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Nick Rhodes and John Taylor form Duran Duran in the late 70s.
1978 line up: Stephen Duffy (vocals and bass), John Taylor (guitar), Simon Colley (bass and clarinet), Nick Rhodes (synthesizers, tape and rhythm machines)
1979 line up 1: Andy Wickett (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums), Alan Curtis (guitar), Nick Rhodes (synthesizers)
1979 line up 2: Jeff Thomas (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums), Alan Curtis (guitar), Nick Rhodes (synthesizers)
1980 line up: Simon Le Bon (vocals), John Taylor (bass), Roger Taylor (drums), Andy Taylor (guitar), Nick Rhodes (synthesizers)
In early 1980, the band bring their demo tapes to Paul & Michael Berrow, who run the Rum Runner night club. The brothers agree to give the band rehearsal space and jobs in the club so they wouldn’t have to take day jobs. (John works the door, Nick DJs, Roger works as Busboy).
In April, 1980, Duran Duran take out an advert in Melody Maker music magazine for a “Live-Wire Guitarist.” Andy Taylor answers the ad, auditions and impresses Nick, John and Roger with his talent and professional experience, having toured Europe as a teen. He gets the job and moves from his hometown of Newcastle to Birmingham, where the band is based.
A bar maid at Rum Runner recommends her ex-boyfriend as lead singer for Duran Duran. Simon Le Bon shows up to his May, 1980 audition in pink leopard-skin trousers. He wins over the band with his showmanship and book of lyrics they feel fit perfectly with their songs. The book has the name of his previous band on the cover (ROV OSTROV). The lyrics to the song which would eventually become “The Chauffeur” are in that notebook.
The band write their first ever song together at the Rum Runner, “Sound of Thunder.”
The Berrow brothers form a company Tritec Music (named after the triangular-themed bar inside the club) in June, 1980. The band sign a Production deal with the Berrows, who also become their managers.
Duran Duran (classic line up) play their first show together on July 9, 1980 at The Rum Runner, Birmingham, England.
Kahn and Bell design clothes for bands early performances.
Duran Duran go in to the studio to record “Girls on Film” and “Tel Aviv” (which is a completely different version than the instrumental featured on their debut album) at AIR Studios in London
Betty Page of Sounds magazine writes the first National article about the band, classifying them as part of the New Romantic movement.
Simon Le Bon drops out of University to perform with Duran Duran full time.
Duran Duran record demos with Producer Bob Lamb, which include the songs “Planet Earth” and “Is There Anyone Out There.”
The band do a photo session with photographer Andy Earl in Milton Keynes; one of his photos is used as the 12" cover photo for "Planet Earth."
Duran Duran plan to independently release a 45rpm single with “Planet Earth” and “Is There Anyone Out There” on the Tritec Music label; they print 5,000 labels with a new logo designed by John Warwicker.
John Warwicker designs a triangular shaped Duran Duran poster that are plastered all over the city centre of Birmingham.
Duran Duran get the support slot with Hazel O’Connor and are on the road from November until early December, 1980. The band start to get encores and the girls in the audience are starting to scream.
The tour reaches London where Hazel’s show at the Dominion Theatre is recorded. Simon joins her on stage and sings backing vocals on her encore performance of the David Bowie song “Suffragette City.” This is later released as a B-Side to one of her singles.
While on tour with O’Connor, a bidding war erupts between Phonogram and EMI to sign Duran Duran; the band eventually sign with EMI records, persuaded by A&R man Dave Ambrose, who had signed The Sex Pistols and Kate Bush
Duran Duran return to Birmingham and record more demos for their first album at Bob Lamb’s studio.
The Band play some more UK dates and prepare to go into the Studio with Producer Colin Thurston, who had previously worked as an engineer with David Bowie and Iggy Pop, as well as having produced the first Human League album. They record at Red Bus Studios, London and Chipping Norton Studios in Oxfordshire, as well as trying out Abbey Road for a few days. The debut Duran Duran album is mixed at Utopia Studios.
Paul Edmond does a photo session at the studio in Chipping Norton.
Duran Duran end the year 1980 by unknowingly ushering in a new trend – they film the video for "Planet Earth" at St. Johns Wood with Russell Mulcahy and the video for "Careless Memories" in Soho, which is directed by Perry Haines and Terry Jones.
1979-1980 Tour Dates:
April 5, 1979 Polytechnic Dept of Foundation Studies, Birmingham, UK
May 29, 1979 Cannon Hill, Hexagon Theatre, Birmingham, UK
June 1, 1979 Barbarellas, Birmingham, UK
October 11, 1979 Golden Eagle, Hill Street, Birmingham, UK
November 13, 1979 University, Cellar Bar, Birmingham, UK
November 14, 1979 University, Cellar Bar, Birmingham, UK
November 18, 1979 Red Star Club, Essex Street, Birmingham, UK
December 15, 1979 Bewdley, Little Lakes Caravan Park, Worcester, UK
February 1, 1980, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
February 18, 1980 Nashville, Kensington, London, UK
March 12, 1980 Rum Runner, Broad Street, Birmingham, UK
July 16, 1980 Rum Runner, Broad Street, Birmingham, UK
July 19, 1980 Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, UK
July 22, 1980 Holy City Zoo, Birmingham, UK
August 6, 1980 Rum Runner, Broad Street, Birmingham, UK
September 16, 1980 Hostaria Wine Bar, Hurst Street, Birmingham, UK
October 3, 1980 Aston University, Birmingham, UK
October 4, 1980 Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, UK
October 9, 1980 Lyceum, London
October 22, 1980 Holy City Zoo, Birmingham, UK
October 24, 1980 Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, UK
November 9, 1980 Maquee, London, UK
November 18 Top Rank, Cardiff, UK
November 19, 1980 Apollo, Manchester, UK
November 21, 1980 Polytechnic, Sheffield, UK
November 22, 1980 Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
November 23, 1980 Colston Hall, Bristol, UK
November 24, 1980 Top Rank, Reading, UK
November 27, 1980 Odeon, Birmingham, UK
November 28, 1980 University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
November 29, 1980 Odeon, Edinburgh, UK
December 1, 1980 City Hall, Newcastle, UK
December 2, 1980 de Montfort Hall, Leicester, UK
December 3, 1980, University, Leeds, UK
December 4, 1980 University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
December 6, 1980 Dominion Theatre, London, UK
December 11, 1980 The Venue, London
December 22, 1980 Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, UK
The band record an appearance on the Richard Skinner Sessions on BBC; they perform “Sound of Thunder,” “Is There Anyone Out There,” “Friends of Mine,” and “Careless Memories.” The BBC later airs a three-minute profile on Duran Duran.
Duran Duran perform at The Sundown Club in London.
Duran Duran's first single, “Planet Earth” (with B-Side “Late Bar”) is released in UK. The “Planet Earth” single (with B-Side “To The Shore”) is released in America. The band’s first single hits #12 on the UK charts and #8 on the Australian charts.
Finn Costello shoots the cover for the first album.
Duran Duran begin their first headlining tour of the UK, in support of the the album.
In March the band perform “Planet Earth,” “Careless Memories” and “Girls on Film” on the Midlands (UK) music show LOOK HEAR!
The band play “Planet Earth” on Noel Edmonds’s Multi-Coloured Swap Shop Saturday TV show.
Duran Duran perform on BBC’s Top of the Pops for the first time on March 19, 1981 with a performance of “Planet Earth.”
Duran Duran support their album in the UK with concerts at Aston University (Birmingham), Brady’s Club (Liverpool), Manchester Polytechnic, Sundown Club (London), Rock City (Nottingham), Top Rank (Cardiff), Leicester Polytechnic (Leicester) and Top Rank (Sheffield).
In April “Careless Memories” (with B-side “Khanada”) is released in UK; the 12" single includes a cover of David Bowie's “Fame.”
Duran Duran perform “Careless Memories” on Top of the Pops.
In May, Duran Duran appear on their first magazine cover Smash Hits UK.
The Nite Romantics EP is released in Japan, containing Night versions of “Planet Earth” and “Girls On Film” along with “Fame” and “Khanada.”
Duran Duran fly to America for the first time for their North American Club Tour. The first date of the tour is at Spit in Long Island, NY. Among the tour stops are 4 performances at the Roxy in Los Angeles and 2 shows at the Ritz in New York City.
The band’s eponymous debut is released worldwide; the first US pressing did not include “To The Shore.”
The band appear on The Peter Powell Show on BBC Radio One, performing “Nightboat,” “Girls on Film,” “Is There Anyone Out There” and “Like An Angel.”
The Duran Duran album peaks at #3 in UK; remains in the charts for 118 weeks.
The band begin the “Faster Than Light” tour of the UK with dates that include the Brighton Dome, Gaumont (Southampton), Rock City (Nottingham), Apollo (Manchester), City Hall (Newcastle), Tiffany’s (Glasgow), Odeon (Edinburgh), Royal Court Theatre (Liverpool), Hammersmith Odeon (London), New Theatre (Oxford) and the Birmingham Odeon.
The “Girls on Film” single (with B-Side “Faster Than Light”) is released worldwide in July.
Duran Duran make a third appearance on Top of the Pops, performing “Girls on Film.”
The band film the “Girls on Film” video at Shepperton Studios on August 13th with directors Kevin Godley and Lol Crème; Antony Price designs the clothing the band wears in the video. The song becomes the world’s first extended video, edited to the Night Version of the song. Due to it’s “x-rated” content, the video is banned by both MTV and the BBC.
Duran Duran begin International promotion to support their first record, visiting and performing in Belgium, France, Sweden, Netherlands and Germany. Bus loads of fans from the UK came to support the band on their date in Paris.
WLIR on Long Island become the first US station to play Duran Duran.
Duran Duran fly to America in September for their first headline tour of North America. Dates include The Channel (Boston), Bayou Theatre (Washington, DC), Eastside Club (Philadelphia), Le Club Montreal, El Macambo (Toronto), First Avenue (Minnesota), Parkwest (Chicago), The Metro (Boston), Nitro (Detroit), Pirate’s Cove (Cleveland), Park West (Chicago), I Beam (San Francisco), Peppermint Lounge (New York City) and Danceteria (New York City).
Andy Warhol brings Duran Duran to The Factory.
Duran Duran perform at the Underground Club at The Savoy, New York City. Andy Warhol attends. He later takes the band to Studio 54.
The band do a record signing at Vinyl Fetish in Hollywood, CA.
Simon, Nick, John & Roger do an interview with Rodney Bingenheimer on KROQ radio, Los Angeles.
Before leaving America, Duran Duran visit with MTV, who had a staff of 16 people at the time. They discuss airing their videos and future programming ideas.
Duran Duran begin their first headlining tour of Germany; dates included Die Wartburg (Wiesbaden), Markthalle (Hamburg), Ballroom Blitz (Hannover), Kant Kino (Berlin) and more.
In November, EMI present the band with their Gold and Silver discs in recognition of sales for the Duran Duran album.
The “My Own Way” single (with B-Side “Like An Angel”) is released as a stand-alone single worldwide, (ex-US) in November. The single was designed to capitalize on the Top 5 success of "Girls on Film.” The 7" single and 12" versions were recorded in October 1981 with Colin Thurston, well before the rest of the Rio album, where the song would later appear. "My Own Way" was another hit, reaching #14 on the UK Singles Chart, and in Australia, where it became Duran Duran's second Top 10 hit at #10. Malcolm Garrett and Peter Saville designed the cover artwork.
The band perform “Girls on Film” on Rock Pop Germany.
Duran Duran perform at the Chichester Festival. The performance is filmed for television.
The “Careless Memories Tour”' begin on November 29th at Gaumont, Southampton, England.
Duran Duran perform “My Own Way” on Top of the Pops.
The band end the year at home in England with performances at Hammersmith Odeon, London and 3 shows with band Talk Talk supporting at the Odeon, Birmingham.
Duran Duran’s Night Versions EP, including "Girls on Film" and "Planet Earth,” is released in Australia.
The band perform "Anyone Out There" and “Nightboat” live on Old Grey Whistle Test in England.
The first broadcast of Off the Record, a Duran Duran concert recorded at Chichester Festival in November 1981, airs on TV.
Duran Duran is nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the British Rock & Pop Awards; they perform "Girls on Film" and "My Own Way" at the show.
The band begin recording the Rio album at Air Studios, London with producer Colin Thurston. Paul McCartney is in another one of the Studios with George Martin and the band Japan are also recording an album there at this time.
Artist Patrick Nagel is commissioned to create a painting for the cover of Rio. He makes two images for the band to choose from, one is used for the album, the other is only ever seen on the Japanese single issue of "My Own Way."
The band and their management agree to hire director Russell Mulcahy, who directed "Planet Earth," to work on several more videos. It is Russell and Producer Eric Fellner who suggest the band shoot on location in Sri Lanka.
Duran Duran commission director Ian Eames to make a short black and white film to accompany the song “The Chauffeur.” The band elect not to appear in the video. It is a highly stylized clop inspired by the images of photographer Helmut Newton.
Duran Duran film the video for "My Own Way" in St. Johns Wood; Russell Mulcahy directs.
Nick stays behind in London to complete the final mixes on the Rio album, while the other band members fly off to commence work on the videos in Sri Lanka. He catch up with them several days later, bringing a cassette of the finished album with him.
In Sri Lanka Duran Duran film videos for “Hungry Like The Wolf,” “Save a Prayer,” and “Lonely in Your Nightmare.”
Duran Duran tour Australasia for the first time behind the Rio album. All dates are sold out.
Duran Duran and Director Russell Mulcahy fly to Antigua to film the "Rio" and “Nightboat” videos.
Duran Duran perform “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Lonely in Your Nightmare” and “Hold Back the Rain” on Peter Powell's Get Set for Summer show in the UK.
Due to Andy's illness from Malaria, the European dates for June and July are postponed.
The "Hungry Like the Wolf" single is released with the B-Side "Careless Memories (Live)."
Duran performs “Hungry Like the Wolf” on Top of the Pops.
Duran Duran perform “Hungry Like the Wolf” on Dance Fever.
Rio is released worldwide on EMI, May 10/11. In the US, the album comes out on the Harvest label.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" hits #5 on the UK Singles Chart.
Rio album reaches #2 in UK.
The band return to North America to support the release of Rio; dates include The Meadowbrook (New Jersey), Ontario Theatre (Washington, DC), Pier 42 (New York City), Mann Music Center (Philadelphia), North Stage Theatre (Long Island), Chance (New York City), Peppermint Lounge (New York City), Paradise (Boston), Le Club (Montreal), Concert Hall (Toronto), Heaven (Pittsburgh), Clutch Cargo (Detroit), Parkwest (Chicago), Palms (Milwaukee), 1st Avenue (Minneapolis), Playhouse (Winnipeg), Dinwoodie Lounge (Edmonton), McEwan Hall (Calgary), Commodore Ballroom (Vancouver), Showbox Theatre (Seattle), Kabuki Theatre (San Francisco) and The Greek Theatre (Los Angeles).
Andy Taylor marries the band’s hairdresser, Tracey Wilson at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles, CA.
Duran Duran get the opening slot on Blondie’s Tracks Across America tour. The CNE venue in Toronto has over 30,000 fans in the audience, the largest the band have ever played to up to this point. They get an unexpected encore but have played all of their songs so they have to repeat one of them.
Simon and Nick film commercial for MTV.
Duran Duran perform “Save a Prayer” on Top of the Pops.
“Save a Prayer” reaches #2 on the UK Charts.
Duran Duran begin working with David Kershenbaum in Los Angeles on remixes of several tracks from Rio for the Carnival EP to be released in America, Japan and several other countries.
The Carnival EP is released. Each territory had a different selection of 4 songs (except Japan, who had 5 tracks) with Night Versions.
US Radio begin playing dance versions from the Carnival EP.
The band play rescheduled shows including Draken Theatre (Stockholm), Drammenshallen (Oslo), Turku Concert House (Finland), Falkoner Theatre (Copenhagen), Rotation (Hannover), Zeche (Bochum), Trinity (Hamburg), Sektor (Berlin), Oz (Stuttgart), Music Center (Utrecht), Brielpoort (Deinze), Le Palace (Paris) and more.
The initial success of the Kershenbaum remixes spurs Capitol Records to issue a re-mixed and re-mastered version of the Rio album for North America featuring the David Kershenbaum remixes.
The single for “Rio” is released worldwide with the B-Side “The Chauffeur (Sing Blue Silver).” The single version for US, France and Germany has the B-Side “Hold Back the Rain.”
Duran Duran embark on a sold-out 25-date tour of the UK; dates include Caird Hall (Dundee), Apollo (Glasgow), Edinburgh Playhouse (Edinburgh), 2 nights at the Hammerstein Odeon (London; where Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel joins them on stage for “(Come Up and See Me) Make Me Smile” ), 2 nights Apollo (Manchester), De Montfort Hall (Leicester), 2 nights at the Empire Theatre (Liverpool), 2 nights at City Hall (Newcastle), 4 nights at the Odeon (Birmingham) and more.
Duran Duran perform “Rio” on Top of the Pops.
The band are interviewed by Paula Yates for the TV Programme The Tube.
“Rio” single reaches at #9 on the UK charts
The “Hungry Like The Wolf” single (Kershembaum remix) is re-released in US.
Duran records “Is There Something I Should Know,” at Good Earth Studios in Soho, London. The band produce the song with Ian Little. It is mixed by Bob Clearmountain in New York, but the band decide the sound is not exactly what they are looking for and hire Producer Alex Sadkin to remix the masters in London at RAK Studios.
MTV places “Hungry like the Wolf,” on maximum rotation; it goes on to become one of the most played videos ever.
Duran Duran break the US, with “Hungry Like The Wolf” reaching #3 on the US charts.
Duran Duran perform on MTV's Rockin’ Eve New Year’s show at The Palladium in New York City.
Princess Diana declares Duran Duran her favorite band.
Duran Duran’s Mega-Mixes is released in Germany.
The band are awarded Best Album and Best Group, and Simon is awarded Best Male Vocalist, at the British Rock & Pop Awards.
John appears as panelist on the Pop Quiz game show in UK.
John is featured on Rockschool, demonstrating the “Planet Earth” bass line; the show includes an interview with Chic’s Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers.
Nick produces the Kajagoogoo album White Feathers at Chipping Norton and Utopia studios, with Colin Thurston. The single “Too Shy” reaches #1 in the UK.
Simon, Nick and Andy appear on the television programme Saturday Superstore in the UK.
Rio album goes Gold in the UK.
Duran Duran’s Video Album is released on VHS, Beta, and laserdisc.
“Is There Something I Should Know” is released as a standalone single around the world except in US; It goes straight in to the UK chart at #1, becoming the only the 4th single in history to accomplish that feat.
Duran Duran fly to New York City and perform “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “Girls on Film” on Saturday Night Live.
“Hungry Like The Wolf” peaks at #1 in Canada.
Duran Duran’s Video 45 with videos for “Girls on Film” and “Hungry Like The Wolf” is released in US. The VHS contains the MTV-friendly version of “Girls on Film”, while the Beta format has the uncensored Night Version.
At a video signing at the Video Shack in Times Square in New York City, the band is mobbed; twelve mounted police are called in to break up the crowd and the band have to be smuggled out the back of the shop. John, Roger and Nick are interviewed by New York's Channel 7/ABC News about the mob scene at the signing.
“Rio” single ( Kershenbaum 7" remix) is re-released in US, B-Side “Hold Back The Rain (remix).”
Duran Duran Duran perform “Is There Something I Should Know” on Top of the Pops.
Duran Duran Duran perform “Is There Something I Should Know” on the Kenny Everett Video Show.
Duran Duran Duran perform “Is There Something I Should Know” on the Riverside Show.
The band’s first album is repackaged with “Is There Something I Should Know” and re-released worldwide (“ITSISK” has replaced “To the Shore”). This release also becomes the first Duran Duran album available on CD.
Rio goes platinum in the USA.
Simon and Nick are Guest VJs on MTV; Andy Warhol stop by as their guest; the rest of the band appears at the end to present a Rio album to MTV as a thank you for helping them break in America.
The re-release of Duran Duran album reaches #10 on the US Charts.
The band begin writing their third album; several demo tracks are recorded.
The single “Is There Something I Should Know”is released in US with the B-Side “Careless Memories.”
Duran Duran start recording their third album at George Martin's Air Studios in Montserrat.
“Is There Something I Should Know” reaches #4 on the US Charts.
Duran Duran perform for the Prince’s Trust at the: Old Dominion Theatre, London, England. Princess Diana, who loved the band, and Prince Charles were in attendance. It was later discovered that the IRA had planned, but failed, to blow up the theatre in an assassination attempt on the Royals.
The re-released Duran Duran album goes Gold in the US .
Duran Duran perform at the Aston Villa Football Grounds, Birmingham, England to raise money for MENCAP charity. When it is discovered that the financial goal of the charity wasn’t reached, the band and their manager donate a huge sum of money to the charity.
After another stay recording in Montserrat, the band finish recording and mixing at 301 Studios, Sydney, Australia with Producer Alex Sadkin.
Duran Duran film the video for “Union of the Snake” near Sydney using 35mm film; Once again, Russell Mulcahy is the Director.
Simon and Nick work at mixing “Union of the Snake,” up until delivery, leaving themselves only 24 hours to write, record and mix “Secret Oktober” for the B-side.
The band decide to fly in a Bengal tiger to Australia for the photo shoot of the Seven and the Ragged Tiger cover.
In another first, the band decide to release the “Union of the Snake” video to MTV a week before radio receives the single, amid much protest from radio stations.
The “Union of the Snake” single is released worldwide with B-Side “Secret Oktober.”
John, Roger and Nick accept an award for "The Most Popular International Act" in Australia.
The band begin rehearsals for their first worldwide tour at the Sydney Showgrounds.
Duran Duran perform “Union of the Snake” on Top of the Pops.
“Union of the Snake” reaches #3 on both the UK and US charts.
The SING BLUE SILVER Tour begins in Australia. All dates are sold out:
National Indoor Sports Centre, Canberra, Australia
Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney, Australia
Festival Hall, Brisbane, Australia – 2 nights
Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Center, Melbourne, Australia – 2 d nights
Memorial Drive Tennis Courts, Adelaide, Australia
Entertainments Centre, Perth, Australia
Seven and the Ragged Tiger released worldwide; the album enters the UK charts at #1.
SING BLUE SILVER tour comes to the UK:
Apollo, Manchester, England – 2 nights
Queens Hall, Leeds, England – 2 nights
Royal Highland Exhibition Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England – 2 nights; show is filmed for The Tube TV show, along with interviews with Simon, Nick and John
Brighton Centre, Brighton, England – 2 nights
Wembley Arena, London, England – 5 nights
Duran Duran film the video for “New Moon on Monday” in Noyers, Bercy, and Paris, France. They make both a short and long version of the video.
The single “New Moon on Monday” is released worldwide, with the B-Side “Tiger Tiger.”
Seven and the Ragged Tiger goes both Gold and Platinum in the same week.
The SING BLUE SILVER tour continues as Duran Duran becomes the first act to utilize live video cameras and screens in their show. They break every existing merchandise record during this tour.
SING BLUE SILVER tour of Japan; dates include:
Sendai Sports Centre, Sendai, Japan
Budokan, Tokyo, Japan
International Exhibition Hall, Nagoya, Japan
Fukuoka International Centre, Fukuoka, Japan
Castle Sports Centre, Osaka, Japan
Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – 2 Nights
Russell Mulcahy begins to gather together a crew together to film the Sing Blue Silver documentary about the band’s North American tour.
Duran Duran’s full stage is set up at the Saddle Dome in Calgary two days ahead of time for technical run-throughs before the first North American date.
SING BLUE SILVER tour North America; dates include:
Saddle Dome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington
Lawlor Arena, Reno, Nevada
The Forum, Los Angeles, California – 2 Nights
Arizona State University Activity Center, Tempe, Arizona
Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas
Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas
The Summit, Houston, Texas
Louisiana State University Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri
Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
Dane Co. Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin
Rosemont Horizon, Chicago, Illinois- 2 nights
Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, Ohio
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
WVU Coliseum, Morgantown, West Virginia
Roanoke Coliseum, Roanoke, Virginia
Syracuse Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York
The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (portions of the video for “The Reflex” are filmed during the show; “Cracks In The Pavement” recorded at this show later used as B-side to “The Wild Boys.”)
The Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Civic Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Worcester Centrum, Worcester, Massachusetts – 2 Nights
Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York – 2 Nights, one of which is broadcast live on Westwood One radio; the band’s families fly in from England to attend these shows.
Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, South Carolina,
Jacksonville Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, Florida
Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood, Florida
The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
Greensboro Coliseum , Greensboro, North Carolina
Civic Center, Charleston, West Virginia
Capitol Center, Largo, Maryland
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
Myriad Convention Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, CA – 3 Nights
San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA – 2 Nights
Duran Duran grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, where they are dubbed the “Fab Five.”
Duran Duran perform “New Moon on Monday” on Top of the Pops.
Simon and Andy are interviewed on Solid Gold, a TV dance show in the US.
Artist Patrick Nagel, who created the iconic cover for the Rio album dies of a heart attack at the age of 38.
The band holds a press conference at the Magic Castle club in Hollywood, California with an estimated 150 journalists in attendance.
The extended “New Moon On Monday” video premieres on MTV; the network soon switches to the shorter version.
Duran Duran are made honorary citizens of Texas while performing in Austin.
Duran Duran is awarded two Grammy Awards for “Best Short Form Video” (”Girls on Film”/”Hungry Like The Wolf” Video 45) and “Best Long Form Video” (Duran Duran Video Album); the band, performing in Pittsburgh, is unable to attend.
Capitol Records hold a major press conference in New York City; to preserve his voice, Simon does not attend.
“The Reflex” single released in the United States, with B-Side “New Religion (live).”
The band begin production on the film Arena, with concert sequences filmed in Oakland.
“The Reflex” single released in UK, with B-Side “Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile).”
The band finish their North American SING BLUE SILVER tour and fly back to London.
“The Reflex” reaches at #1 in the US, becoming the band's first Number One single in America.
Duran Duran perform “The Reflex” on Top of the Pops.
“The Reflex” reaches #1 in UK.
Duran Duran make promotional appearances in Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Italy and more.
The band appear on the UK Game Show Pop Quiz, where John is the team leader. The band compete against Spandau Ballet and win.
The Tiger Tiger! EP is released in Japan with the songs “The Reflex,” “Union of the Snake,” “New Moon on the Monday,” “Is There Something I Should Know” and “Tiger Tiger.”
Additional crowd and concert footage for Arena is filmed at the Birmingham National Exhibition Center; 2,000 free tickets are given away via Birmingham Evening Mail and London Standard newspapers.
Studio footage for Arena is filmed at Twickenham Studios in West London.
Duran Duran record “The Wild Boys” single for their live album Arena at Maison Rouge studios in southwest London with Nile Rodgers producing.
Simon and Andy perform backup vocals for Sister Sledge’s “Lost In Music” since Nile is producing their album as well.
The video for “The Wild Boys,” and additional studio footage for Arena, is filmed in London; actor Milo O'Shea, who played Dr. Duran Duran in the film Barbarella appears in the Arena footage.
John runs into James Bond film producer Cubby Broccoli at a party and suggests Duran Duran to write and record the next Bond theme.
Simon and Nick attend the MTV Video Awards and present Cindi Lauper with the Best Female Music Video Award for "Girls Just Want To Have Fun."
The Dancing on the Valentine video EP is released with videos for “Union of the Snake,” “The Reflex” and “New Moon On Monday.”
“The Wild Boys” single is released with B-Side “Cracks in the Pavement (live).”
The band perform “The Wild Boys” on Top of the Pops.
Duran Duran’s Arena live album is released worldwide.
“The Wild Boys” single reaches #2 in both the UK and the US.
The band’s documentary on their North American tour, Sing Blue Silver is released on VHS, Beta and laserdisc. The band also release Arena, a concept/concert film from the same tour.
As The Lights Go Down, a one-hour concert video created from the concert portion of Arena is shown on MTV along with an hour long version of Sing Blue Silver.
Nick releases Interference, an art book of Polaroid photos he took of television sets.
Arena reaches #6 on the UK charts.
For two days, Duran Duran participate in Bob Geldof and Midge Ure’s Band Aid project by recording “Do They Know It's Christmas” at Trevor Horn's Sarm West Studio in London. Simon is a featured vocalist.
Arena reaches #4 on the US charts.
“Do They Know It's Christmas” with B-Side “Feed The World” is released.
Duran Duran go to Spain on a promotional tour.
John and Andy become friendly with Chic drummer Tony Thompson, who in turn introduces them to Chic bassist (and John hero) Bernard Edwards, who is now a successful producer.
John, Andy and Tony record a demo of T-Rex’s “Bang a Gong” with the goal being that the three of them record an album together with different guest vocalists. Robert Palmer comes in to sing, and Producer Edwards is so blown away he suggests that they keep him as the vocalist for the entire project.
John, Andy, Tony and Robert dub themselves The Power Station after the New York City recording studio; Capitol/EMI sign the band.
“The Wild Boys” reaches #1 in Germany.
The Source syndicated radio show airs a one hour special live across America featuring tracks from Arena, a call in Q&A with Simon and Nick and the US premiere of “Do They Know It's Christmas.”
Sing Blue Silver premieres on British station ITV with an airing of As the Lights Go Down the following night.
The BBC air a special Christmas edition of Pop Quiz with Duran Duran once again defeating Spandau Ballet.
Simon and John attend the MTV New Year’s Eve bash and join Frankie Goes To Hollywood on stage to sing “Relax.”
Simon invests in the 77-foot maxi-yacht Drum along with managers Paul and Michael Berrow.
The “Save a Prayer (live)” single off of Arena, with B-Side “Save A Prayer” single edit, is released in the US. The video for the song will go on to become the reigning champ of MTV's Friday Night Video Fights.
Duran Duran win the BRIT Award for Best British Music Video for “The Wild Boys.”
The Power Station perform “Some Like It Hot” and “Bang A Gong” on Saturday Night Live; this turns out to be Robert Palmer's only live performance with the band.
Duran Duran performs “The Wild Boys” at the San Remo Festival in Italy. Simon appears with his foot injured and in a cast.
Power Station's “Some Like It Hot” single is released.
Power Station release their first album, 33 1/3.
John and Andy appear as guest VJs on MTV.
Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” is named International Hit of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards in London.
With John and Andy focusing on Power Station, Nick and Simon decide to record some tracks of their own. As the project takes shape, they invite Roger to join them.
Nick and Simon name their band Arcadia after the Latin phrase "et in arcadia ego."
Simon, Nick and Roger begin to record the Arcadia album, So Red The Rose, at Studio de la Grande Armee in Paris with producer Alex Sadkin and numerous musical guests, including Grace Jones, Sting, David Gilmour and Herbie Hancock.
So Red The Rose mixed at Soundworks Studio in New York City
Duran Duran and John Barry write the James Bond theme “A View to a Kill,” (for the film of the same name), which is recorded at Maison Rouge Studio and CTS Studio in London with a 60-piece orchestra.
“A View To A Kill” single released worldwide, with B-Side instrumental “A View To A Kill (That Fatal Kiss).”
Top of the Pops airs Duran Duran’s performance of “A View To A Kill”
“A View To A Kill” peaks at #1 in US, the first James Bond theme to do so.
“A View To A Kill” peaks at #2 in UK.
Duran Duran perform “A View to a Kill” at the Montreux Pop Festival, Montreux, Switzerland.
The “A View To A Kill” video is filmed at the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France. Footage from the film is interspersed within the video.
A View To A Kill Soundtrack released in US and Japan.
Robert Palmer decides not to tour with Power Station; Michael Des Barres becomes the lead singer as Power Station embark on a summer tour.
On July 13th, Duran Duran and Power Station both perform at Live Aid in America at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA.
Duran Duran’s performance of four songs (“A View to a Kill”, “Union of the Snake”, “Save a Prayer”, and “The Reflex”) results in what would become the band's final show with the original five members.
Simon’s boat Drum begins the Fastnet yacht race.
On August 11th, Drum capsizes three miles off Falmouth during a trial run at the Fastnet race; Simon and five other crew members are trapped underneath the hull before being rescued by the British Navy.
Nick makes an surprise appearance during the encore of a Power Station concert. He comes out during the performance and “sweeps” the stage with a broom.
Arcadia begin filming the video for “Election Day” in Paris, with director Roger Christian.
Power Station appear in an episode of Miami Vice, playing "Get It On" onstage during a scene in a nightclub.
Arcadia's “Election Day” single released (with B-Side “She's Moody and Grey, She's Mean and She's Restless”).
Arcadia's So Red The Rose is released worldwide on November 18, 1985; the album goes Platinum.
Simon and Nick make another appearance as guest VJs on MTV. Keith Haring stops by to paint the set.
Simon and Nick appear on the Rock Over London radio show.
Simon marries Yasmin Parvaneh in Oxford, England.
Roger announces he's leaving Duran Duran.
EMI releases the Rio album on CD in Germany. The CD uses an alternate version of "Hold Back The Rain," which all other CD releases will utilize until Rio gets digitally re-mastered in 2001.
Nick and Simon make an appearance on Wogan show on UK TV to promote Arcadia.
John records the single "I Do What I Do,” written by Michael Des Barres, for the film 9 1/2 Weeks.
Arcadia's "Goodbye Is Forever" single is released with B-Side "Missing".
Simon makes an appearance on the US TV special Disney's Living Seas.
Nick and Andy get together in Los Angeles to work on some songs for the band’s planned forthcoming album.
Simon joins Drum, which is competing in the Whitbread Race, in leaves Auckland.
Nick, along with Sheena Easton, presents the Song of the Year to Quincy Jones for “We are the World” at the Grammy Awards.
The Power Station "Video Album" is released.
The Making of Arena vhs is released in UK and Japan.
Drum arrives in Punta del Este, Uruguay, coming in second place.
Simon and Nick shoot the video for Arcadia’s "The Flame" in Spain; John appears briefly in the video.
In April of 1986, Duran Duran issue a press release about Roger's official departure from the band.
With Simon back on board, Drum returns to Portsmouth, finishing the Whitbread race third over the line.
Simon joins Nick and John in London to begins writing lyrics for what will be the Notorious album.
Duran Duran begin working at Westside Studios in London on the new record. They will eventually make the rounds to Abbey Road, Maison Rouge, Skyline and AIR Studios.
Wham! perform their final show at Wembley Arena; Simon performs "I'm Your Man" with George and Andrew.
Andy Taylor invites Terry Bozzio and Patrick O'Hearn to help on his solo project. At this point, Simon, Nick and John begin to realize Andy isn’t going to come back to the band.
Drummer Steve Ferrone begins working on the sessions for Notorious.
Notorious Producer Nile Rodgers performs on several guitar tracks on the album.
Simon records "Grey Lady Of The Sea" with Nick Wood; it is used for the documentary film on his yacht called Drum: The Journey of a Lifetime.
Andy releases a solo single "Take It Easy" from the film soundtrack for American Anthem. Shortly thereafter, he releases his first solo album, Thunder.
Atlantic Records releases Arcadia's "Say The Word" single from the Playing For Keeps movie soundtrack.
Andy Taylor definitively decides not to return to Duran Duran. Warren Cuccurullo, of Frank Zappa’s band and Missing Persons, becomes the band’s guitarist, adding to some tracks on Notorious.
Duran Duran film the video for the single “Notorious.” The dancing is choreographed by Paula Abdul.
The "Notorious" single is released worldwide with the B-Side "Winter Marches On.”
The “Notorious” video is world premiered on MTV (US).
"Notorious" single reaches #7 in the UK and #2 in the US.
The band begin extensive media interviews to promote their forthcoming record.
Duran Duran perform “Notorious” on Top of the Pops.
On November 21, 1986, EMI/Capitol Records release Notorious in the US and on November 24 it is released in the rest of the world.
In December, prep begins for the Strange Behavior tour, which is filmed for a documentary entitled Three to Get Ready (which will later premiere at film festivals).
The band receive an award at the Diamond Awards Festival in Antwerp, Belgium, where they perform the songs “Notorious” and “Vertigo.”
Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 announces Duran Duran as the most successful duo or group from England based on the Billboard charts. Duran Duran were ranked first, followed by The Police, Culture Club, Wham! and The Rolling Stones.
The band’s "Skin Trade" single released in US with B-Side "We Need You."
Duran perform "Skin Trade" on German TV show WWF Club.
In February the "Skin Trade" video, featuring model Tatiana Petiz, premieres on MTV.
The Making of Arcadia videocassette and laserdisc is released in Japan, Australia and the UK, with videos and behind the scene footage from "Election Day," "The Promise," "Goodbye Is Forever," "The Flame" and "Missing.”
"Skin Trade" single is released worldwide. The original sleeve, with a woman's bare behind, is banned in record shops except in Canada and France.
Duran Duran perform at the San Remo Festival.
The band appear on Top of the Pops to perform "Skin Trade."
Duran Duran make an appearance on The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers to perform “Skin Trade.”
Duran Duran appear on Arsenio Hall Show and perform several songs from Notorious.
In March the band begin the STRANGE BEHAVIOUR tour in Japan:
Shimin Kaikan, Fukuoka, Japan (2 dates)
Kokusai Tenjujyo, Nagoya, Japan (2 dates)
Korakuen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan (2 dates)
Nishinomiya Stadium, Osaka, Japan
Duran Duran return to England to perform “Save a Prayer” and “Skin Trade” at The Secret Policemen's Third Ball at the Palladium, London on March 29th. Their rendition of “Save a Prayer” will be added to the charity compilation of the event, benefitting Amnesty International.
The STRANGE BEHAVIOUR moves to Europe for the end of March and the first three weeks of April:
Forest National, Brussels, Belgium (2 dates)
Lilles, France
Bercy, Paris, France (2 dates)
Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
Sporthalle, Cologne, Germany
Grugahalle, Essen, Germany
Drammenshallen, Drammen, Norway
Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
Valbyhallen, Copenhagen, Denmark (2 dates)
Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany
Sporthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Royal Dublin Society Exhibition Hall, Dublin, Ireland
Kings Hall, Belfast, North Ireland
A pre-taped performance of the band airs on Soul Train.
The single "Meet El Presidente" is released with B-Side "Vertigo" and the "Meet El Beat" remix. This is the first DD song released as a CD single.
Duran Duran perform "New Religion," "Hungry Like The Wolf," "Notorious," "Meet El Presidente"and "Wild Boys" on the final episode of the UK music show The Tube.
In April, Top of the Pops host the band’s performance of "Meet El Presidente."
The band close out April with UK dates:
Queens Hall, Leeds, England
Empire Theatre, Liverpool, England
Apollo, Manchester, England
Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland (2 dates)
Duran spend May touring Europe:
Palais de Sports, Lyon, France
Les Arenas, Fréjus, France
Palais de Sports, Toulouse, France
Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
Ahoy, Rotterdam, Holland (2 dates)
Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
Duran Duran appear at the Montreux Pop Festival, Montreux, Switzerland
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
Brighton Centre, Brighton, England
Empire Ballroom, London, England
Wembley Arena, London, England (3 dates)
Palacio Municipal, Madrid, Spain
Estadio Municipal Fuente de San Luis, Valencia, Spain
Palacio Municipal, Barcelona, Spain
Stadio La Favorita, Palermo, Italy
MTV join the band on the road for the Music Passport documentary special with Duran Duran, filmed in Italy.
Stadio Comunale, Bari, Italy
Stadio Comunale, Cava Dei Tirreni, Italy
Stadio Flaminio, Rome, Italy
Stadio Comunale, Modena, Italy
Stadio S. Siro, Milan, Italy
Stadio Comunale, Florence, Italy
Master Mixes, a two album set of remixes from the Notorious album, is released in the US and Hong Kong.
Simon and John make their first appearance on The Howard Stern Radio Showon WXRK, New York, on June 22nd.
The US leg of the STRANGE BEHAVIOUR tour begins June 18th, with Erasure opening all dates:
Worcester Centrum, Worcester, MA, USA
Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT, USA
Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA (2 dates)
Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, USA
Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center, Rochester, NY, USA
Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA
Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Welsh Auditorium, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Five Seasons Center, Cedar Rapids, IA, USA
Poplar Creek Music Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI, USA
Louisville Gardens, Louisville, KY, USA
Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC, USA
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD, USA
Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta, GA, USA
Starwood Amphitheater, Nashville, TN, USA
Sandstone Amphitheatre, Kansas City, MO, USA
Compton Terrace, Phoenix, AZ, USA
The Forum, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2 dates; The Bangles join the band onstage for a rendition of “If She knew What She Wants” at the band’s second show on July 25th)
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA, USA
San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA, USA
Cal Expo, Sacramento, CA, USA
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA, USA
El Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico (2 dates)
Six Flags Music Mill Amphitheatre, Arlington, Texas, USA
On August 12th, Duran Duran join David Bowie’s GLASS TIGER tour to finish their run of North American dates:
Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO, USA
Portland Civic Stadium, Portland, OR, USA
British Columbia Place Stadium, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Winnipeg Stadium, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Molson CNE Stadium, Toronto, ONT, Canada (2 dates)
Lansdowne Park, Ottawa, ONT, Canada
Olympic Stadium, Montreal, QBC, Canada
On August 31st, Duran Duran play their 100th, and final, show of the Strange Behaviour tour at Beacon Theater, New York, NY. The show is a benefit for "The Association to Benefit Children"; Lou Reed join band for "Sweet Jane" and "Walk on the Wild Side."
Capitol/EMI releases the compilation Brave New Music for a New World, including Duran's "Winter Marches On" and the "Notoriousaurus Rex" remix.
The band take the rest of the year off.
The band start the year performing at the Hollywood Rock Festival, with one show at Praca Da Apoteose, Rio de Janeiro and another at Estádio do Morumbi, São Paolo, Brazil
Simon becomes a partner of SYN Productions Company, Ltd., which will have their main office in Japan. SYN is an acronym of the principles first initials: Simon and Yasmin Le Bon and their partner in SYN, Nick Wood
Peter Rudge (former manager of Rolling Stones) begins managing Duran Duran.
Simon’s solo track, “Grey Lady Of The Sea” from the documentary DRUM, is issued as a CD3 single in Japan; includes the song of the same name, plus tracks by Propaganda and Bronski Beat. It is also released as a CD5 in the UK.
Warren plays most guitar parts on the band’s upcoming Big Thing album, recorded at Davout Studios in Paris.
The band members work with writer/producer Jonathan Elias at Davout Studios on different parts of his Requiem For The Americas CD project: Simon writes and sings “Follow In My Footsteps”, recorded with Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles. John plays bass on “The Chant Movement.”
Duran Duran World, a 234-page book shot by Virginia Liberatore during the Strange Behavior tour published.
In May of 1987 the band begin mixing Big Thing at Soundworks Studios in New York.
The Working for the Skin Trade concert video is released June 20th.
The video for “I Don't Want Your Love” is filmed with director Steve Lowe.
Duran Duran hire drummer Sterling Campbell for the upcoming Big Thing tour.
In September, the first single off of Big Thing, “I Don't Want Your Love," is released worldwide with B-Side “I Don't Want Your Love" (album version).
In September the band begins rehearsals for The Secret Caravan Tour at Stanbridge Farm Studios in Sussex. Joining Duran Duran are Warren Cuccurullo, Sterling Campbell, Spike Edney on keyboards and Stan Harrison on saxophone.
The “I Don't Want Your Love” video premieres on MTV on September 26th.
The video for “All She Wants Is” shot in London with director Dean Chamberlain. This video will win an MTV Video Award for Innovation.
The single for “I Don't Want Your Love” peaks at #14in the UK, top ten in Canada and #4 in the US.
In October, Top of the Pops airs Duran's performance of “I Don't Want Your Love”
The band do some television press in October, including Glamboys to Badboys (UK), Countdown (Dutch) and Deejay (Italy)
On October 18th, Big Thing is released.
At the end of October, the band begin the SECRET CARAVAN tour in N. America, which are warm up dates in smaller venues:
Metro Theater, Chicago, IL
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Capitol Records parking lot, Hollywood, CA
Coconut Grove Ballroom, Los Angeles, CA
First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN,
Arcadia Theater, Dallas, TX
Center Stage Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Cabaret Metro Theater, Chicago, IL
Diamond Club, Toronto, Ontario
Citi, Boston, MA [and do a signing at Tower Records in Boston, MA]
Roseland Ballroom, New York, NY
Big Thing is a top 15 hit in the UK and reaches the top 25 in the US.
Peter Rudge asks the label send out a guitar driven single called The LSD Edit to radio stations under the name The Krush Brothers to shake Programmers image of Duran Duran as a bubblegum pop band.
In mid November, the band begin the BIG THING LIVE tour of Europe:
Manchester International II, Manchester, England
Fort Regent, Jersey, Channel Islands [surprise show]
Studio 54, Barcelona, Spain
Sport Palace, Madrid, Spain
La Locomotive, Paris, France [as The Krush Brothers]
Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
Bercy, Paris, France
Ahoy, Rotterdam, Holland
Ishalle, Stockholm, Sweden
Rockefeller, Oslo, Norway
Valbyhallen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Congress Center Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany
Kongreßhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Stadthalle, Offenbach, Germany
SportHall, Prague, Czechoslovakia
Kürhalle Oberlaa, Vienna, Austria
Budapest Sportcsarnok, Budapest, Hungary
Palaverde, Treviso, Italy
Palatrussardi, Milan, Italy (3 shows)
EUR, Rome, Italy (2 shows)
Palasport, Naples, Italy
Palamaggio, Caserta, Italy
Town and Country Club, London, England (as The Krush Brothers)
Wembley Arena, London, England
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
On December 20th, “All She Wants Is” is released as a single worldwide with B-Side “I Believe/All I Need to Know (medley).”
Duran Duran's "Do You Believe in Shame" is featured on the soundtrack of the movie Tequila Sunrise starring Mel Gibson, Kurt Russell and Michelle Pfeiffer.
To kick off their tour in support of the album, the band gets back to basics and begins the Caravan Duran Tour, playing small clubs in the United States and abroad.
The United States Army discovers the use of music is very successful in psychological warfare against their enemy. The Bush Administration found it necessary to invade Panama to rid the country of General Manuel Noriega. To increase Noriega's tension and unease, the Army begins to play a selection of loud music near his base, including Duran Duran's "Hungry like the Wolf."
The band continues to tour in support of Big Thing, moving on to larger venues with the Electric Theatre Tour.
Ten years of Duran Duran are documented by both an album and video entitled Decade. The mega-mix "Burning the Ground" captures some of their finest recorded moments.
Warren Cuccurullo becomes a permanent member of Duran Duran, as they release their sixth studio album Liberty and the singles "Violence of Summer (Love's Taking Over)" and
"Serious." To the disappointment of their fans, the band chooses not to tour.
Simon, Nick, Warren and John start preparation and writing for the next Duran Duran studio album.
Duran Duran holes up in Privacy Studios to record tracks for their self-titled seventh CD, also known as The Wedding Album. They collaborate with Brazilian musician Milton Nascimento on a song called "Breath after Breath."
The band performs at the KROQ (CA) Acoustic Christmas show.
Duran Duran makes a triumphant return to the charts with "Ordinary World," which instantly becomes a massive hit Worldwide.
The group films the video "Ordinary World" in California with Director Nick Egan.
Duran Duran's The Wedding Album is released up on February 11, 1993 and mirrors the success of the single "Ordinary World." The song "Ordinary World" receives much praise and wins an Ivor Novello Award for songwriting.
Duran Duran becomes one of the first bands to play in South Africa after the end of Apartheid.
"Come Undone" becomes the album's second hit as Duran Duran embarks on a lengthy world tour.
The band is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Simon and Nick appear on Larry King Live in Washington, DC.
Duran Duran performs live via satellite across the globe from the Tower Records store on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles.
A world-first Enhanced-CD produced by AMXstudios [Alasdair Scott and Malcolm Garrett] premiered at the EMI Records world conference in Brighton, 1993. "Universe" featured a revolutionary audio mixer, allowing users to remix "Ordinary World" on their CD-ROM enabled computers.
On August 27, the band films the video for "Too Much Information", the third single from The Wedding Album. Directed by Julien Temple, it is filmed in Santa Monica and features the elaborate stage setup designed for the band's Dilate Your Mind tour.
Duran Duran performs "Come Undone" at the MTV Movie Awards.
Beavis & Butthead play the video for "Come Undone" on their MTV show.
The band continues on the road with the Dilate Your Mind World Tour in support of The Wedding Album.
The band films a video in New York City for "Femme Fatale" with director Ellen Von Unwerth.
While in South America, Duran Duran shoots the video for "Breath After Breath" in Argentina.
Duran Duran performs an acoustic set on MTV's Unplugged series.
In their spare time, they commence work on their next album, recording in studios around the globe while on tour.
Duran Duran decides to pay tribute to their musical influences and release Thank You, an album of cover versions. The song and video for "Perfect Day" reunites the band with original drummer Roger Taylor.
Duran Duran performs the rap classic "White Lines" on the Late Show With David Letterman, accompanied by Grand Master Flash, Melle Mel and the Furious Five.
Everyone from Lou Reed to Led Zeppelin and Iggy Pop to Bob Dylan sing the praises of Duran Duran's versions of their songs.
Duran Duran headlines a series of radio festivals in the States and contributes a stellar track to the Led Zeppelin tribute album Enconium.