". From hairdos to clothing, from soundscapes to arrangements, David Sylvian's sense of style and taste in music were imitated and exploited by Duran to a greater commercial success than Japan ever had. At one point, Nick Rhodes' entire look closely resembled that of David Sylvian, from his features to his vaporous dyed-blond hair, make-up and attire.[citation needed] From the very beginning of their career together, however, all the band members each had a keen sense of visual style. They worked with stylist Perry Haines and fashion designers such as Kahn & Bell and Antony Price to build a sharp and elegant image, soon outgrowing the ruffles and sashes of the pirate-flavoured early New Romantic look. They have continued to present fashion as part of their package throughout their career. In the 1990s, they worked with Vivienne Westwood, and in the 2000s with Giorgio Armani. The band retained creative control of their visual presentation and worked closely with graphic designer Malcolm Garrett and many others over the years, to create album covers, tour programmes, and other materials.[16] All five members of the band were photogenic, labelled the "the prettiest boys in rock" by People magazine.[17] Teen and music magazines in the UK latched onto their good looks quickly, and the U.S. soon followed. It was a rare month in the early eighties when there was not at least one picture of the band members in teen magazines such as Smash Hits or Tiger Beat. John Taylor once remarked that the band was "like a box of Quality Street [chocolates]; everyone is someone's favourite"[18] Duran Duran would later come to regret this early pin-up exposure, but at the time it helped attract national attention.

2009–present: 13th album in progress

In the beginning of February 2009, Duran Duran started working on their 13th album. Band members have said that the next album will be a return to their roots. Guitarist Dom Brown has been said to have a bigger role in the creation of the album. In March 2009, Roger Taylor said on the band's website that they had "20 really great ideas" for songs and would be working with producer Mark Ronson.[50] Ronson invited Kaiser Chiefs drummer, Nick Hodgson, to join and co-write some music. Later on the same month, Simon Le Bon announced through their official blog that the band is "now free from Sony Music", perhaps indicating that Duran Duran are without a record label once more.[51] In April 2009, Mark Ronson commented that the new music will have the "energy" and "vibe" of the band's early work and that "as a Duran fan I'd be excited to hear it".[52] John Taylor said in an April blog on the band's website that "Mark seems intent on delivering the DD album the fans have wanted for years. One that has the drive and freshness of the first few albums, that is quintessentially hip, without sacrificing any of the hard-earned personality and character of the musicians, something which sadly was lost when Timbaland and Timberlake were in the house. So Mark has me playing, and Roger playing, and Nick playing, hotter and harder than we have in years".[53] In a phone interview in April 2009, Roger Taylor said he was hopeful new material would be played at select summer shows and that a new single or EP would be released in Summer 2009 and a full album in Q1 2010.[54]

Duran Duran will perform in Edinburgh and headline the Lovebox Festival in London in the middle of July. They are also playing select shows throughout the US.

(From Wikipedia) http://www.myspace.com/duranduran