because our main national station, Radio One, was still broadcasting in mono! “But when I listened to radio in America, I realized this big FM sound was very different than the sound in the U.K. “The first time I came to America, in 1981, we’d made our first album, and the single ‘Planet Earth’ was out and later ‘Girls on Film,’ both of which did okay on a college and cult level in America, but neither of them became big hits,” he recalls. Capitol Records executives couldn’t understand the disconnect between audiences.ĭuran Duran founder and keyboardist Nick Rhodes says that he actually did understand, as there was a real disparity in musical tastes at the time, which he explains in a chat from his home in London via Zoom. charts, but sank without a trace in the U.S. Much like the band’s 1981 self-titled debut, producer Colin Thurston had helmed Rio released in May 1982, the album rose to Number 5 on the U.K. The success came after a year of the band’s music not getting radio play in the States, even as the group was scaling new heights of success at home. The body parts in question belonged to producer David Kershenbaum, whose remix of “Hungry Like the Wolf”- and indeed the entire Side One of the group’s sophomore album, Rio-ignited the British band’s ascent up the American charts in 1983. Photo: Andy Earl.įor Duran Duran, a different pair of ears and hands provided the turning point for its career. But, we're not finished with this one yet.Duran Duran, circa 1982 (l-r): John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Andy Taylor. "Absolutely, you try to be in the moment," Taylor said, "but you have to think a little bit about the future, and I think we'd all like to make another album together. ![]() Another stateside leg is expected this summer for amphitheaters.Īs for its future, it appears the band is still hungry like the wolf for mainstream success. ![]() I think everybody came to play and we're all very capable musicians, but it was, 'Can we work out the head stuff?' We've had to do a lot of work on that."ĭuran Duran is currently touring Astronaut with a set list that includes the two aforementioned new tracks, as well as plenty of radio classics ("Hungry Like the Wolf," "Rio" and "Ordinary World") and a few obscure gems ("Hold Back the Rain" and "Tiger, Tiger").Īt this point, the Fab Five remains committed to spending the rest of the year on the road in support of Astronaut. "And those are two of my favorite songs on the album. "The first few days we were working together we wrote 'Nice' and 'Bedroom Toys,'" Taylor said. As for the recording of the disc, that was a delicate process of trust regained and friendships restarted. Perhaps somewhat humbling to a group that has sold millions of album and toured the world as the toast of the party, the experience brought the band members together as friends.Įventually, Epic Records came to the table with a four-album deal, culminating in the release of Astronaut this past October. Taylor added that in hindsight, initial hesitation by record labels to sign the band actually worked in Duran Duran's favor. We had to pull a couple more rabbits out of the hat." "We thought that just the mere fact of us going back in the studio and writing songs together would have been enough. "It wasn't meant to be that way," said Taylor, calling from Minneapolis, MN. Mind you, a quarter of a century had passed since Duran Duran had to showcase its talents for a recording contract, but that's ostensibly what the band was doing by touring American theaters. After being cooped up in France for months writing material for a new album, Simon LeBon (vocals), Andy Taylor (guitar), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums) and Nick Rhodes (keyboards) were still without a label deal. What the audience didn't know was that the 80s synth/rock act was just as happy to see them, and it wasn't because of the box office receipts. When a reunited Duran Duran toured in the fall of 2003, sold-out audiences presented the band with a heartfelt standing ovation before a single note was even played. Duran Duran talks with 9X's John Benson from the road
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