Duran Duran – Gen X Playlist

Duran Duran Inducted Into Rock Hall of Fame (2022)

Duran Duran Inducted Into Rock Hall of Fame (2022)

Simon Le Bon on Duran Duran’s Rock Hall Induction: ‘We Are Over the Moon’

“I was in shock and disbelief,” he told us about learning Duran Duran had made it in. “I mean, we’re Duran Duran. We’re always the bridesmaid, never the bride”

By Andy Greene
May 6, 2022

Duran Duran won the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame fan vote by an extremely healthy margin, but Simon Le Bon was skeptical they’d actually make it in until the day he learned it was official. duranDuran

“I was in shock and disbelief,” he tells Rolling Stone via Zoom from Italy. “I mean, we’re Duran Duran. We’re always the bridesmaid, never the bride. And we looked over the list of names and thought we didn’t really have a hope in hell.”

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Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon reflects on the ‘Future Past’ (released October 2021)

Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon reflects on the ‘Future Past’ (released October 2021)

Visit Duran Duran’s Official You Tube Channel

Out Now: Duran Duran Marches Forward with a Familiar, Fresh Approach on New Album ‘Future Past’ (Listen)

Duran Duran Keep Their Feet on the Dance Floor With “Future Past”

More than 40 years after first forming, the famed and influential British rock band are still tight-knit. When the four members—singer Simon Le Bon, keyboardist Nick Rhodes, bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor—get together in a room, as they did during a recent visit to New York to promote their forthcoming album, Future Past, the camaraderie and joking among them is more what you’d expect more from best friends than workmates.

Duran Duran’s 15th studio album ‘Future Past’

NPR’s former Weekend Edition host Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes about the band’s new album, “Future Past.”

Falling for Duran Duran’s “Future Past,” which reflects the band’s signature ingenuity and sentiment

The new “Future Past,” Duran Duran’s 15th studio album, naturally reflects this accumulated growth and sophistication. Like the best Duran Duran albums, the full-length is an immersive, cohesive statement with a meticulous sequence that takes listeners on a journey.

Yet the guiding principle of “Future Past” remains the same as it’s been for nearly every Duran Duran album: explore the kind of new sounds and ideas that can send the band tumbling toward the future.

Over the years, Duran Duran have achieved this goal by consistently working with collaborators fond of reshaping pop music — to name a few, producers like Colin Thurston, Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson, and musicians such as Justin Timberlake and Janelle Monae.

“Future Past” is no exception.

In the studio, Duran Duran recorded with guitarist Graham Coxon, who cut his teeth in Britpop shapeshifters Blur and is known for adventurous solo work. Coxon is a good match for Duran Duran:
He’s a cerebral player who knows his way around both jagged discord and beautiful melody, meaning he can conjure up razor-sharp accents on “Invisible” or add more delicate shading on the soft-glow title track.

Future Past is a Great New Album by an Old Band

That has changed. Duran Duran’s new record Future Past is a great album—and I do mean album, as in a suite songs that forms a vision, has a personality and takes you on a spiritual journey.

While artists like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande strive to produce records of “all killer no filler,” which translates into an hour of hook-filled singles about love, resentment and self-empowerment, Duran Duran are after something greater.

This record takes chances and asks the listener for a commitment. It can be a challenging. It’s also brimming with passion, which is different from sex.

It’s a wonderful irony—Duran Duran, the collective that was all about slick videos and shiny surfaces, has made a record of genuine soul and feeling.

REVIEW: Duran Duran travels between musical eras on ‘Future Past’

For the release of the band’s 15th studio album, Future Past, Duran Duran looked to fuse old and new, and no more is that present than on opening track “Invisible.”

The song takes infectious guitar and bass riffs and lays them down with big beats and atmospheric layers.

Worth checking out is a companion film that accompanies the song; a collaboration with the artificial intelligence brain Huxley to create a visual. It’s that mindset that helped shaped the creation of the band’s latest effort.

Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon reflects on the ‘Future Past’

January 7, 2022

Duran Duran have always been looking forward while not forgetting their past. Their fifteenth studio album, appropriately titled Future Past, has all the signature sounds; bouncy synths, melodic hooks and the ageless voice of lead singer Simon Le Bon.

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Duran Duran’s “Rio” Turns 39 Years Old (2021)

Duran Duran’s “Rio” Turns 39 Years Old (2021)

Some sources are stating its 40th anniversary will be coming up, while other say it’s 39.

Duran Duran was really popular when I was in junior high school, and remained fairly popular up through my sophomore or junior year of high school.

While I did (and still do) love much of Duran Duran’s music, I was more of an A-ha fan back in the day (I had a big crush on lead singer Morten Harket).

I remember that the teen media back then were always trying to pit A-ha against Duran Duran, which I found strange, because even though A-ha was my favorite, I liked Duran Duran too.

Below, an assortment of links to articles about the album’s anniversary.

Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ LP Turns Almost Forty in 2021, as GenX Swoons

Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ At 39: Listen, Read—And Sip

Excerpts:

by Amanda Schuster

… This year, the band’s second, platinum-selling album, Rio, celebrates its 39th anniversary. It delivered massive hits such as “Hungry Like the Wolf”, “Save a Prayer” and “Rio” that still sound fresh and invigorating. The groundbreaking record also included brooding tracks like ”Lonely In Your Nightmare,” “The Chauffeur” and “New Religion”.

A new book by music journalist Annie Zaleski, Duran Duran’s Rio (33 ⅓ Book 156), details what brought this beloved record to life. Through research and interviews with current band members—Simon LeBon (lead vocals), Nick Rhodes (synthesizer), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums)—plus departed guitarist Andy Taylor (suggested alternate band name: Unrelated Taylors), various studio musicians, video directors and other assorted players, a compelling behind the scenes story unfolds.

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Duran Duran – Music Suggestions (1980s – 1998)

Duran Duran – Music Suggestions (1980s – 1998)

For this post, my familiarity with Duran Duran’s music runs from the 1980s to the late 1990s album “Medazzaland,” though I’m a bit fuzzy on their work after the mid or late 1980s.

(Perhaps in the future I will get around to listening to their post-1997 work and write up a part 2, if I find myself wanting to recommend their newer work or if I have the time.)

Back when I was in junior high school, Duran Duran was huge – at least among girls – though I suspect that some guys liked their music but were too embarrassed to admit it, because Duran Duran was sort of considered to be a band for girls.

When my older brother was in his 20s, he bought the Duran Duran greatest hits CD (this was before the internet, streaming, and downloading mp3s online – the Duran Duran Greatest Hits CD album art is pictured to the left…)

Anyway, I was not a Duranie per se (but I was a huge fan of their rival, Norwegian band A-Ha). I mean, I liked Duran Duran’s music just fine in the 80s, but I did not have a crush on any of the band members, as so many other girls did.

I recall, when I was in junior high, on many mornings on the school bus hearing two big Duranies get into heated arguments over which band member was cutest: one girl insisted it was John Taylor, and the other one felt quite strongly it was Simon LeBon.

Anyway, if you were a kid or a teen in the 1980s, you probably remember a lot of Duran Duran’s songs and videos from their “Rio” album (released in 1982; view Wikipedia’s page on the album), such as “Rio,” (link to that on You Tube) “Save A Prayer,” and “Hungry Like The Wolf.”

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