Duran Duran Special
Special Three Album (Flat Pack) Boxset - Released May 31st 2004
Since reforming late last year, Simon Le Bon, Nic Rhodes, John Taylor, Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor have had a phenomenal six months. A string of sell out U.S. and Australian dates were the indication of a band about make their mark on the world...again. The band really confirmed their reunion when they played the fashion rocks charity fundraiser in London, in front of hundreds of screaming fans and under a hailstorm of ladies ‘undies’! Simon and crew were probably as shocked as anyone to see that the unwavering and adoring support of their massive, and loyal fan base hadn’t diminished one iota in the twenty years they had been in hibernation; and to be fair...to look at them, you wouldn’t think they’d been away that long in the first place.
The eighties was a period of power, wealth, hedonism, decadence and drive. Punk reared it’s ugly head in the late seventies and battered the hippy era into a bloody submission. Suddenly people were energised. No longer was it ok to sit back taking stock of the mess and simply observing that it was in fact a mess...and that someone needed to take action. Action without action was now considered a cop out. The real hippies of the late sixties; the politicised, informed populace, had been replaced by the plastic hippy. A caricatured reformist, content with simply the association of being retro, fired up and passionate. No longer satisfied with freewheeling, the youth of Britain polarized itself and focussed on a revolution. Did anyone know what that meant? Probably not, but then who cares where you’re going so long as your moving at last. After so many years stuck in the soft earth left over by the endless string of sit-in’s, jamboree’s and festivals, it was time to throw away the flares and get out the shoulder pads!
If one could pick out one defining band from the masses of high-collared hairspray smothered tanned up swingers that pouted their way straight from synth college straight to top of the pops during the early 80’s...there can only really be two words. Duran Duran. Even if you don’t think you know who the hell Duran Duran are...you do. Believe it.
In 1978 Nick Rhodes met with John Taylor in a café somewhere in the dark heart of late seventies industrial Birmingham. The reason for the meeting was to decide what they would call their new band. When the conversation turned to 1968 fantasy adventure ‘Barbarella’ the choice became obvious, and Duran Duran was settled upon. Rhodes, a keen purveyor of the marrying of synths with slide projections and excerpts of abstract television samples, passed his days at Art College designing posters for up an coming Duran Duran gigs (most of which happened there). During the next twelve months the band would say hello and goodbye to a string of singers and guitarists until mid 1980 after a few chance encounters and recommendations, the final line-up of Duran Duran came together.
Simon Le Bon (Vocals)
Nick Rhodes (Keyboards)
John Taylor (Bass)
Andy Taylor (Guitar)
Roger Taylor (Drums)
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About Petrol Records
About Petrol Records
