Sunday, August 19, 2007

Duran Duran

Duran Duran (named after a character in Roger Vadim's sci-fi classic, Barbarella) are an electronic pop-rock band that were part of the music movement in the early 1980s. Created by Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (bass) in 1978, with the later addition of Roger Taylor (drums), Andy Taylor (guitar), and Simon Le Bon (lead vocals), the band have sold over 70 million records and are the most commercially successful of the bands.

Their songs were cheerful, hook-laden pop that fared well on the radio, but what many remember best about Duran Duran are their iconic music videos. Though many of the videos were tongue-in-cheek, the band never quite escaped the glamorous and decadent jet set image their early videos projected.

The band spent on an average more than a six figure sum (£), on first 3 albums videos (each) alone.

Their first singer was Stephen Duffy and the original bassist was Simon Colley. Several drummers and guitarists were subsequently tried, as well as a handful of vocalists after Duffy left Duran Duran early in 1979. Duran Duran performed the title sequence theme for the 1985 James Bond film "A View To A Kill".

Like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran were among the earliest bands to work on their own remixes. From the very beginning, the band had a keen sense of style, and worked with stylist Perry Haines and fashion designers such as Kahn & Bell and Antony Price to build a sharp and elegant image, soon growing beyond the ruffles and sashes of the pirate-flavoured look.

Although the group never disbanded, it went through several line-up changes over the years - guitarist Warren Cuccurullo was also a member of the band from 1989 to 2001, and drummer Sterling Campbell was a member from 1989 to 1991. The reunion of the original five members in the early 2000s created a stir among music media and the band's fans. Duran Duran released the first album from the reunited line-up, Astronaut, in 2004, which was in turn followed up by many sold out shows in England, most notably Wembley, where the Live DVD of the tour was filmed in 2004/2005.

In October of 2006, it was announced on Duran Duran's website that Andy Taylor had left the band.The band's new album, 'Red Carpet Massacre' is due to be released in October this year.

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