Duran Duran Due in Fall
Duran Duran’s classic lineup is trying to re-bottle the lightning that earned it seven Top Forty singles between 1983 and 1984. The reunited hit-making crew — singer Simon LeBon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, guitarist Andy Taylor, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor (none related) — will release their first studio album together since 1983’s Seven and the Ragged Tiger in October on Epic.
The untitled set finds DD working with a pair of disparate producers: Rich Harrison (Alicia Keys, Usher) and Don Gilmore (Good Charlotte, Linkin Park). Since reuniting last year, Duran Duran have offered a few sneak peeks of the new material — including “What Happens Tomorrow” and “Virus” — during their live sets.
“Once we made the decision to get back together, we started writing,” Rhodes told Rolling Stone last year. “Duran Duran has always been about the songs.”
Added LeBon, “The chemistry came back within thirty seconds of the writing process. It’s surprising at first, but it’s very easy to slip back into it.”
Another new song, “Sunrise,” was previewed at shows in addition to being featured in a remixed format on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy soundtrack earlier this year. “Still Breathing” and “Bedroom Toys” are among the other songs tipped for the new set. The album will also include a bonus DVD with live footage shot at Duran Duran’s two-night stand at the Wembley Arena in London earlier this year.
After their early-Eighties heyday, Duran Duran began to suffer from turnover, losing all three Taylors between 1984 and 1996. Though LeBon and Rhodes continued to record and tour as Duran Duran, the group’s Nineties output was often met with indifference. But the return of the vintage DD lineup and a U.S. tour last fall (celebrating the group’s twenty-fifth anniversary), followed by U.K. dates this spring have rekindled interest in the band.