Duran Duran
Duran Duran was one of the top new wave rock bands of the 1980s. It was created by keyboardist Nick Rhodes and bass guitarist John Taylor in 1978. The group has always maintained their stylish image and was famous for their good looks, showy videos, and extraordinary lyrics. The band was one of the first to create their own remixes.
The band named itself after the evil character Duran-Duran, played by Milo O’Shea in Roger Vadim’s science-fiction cult film Barbarella. Drummer Roger Taylor, guitarist Andy Taylor, and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon became a part of the band later on. Warren Cuccurullo(guitarist) was also part of the band from 1989 to 2001, and drummer Sterling Campbell was a member from 1989 to 1991.
The band’s self-titled debut album was released in 1981. It was followed by the albums Duran Duran (1981),Rio (1982), Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983), Arena (1984, live), Notorious (1986) Big Thing (1988) Liberty (1990) US Duran Duran AKA The Wedding Album (1993) Thank You (1995, covers), Medazzaland (1997), Pop Trash (2000) Astronaut (2004). Most of their albums did well at the US and UK charts.
Their first song ‘Planet Earth‘, stood at number 12 in the United Kingdom’s Top 20. The next ‘Careless Memories‘, stood at Number 39. However, their third single, ‘Girls On Film‘ grabbed most attention. The song went to Number 3 in the UK. The infamous video featured topless women mud wrestling and had other illustrations of sexual fixations. It was directed by duo Godley & Creme. The video created uproar and was consequently banned by the BBC and heavily edited for MTV because of its vulgar nature. The band daringly took advantage of the controversy as the popularity of the album soared. The album peaked at number 3 in the UK Top Twenty. Thanks to the videos, the band became a major success even in Australia. Adam Ant and Spandau Ballet were the band’s rival artists at this time and often competed for position on the UK charts against Duran Duran the band re-released their self-titled first album in the US in the middle of the year,after adding the new single ‘Is There Something I Should Know?‘. This song topped in the UK .this was their first chart topper song in and reached Number 4 on the American charts. 1985, Duran Duran recorded the theme song for the James Bond film, A View to Kill.
In the year 1986, Duran Duran was left with three members- Rhodes, John Taylor and Le Bon. They won two Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Video, for their song ‘Girls on Film’ (the and Best Video Album for Duran Duran. Thank You (1995) was a collection of cover songs. They received a lifetime achievement award in the MTV Video Music Awards (2003) and the BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music in 2004.
Duran Duran released their latest album Red Carpet Massacre in 2007. They worked on it with producer Timbaland. Pop star Justin Timberlake also contributed to a couple of singles. From the beginning, the band had a good judgment of style. They were style icons on their time. They worked with stylist Perry Haines and fashion designers like Vivienne Westwood, Kahn & Bell, Antony Price, and Giorgio Armani. Princess Diana declared Duran Duran her favourite band. The British press named the band ‘The Fab Five’.
- Lovina Raymond
Tags: andy taylor, band, duran, duran duran, duran duran rock band, john taylor, music, nick rhodes, roger taylor, simon le bon
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