When I think of the 80's, particularly the music, Duran Duran are always on the forefront of that thought. They could very well be the band I associated the decade with the most.
The group began in 1978, formed by Nick Rhodes, and John Taylor. The following year, they would add Roger Taylor to the lineup, and after a few personnel changes, the final two members, Andy Taylor and Simon Le Bon.
Duran Duran got swept up in the era of MTV, leading the charge as one of the bands noted as part of the Second British Invasion. With the aid of their videos, they were swept into mainstream popularity, which is interesting to note because initially, their debut album failed to garner any attention in the USA.
It wasn't until their 1982 album, Rio, that North American listeners took notice. Rio, the album, had massive appeal with its hit singles, Rio, Save A Prayer, and Hungry Like The Wolf. To an extent, the lesser successful My Own Way, and The Chauffeur, only helped to cement the album as a platinum seller.
For as much as Duran Duran was the soundtrack of my 80's, would you believe me if I told you that I have only heard two of their albums from start to finish? Mind you, that was for my Retro Spins posts, long after their initial release. It's true. For the longest time, I have been content with the group's greatest hits catalog.
Wanting to rectify that, I popped in Rio, and man am I glad I did. Whoo, it's a powerhouse of an album! Track after track delivers, and the stuff I'd never heard before hits even harder than the hits at points. This is probably because, for me, they're all new. It's like I've been denying myself all these great songs for the longest time, and now that I've realized just how much I've missed out, I want to rectify this quickly.
Standout track, beyond the hits, were Hold Back The Rain, and New Religion. In hindsight, I don't know how the latter was never a chart topper. It's a fantastic track!
Reaching the end of the album was a bit of a bummer, because I felt so inclined to hear more. While this would be relatively easy to rectify, as I actually own all of their albums, I felt it best to not overkill it, and have the adverse affect of getting sick of them.
As many of you out there already know, this was really just the beginning for Duran Duran. They would go on to release three more albums in the 80's, and even see members split off to pursue other projects, such as The Power Station, and Arcadia. However, the biggest blow for fans came when the band appeared to be breaking up. Roger Taylor left in 1985 due to being unhappy with the band from consistent recording and touring. Andy Taylor would follow suit in 1986, quitting the group suddenly during the recording sessions of what would become the 1986 album, Notorious.
Though the remaining three members would continue on, by 1997, John Taylor was ready to move on to other projects, and left the band in the early stages of the Medazzaland recording sessions. However, 2003 would see the reunion of the five original members, who embarked on a massive world tour, and followed this up with the release of their first studio album together since 1983's Seven and the Ragged Tiger. I remember vividly driving home from work in 2003, when the radio DJ excitedly announced the station's premiere of the new Duran Duran song, (Reach Up for The) Sunrise.
The reunion was short lived, and Andy Taylor was fired shortly thereafter, with the four remaining members releasing 2007's Red Carpet Massacre. Since then, they have stayed together, releasing three additional albums through 2021. Where Duran Duran goes from there is anyone's guess. They're just as hot now as they were in 1982!
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS February 21, 1981 |
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| February 21, 1987 |
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