Duran Duran (1981 Album)

''Duran Duran'' is the debut studio album by the English new wave band Duran Duran, which was released on 15June 1981 by EMI. After signing a record contract, the band recorded the album at several London studios between December 1980 and January 1981, with production by Colin Thurston. Although the instrumental tracks were recorded quickly, singer Simon Le Bon initially struggled to sing in the studio; this led to discussions about replacing him before EMI employee Dave Ambrose intervened.

The band were influenced at this time by a variety of artists, including David Bowie, the Human League, Ultravox, Roxy Music, Japan and Chic. ''Duran Duran'' has a mixture of synthesiser-led pop tunes and more atmospheric experimental tracks; some also have elements of disco, punk and dance music. Le Bon's cryptic lyrics cover a variety of topics, from youthful torment and confusion to the band's goals and ambitions. The cover artwork for the album and singles was designed by Malcolm Garrett, who would do so for the next five years.

''Duran Duran'' initially received mixed reviews. Critics felt that the band did not stand out from their contemporaries, although some praised the singles. EMI released three from the album: "Planet Earth", " Careless Memories" and "Girls on Film". Each single was promoted with music videos, which helped the album reach number three in the UK and remain in the top 100 there for 118 weeks. The sexually-provocative video for "Girls on Film" was controversial, and generated publicity for the new MTV channel in the United States. Despite the album's commercial success in the UK, its initial US release on Capitol subsidiary Harvest Records was unsuccessful; a reissue there during the height of the band's fame in 1983, however, reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' chart.

Retrospective reviews for ''Duran Duran'' have been more positive, with critics complimenting the band for creating a modern sound which spearheaded the New Romantic movement; ''Rolling Stone'' called the album a classic in 2021. It was remastered and re-released in a 2010 special edition, with bonus demo and live tracks. The remaster was criticised by fans as a victim of the loudness war.

Background

Childhood friends John Taylor and Nick Rhodes formed Duran Duran in Birmingham, England, in 1978 with Taylor's art-school friend Stephen Duffy. The trio, which began with Taylor on guitar and vocals, Rhodes on synthesisers and Duffy on vocals and bass, was influenced by David Bowie, the Human League, Ultravox, Lou Reed and Kraftwerk. On 21October 1978, they named the band after Dr. Durand Durand (Milo O'Shea's character in the 1968 science-fiction film '' Barbarella'') the day after the film's broadcast on BBC1. The trio made their first recordings above Rhodes' mother's toy shop in Birmingham, and played their first gig on 5April 1979 at Birmingham Polytechnic. The band played several gigs that year as their lineup changed with the departure of Duffy and the addition of singer Andy Wickett and drummer Roger Taylor. Duran Duran then recorded demo tapes at Bob Lamb's studio in Birmingham, one of which included an early version of "Girls on Film" written mostly by Wickett. John Taylor and Rhodes showed the demos to a number of record companies, who unanimously turned them down. The year ended with Wickett's departure and the arrival of guitarist Alan Curtis.

With Scent Organs' singer Jeff Thomas replacing Wickett, Duran Duran continued recording demos and playing live in early 1980. John Taylor and Rhodes, looking for a performance venue, submitted tapes to Birmingham's Rum Runner nightclub. After making the club one of the city's most popular venues for upcoming artists, owners Paul and Michael Berrow were interested in managing a local band. Paul recalled, "I'm not saying what they played me was great, but what it had, was an aesthetic." With the Berrows' support, Duran Duran became the Rum Runner's resident band and used the club to develop their sound; Rhodes became its primary DJ. Curtis and Thomas soon departed, and guitarist Andy Taylor was hired after answering an advertisement in ''Melody Maker''. Rhodes said about Andy, "We wanted someone who could play atmospheric stuff like Pink Floyd's avidGilmour, who had the power of Mick Ronson and was funky like Carlos Alomar."

Duran Duran continued rehearsing without a lead singer until drama student Simon Le Bon was hired through an ex-girlfriend who worked at the Rum Runner in May 1980. Le Bon struggled to sing at first (later calling himself a "god-awful singer" at the time) and did not fit the band's desire for a singer who, according to Rhodes, "was a cross between Lou Reed and Iggy Pop and David Bowie mashed into one". The band were impressed with Le Bon's skill with melodies, however, and he had written poems and stories during his childhood; he composed the lyrics and vocal line for "Sound of Thunder" during his first audition. Andy Taylor told a journalist, "Simon came in with this book of poetry and kept coming up with these ideas and melodies. We were like, 'This guy doesn't even know what his potential is.' There was an innocence to it all." Duran Duran's first performance with the lineup of Le Bon, Rhodes and the three Taylors was on 16July 1980 at the Rum Runner.

Development

Shortly after their live debut, Duran Duran spent two months writing songs and developing their sound with occasional live performances. According to biographer Steve Malins, John Taylor was an integral part of the group during this period: "the sensitive, charming, ad-libbing pop star to Rhodes's more controlled Pop Art alter ego." Rhodes worked creatively with Andy Taylor, who gave him the opportunity to be the "ideas man" and played around Rhodes's patterns; this solidified the melodies. Malins writes that Andy's skill as an arranger assisted in forming the band's "rough, undisciplined mixture of punk, disco and electronic styles into tight, cohesive structures; Roger Taylor's "compact, unshakable drumming" provided a backbone for the group.

John Taylor writes in his memoir, ''In the Pleasure Groove'', that grooves, chord progressions and melodies were primarily derived from jam sessions. The band had debuted songs such as "Night Boat", "Late Bar", "Girls on Film", "Sound of Thunder" and an early version of "Tel Aviv" during their first live show before further developing them. Andy later said, "In the beginning that worked because as we wrote the songs we'd all be pitching in and experimenting." John recalls that "Night Boat", in particular, arose from a "drifting keyboard sample" by Rhodes with Andy Taylor's Roland guitar synthesiser. Le Bon was a quick writer, coming up with the lyrics to "Girls on Film" after receiving the first version. Andy said about Le Bon, "there are very few people on this planet ever who have written so many beautiful melodies as that man has." During the writing period, Duran Duran agreed to credit all songs to the band and split all earnings evenly; John credits this as the reason for the band's longevity.

By the end of summer 1980, Duran Duran had written all of what would become their first studio album. They continued recording demos at Lamb's studio before going to London's 24-track AIR Studios in late summer to tape demos of "Girls on Film" (with Michael Berrow on saxophone) and "Tel Aviv"; these differed from the released versions. In September and October, the band continued performing live while Paul Berrow worked on attracting record-label attention. London agent Rob Hallett booked performances at well-known venues in the city, including the Marquee Club and the Lyceum Theatre, opening for Pauline Murray. Berrow secured Duran Duran an article by ''Sounds'' magazine's Betty Page, who aligned them with the rising New Romantic movement and drew comparisons with the London-based new wave band Spandau Ballet. They supported Hazel O'Connor on a tour from 18 November to 6 December 1980, during which the band's provocative clothing sparked a backlash from audiences. With Duran Duran's performances finally attracting attention, the Berrows arranged for record-label executives to meet with the band. After a bidding war between EMI and Phonogram Records in which Phonogram offered more money, Duran Duran signed with EMI due to the label's stature in the industry.

Recording

The band recorded their debut album over a six week period beginning in December 1980. EMI's new A&R director, Dave Ambrose, recommended Colin Thurston as producer. Since Thurston had co-engineered Bowie and Iggy Pop's 1977 Berlin-era albums ('' Low'', '' "Heroes"'', ''The Idiot'' and '' Lust for Life'') and produced Bow Wow Wow, the Human League (''Reproduction'') and Magazine (''Secondhand Daylight''), the band knew that he was the right choice; Thurston was happy to work with Duran Duran after hearing the demo of "Girls on Film". John later said, "Colin was absolutely the right producer for us. He knew how to take what was best about us and magnify it, and boy, did he take our sound to another level." Thurston initially booked a month at London's Abbey Road Studios, but initial work was insufficient; recording moved to West London's Red Bus Studios, a favourite of his. "Planet Earth" was chosen as the debut single with "Late Bar" its B-side, so the single was tracked first and sent to pressing plants before the remaining tracks.

Recording began at a brisk pace, with all the rhythm tracks completed within two weeks. In his memoir, John Taylor identifies "Careless Memories", "Night Boat", "Anyone Out There", "To the Shore", "Faster than Light", "Tel Aviv" and what would become "Khanada" as recorded at Red Bus. Thurston gave each member individual attention with, according to John, "no preferential treatment". Andy Taylor later called him the band's best producer, who played a pivotal role in establishing the band's early sound: "This is where Duran Duran came to life. Colin was the filter that allowed us to come together as a whole." Rhodes became enthusiastic about music production, observing Thurston behind the mixing desk while the producer gave him insight into his methods. The band returned to Birmingham for a Christmas Eve show at the Cedar Club, after which Andy Taylor and Rhodes travelled back to London to mix "Planet Earth" with Thurston on Boxing Day at Utopia Studio. In addition to the album version, the band recorded an extended version of "Planet Earth" for use in nightclubs. The "night version" featured a longer middle section and a four-on-the-floor bass drum-driven intro, with additional percussion by Roger and slap bass by John. The "Gosport Horns" (Andy Hamilton on sax and Spike Edney on trombone) added, in John's words, "bluster and funk".

The sessions continued in January 1981 at Chipping Norton Recording Studios in Oxfordshire to record the guitar parts, keyboard overdubs and vocal tracks. The music was recorded quickly but the vocal tracks proved difficult, primarily due to Le Bon's inexperience; he initially struggled to sing in the studio due to the difference between singing live and singing into a microphone while wearing headphones. Andy later said, "Colin ... was a nice man, but he could be a bit pedantic. He was very rough on Simon and kept asking him to redo things." With the label adamant about recording at a frantic pace, Le Bon felt great pressure (particularly when EMI executives arrived to check on progress). The Berrows were initially concerned that they would have to replace Le Bon before Ambrose intervened, telling the singer: "You know it's your first album and everyone has got to find their feet. If you've never done it before you just have to take your time – and don't forget, it's all about the songs." Paul Berrow told Le Bon during a Rum Runner band meeting to stop drinking and smoking or he would be kicked out, and the singer obliged. Recording was finished after the band's first national tour.

Music and lyrics

The songs on ''Duran Duran'' present the band's wide range of influences, including Bowie, Ultravox, Roxy Music, Japan, Giorgio Moroder and Chic, for an album with a mixture of synthesiser-led pop tunes and more atmospheric experimental tracks. Andy Taylor later said, "We wrote the first album to kind of make up what we were going to be, what this futuristic sound was." Writer Annie Zaleski describes this sound as "space-age keyboards, post-punk guitars, disco-inspired bass lines and Le Bon's vocal croon." Malins finds the album "full of melodic, dance-floor synthesizer pop delivered with youthful flair and the odd arty twist", at times similar to the "disco-rock" of Blondie's " Call Me" and Japan's ''Quiet Life'' (1979). ''Billboard'' magazine noted its dance rhythms against a pervading "rock disco mix". Punk elements are present on "Planet Earth" and "Careless Memories".

Zaleski highlights the cohesive-yet-contrasting musical styles of Andy's guitars and Rhodes's synthesisers. Playing in a number of cover bands before joining Duran Duran, Andy's primary influences were heavy blues rock bands which included AC/DC and Van Halen. He later said, "ickwould do Eno and I would do Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page." John Taylor believes that Andy's influences were responsible for developing their sound and enabling them to break out in America. Malins notes that the album has no guitar solos; Andy contributes "melodic and punchy" work, particularly on "Girls on Film" and "Friends of Mine". In addition to their instruments, the band incorporated additional sounds into some tracks: the sound of Paul Berrow's Nikon camera opening "Girls on Film"; foghorns, humming motors and buoy bells on "Night Boat", and a string section conducted by Richard Myhill at AIR Studios on the instrumental "Tel Aviv".

Le Bon's cryptic lyrics cover a variety of subjects, from youthful torment and confusion to the band's goals and ambitions. The sexually exploitative "Girls on Film" is a critique of modeling culture, and "Sound of Thunder" tells the story of a man who begins World War III. "Friends of Mine" social commentary includes a line celebrating the release of George Davis, an armed robber who was the subject of a cause célèbre. "Planet Earth" briefly acknowledges the band's association with the New Romantic movement, which Rhodes later called a form of irony. According to music journalist Stephen Davis, some fans believed that the song (with lines such as "there's no sign of life") was about the arrival of aliens; Le Bon later said that it may have been about the moment a child is born. In his memoir, John Taylor called "Planet Earth" "a celebration of youth, of the possibility of youth, about feeling good to be alive". Lost love and angst are explored on "Anyone Out There" and "Night Boat", respectively; "To the Shore" is a power ballad filled with, according to Davis, lyrical neologisms such as "gorging your sanhedralites". Le Bon shouts at one point during "Careless Memories". In his book, ''Please Please Tell Me Now'', Davis writes: "the fear of whispers and unwanted thoughts gives depth to the anxious lyrics, and Simon Le Bon sounds harsh and bitter notes that wouldn't be heard from this band again for a long time."

Release and promotion

"Planet Earth", backed with "Late Bar", was released as the group's debut single on 2February 1981. Its artwork was designed by Malcolm Garrett, who would design the band's album covers, singles and memorabilia for the next five years. The single received mixed reviews and, to the band's dismay, missed the top ten on the UK Singles Chart (peaking at number 12). However, its chart position earned them an appearance on BBC
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