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Duran Duran was one of the most successful bands of the
1980's, and they had so many hits, it will be difficult to list them all
here. The band was formed in Birmingham (UK) in 1978 by John
Taylor and Nick Rhodes, and they named themselves after a French sci-fi
movie, called Barbarella, that featured a villainous character
named Dr. Durand Durand. Barbarella was also the name of a popular
UK club that featured bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. By
1980, the members of the band had solidified, and Andy Taylor was
brought on as lead guitarist and Simon Le Bon as vocalist.
By 1980, Duran Duran had landed a record deal with EMI,
and they debuted in 1981 with their
self-titled
release. This release featured the hit songs "Planet Earth"
and "Girls on Film". The video for the latter was filmed just two
after MTV's launch, and was so racy, it was edited by MTV. They
kept the momentum rolling with the release of
Rio
in 1982, which featured the hit songs "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Save A
Prayer", "Rio", and "My Own Way". By this time, the band was being
called "The Fab Five", an allusion to the Beetles (the Fab Four), and
Princess Diana had declared them her favorite band.
In 1983, Duran Duran also had a non-album hit single
called "Is There Something I Should Know?', which quickly charted in
both the US and the UK. Also in 1983, Duran Duran released
Seven and the Ragged Tiger,
which featured the hit songs "Union of the Snake", "New Moon on Monday",
and "The Reflex" (their first no. 1 hit in the USA). "The Wild
Boys" was another hit song from 1984's
Arena,
and many of you will remember the song "A View to a Kill" from the James
Bond soundtrack (1985). It is interesting to note that around
1985, at the height of their popularity, members of the band worked on
side projects, such as The Power Station and Arcadia, both relatively
temporary bands that featured Duran Duran members.
This temporary split sort of messed up the band's mojo,
and members started to split. Some of you rockers out there may be
fans of Andy Taylor's solo hard rock project. Nevertheless, their
1986 release sans Andy Taylor,
Notorious,
not only featured the title track, but another recognized hit called
"Skin Trade". Duran Duran's last album of the 1980's was
Big Thing (1988),
which featured the hit songs "I Don't Want Your Love" and "All She Wants
Is".
By the 1990's, the flame was burning out. There was
some later success, with songs like "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone",
but the major momentum was done. The band continued churning out
records over the year, and met with some success again in the 2000's
after the original band members reunited and released songs like "Reach
Up for The Sunrise" and "What Happens Tomorrow". At the time of
this writing in 2013, it was widely known that the band was working on a
14th studio album. The current Duran Duran Discography is as
follows:1981: Duran Duran
1981: Nite Romantics (Remix)
1982: Rio
1982: Night Versions (Remix)
1983: Sevan and the Ragged Tiger
1984: Arena Live
1986: Notorious
1988: Big Thing
1989: Decade (Greatest Hits)
1990: Liberty
1993: Duran Duran The Wedding Album
1995: Thank You
1997: Medazzaland
1998: Night Versions
1998: Greatest
1999: Strange Behaviour
2000: Pop Trash
2000: The Essential Collection
2003: Singles Box Set 1981-1985
2004: Singles Box Set 1986-1995
2004: Astronaut
2005: Live from London
2007: Red Carpet Massacre
2009: Life at Hammersmith '82
2010: All You Need is Now
2011: A Diamond in the Mind: Live 2011
2012: The Biggest and the Best |
