Duran Duran

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Duran Duran Band

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:

Listen for free or download any Duran Duran track for just 12 cents per song!

  • 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