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Monday, December 22, 2008

duran duran bio















Duran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience. And for good reason, too. Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion model looks and glamorous sense of style. Without music videos, it's likely that the band's pop-funk -- described by the group as the Sex Pistols meets Chic -- would never have made them international pop stars. While Duran Duran did have sharper pop sensibilities than their new romantic contemporaries like Spandau Ballet and Ultravox, none of their peers exploited MTV and music video like the Birmingham-based quintet. Each video the group made was distinctive, incorporating a number of cinematic styles to showcase the band as either part of the jet-setting elite ("Rio") or as worldly adventurers ("Hungry Like the Wolf"). While early videos like "Girls on Film" and "The Chauffeur" sparked controversy in England over their sexual content, their best-known clips were often based on hit contemporary movies. "Hungry Like the Wolf" uncannily recalled Raiders of the Lost Ark, while "Union of the Snake" and "The Wild Boys" brought to mind The Road Warrior. The clever videos helped make Duran Duran's rise to popularity remarkably swift. Between 1982 and 1984, they rocketed from underground British post-punk sensations to teen idols. But their fall from grace was equally fast. By the late '80s, the group's lineup had fragmented, and the remaining members had trouble landing hit singles. Nevertheless, the group pulled off a surprising, if short-lived, comeback in the early '90s as a sophisticated soft rock trio.
Inspired by David Bowie and Roxy Music, as well as post-punk and disco, schoolmates Nick Rhodes (keyboards) and John Taylor (guitar) formed Duran Duran in 1978 with their friends Simon Colley (bass, clarinet) and Stephen Duffy (vocals). Taking their name from a character in Roger Vadim's psychedelic sci-fi film Barbarella, the group began playing gigs in the Birmingham club Barbarella, supported by a drum machine. Within a year, Duffy and Colley both left the group -- Duffy would later form the Lilac Time -- and were replaced by former TV Eye vocalist Andy Wickett and drummer Roger Taylor. After recording a demo, John Taylor switched to bass and guitarist John Curtis joined the band, only to leave within a matter of months. The group placed an ad in Melody Maker, which drew the attention of Andy Taylor, who became their guitarist. However, Duran Duran were still having trouble finding a vocalist. Following Wickett's departure in 1979, a pair of singers passed through the group before Simon LeBon, a former member of the punk band Dog Days and a drama student at Birmingham University, joined in early 1980.
By the end of 1980, Duran Duran had become popular within the burgeoning new romantic circuit in England and had secured a record contract with EMI. "Planet Earth," the band's first single, quickly rose to number 12 upon its spring 1981 release. Immediately, Duran Duran became the leaders of the new romantic movement, becoming media sensations in the British music and mainstream press. The group's popularity increased through their cutting-edge music videos, especially the bizarre, racy clip for "Girls on Film." Although the BBC banned the Godley & Creme-directed video, the single became the group's first Top Ten hit, setting the stage for the fall release of their eponymous debut album. Duran Duran reached number three upon its release and stayed in the charts for 118 weeks. The band quickly followed the album with Rio in the spring of 1982. Rio entered the charts at number two, and its singles -- "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save a Prayer" -- became Top Ten hits. By the November release of the U.S.-only remix EP Carnival, the band were superstars in Europe, but only just beginning to make headway in America. Their exposure in the U.S. was helped greatly by the emergence of MTV, which put the group's stylish videos into heavy rotation. MTV's constant playing of the videos paid off, and "Hungry Like the Wolf" became a Top Ten hit early in 1983. Rio followed that single into the Top Ten, eventually selling over two million copies.
Duran Duran mania was in full swing across America, with "Is There Something I Should Know" reaching the Top Ten -- it became the group's first English number one that summer -- and the group's first album climbing its way to number ten. Duran Duran capitalized on their popularity by releasing Seven and the Ragged Tiger in time for 1983's holiday season. The record hit number one in the U.K. and number eight in the U.S., spawning the hit singles "Union of the Snake" and "The Reflex," their first number one U.S. hit and their second British chart-topper. The band took an extended break after completing their year-and-a-half-long international tour in the spring of 1984. In November, they released the non-LP single "Wild Boys," which reached number two in the U.K. and the U.S., where it was added to the live album Arena.
By 1985, Duran Duran fever was beginning to cool off, and after the band completed the title track for the James Bond film A View to a Kill, the group went on hiatus. Andy and John Taylor formed the supergroup the Power Station with vocalist Robert Palmer and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson in January, releasing their eponymous debut album in the spring; it spawned the Top Ten singles "Some Like It Hot" and "Get It On (Bang a Gong)." The remaining members of Duran Duran -- Nick Rhodes, Simon LeBon, and Roger Taylor -- responded with their own side project, Arcadia, which released an album called So Red the Rose in the fall of 1985; the album launched the Top Ten hit "Election Day." Early in 1986, Roger Taylor announced he was taking a year-long sabbatical from the group; he never returned. Several months later, Andy Taylor also left, reducing Duran Duran to a trio. Late in 1986, the band released Notorious, their first album in nearly three years. While it was relatively successful, going platinum in the U.S. and generating a Top Ten hit with the title track, it was noticeably less popular than their earlier records. For the remainder of the decade, Duran Duran's popularity continually declined, with 1988's Big Thing producing "I Don't Want Your Love," their last Top Ten single for five years.
The greatest-hits album Decade was released late in 1989, followed several months later by Liberty, the first Duran Duran album to fail to go gold. By that point, former Missing Persons guitarist Warren Cuccurullo had become a permanent member of the group. In 1993, the band returned from a prolonged hiatus with Duran Duran [The Wedding Album], a mature, layered record of lite funk and soulful adult contemporary pop that became a surprise hit. "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone" became Top Ten hits in America, with the former reaching the Top Ten in the U.K. as well; the album itself climbed into the Top Ten on both continents and went platinum in America. Not only did the record restore their commercial status, but it earned them some of their best reviews of their career. The group followed the album with one of their poorest-received efforts, 1995's all-covers Thank You, which managed to go gold in America despite its negative reviews. While Duran Duran was recording the follow-up to Thank You in 1996, John Taylor left the band to pursue a solo career, leaving the group a trio of LeBon, Rhodes, and Cuccurullo. That follow-up, Medazzaland, was released in 1997 but failed to produce any major hits. 2000's Pop Trash suffered a similar fate.
In March 2001, the three Taylors -- Andy, John, and Roger -- met up in Wales and worked with each other for three weeks. Around this time, rumors of a five-member reunion began to circulate. Two months after Rhodes and LeBon denied the rumors, the reunion was confirmed. Duran Duran recorded on and off for a new album over the next three years and also toured sporadically. After signing with Epic, they released Astronaut in October 2004. Red Carpet Massacre followed in 2007. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Friday, December 5, 2008

Duran duran my favorit band


Duran duran, adalah band sukses di era 80's. selain band Culture Club, Wham, The Police, A-ha, gazebo, Alphaville serta band legendaris Genesis, Queen, The Beatles adalah band yang merajai top chart music di era 80's tersebut. tentunya lagu lagu mereka sering sekali diperdengarkan di radio radio di kota kota besar.
Saat theme song James bond "A view to a kill" oleh duran duran sukses, kebetulan sayapun memiliki kaset terbitan billboard 16 greatest hits of Duran duran (bajakan resmi). maka band ini makin saya sukai.


Dan ketika terjadi keretakan Personil Duran Duran yang menyisakan 3 orang (Simon, Nick, Andy) maka terbitlah album Notorious, sayapun memiliki kaset terbitan Billboard (bajakan resmi).

Namun seiring waktu, setelah bekerja dan berkeluarga hobi saya ini boleh dikata berhenti atau vakum. yang mengakibatkan koleksi kaset saya banyak yang hilang karena tugas dan tempat kerja saya selalu berpindah pindah.
Pada tahun 2004 saya teringat akan lagu lagu Duran duran maka sayapun membeli kaset resmi Duran Duran berjudul Greatest.

Akhirnya saya cari lagi kaset kaset yang pernah saya miliki di pasar loak jatinegara.

Sejak tahun 2007, mulailah saya mengenal internet, sehingga sayapun coba mengikuti situs situs yang familier seperti friendster, youtube dll.
Khusus youtube, sayapun tertarik dengan lagu lagu Duran duran, saat itu saya sudah punya kaset greatest dan Arcadia (So Red the Rose) juga 16 greatest hits (beli lagi dari loakan). Coba saya browsing lagu Arcadia, sudah banyak lagu yang di upload,kecuali El-diablo dan Keep Me in the Dark.
Sambil belajar, saya coba buat video klip berupa slideshow gambar dengan lagu El-diablo dan sayapun upload ke situs Youtube. dilanjutkan lagu Keep Me in the Dark dengan potongan video klip dari Queen dan video game.



Lagu lagu/Video klip Duran duran banyak sekali di Situs Youtube, kebetulan saya memiliki Kaset 16 Greatest hits of Duran Duran yang sebagian besar berisikan lagu lagu hits remix/extended version dan lagu lagu nya tersebut sebagian besar belum di upload ke situs youtube, maka setelah mendapatkan gambar video klip dengan download dari youtube juga. sayapun mencoba membuat video klip lagu duran duran remix/long versions/extended version dari kaset tersebut dan digabungkan dengan gambar yang ada, setelah selesai sayapun upload video klip yang berbeda dengan yang sudah ada.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Duran Duran

Dari Wikipedia bahasa Indonesia, ensiklopedia bebas

New Moon On Monday - Duran Duran - Duran Duran

Latar belakang
Asal Birmingham, U.K
Genre Rock
New Wave
New Romantic
Tahun aktif 1978–Sekarang
Perusahaan rekaman EMI / Capitol Records
Hollywood Records
Epic Records
Situs web www.duranduran.com

Anggota:

Simon Le Bon
Nick Rhodes
John Taylor
Roger Taylor

Mantan anggota:

Andy Taylor
Sterling Campbell
Warren Cuccurullo
Stephen Duffy
Andy Wickett
Simon Colley
Alan Curtis
Jeff Thomas

Duran Duran adalah grup musik electronic pop/rock yang banyak mengandalkan synthenizer pada tiap singelnya, mereka melanjutkan 'invasi kedua Britania Raya' yang diawali The Beatles dan The Rolling Stones. Mereka menempatkan banyak lagu di tangga lagu Britania dan beberapa singel di Billboard Top 100.

Formasi awal Duran Duran ialah Simon Le Bon pada vokal, Andy Taylor pada gitar, Nick Rhodes pada keyboard, John Taylor pada bass dan Roger Taylor pada drum. Pada tahun 1986 Andy dan Roger keluar dari grup meninggalkan gitar dan drum yang kosong. Pada 1989, Warren Cuccurullo resmi menggantikan Andy hingga 2001 dan Sterling Campbell menggantikan Roger hingga 1991.

Anggota Bergabung

Grup musik ini berasal dari 2 sahabat karib, Nick Rhodes & John Taylor, mereka menyetujui nama Duran Duran, yang berasal dari Film "Barbarella". Mereka Mengajak Roger Taylor(Drum) dan Andy Taylor(Gitar), beserta Stephen Duffy(Vokal), Ia lalu digantikan oleh Simon Le Bon(Vokal)lalu mereka meneken kontrak dengan EMI/Parlophone untuk meluncurkan album pertama mereka.

Mereka meluncurkan album self-titled mereka pada 1981 dan dengan bermodalkan singel Planet Earth, Careless Memories, dan Girls On Film, album mereka lumayan mendulang keberhasilan, video Girls On Film yang dibuat maestro Godley & Crime disensor oleh BBC karena ada adegan dimana wanita telanjang bermain gulat-lumpur. tetapi karena video itu, Duran duran dikenal di Australia tanpa tur kesana.

Sukses Didepan Mata

Setelah sukses dengan album pertama, Duran Duran meluncurkan album kedua mereka tahun 1982, berjudul "Rio", album ini berhasil membawa kesuksesan besar, Setelah meluncurkan singel "My Own Way", "Save a prayer", "Hungry Like The Wolf", dan "Rio", Duran Duran berhasil meraih kesuksesan.

Meraih Puncak

Tahun 1983 mereka merilis singel "Is There something i should know", yang kemudian berada di album Duran Duran, mereka juga merilis album terbaru "Seven and the ragged tiger". Bersenjatakan "New moon on monday", "Union of the snake", serta Hit single nomor satu, "The Reflex" album ini meraih kesuksesan. Tahun 1984 mereka mengadakan tur di Amerika Serikat, lalu meluncurkan album live mereka bertitel "Arena", dari konser mereka itulah dirilis DVD "Sing Blue Silver" dan "Arena(An Absurd Notion)", tahun 1985 mereka terbelah dua menjadi The Power Station(John, Andy, dengan Robert Palmer&Tony Thompson) serta Arcadia(Nick, Simon, Roger), namun mereka kembali mengusung nama Duran Duran dan membuat lagu yang dimasukan kedalam OST. 007- A view To A Kill, Video klip lagu tersebut mengambil set di Paris dan mempopulerkan kalimat Ace Simon LeBon, yaitu "My name is Bon, Simon LeBon", Pada 13 Juli tahun 1985, Mereka mengadakan konser terakhir(hingga 2003) dengan Personil Original, konser tersebut bertajuk "Live Aid", yang digagaskan Bob Geldof, di konser itu mereka menyanyikan lagu "A view to a kill", "Union of the snake", "Save a Prayer"(Lagu ini juga dinyanyikan Duran Duran tanggal 2 Juli 2005 saat konser Live 8 di Circus Maximus, Roma), dan "The Reflex".


Formasi Baru

Pada tahun 1986 Duran Duran kembali menelorkan album bertajuk Notorious, album ini menyisakan 3 personil Duran Duran, yaitu Nick, John, dan Simon, yang ditinggal mundur oleh Roger dan Andy, masing-masing karena stres dan solo karir. Tetapi di album ini Andy memberikan kontribusi dengan memainkan beberapa singel.

Tahun 1988 Duran Duran mengeluarkan album yang berjudul Big Thing, di tahun 1989 Duran Duran merekrut personil baru, yaitu Warren Cuccurullo(Gitar) dan Sterling Campbell(Drum) mereka kembali membuat album tahun 1991 dengan judul Liberty, namun Campbell mundur meninggalkan posisi Drummer yang kosong, akhirnya Duran Duran kembali menghasilkan album sukses yaitu Duran Duran/The Wedding Album, yang memiliki cover bergambar pernikahan para orang tua personil band, pada album ini terdapat salah satu lagu terbaik Duran Duran, "Ordinary World", yang memenangkan Ivor Novello songwriting Award, serta "Come Undone", di tahun 1993 juga mereka tampil di MTV Unplugged.

Terima Kasih, dan kehilangan pamor

Tahun 1995 mereka menelorkan album berjudul Thank You, di album ini mereka membawakan 2 lagu remake milik Lou Reed dan Granmaster Flash(yang ikut bernyanyi juga) dan masing-masing berjudul "Perfect Day" dan "White Lines", lalu masuk dapur rekaman kembali, namun the Frontman, John Taylor memutuskan untuk keluar dari band dan membentuk the Terroristem, tapi album itu keluar juga dan diberi judul Meddazaland, album ini merosot, tapi ketika Lady Diana meninggal dan keluarganya Membuat Tribute concert, Duran Duran diminta untuk tampil, tahun 2000 mereka membuat album Pop Trash dan merosot tajam, tetapi lagu somoene else not me menjadi lagu pertama yang menggunakan Macromedia flash player dalam pembuatan video klipnya


Next Level Of Pop

Setelah vakum sekian lama, Simon LeBon dan John Taylor bertemu di Paris untuk menghidupkan kembali Duran Duran, lalu band telah kembali dengan Formasi awal, tahun 2004 mereka mendapat deretan Award, seperti Brit Awards, dan MTV VMA.

Pertengahan 2004 mereka mengeluarkan single "Reach Up For The Sunrise", yg mendapat sambutan dari banyak kalangan.

Oktober 2004, Astronaut, album mereka keluar, dan mereka mulai kembali meniti ke puncak karir.


Oktober 2006, 2 tahun setelah keluarnya album Astronaut, Andy Taylor, Keluar dari Band, untuk sementara gitar diisi oleh Dominic Brown, yang telah menjadi session guitarist untuk duran Duran.

Album Red Carpet Massacre adalah album terakhir yang dirilis pada akhir tahun 2007, dalam rangka promosi album tersebut Duran Duran mengadakan tour dunia termasuk ke Indonesia.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

DURAN DURAN LYRICS......

duran duran

"Come Undone"

Duran Duran - Come Undone (acoustic) - Duran Duran

Mine, immaculate dream made breath and skin
I've been waiting for you
Signed, with a home tattoo,
Happy birthday to you was created for you

(can't ever keep from falling apart
At the seams
Can't I believe you're taking my heart
To pieces)
Oh, it'll take a little time,
Might take a little crime
To come undone now
We'll try to stay blind
To the hope and fear outside
Hey child, stay wilder than the wind
And blow me in to cry
Who do you need, who do you love
When you come undone
Words, playing me deja vu
Like a radio tune I swear I've heard before
Chill, is it something real
Or the magic I'm feeding off your fingers
(Can't ever keep from falling apart
At the seams
Can I believe you're taking my heart
To pieces)
Lost, in a snow filled sky, we'll make it alright
To come undone now

Duran Duran Save a Prayer Brothers In Rhythm DMC Mix -

You saw me standing by the wall corner of a main street
And the lights are flashing on your window sill
All alone ain't much fun so you're looking for the thrill
And you know just what it takes and where to go

Don't say a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after
No don't say a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after

Feel the breeze deep on the inside look you down into your well
If you can you'll see the world in all his fire
Take a chance like all dreamers can't find another way
You don't have to dream at all just live a day

Don't say a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after
No don't say a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after
Save it till the morning after, save it till the morning after

Pretty looking road I try to hold the rising floods that fill my skin
Don't ask me why I'll keep my promise melt the ice
And you wanted to dance so I asked you to dance but fear is in yor soul
Some people call it a one night stand but we can call it paradise

Don't say a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after
No don't say a prayer for me now, save it till the morning after
Save it till the morning after, save it till the morning after
Save it till the morning after, save it till the morning after
Save a prayer till the morning after, save a prayer till the morning after
Save a prayer till the morning after, save a prayer till the morning after
Save a prayer till the morning after

a view to a kill.wma - duran duran


A View To Kill lyrics
Meeting you with a view to a kill face to face in secret places feel the chill
Nightfall covers me but you know the plans I'm making
Still over sea could it be the whole earth opening wide
A sacred why a mystery gaping inside the weekends why until we

Dance into the fire that fatal kiss is all we need
Dance in the the fire to fatal sounds of broken dreams
Dance in to the fire that fatal kiss is all we need dance into the fire

Choice for you is the view to a kill between the shades assasination standing still
First crystal tears fall of snowflakes on your body
First time in years to drench your skin with lovers rosy stain
A chance to find a phoenix for the flame a chance to die but can we
Dance into the fire that fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire to fatal sounds of broken dreams
Dance into the fire that fatal kiss is all we need
Dance into the fire when all we see is the view to a kill

http://www.elyrics.net/song/d/duran-duran-lyrics.html

DURAN DURAN THE ALBUMS




Discography


• Duran Duran (1981)

- Anyone out there
- Careless memories
- Friends of mine
- Girls on Film
- Is there something I should know?
- Nightboat
- Planet Earth
- Sound of Thunder
- Tel Aviv


• Rio (1982)
Rio - Duran Duran
1. Rio
2. My Own Way
3. Lonely in Your Nightmare
4. Hungry Like the Wolf
5. Hold Back the Rain
6. New Religion
7. Last Chance on the Stairway
8. Save a Prayer
9. The Chauffeur


• Seven and the Ragged Tiger (1983)

- (I'm Looking For) Cracks in the Pavement
- I Take the Dice
- New Moon on Monday
- Of Crime And Passion
- Shadows on Your Side
- The Reflex
- The Seventh Stranger
- Tiger Tiger
- Union of the Snake


• Notorious (1986)
Notorious - Duran Duran
1. Notorious
2. American Science
3. Skin Trade
4. A Matter Of Feeling
5. Hold Me
6. Vertigo (Do The Demolition)
7. So Mislead
8. Meet El Presidente
9. Winter Marches On
10. Proposition


• Big Thing (1988)

1. Big Thing 3:41
2. I Don't Want Your Love (LP Version) 4:05
3. All She Wants Is 4:35
4. Too Late Marlene 5:08
5. Drug (It's Just A State Of Mind) 4:38
6. Do You Believe In Shame? 4:23
7. Palomino 5:19
8. Interlude One 0:33
9. Land 6:12
10. Flute Interlude 0:32
11. The Edge Of America 2:37
12. Lake Shore Driving 3:05
13. Drug (It's Just A State Of Mind) (Daniel Abraham Mix)



• Liberty (1990)

- All Along The Water
- Can You Deal With It?
- Down Town
- First Impression
- Hothead
- Liberty
- My Antarctica
- Read My Lips
- Serious
- Venice Drowning
- Violence of Summer (Love's taking over)


• Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) (1993)

1. Too Much Information
2. Ordinary World
3. Love Voodoo
4. Drowning Man
5. Shotgun
6. Come Undone
7. Breath After Breath
8. U.M.F.
9. None Of The Above
10. Femme Fatale
11. Shelter
12. To Whom It May Concern
13. Sin Of The City



• Thank You (1995)

- 911 is a Joke
- Ball of Confusion
- Crystal Ship
- Drive By
- I Wanna Take You Higher
- I Wanna Take You Higher Again
- Lady Ice
- Perfect Day
- Success
- Thank You
- Watching the Detectives
- White Lines


• Medazzaland (1997)

1. Medazzaland
2. Big Bang Generation
3. Electric Barbarella
4. Out of My Mind
5. Who Do You Think You Are?
6. Silva Halo
7. Be My Icon
8. Buried in the Sand
9. Michael You've Got a Lot to Answer For
10. Midnight Sun
11. So Long Suicide
12. Undergoing Treatment



• Pop Trash (2000)
1. Someone Else Not Me
2. Lava Lamp
3. Playing With Uranium
4. Hallucinating Elvis
5. Starting To Remember
6. Pop Trash Movie
7. Fragment
8. Mars Meets Venus
9. Lady Xanax
10. The Sun Doesn't Shine Forever
11. Kiss Goodbye
12. Last Day On Earth


• Astronaut (2004) Track listing
1. (Reach up For the) Sunrise
2. Want You More!
3. What Happens Tomorrow - (remix)
4. Astronaut
5. Bedroom Toys
6. Nice
7. Taste the Summer
8. Finest Hour
9. Chains
10. One of Those Days
11. Point of No Return
12. Still Breathing


• Red Carpet Massacre (2007)

1. Valley, The
2. Red Carpet Massacre
3. Nite-Runner
4. Falling Down
5. Box Full O' Honey
6. Skin Divers
7. Tempted
8. Tricked Out
9. Zoom In
10. She's Too Much
11. Dirty Great Monster
12. Last Man Standing


arena

Is There Something I Should Know?" – 4:34
"Hungry Like The Wolf" – 4:01
"New Religion" – 5:37
"Save A Prayer" – 6:12
"The Wild Boys" – 4:18
"The Seventh Stranger" – 5:05
"The Chauffeur" – 5:23
"Union of the Snake" – 4:09
"Planet Earth" – 4:31
"Careless Memories" – 4:07



Arcadia

1. Election Day - (with Grace Jones)
2. Keep Me in the Dark
3. Goodbye Is Forever
4. Flame, The
5. Missing
6. Rose Arcana
7. Promise, The
8. El Diablo
9. Lady Ice

DURAN DURAN


Duran Duran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Members
Simon Le Bon
Nick Rhodes
John Taylor
Roger Taylor

Former members
Andy Taylor
Sterling Campbell
Warren Cuccurullo
Stephen Duffy
Andy Wickett
Simon Colley
Alan Curtis
Jeff Thomas

Duran Duran are an English rock band. They were one of the most commercially successful of the new romantic bands and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States. Since the 1980s they have placed 21 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 and 14 in the Top 10 of the UK Singles Chart, and have sold more than 100 million records.
A selection of the band's hit singles from the 1980s include, "Girls on Film", "Rio", "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Save a Prayer", "Notorious", and the James Bond theme "A View to a Kill". In the early 1990s, the band released, "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone", and released "Sunrise", and "What Happens Tomorrow" in the 2000s. "Falling Down" was released from their 2007 album, Red Carpet Massacre.
Duran Duran were created by Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Stephen Duffy, with the later addition of Roger Taylor, Andy Taylor, and Simon Le Bon, though none of the Taylors are related. The group has never disbanded, but the line-up has changed to include guitarist Warren Cuccurullo from 1986 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. Andy Taylor left the band in summer 2006, and London guitarist Dom Brown has been working with the band since.

1978–1980
John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in Birmingham, UK in 1978, naming the band after the villain "Dr. Durand Durand", played by Milo O'Shea in Roger Vadim's science-fiction film, Barbarella. Their first singer was Stephen Duffy. A few guitarists were subsequently tried, as well as a handful of vocalists after Duffy left Duran Duran early in 1979.

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 with Taylor and Rhodes at a party, led John Taylor, who originally played lead guitar, to switch to bass. Guitarist Andy Taylor came from Newcastle to audition after responding to an advertisement in Melody Maker, and London vocalist Simon Le Bon was recommended to the band by an ex-girlfriend who worked at the Rum Runner nightclub where the band rehearsed. 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. 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. "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. 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.
From the beginning of their career, 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 New Romantic look. They have continued to present fashion as part of the 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.
All five members of the band were photogenic, labelled the "the prettiest boys in rock" by People magazine. 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" Duran Duran would later come to regret this early pin-up exposure, but at the time it helped attract national attention. In an interview with Rock Fever Superstars Magazine in early 1988 John Taylor stated:
We used to be a very chi-chi name to drop in '79, but then the Fab Five hype started and something went wrong. Something went really wrong. That wasn't what I wanted. [...] Not that I didn't like being screamed at. At one point I really did."
1981–1982
The band's first album, Duran Duran, was released on the EMI label in 1981. The first single, "Planet Earth", reached the United Kingdom's Top 20 at Number 12. A follow-up, "Careless Memories," stalled at Number 37. However, it was their third single, "Girls On Film", that attracted the most attention. The song went to Number 5 in the UK, before the notorious video was even filmed. That video, featuring topless women mud wrestling, pillow fighting and stylized depictions of other sexual fetishes, was made with directing duo Godley & Creme in August.
The video was filmed just two weeks after MTV was launched in the United States. The band expected the "Girls On Film" video to be played in the newer nightclubs that had video screens, or on pay TV channels like the Playboy Channel. Kevin Godley explained the thinking behind it:
We were very explicitly told by Duran Duran's management to make a very sensational, erotic piece that would be for clubs, where it would get shown uncensored, just to make people take notice and talk about it.The raunchy video created an uproar and was banned by the BBC and heavily edited for MTV. The band unabashedly enjoyed and capitalised on the controversy.[citation needed] The album peaked in the UK Top Twenty at Number 3. Later in 1981, the band embarked on their first United States club tour, followed by more dates in Germany and the UK. This second tour of Britain coincided with a wave of riots sparked by unemployment and racial tension, including those of Moss Side and Toxteth. The band played an eerily quiet Birmingham the day after the Handsworth riots.
Duran Duran began to achieve worldwide recognition in 1982. In May, they released their second album, Rio, which scored four UK Top Twenty singles with "My Own Way", "Hungry Like The Wolf", "Save A Prayer", and the title song "Rio". A headlining tour of Australia, Japan, and the U.S. was followed by a stint supporting Blondie during that band's final American tour. Diana, Princess of Wales declared Duran Duran her favourite band, and the band was dubbed "The Fab Five" by the British press. The Fab Five moniker was an indirect tribute to The Fab Four, one of the many titles bestowed upon The Beatles.
However, the Rio album did not do well in the United States at first. EMI in the UK had promoted Duran Duran as a New Romantic band, but that genre was barely known in the U.S., and Capitol Records (EMI's American branch) was at a loss about how to sell them. After Carnival (an EP of Rio's dance remixes) became popular with DJs in the fall, the band arranged to have most of the album remixed by David Kershenbaum.
In June 1982, Duran Duran appeared for the first time on American television. They energetically performed Hungry Like The Wolf and Rio on Dancin' On Air, the forerunner to the national hit show, Dance Party USA. Michael Nise, executive producer of both shows, recalls how shy the "boys" were, and how they kidded each other about how bad they looked on TV.
Only after it was re-released in the U.S. in November, with heavy promotion as a dance album, did Rio begin to climb the American charts, six months after its European success. MTV placed "Hungry Like The Wolf" and then several other Duran Duran videos into heavy rotation, pushing it and "Rio" into the top twenty on the U.S. charts in early 1983; the seduction ballad "Save A Prayer" also did well. "The band was a natural for music television," noted Rolling Stone magazine. "They may be the first rock group to ride in on a video wave." In the end, the album peaked at number 6 in the U.S. and remained on the charts there for 129 weeks — almost two and a half years. In 2003, Rio was listed at number 65 in the NME 100 Greatest Albums Of All Time.
1983–1985
The band began 1983 by playing the MTV New Year's Eve Rock'n'Roll Ball, with "Hungry Like The Wolf" still climbing the charts in the US, and the American reissue of the "Rio" single to follow in March. To satisfy America's appetite for their music, the band re-released their eponymous first album in the US in the middle of the year, with the addition of the new single "Is There Something I Should Know?" On its release, this song entered the chart at Number 1 in the UK (a rarity then, and their first chart-topper in their home country), and reached Number 4 on the American charts. During the promotion of this album, Rhodes and Le Bon were MTV guest VJs for a show, during which artist and admirer Andy Warhol dropped by to greet them. "Our first gigs in the United States were crazy and culty,” Rhodes said later. “But when we came back after “Hungry” was a hit, it was mayhem. It was Beatlemania. We were doing a signing of the “Girls on Film” video at a store in Times Square. We couldn’t get out of the store. The cops sealed off the streets." Also in 1983, keyboardist Nick Rhodes produced the UK number 1 and US number 5 hit "Too Shy" for the English band Kajagoogoo, and Andy Taylor became the first member of Duran Duran to get married. The band's main pop rivals were now Culture Club and Wham!.
The band spent the next year as tax exiles, writing songs at a chateau in France in May 1983 before flying to Montserrat and then Sydney to record and mix their third album. The band was under enormous pressure to follow up the success of Rio, and the recording process took over six months as different band members went through bouts of perfectionism and insecurity.[20] A newly decadent lifestyle and substance abuse issues added complications. In the documentary film Extraordinary World, filmed a decade later, Rhodes described the effect on their sound as "barely controlled hysteria, scratching beneath the surface ". The new album, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, included the late 1983 hit "Union of the Snake"; following "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Rio", "Save A Prayer" and "Is There Something I Should Know", Duran Duran had had five U.S. Top Twenty hits from three different albums in a single year. The band made music headlines by deciding to release the "Union of the Snake" video to MTV a full week before the single was released to radio, at a time when the industry feared video really might kill the radio star. They followed up with "New Moon on Monday", which after reaching no 9 in the UK dropped out of the UK charts very promptly, possibly threatening their success. However, their next single "The Reflex", taken from Seven and the Ragged Tiger and given a significant remix overhaul by Nile Rodgers of Chic fame, became their first number one hit in the United States. "The Reflex" was also their second and final UK number one, and was successful in numerous other countries around the world.
The band embarked on a global tour that continued throughout the first four months of 1984, including their first major stadium dates in America. A film crew led by director Russell Mulcahy followed the band closely, leading to the documentary film Sing Blue Silver and the accompanying concert film Arena.The live album Arena was also recorded during the tour and was released with the new studio single "The Wild Boys", which went to Number 2 on both sides of the Atlantic. In February 1984, the band appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and won two Grammy awards in the brand-new Long Form and Short Form music video categories.
After the tour, Roger Taylor was married in Naples, Italy, and Nick Rhodes wed in London, famously wearing a pink velvet tuxedo and top hat. At the end of 1984 , the group was featured on the Band Aid benefit single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" along with other popular British musical acts. Simon Le Bon sang between contributions from George Michael and Sting.
1985
Even with Duran Duran on hold, band members were soon anxious to record new music, leading to a supposedly temporary split into two side projects. John and Andy Taylor wanted to break away from the Duran Duran sound and pursue hard rock material; they collaborated with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson to form the rock/funk supergroup Power Station, which released two Top 10 singles. Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes, on the other hand, wanted to further explore Duran Duran's atmospheric aspect and formed Arcadia, who released one LP from which the single "Election Day" was released. Roger Taylor was primarily the drummer for Arcadia, but also contributed percussion to the Power Station album.
Duran Duran were never the same after this break. According to Rhodes, the two side projects "were commercial suicide... But we’ve always been good at that." The band was still off balance when they regrouped to contribute "A View to a Kill" to the 1985 James Bond movie of the same name. This single remains the only Bond theme to go to Number 1 on the U.S. charts, and the highest-placed Bond theme on the UK chart where it reached Number 2. It was the last single the band recorded as the original five-piece for twenty years.
As a follow-up to the Christmas 1984 Band Aid single, Duran Duran performed in front of 90,000 people (and an estimated 1.5 billion TV viewers) at the Live Aid charity concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 13 July 1985 while their Bond song held the top spot on the American charts. It was not intended to be a farewell performance—the band planned only to take a break after four years of non-stop touring and public appearances—but the original five did not play live together again until July 2003. Their Live Aid set became infamous for Le Bon inadvertently hitting a falsetto note in the chorus of "A View to a Kill", which he later described as the most humiliating moment of his career.

1986–1991
After releasing five albums in five years, each accompanied by heavy media promotion and lengthy concert tours, the band lost two of its core members to fatigue and tension in 1986. After Live Aid and Arcadia, drummer Roger Taylor retired to the English countryside, suffering from exhaustion. This was originally announced as a one year sabbatical, but it soon became clear that he would not be returning to the band. An official press release was issued in April 1986 confirming his departure. Guitarist Andy Taylor, on the other hand, led the remaining members to believe he would return to work on a new Duran Duran album even as he was signing a solo recording contract in Los Angeles. The band resorted to legal measures to get him into the studio, but after numerous delays, they let him go at last. He played on only a few songs on the next album while the disagreements were being settled.


In 1986, Duran Duran had now been reduced to a trio: Rhodes, John Taylor, Le Bon
Without a guitarist or a drummer, the three remaining members, Le Bon, Rhodes, and John Taylor had producer (and former Chic guitarist) Nile Rodgers play a few tracks on guitar, and hired studio musicians to play drums while they searched for replacements. Finally in September 1986, Warren Cuccurullo (formerly of Missing Persons and Frank Zappa's touring band) was hired as a session guitarist. With Le Bon, Rhodes, and Taylor, he recorded the rest of the Notorious album, which was released in October 1986. The black-and-white documentary film Three To Get Ready chronicled the recording of the album, legal tensions, and preparations for the tour.
Although the song "Notorious" went to nr. 2 in the U.S., nr.7 in the UK and album sales were strong, the band found they had lost much of the momentum and hysteria they had left behind in 1985. In the three years between the release of Seven and the Ragged Tiger and Notorious, many of their teenage fans had grown up, and the music was funkier, more mature, and less "pop", given the added experience of their work on Arcadia and Power Station and with many gifted musicians. "Skin Trade" and "Meet El Presidente", the two subsequent singles, made the charts but fared poorly compared to the band's earlier successes.
Subsequently, Duran Duran's fame began to wane as they struggled to escape the teen idol image and gain critical success with more complex music. Rolling Stone said, "In their search for musical maturity, the surviving Durans have lost a good deal of their identity." Another factor was the band's dismissal of early managers the Berrow brothers. There was no announcement of the reasons for the decision, but disagreements over money, and the brothers’ involvement in Le Bon's yachting adventures (they were co-owners of Drum) were thought to have played a part. Whatever the reason, Duran Duran switched managers frequently and undertook periods of self-management in the later stages of their career. In addition, EMI (which fired its president and went through a major corporate restructuring that summer) seemed to have lost interest in promoting the band. The next album Big Thing (1988) yielded the singles "I Don't Want Your Love" (nr.4 in the US), "Do You Believe In Shame?" and "All She Wants Is" (the last a top ten hit in the UK). The record was experimental, mixing influences from house music and rave music with Duran's atmospheric synth pop and Cuccurullo's creative guitar work, as well as more mature lyrics (the juvenile title track notwithstanding). By the next year, after touring for the album finished, the band regained a five-man membership as Cuccurullo and tour drummer Sterling Campbell were made full members of Duran Duran. Inexplicably during this time, the group was credited as Duranduran on some of the releases (one word, instead of two).
The compilation album Decade: Greatest Hits was released late in 1989, along with the megamix single "Burning The Ground", which consisted of woven snippets of the band's hits from the previous ten years. The single came and went with little fanfare, but the album became another major seller for the band. However, the tepid 1990 release Liberty (a retreat from the experimentation of Big Thing) failed to capitalise on any regained momentum, a pattern the band repeated often in their later years. The album entered the UK album chart in the top ten, but faded away quickly. The singles "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" and "Serious" were only mildly successful, and the album's soft rock did not fare well against contemporaries like Alice in Chains and Jane's Addiction, while Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the grunge revolution were just around the corner. For the first time, Duran Duran did not tour in support of an album, performing on only a handful of club dates and TV shows.[30]
Sterling Campbell left the band early in 1991, going on to work with Soul Asylum and David Bowie. The quartet of Le Bon, Rhodes, Taylor, and Cuccurullo would remain intact for six more years. In December 1991, Taylor (then 31) married 19-year-old model/actress Amanda De Cadenet, and she gave birth to his daughter in March 1992.

1992–1996
In 1993, the band released a second self-titled album: this Duran Duran album is known as The Wedding Album (for Nick Egan's cover art featuring the wedding photos of the band members' parents) to distinguish it from the 1981 release. Listener demand for leaked single "Ordinary World" forced it onto radio playlists months earlier than planned; it reached Number 3 on the U.S. chart and Number 6 in the UK and won a prestigious Ivor Novello Award award for song writing. "Come Undone", a slinky number primarily written by Cuccurullo, made Number 7 in the U.S. and Number 13 in the UK. Both the band and the record label seemed to be caught by surprise by the album's critical and commercial success (#4 in the UK, #7 in the U.S.). Bassist John Taylor had been considering leaving the band but changed his mind. The band's largest tour ever, which included stops in the Middle East, the then recently de-embargoed South Africa, and South America, was halted after seven months when Le Bon suffered from strained vocal cords. After six weeks' recuperation, the band performed intermittently for another five months, including appearances in Israel, Thailand, and Indonesia.'
The band's upswing in momentum, however, was once again swiftly curtailed by the poor showing of the covers album Thank You. The album reportedly originated as a lighthearted tribute to the band's influences, in the vein of Bowie's Pin Ups. Some of the tracks were recorded in borrowed and makeshift studios in hotel rooms (with the aid of programmer Mark Tinley) while the band was on tour. The plan was to have an album ready to release soon after the tour was finished, with another studio album to follow quickly afterwards. Original drummer Roger Taylor even returned from retirement to contribute on a few songs. However, conflicts within the band and with Capitol/EMI caused repeated delays; mix after mix was ordered and rejected, and by the time it finally came out in 1995, the band had lost enthusiasm for the project.
Singles from Thank You included covers of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" and Melle Mel's "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" (with backing vocals from the original artists). In a video interview provided with the album's electronic press kit, Reed said he considered Duran Duran's version the best cover ever done of one of his songs. Still, the critics lambasted the band's attempts at "911 is a Joke", "Lay Lady Lay", "Ball of Confusion" and "The Crystal Ship", and the band only completed a 1995 summer tour of radio station festivals under duress.
After that tour's completion, John Taylor co-founded the B5 Records label and recorded a solo album, founded and toured with the supergroup Neurotic Outsiders, and reunited the Power Station, though the project proceeded without him when he had to withdraw to deal with his divorce from De Cadenet. Finally, after struggling for months to record the next album, Medazzaland, in January 1997, Taylor announced at a Duran Duran fan convention that he was leaving the band "for good". His departure reduced the band to two original members (Le Bon and Rhodes) and Cuccurullo, who decided to continue recording under the name Duran Duran.

1997–2000


In 1997, the band lost its final Taylor, leaving Rhodes, Le Bon, and Cuccurullo
Freed from some internal writing conflicts, the band returned to the studio to rewrite and re-record many of the songs on Medazzaland. (Taylor's work remains on only four tracks.) This album marked a return to the layered experimentation of Big Thing, with intricate guitar textures and processed vocals. The track "Out of My Mind" was used as the theme song for the movie The Saint, but the only true single to be released in the United States was the quirky "Electric Barbarella", which was the first single ever to be sold online. The video for this single, featuring a sexy robot purchased and played with by band members, had to be censored before airing on MTV, but there was little of the controversy that had surrounded "Girls On Film". "Barbarella" peaked at #52 in the U.S. in October 1997. Although Medazzaland was released in the U.S. in October 1997, the album was never released in the UK. "Barbarella" was later released in the UK as a single from the 1998 Greatest compilation album and peaked at #23 on the UK chart in January 1999.
The group played a set at The Princess Diana Tribute Concert on 27 June 1998 by special request of her family.
Duran Duran parted ways with Capitol/EMI in 1999, although the label has since used Duran Duran's back catalogue to release several compilations of remixes and rare vinyl-only b-sides. The band then signed what was intended to be a three-album contract with Disney's Hollywood Records, but it lasted only through the poorly received 2000 album Pop Trash. This slow-paced and heavy album seemed out-of-keeping with earlier band material. Rhodes' intricate production and Cuccurullo's songwriting and experimentation with guitar sounds and time signatures were not enough to hook the public, and the album did not perform well. The dreamy single "Someone Else Not Me" lasted barely two weeks on the radio, although its video was noted as the first to be produced entirely with Flash animation. While supporting Medazzaland and Pop Trash, Duran Duran toured with bassist Wes Wehmiller and drummer Joe Travers.

2001–2006
In 2000, John Taylor approached Le Bon and Rhodes with a proposal to re-form Duran Duran's classic line-up. They agreed, and after completing the Pop Trash tour fired Cuccurullo by letter. Cuccurullo then announced on his website that he was leaving Duran Duran to resume work with his 1980s band Missing Persons. This announcement was confirmed the next day by the Duran Duran's website, followed a day later by the news that John, Roger, and Andy Taylor had rejoined. To fulfill contractual obligations, Cuccurullo played three Duran Duran concerts in Japan in August 2001, ending his tenure in the band.
Throughout 2001, 2002 and 2003, the band worked on writing new material, initially renting a house in St. Tropez where sound engineer Mark Tinley built a recording studio for their first serious writing session. They then returned to London to do some self-financed work with various producers (including old friend Nile Rodgers) and search for a new record deal. It proved difficult to find a record label willing to gamble on the band's comeback, so Duran Duran went on tour to prove the drawing power of the reunited band. The response of the fans and the media exceeded everyone’s expectations.
The band played a handful of 25th-anniversary dates in July 2003. Tickets sold out for each show within minutes, and celebrities turned out en masse for reunion shows booked at small venues the band had played on their first trip to America in 1981. In August, the band were booked as presenters at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, only to be surprised with a Lifetime Achievement Award. They also received a Lifetime Achievement award from Q Magazine in October, and the equivalent Outstanding Contribution award at the BRIT Awards in February 2004.
The pace picked up with a sold-out tour of America, Australia and New Zealand. The band played a full concert at a private Tailgate Party at Super Bowl XXXVIII, their performance of "The Wild Boys" broadcast to millions during the pre-game show. A remix of the new track "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise" was released on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy TV show soundtrack in February, while the Queer Eye guys (the modern "Fab Five") hailed Duran Duran as "the first metrosexuals". Duran Duran then celebrated their homecoming to the UK with fourteen stadium dates in April 2004, including five sold-out nights at Wembley Arena. The British press, traditionally hostile to the band, accorded the shows some very warm reviews.[41] Duran Duran brought along bands like Scissor Sisters, and Goldfrapp, as opening acts for this tour.[3] The last two shows were filmed, resulting in the concert DVD Duran Duran: Live From London which was released in November.
Finally, with more than thirty-five songs completed, the band signed a four-album contract with Epic Records in June, and completed the new album, now entitled Astronaut, with producer Don Gilmore. The album was released in October 2004 and entered the UK charts at Number 3 and the U.S. charts at Number 17. The first single was "(Reach Up for the) Sunrise", which reached Number 1 on the Billboard U.S. Dance Chart in November and peaked at number 5 on the UK singles chart, Duran Duran's highest chart position since "A View To a Kill" in 1985. A second single, "What Happens Tomorrow", debuted at #11 on the UK charts in February. After a world tour in early 2005, Duran Duran headlined the massive Live 8 concert, Rome on 2 July 2005 in the Circus Maximus.

2006–present
In early 2006, Duran Duran covered John Lennon's song "Instant Karma" for the Make Some Noise campaign sponsored by Amnesty International to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Lennon's death, and performed at two high profile events — the Nobel Prize Awards and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. After a couple of weeks of songwriting in California, the band began working with producer Michael Patterson in London, and continued intermittently for the next several months. At one point, they reported having fifteen tracks nearly complete for an album tentatively titled Reportage, but no further news emerged from the band for months afterward. In September, the band held meetings in New York City with Justin Timberlake and producer Timbaland with an eye to a potential collaboration and were soon reported to have completed three songs with the producer, including a duet with Timberlake.
On 25 October 2006, Andy Taylor parted ways with Duran Duran for the second time. In an official announcement on their website, Duran Duran stated that an "unworkable gulf" had developed between them and Taylor and that "we can no longer effectively function together". Dom Brown, who had previously toured with the band, took over guitar duties and has been performing with them since. After Taylor's departure, the band scrapped the Reportage album and wrote and recorded a new album which included the Timbaland tracks. Dom Brown is the featured guitarist.
In July, the band performed twice at Wembley Stadium, at the Concert for Diana and at Live Earth concert, London. On 25 September, the Timberlake collaboration "Falling Down" was released as a download single on iTunes, and the band announced that they would play nine shows at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway to launch the album Red Carpet Massacre. The album launch was later extended to incorporate a show in London on December 3, 2007 and one in Dublin on December 5, 2007.
In May 2008, they toured the US leg of their 2008 world tour and were supported by fellow British quintet Your Vegas.
In June 2008, they played the Louvre in Paris in a fundraising effort that contributed to the restoration of a magnificent Louis XV drawing room. Guests dined, privately viewed some of the museum’s works, and then following came a performance from Duran Duran in the I.M. Pei-designed Pyramid Du Louvre. The group’s performance marked a first for both the band members and the 18th Century Museum (who have never before allowed a rock concert to take place anywhere within either the grounds or buildings).
On 2 July in Paris, Mark Ronson performed a unique live set with Duran Duran for an exclusive, invite-only performance. Together, they showcased specially re-worked versions of some of Duran Duran's classic hits re-created by Ronson, along with tracks from the band's new album, Red Carpet Massacre. Simon Le Bon also performed songs from Ronson's latest album, Version, as one of Ronson's featured guest vocalists.

Influences
Although they began their career as "a group of art school, experimental, post punk rockers", the band's quick rise to stardom, polished good looks, and embrace of the teen press, almost guaranteed disfavour from music critics. During the 1980s, Duran Duran were considered the quintessential manufactured, throw-away pop group. However, according to the Sunday Herald, "To describe them, as some have, as the first boy band, misrepresents their appeal. Their weapons were never just their looks, but self-penned songs." As Moby said of the band in his website diary in 2003: "... they were cursed by what we can call the 'Bee Gees' curse, which is: 'write amazing songs, sell tons of records, and consequently incur the wrath or disinterest of the rock obsessed critical establishment'."
Several of the band's contemporaries including The Bangles, Elton John, Kylie Minogue and Paul Young, have named themselves fans of the band's stylish, uplifting pop. Le Bon described the group as "the band to dance to when the bomb drops".[45] Successors like Barenaked Ladies, Beck, Jonathan Davis of Korn, The Bravery, Gwen Stefani and Pink have all cited Duran Duran as a key band in their formative years. The newest crop of performers to name Duran Duran as influences include Dido, Franz Ferdinand, Panic! at the Disco, Lostprophets (who took their name from the title of a Duran Duran bootleg tape), Goldfrapp, Lady GaGa and Brandon Flowers of The Killers, who said, "Nick Rhodes is an absolute hero of mine - their records still sound fresh, which is no mean feat as far as synths are concerned".
Nick Rhodes has directly lent his production techniques to Kajagoogoo album White Feathers and its Number One single "Too Shy", and to The Dandy Warhols album Welcome to the Monkey House. The band's music has been used by several hip hop artists, most notably Notorious B.I.G., who sampled Duran Duran's 1986 single "Notorious". Numerous bands have covered their music on record and in concert.
Videos
The MTV cable channel and the band were launched at about the same time, and each had a hand in propelling the other to greater heights. MTV needed showcase videos with charismatic performers. Les Garland, senior executive vice president at MTV, said "I remember our director of talent and artist relations came running in and said, “You have got to see this video that’s come in.” Duran Duran were getting zero radio airplay at the time, and MTV wanted to try to break new music. “Hungry Like the Wolf” was the greatest video I’d ever seen". The band's video work was influential in several ways. First, Duran Duran filmed in exotic locales like Sri Lanka and Antigua, creating memorable images that were radically different from the then-common low budget "band-playing-on-a-stage" videos. Second, rather than simply playing their instruments, the band participated in mini-storylines (often taking inspiration from contemporary movies: "Hungry Like The Wolf" riffs on Raiders of the Lost Ark, "The Wild Boys" on The Road Warrior, etc.). Videos were obviously headed in this direction already, but Duran Duran led the trend with a style, featuring quick editing, arresting graphic design, and surreal-to-nonsensical image inserts, that drew attention from commentators and spawned a wealth of imitators.
Duran Duran were among the first bands to have their videos shot with a professional movie camera on 35 mm film, rather than on videotape with cheaper video cameras, making them look superior to many of the quickly and inexpensively shot videos which had been MTV staples until then. MTV provided Duran Duran with access to American radio markets that were unfriendly to British music, New Wave music, or "anything with synthesisers". Because MTV was not available everywhere in the United States at first, it was easy to see a pattern: where MTV went, listener demand for Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, Def Leppard and other European bands with interesting videos went through the roof.
The band's sun-drenched videos for "Rio", "Hungry Like The Wolf" and "Save A Prayer", and the surreal "Is There Something I Should Know?" were filmed by future movie director Russell Mulcahy, who made eleven videos for the band. Duran Duran have always sought out innovative directors and techniques, even in their later years when MTV gave them little airplay. In addition to Mulcahy, they have had videos filmed by influential photographers Dean Chamberlain and Ellen von Unwerth, Chinese director Chen Kaige, documentary filmmaker Julien Temple, and the Polish Brothers, among others. According to Nick Rhodes, "Video is to us like stereo was to Pink Floyd".
In 1984, the band introduced video technology into their live stadium shows by being among the first acts to provide video screens above the stage. They have recorded concerts using IMAX and 360 degree panoramic "immersive video" cameras, with 10.2 channel audio. In 2000, they experimented with augmented reality technology, which allowed three-dimensional computer-generated images to appear on stage with the band.[1] They appeared on several century-end video countdowns: The MTV "100 Greatest Videos Ever Made" featured "Hungry Like The Wolf" at #11 and "Girls On Film" at #68, and the "VH1: 100 Greatest Videos" listed "Hungry" at #31 and "Rio" at #60. MTV named "Hungry" the fifteenth of their most-played videos of all time.
The band has released several video compilations, starting with the self-titled "video album" Duran Duran, for which they won a Grammy award, up to the 2004 two-disc DVD release Greatest, which included alternative versions of several popular videos as Easter eggs. In addition to Greatest, the documentary Sing Blue Silver, and the concert film Arena (both from 1984) were released on DVD in 2004. Live From London, a concert video from one of their sold-out 2004 reunion shows at Wembley Arena, was released in the fall of 2005.
Other video collections, concert films, and documentaries remain available only on videotape, and Duran Duran have not yet released a collection which includes all their videos. The band has said that a huge amount of unreleased concert and documentary footage has been filmed over the years, which they hope can be edited and released in some form in the near future. The video for "Falling Down" was released in October 2007.


• John Taylor and Nick Rhodes founded Duran Duran, and were there in it's begining in 1978. *