December
23, 2010 | Day Two since the digital release of the
new smashing Duran Duran album 'All You Need Is Now' and it's
still on top of almost all iTunes charts. I like to think that
this is not only a success for Duran Duran but it's also a success
for us all, the fans who have made this possible.
During the last days the fan community has been more united
than ever and determinated to make this happen. Facebook, twitter
all the Duran Duran fansites and message boards have done their
best to help the Duran Duran team to spread the voice and make
the album release on iTunes a success and the reason is simple,
All You Need Is Now is just a fantastic album and Duran Duran
just deserve all our support.
I'm in love with the album, I'm proud of my favourite band but
I'm also proud of you all, fans just like me. This time, more
than ever, I had the feeling that the fans and the band were
united, just like a big virtual family.
It was great to be online on the 21 and see all this happening,
minute by minute with John Taylor sending messages and charts
updates via facebook and twitter like one of us.
This
is our moment duranies, this is our album, this is our year
and the best is yet to come with the live shows next year.
Thank you Simon, John, Nick and Roger for making us sing, dance,
shout, move, dream, laugh, cry, thanks for making all this possible
but most of all thanks for the music.
We
Love You
duranasty.com
Welcome
to planet earth 'All You Need Is now'!
With
the much anticipated release of their 13th studio album “All
You Need Is Now” Duran Duran have stormed straight to
No 1 in the Download Charts!
All
You Need Is Now, Duran Duran’s 13th studio album, has
not only brilliantly bridged the gap between their pop-glam-disco
masterpiece, 1982’s Rio and now, but has managed to reestablished
themselves as true originators and purveyors of modern dance
music, experts at melding many different genres and crafting
smart, danceable, sexy, seductive pop music that was also catchy
as hell. creativeloafing.com
Below
the AYNIN full page advert for an upcoming issue of Vogue
magazine.
New
interviews and Tv appearances downloads
Promotion
has been great, below a complete press review,
result of the hard work the guys did in London and New York
over the latest two weeks. The
guys have been everywhere, since everyone wants the new Tv and
online videos in their collection I uploaded some great quality
downloads for your pleasure. Enjoy! [Thanks to MrT for the huge
help]
[wonderful
audio interview to Simon and Nick who discuss the songs
from the new album. The interview has been edited, sorry
No tracks for copyright reasons since the songs are
commercially available]
complete
press-review: All You Need Is Now worldwide
Article
in portuguese | I guess our many portuguese and brazilian friends
will enjoy this! December 22, 2010 | Diario de Noticias
by Nuno Galopim
Disco
dos Duran Duran só para venda digital
O
álbum ‘All You Need Is Now’ foi ontem
lançado em exclusivo para venda digital
O produtor descreve o disco como o sucessor do álbum
‘Rio’
Nos
últimos anos não têm faltado histórias
de lançamentos de discos que chegam às
lojas digitais (para vendas por download, entenda-se)
antes mesmo de conhecerem uma existência em suporte
físico (em CD e vinil). Os Duran Duran já
o fizeram. De resto foram eles quem, em 1998, lançou
o primeiro tema para venda por download(com uma remistura
de Electric Barbarella). Doze anos depois de terem sido
pioneiros num modelo que cada vez mais paece ser o paradigma
futuro do mercado da venda de música, os Duran
Duran lançaram ontem o seu novo álbum
numa edição para já apenas disponível
para download exclusivo no iTunes. E, pela primeira
vez na sua carreira, sem uma grande editora a assegurar
o lançamento. Em 2010, a poucos meses de completarem
30 anos sobre o lançamento do seu primeiro single,
os Duran Duran chamam assim a si mesmos a condução
dos
destinos da sua própria carreira. O novo disco
dos Duran Duran não é todavia o primeiro
caso de um lançamento para download sem imediata
expressão em formatos físicos e fora da
alçada de uma grande editora. Álbuns como
In Rainbows, dos Radiohead, The Slip dos Nine Inch Nails
ou Evertything That Happens Will Happen Today, que em
2008 reuniu David Byrne com Brian Eno ( vercaixa), bem
como muitos dos lançamentos recentes de Philip
Glass (na sua própria editora), são exemplos
que, juntando nomes veteranos com carreiras de peso, sublinham
uma tendência que não é assim apenas
aposta de talentos em estreia e que poderá chamar
cada vez mais adeptos entre os músicos na hora
de pensar como vender a sua música. AllYou Need
Is Nowé o título do 13.º álbum
de originais dos Duran Duran, sucessor de Red Carpet Massacre
( lançado em 2007). Segundo informação
colocada no site oficial do grupo ao fim da tarde de ontem,
a resposta das vendas foi imediata, colocando o disco
no primeiro lugar da tabela de álbuns por downloadem
Itália. E ocupou o primeiro lugar nas listas de
dowload de álbuns pop no Reino Unido, Estados Unidos,
Espanha e Grécia, número dois na Áustria,
Dinamarca, Holanda ou Nova Zelândia e número
três na Alemanha, Canadá, Finlândia,
Irlanda e Suécia. Em Portugal chegou ontem a atingir
o posto cimeiro das vendas de álbuns pop/rock.
O tema-título do álbum teve igualmente edição
em exclusivo para download ( no passado dia 8), não
se prevendo eventual lançamento em suporte físico.
Já o álbum terá edição
em CD e vinil a 2
de Fevereiro de 2011 (na data que assinala os 30 anos
da edição original de Planet Earth), numa
edição que juntará aos nove temas
agora apresentados um grupo adicional de três novas
canções (Mediterranea, Other Peoples Lives
e King Of Nowhere). De
fã a produtor O
disco nasceu ao longo dos últimos meses no estúdio
da própria banda, contando com a presença
de Mark Ronson na produção. O entusiasmo
do produtor (que está ligado aos álbuns
de Amy Winehouse e Lily Allen e, já este ano, lançou
o álbum em nome próprio RecordCollector)
foi visível ao longo da etapa de gravação.
Em entrevistas chegou a afirma que este novo disco era
como que um sucessor do mítico Rio (o multiplatinado
álbum de 1982 que incluía tremas como Hungry
Like The Wolfe Save a Prayer e consagrou internacionalmente
a carreira do grupo). Em palavras que são publicadas
no texto de apresentação de All You Need
Is Nowno site oficial dos Duran Duran, Mark Ronson explica
mesmo que queria fazer “o sucessor imaginário
para Rio que nunca chegou a ser criado”. De facto
canções como Blame The Machines, BeingFollowed
ou The ManWho Stole A Leopard exibem marcas evidentes
de reencontro com a linguagem dos próprios Duran
Duran em 1982. No mesmo texto, o teclista Nick Rhodes
afirma que Mark Ronson “revitalizou” a banda
e nela encontrou “uma energia” que não
estava por ali “há muito tempo”. Já
o vocalista Simon Le Bon descreve a alma claramente pop
do disco, apontando-o como “ catchy” (que
é como que dizer que fica no ouvido) “sem
que faça um esforço para o ser”. Além
de Mark Ronson, colaboram ainda no disco Kelis e Anna
Mantronic, dos Scissor Sisters.
"All
You Need Is Now certainly isn't just a retro album and is coloured
with contemporary sounds, though it does have Rio's funky fun"
"Modernism
is a position and it does not look back."
John Taylor
Full interview
originally posed on huffingtonpost.com
| Highlight of the article | 80
million records later, why would these guys still be together,
if not? John Taylor says the members of Duran Duran have asked
themselves that same question often over the years.
"We
came up as a pop band. We weren't a group like Radiohead. We
were a group that came up writing hits," Taylor says. "And
when the hits dry up, you obviously go through a period of thinking,
'Are we still relevant? Is there a place for us?' So often,
when you're starting out on a journey of writing songs for a
new album, in the back of your mind, there's this sense of,
'Do we have anything to say? Is this going to find an audience?'"
Of
collaborating with Ronson (a noted Duran Duran fan) on All You
Need is Now, Taylor says that the process, which involved marathon
songwriting and rewriting sessions, instilled a new sense of
self-esteem in the band.
"We
didn't have to consider all the time whether what we were doing
was valid or whether it had any kind of contemporary currency,"
he says. "Mark encouraged us to be ourselves in a way that
we hadn't had the confidence to be in quite a few years."
If
you're wondering what Duran Duran "being themselves"
sounds like, their 1981 debut and 1982's Rio are good places
to start. Yet, in as much as All You Need is Now recalls Rio's
most recognizable sonic elements -- repetitive choruses, plentiful
keyboards, and the dancy beats that bridged the gap between
disco and techno -- it has much more in common with the crop
of recent bands [The Killers, Franz Ferdinand] that cite Duran
Duran as a major influence.
Now
features an interesting cross-section of contributors, including
a rap by the Scissor Sisters' Ana Matronic [coolly channeling
Deborah Harry], milkshaker Kelis on guest vocals, and string
arrangements by Arcade Fire's Owen Pallett. Rather than sounding
like Duran Duran trying to sound like Duran Duran, though, "Stay,"
"The Man Who Stole a Leopard," and "Being Followed"
sound like Duran Duran simply being Duran Duran -- which is
the best thing to happen to a Duran Duran record since 1993's
The Wedding Album.
Although
plenty of kudos go to Ronson, whose work as a DJ and with artists
such as Amy Winehouse and Adele have made him a hot commodity
in the industry, the band's own sweat equity is what pays off
here. Tracks such as "Girl Panic" and "Blame
the Machines" remind us why we got caught in DD's web in
the first place: LeBon's vocals sound better than they did when
he was 25; the Taylor-Taylor rhythm section is expectedly fun
and funky; and there's no escaping Rhodes' full-bodied electronic
aura. [To boot, longtime guitarist Dom Brown performs admirably
in lieu of original member Andy Taylor.] It's almost the "Fab
Five" all over again.
"Duran
Duran is this chemistry of these musical personalities working
off of each other, and those personalities are back on this
album," Taylor says of the noticeable spark in the new
songs.
Will
All You Need is Now surprise folks who thought that Duran Duran
didn't have any more tricks up its sleeve? Probably. Do these
fresh grooves give women [and men] of a certain age reason to
dance around the room, reveling in the sheer exuberance of this
reinvigorated version of the band they once -- or maybe even
always -- knew and loved? Absolutely.
But
don't dare mention the word "retro" to a band who's
so clearly enjoying the power of Now. "That
goes back to being modern," Taylor laughs. "Modernism
is a position and it does not look back."
Wild
boys Duran Duran are back at their best
Article
originally posted on the dailyrecord.co.uk
| December 22, 2010 | Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor tells
Rick Fulton the band's latest album is a return to form.
They
were the Wild Boys of the Eighties, soaking up the high life
from drugs to yachts and models. But Duran Duran's drummer Roger
Taylor knew it was time to stop when he realised he was going
to "end up like Elvis Presley on a death-wish". The
50-year-old won't go into whether it was the drugs that brought
bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor to their lowest
ebb but it wasn't a breakdown, as has since been reported. But
going from painting the walls of Birmingham's Rum Runner nightclub
to being in the biggest band in the world in five years proved
too much. And by the time the band played Live Aid in 1985,
they had split into two factions who hadn't spoken for months,
Roger admitted: "I didn't have a choice about leaving in
1985. "I felt like I was going to end up like Elvis Presley
on a death-wish journey. "I knew I needed time out. "We
had started in 1979 and by 1982 almost everyone in the UK knew
who we were and we were playing Madison Square Garden in New
York. "By 1985, I needed to get out. I couldn't handle
it any more. "When I came back it was amazing because I
had taken time out to be a normal person. I'd never regret leaving.
For a start, I'm here. I didn't want to be a rock 'n' roll statistic."
Roger retired to a farm in Gloucestershire with chickens and
horses, raising his family until the five original members reunited
in 2001. This week, the four of them [Andy left, once again]
are back with their 13th album, produced by Mark Ronson and
their best since Rio, 29 years ago. A massive fan of the band,
Mark - who has produced tracks for Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen
and Adele - jumped at the chance to work with his heroes. He
set out to bring the band back to what made them great originally.
They've sold 80 million albums, had 18 American hit singles,
including the Bond theme View To A Kill - the only time a 007
tune has gone to No1 in America. Such was the furore they created
that Rolling Stone magazine dubbed them the Fab Five as they
became the first stars of MTV thanks to the escapist videos
for Rio, Save A Prayer and the s1 million promo clip for Wild
Boys. The music on All You Need Is Now echoes the band at their
best, from Being Followed, which recalls the epic Hungry Like
The Wolf, to the cold creepiness of The Man Who Stole A Leopard,
a modern take on The Chauffeur. Roger admitted the collaboration
was a match made in heaven - but said Mark knew more about the
band than they do. Speaking at Sphere Studios in London where,
for the past two years, the group have been making All You Need
Is Now, Roger said: "Mark had so much intimate knowledge
of the band, it was scary at times. "But it was all for
the good. "He seemed to know the band inside out. "It
was all positive. He has this musical genius about him but he
also has this trainspotting side to him. "So he would know
what the fourth track on the fourth album would be, which we'd
forgotten." Mark's mantra for the band was to reconnect
with the music they played in the Eighties, which is now being
used by bands from The Killers to Franz Ferdinand. He also helped
heal the wounds of Andy leaving again, which had left Roger,
John, singer Simon Le Bon and keyboard player Nick Rhodes reeling.
The comeback
had started so well. In 2004 Astronaut sold more than two
million copies, went to No.3 in the UK and spawned a top-five
single here [Reach Up For The] Sunrise. It dwarfed any other
Eighties comeback, including their great rivals Spandau Ballet.
But in 2006, Andy quit and the band took up a more R&B
sound, teaming up with Timbaland and collaborating with Justin
Timberlake. The result was the second-worst placed album in
their UK chart history, scraping in at number 44. It was a
big mistake and the band were worried that was it. Roger
admitted: "When we came to make our last record it was
almost like we were flying on three engines. "We'd lost
a major part of the songwriting team, a major part of the
band and it was a tough period for us. We were in a bit of
a hangover period from the big reunion. We'd played five sold-out
nights at Wembley so you are bound to get a little bit of
a lull after that, especially when your guitar player leaves
the band. "It was tough. So we brought in a superproducer
in Timbaland. We brought in Justin Timberlake. "But we
were missing a key element of the band, I guess." They
hired Dom Brown, who recorded guitar parts for Red Carpet
Massacre, performed on the supporting tour and played with
the band at the Concert for Diana and Live Earth London in
Wembley. He was then part of the writing process for the new
album. A relieved Roger added: "He must have played 1000
gigs with us over the last couple of years. It feels like
a proper band again."We've got a guitar player. We're
functioning as a unit again." Roger conceded Massacre
missed a lot of their core audience but insisted the new album
will bring them back. Ronson decided people wanted to hear
the band playing together and made them create the songs on
the album together, not through computers.Each song was learned,
played and recorded rather than using Pro-Tools. "We've
got something we all think is very, very special," admitted
Roger. "We think it's probably the best record we've
made for a long, long time. It's an album - not just two or
three key tracks." The best since Rio? If he thinks it,
Roger won't say it. However, All You Need Is Now certainly
isn't just a retro album and is coloured with contemporary
sounds, though it does have Rio's funky fun. You just have
to listen to Roger's drumming on Girl Panic! or John's bass
on Safe [In The Heat Of The Moment], which features Scissor
Sisters star Ana Matronic. But it also has Rio's love of synthesiser
coolness on Blame The Machines. "We have made a contemporary
album but have rediscovered that chemistry," he said.
"We have to thank Mark for that. "At times we meandered
and he made it more simple." Next year they will start
touring the world, will definitely come to Scotland and are
hoping to do an arena tour of the UK. "As a band we are
always looking forward," continued Roger, "we have
to keep changing and working with new people. "We will
continue to work with people like Mark who are doing well
in the contemporary world." It'll be a chance for Roger's
three children to see a glimpse of what devotion they cause.
He said: "None of the kids were born when Duran were
a big thing so they find it quite hard to understand how huge
we were. "But they think we are hip working with Mark
Ronson." At least his children can look back at old photos
of Duran Duran and not be too embarrassed. While the others
loved dying their hair and wearing make-up, Roger never seemed
that comfortable. He said: "Oh, I had my own fashion
faux pas. "I had a ponytail for a while after I'd seen
Mel Gibson with one in the film The Bounty." It seems
even the quiet ones have a wild [boys] side.
Can
these Euro-elders recapture the dirty, sexy sandy blast
of 'Rio,' their 1982 pièce de résistance?
At the top is the video for "All You Need Is Now,"
their first attempt at grabbing Nagel-illustrated splendor
once again. The album is off to a fine start: It's currently
No. 2 on the U.S. iTunes Album Chart. read
more at latimes.com
More
worth reading reviews from online media
"While
All You Need is Now won’t bring flocks of teenagers
over to Duran Duran’s side, it’s certainly a
commendable effort if for no reason other than it’s
the band’s most relevant and listenable record in
almost two decades. And though it’s not quite Rio
2.0, Duran Duran’s 13th album does possess many of
the qualities that put the synth-pop legends on the map
in the first place." read
more at consequenceofsound.net
"However,
my favorite song so far, “Girl Panic” is the
best of all worlds. It’s got that optimistic pomp
I’ve always loved about Duran Duran’s brightest
tracks, with a chorus that I would love to buy property
in. For me, this song is the ultimate cross between “Rio”
and “Electric Barbarella.”" read
more at theroundtableonline.com
"One
of my favorite tracks on the album, a definite departure
from their previous work without sounding too trendy, is
the funky, cowbell-heavy disco track “Safe (In the
Heat of the Moment)”, featuring sexy Scissor Sister
Ana Matronic rapping a la Soft Cell muse Cindy Ecstasy.
“Being Followed” succeeds in capturing the classic
Duran Duran sound without sounding too referential. Furthermore,
it does something else that we expect from the band, but
that also keeps well in our current socio-political and
economic climate: It echoes our general anxieties about
the world today. Coming
of age between the Blitzkrieg and the Cold War and AIDS
Crises, Duran Duran was always skillful at chronicling our
apprehensions, whether it was our nervousness about sex
and relationships amid the AIDS epidemic [“Rio”,
“Hungry Like The Wolf”, “A View to a Kill”]
or world destruction during the Cold War [“Night Boat”,
“Is There Something I Should Know”, “New
Moon on Monday”]. With the still-growing threat of
nuclear war and terrorist acts, along with rigorous airport
security checks and even google surveillance, “Being
Followed”, with its sweeping, soundtrack-like instrumentation
and infectious backbeat, manages to tackle both love and
death by utilizing the conceit of a voyeuristic relationship
to examine our current Orwellian state." read
more at crawdaddy.com
All
You Need Is Now, Nick Egan, the director, speaks out.
Nick
Egan speaks about the making of All You Need Is Now video from
his facebook page | "From 1994 straight to 2010 and Duran
Duran, who along with INXS and Oasis, I made several videos
for. Each one has been a landmark for me. So when the band asked
me if I would do the latest video for 'All You Need Is Now'
I wondered if it was possible to equal 'White Lines, 'Perfect
Day' and 'Ordinary World' especial...ly as budgets are a fraction
of what they were 15 years ago. But it's not how much a video
costs that make it great, it's the relationship between the
Director and the Band that creates a great video. I think in
many ways the AYNIN video is best of all of them, just because
it captures them in an intimate way that has never really been
evident in previous videos. A lot of it was made up as we went
along. Basically I went to shoot their rehearsal in London along
with some 'Other Stuff' in LA and London, no permits, no expensive
lunches, no crew [except for Camera Gavin, Producer Ayo and
Gaffer David [Simons Brother] plus hair and make up.
Despite
touring for 30 years, no video has captured them as 'a band
' quite like this does, and without all the massive production
of previous encounters, it meant the band had time to be involved
at every level. So now go and download it from iTunes on the
21st of December.The other important part of making this video
was, not only the collaboration between myself and Duran Duran,
but the fact it was produced and edited by my good mate and
fellow Director with a reputation as big and illustrious as
mine, representing Glasgow, Mr Paul Boyd!!
that was such a fantastic part of making AYNIN, because there
was no fucker who would have taken both of us on and lived.
Good on yer and thanks Paul and Adrian!!
On
the left Simon and Nick Egan on the set of All You Need Is Now
video
Le
band is back
Review
by Stephane LeClair for duranasty.com [LeClair is a
singer-songwriter-musician-producer-and Duran Duran music aficionado].
Duran
Duran was once the biggest name in pop music. Their unusual
(but so efficient) blend of punk,disco/funk and experimental
music changed the face of the music scene in the early eighties
,and left an indelible mark in music history. While many of
today’s acts have been influenced by the wild boys of
Birmingham [The Killers,The Bravery,The Rapture,Franz Ferdinand,and
countless others] nobody does the original Duran Duran style
better than John,Nick,Simon,and Roger. Welcome back to Duranland.
All
You Need Is Now: The title track of the new album blasts off
with a powerful analogue synth riff. The energy of the verses
is raw and edgy while the chorus is anthemic, ultra catchy,
and optimistic Duran [one of their best choruses ever]. The
message is clear: The Fab ..emm...”Guys” are back!
It sounds like 32 years of ever evolving existence concentrated
into one killer song that could seriously bring back the band
on top of the charts.
Blame
The Machines: A very cool eighties sounding song with a modern
twist. Part Duran, part Blondie/Devo. New Wave is back and it
sounds amazing...Nick seems to really have a blast on this one.
Being
Followed : Your mission is...find Duran Duran! & this one
does find the band owning its signature sound 100%. It’s
one of the best moments on the album. A new Duran classic is
born, and more are on the way.
Leave
A Light On : I love the intro of this oh so sweet number. These
guys sure know how to write strong melodies and gorgeous ballads.
The arrangements are superb here, and the song is like a sweet
warm breeze. The vocal arrangement is beautiful [like on most
of the album], LALO is Gem # 3!
Safe
: This is the dance track of the album, Ana Matronic of The
Scissor Sisters delivers a sexy “rap” [Debbie Harry
and Lady Gaga style] on what sounds to me like a sequel to “Taste
The Summer”. If the album has a weaker moment on it, that’s
the one (to me). It’s not a bad song at all though, it’s
just not my type of Duran. But, to love the band is also to
accept its schizophrenic ways. I’ve got to say that the
bass line is amazing on Safe though.
Girl Panic : If the new album is the imaginary follow up to
Rio that never was [according to Mark Ronson], this track sounds
more like a song that could have made it on “Seven &
The Ragged Tiger”, somewhere between “Of Crime and
Passion” and “Shadows On Your Side”. The eighties
are back baby! & the track doesn’t sound dated or
retro at all, even though it reminds me a bit of D2 circa ’83.
[Again,amazing bass line here]
The
Man Who Stole A Leopard : Child of The Chauffeur, Tel Aviv,
and To The Shore. This track is honestly one of the best songs
the band has ever recorded. This is a new Duran classic, a pure
moment of magical electro/organic bliss that only Duran Duran
can come up with. It features ethereal back vocals from Kelis.
Runway
Runaway: Reminds me of Last Chance On The Stairway. It is plain
fun pop, very melodic, and Nick is going all “Rio”
on this number that could have been a lost track from 1982.
Fans of the early sound of Duran will love this one.
Ok
guys...Now comes THE song from AYNIN that threw me out of my
chair and sent waves of audio pleasure in every single cell
of my body: Before The Rain: This one belongs in the top 5 best
songs ever recorded by Duran Duran. I’ve always been a
huge fan of the band’s darker side and this one is simply
magnificent. It breathes something sacred and solemn. The first
word that came to my mind when I heard it for the first time
was “Grandiose”. This is the band at its best [Chauffeur/Ordinary
World/Come Undone/The Promise-Lady Ice [Arcadia]/ Lady Xanax,etc)...
Definitely not pop or commercial in any way. It is grand and
majestic.
From time to time this band has Beatles moments in songwriting
and Before The Rain is one of those moments. Not that this sounds
like a Beatles song, it doesn’t. I’m talking about
the quality of the songwriting here, the depth and richness
of the music and lyrics. Another new Duran classic, A huge track.
All
You Need Is Now is an album featuring an iconic band who’s
been around for a long long time, who’s had more than
their share of dishonest and undeserved sh*t from the press,
but came out of it stronger because of their love of music.
They are now back at the top of their game, owning their signature
and influential sound, and loving every minute of it. Super
producer and fan Mark Ronson truly did a fantastic job on the
album & I hope that this Ronson/Duran collaboration thing
is not the last one we hear.
"He
must have played 1000 gigs with us over the last couple of
years. It feels like a proper band again.
All You Need Is Now is a return to the sound that put the band
on the New Wave map
For
30 years now, Duran Duran has been one of the few unabashed
purveyors of synth pop to also make guitar and bass guitar crucial
elements of its sound. Andy Taylor’s chorused, funky/
neo-punk chord stabs added indispensible bite and adventure
to every one of the band’s ’80s hits, from 1981’s
“Planet Earth” to “Girls on Film,” “The
Reflex,” “Wild Boys,” and “A View to
a Kill.” Likewise, John Taylor’s slinky, galloping
bass lines were probably the funkiest on radio that whole decade.
Andy left the band in the ’90s, and former Frank Zappa
guitarist Warren Cuccurullo came aboard to shake things up for
several years. Andy returned for a couple of albums in 2004
and 2007, but he’s now out again. You’d never know
it from All You Need Is Now, though. Session guitarist Dominic
Brown has been filling in since Andy’s second departure
in ’07. And though Brown is far more adventurous, toneful,
and adept than Andy Taylor, anyone hoping he’d add the
same sorts of earthy grit he’s been adding to Duran live
shows—search YouTube for “Duran Duran – Skin
Divers (Private Sessions)” for a sampling—will be
disappointed. Brown’s lines sound exactly like Taylor
circa 1981. In fact, the whole album is a return to the sound
that put the band on the New Wave map. The first single, “All
you Need Is Now,” takes a stab at being more cutting edge
with its industrial synths, semi-sneering verses, and danceable
chorus, but the rest of the album is filled with so many nods
to the past that it comes across as cynical. It’s not
that they can’t pull it off—it is their sound—and
there certainly are some nice songs, including the bittersweet,
acoustic-driven “Leave the Light On” and the catchy,
upbeat “Blame the Machines.” It’s just a shame
Brown is left to so slavishly cop the sound of a player that
he obviously blows out of the water.
"It
was the best thing I’ve ever done apart from having
my children"
Dec
21 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner | Duran Duran
new album stars the voice of Huddersfield’s Nina Hossain.
For Simon Le Bon personally invited Nina to appear on the
album – and how could she refuse after being a fan of
the band since she was nine. Nina, 37, appears on two tracks
– one in her familiar role reading the news and the
other as a sat nav voice. Nina said: “It was all incredibly
exciting as I ended up dueting with Simon Le Bon in the recording
studio. There were a lot of jealous colleagues at work. “The
first gig I ever went to was at the age of nine at Queens
Hall in Leeds – and it was to see Duran Duran. “An
email came in the summer from Simon Le Bon asking if I could
help them out. It was the best thing I’ve ever done
apart from having my children.’’ On one track
called Blame The Machines Nina becomes a Sat Nav voice. “This
was way out of my comfort zone,’’ she said. “It’s
hard to describe really as I wasn’t talking, rapping
or singing. It was something in between.’’ On
the other track, The Man Who Stole A Leopard, Nina is very
much in her comfort zone reading a news bulletin scripted
by Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes. It tells the story of
a man who kept a leopard in his New York apartment. Nina added:
“In all I’ve seen Duran Duran live five times
so appearing with them on an album really is a girlhood dream
come true. “I was such a big fan I used to get teased
at school every time there was a story about them in the papers
– including one where they said they’d be around
for 30 years, so it’s nice for both them and me that
they still are!’’
Daily
Mail 22 December 2010 | "Duran Duran storm to
top of download charts with new album All You Need Is Now...
with a little help from ITN newscaster Nina Hossain | Talking
about the new album recently, keyboard player Nick Rhodes said:
'We don't ever run out of ideas and we like working together.
We're a different unit than most. We feel what we have within
the band is the ability to create whatever we want at any given
time." Full article at dailymail.co.uk
All
you need is Duran Duran
Edmonton
Journal, Canada | December 21, 2010
Bernard
Orr, Reuters | Duran Duran rose to fame in the 1980s with
stylized videos that fuelled the early MTV generation, and
in recent years has sold out live shows by playing new-wave
hits such as Hungry Like the Wolf and The Reflex. But with
a new album, All You Need is Now, available on iTunes, the
band is updating its sound for a younger generation while
still offering a taste of their past. The band called on uber-producer
Mark Ronson for its 13th studio album, which features 12 new
tracks. “We all wanted to get a little bit more experimental
with this record,” said vocalist Simon Le Bon. “We
wanted to reconnect with fans, on the territory on which the
band and Mark Ronson, who is the producer, felt we should
own. And that was this kind of modern synth, dance, experimental
pop music.” Unlike some music veterans who are turning
their backs on the industry in an age when inexpensive downloads
of singles have decimated CD sales, keyboardist Nick Rhodes
said he was now excited for the first time in a long time.
The reason is All You Need Is Now. “This album has been
such a joy to make because of what we have achieved with it,”
he said. “It really drives you to want to go play shows
and introduce these songs to the audience.” New songs
have titles such as Girl Panic!, Safe (In the Heat of the
Moment) featuring Ana Manotric of Scissor Sisters, and The
Man Who Stole a Leopard, which features singer Kelis. Ronson
— a DJ and solo artist who has produced for the likes
of Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse — went back
to the early Duran Duran records to update what once worked
and twist their formidable beats and rhythms into new songs
the band hopes will please loyalists and win new fans. All
You Need Is Now will be available on CD and vinyl in February.
Duran
Duran have admitted that their last two studio albums haven't
been up to their usual standard.
The band
claim that they decided to release new single 'All You Need
Is Now' for free as an apology to fans for their recent lacklustre
records. "The audience has been put off by too many mediocre
albums," bassist John Taylor told The Mirror. "Instead
of trying to get a top ten single we thought we would put
out the single free. "We are saying, 'We know our last
two albums didn't set your world alight, but check this out',"
Taylor added. digitalspy.co.uk
Duran
Duran updates iconic ’80s sound for new generation
Chicago
Tribune | 21 December 2010 | Bernard Orr
New
York — Duran Duran rose to fame in the 1980s with stylized
videos that fueled the early MTV generation, and in recent years
has sold out live shows by playing old hits such as “Hungry
Like a Wolf” and “The Reflex.” But with a
new album, “All You Need Is Now,” set for release
Tuesday, the band whose synthesized pop-rock helped usher in
the new wave of the ’80s is updating its sound for a younger
generation, while still offering a taste of its past. The band
— Roger Taylor, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes
— called on uber-producer Mark Ronson for its 13th studio
album, which features 12 new tracks. “We all wanted to
get a little bit more experimental with this record,”
said Le Bon. “We wanted to reconnect with fans, on the
territory on which the band, and Mark Ronson who is the producer,
felt we should own. And that was this kind of modern synth,
dance, experimental, pop music.” With hits like “Girls
on Film,” “Rio” and “Save a Prayer,”
Duran Duran sold tens of millions of LPs, cassettes and CDs
and logged numerous Top 10 hits in a 30-year span that also
saw major changes in the way music has been distributed. Now,
the band is embracing the digital age. The new album’s
first single, also titled “All You Need Is Now,”
has been available for about a week, free, on iTunes, and the
album will also be sold on Apple’s popular music site
before CDs are available in stores in February. “The way
that people consume music is obviously radically different than
the way it was even 10 years ago,” said Rhodes, who started
Duran Duran with John Taylor in 1978. Unlike some music veterans
who are turning their backs on the industry in an age when inexpensive
downloads of singles have decimated CD sales, Rhodes said he
was now excited for the first time in a long time. The reason
is the new album. “This album has been such a joy to make
because of what we have achieved with it,” Rhodes said.
“It really drives you to want to go play shows and introduce
these songs to the audience.” New songs have titles such
as “Safe (in the heat of the moment),” “Being
Followed,” “Leave a Light On,” “Girl
Panic!” and “The Man Who Stole a Leopard,”
which features singer Kelis. Ronson, a DJ and solo artist who
has produced for the likes of Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse,
went back to the early Duran Duran records to update what once
worked. He has said he thinks of “All You Need Is Now”
as the “imaginary follow-up to ‘Rio’ that
never was.” Yet, the producer takes Duran Duran’s
synthesized sound and twists the group’s formidable beats
and rhythms into modern songs that the band hopes will please
loyalists and win new fans. While Ronson is the producer, Rhodes
and the band still write and perform all the songs, and Rhodes
said that his love for music — while it may have changed
over the years — never completely went away. “If
you have it in your blood and in your mind and in your spirit
that you want to make music, you don’t really have the
urge to stop,” he said. “I wake up with a tune in
my head, or I scribble down some words most days. Later, I might
rub it out and think, ‘Nah, that wasn’t any good.’
But you keep thinking about the process all the time.”
The same article has been published also on South
Florida Sun-Sentinel and Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Durable
Duran Duran
Daily
Express | December 20
They
have already been rocking for more than quarter of a century
– but Duran Duran frontman predicts the band could still
be performing in 20 years’ time. Le
Bon hopes the group will follow in the footsteps of other rock
dinosaurs and continue well into old age. While keyboardist
48, suggested they had another decade, Simon is already thinking
long-term. “Right now I would be more optimistic than
Nick,” says the 52-year-old singer. “He said we
had 10 years but I would say we might even have another 20 years
in us.” Le
Bon, who recorded Duran Duran’s new album All You Need
Is Now with top producer adds: “You can call it addictive
if you want. Anyone with a sense of purpose doesn’t want
to stop, doesn’t want to retire”.
Duran Duran embraces the digital age
The
Gazette | Canada, 18 december 2010
New York – Duran Duran rose
to fame in the 1980s with stylized videos that fuelled the
early MTV generation, and in recent years has sold out live
shows by playing old hits such as Hungry Like a Wolf and The
Reflex. Bernard Orr Reuters | Duran Duran’s new disc,
Simon Le Bon (right), says, “We all wanted to get a
little bit more experimental.” But with a new album,
All You Need Is Now, set for digital release on Tuesday, the
band whose synthesized pop rock helped usher in the New Wave
of the ’80s is updating its sound for a younger generation
while still offering a taste of their past. The band called
on überproducer Mark Ronson for its 13th studio album,
which features 12 new tracks. “We all wanted to get
a little bit more experimental with this record. We wanted
to reconnect with fans, on the territory on which the band,
and Mark Ronson who is the producer, felt we should own. And
that was this kind of modern synth, dance, experimental, pop
music,” frontman Simon Le Bon said. With hits like Girls
on Film, Rio and Save a Prayer, Duran Duran sold tens of millions
of LPs, cassettes and CDs and logged numerous Top 10 hits
in a 30-year span that also saw major changes in the way music
has been distributed. Now, the band is embracing the digital
age. The new album’s first single, also titled All You
Need Is Now, has been available for about a week, free, on
iTunes, and the album will also be sold on Apple’s popular
music site before CDs are available in stores in February.
“The way that people consume music is obviously radically
different than the way it was even 10 years ago,” said
Nick Rhodes, who started Duran Duran with John Taylor in 1978.
Unlike some music veterans who are turning their backs on
the industry in an age when inexpensive downloads of singles
have decimated CD sales, Rhodes said he was now excited for
the first time in a long time. The reason is the new CD. “This
album has been such a joy to make because of what we have
achieved with it,” he said. “It really drives
you to want to go play shows and introduce these songs to
the audience.” Ronson went back to the early Duran Duran
records to update what once worked and twist the formidable
beats and rhythms into new songs the band hopes will please
loyalists and win new fans. While Ronson is the producer,
Rhodes and the band still write and perform all the songs.
Rhodes said that his love for music – while it may have
changed over the years – never went away. “If
youhaveitinyourblood and in your mind and in your spirit that
you want to make music, you don’t really have the urge
to stop,” he said. Duran Duran plans to begin a tour
early next year.
Duran
Duran returns with mix of old, new
Times
Colonist | Canada | 17 December 2010
1980s
new wave band embraces digital age with 13th studio album |
Duran Duran rose to fame in the 1980s with stylized videos that
fuelled the early MTV generation, and in recent years has sold
out live shows by playing old hits such as Hungry Like a Wolf
The and Reflex. But with a new album, All You Need is Now, set
for release on Tuesday, the band whose synthesized pop rock
helped usher in the new wave movement of the ’80s is updating
its sound for a younger generation while still offering a taste
of their past.
The band — Roger Taylor, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and
Nick Rhodes — called on über-producer Mark Ronson
for their 13th studio album, which features 12 new tracks.
“We all wanted to get a little bit more experimental with
this record. We wanted to reconnect with fans, on the territory
on which the band, and Mark Ronson who is the producer, felt
we should own. And that was this kind of modern synth, dance,
experimental, pop music,” Le Bon said. With hits like
Girls on Film, Rio Save a and Prayer, Duran Duran sold tens
of millions of LPs, cassettes and CDs and logged numerous top
10 hits in a 30-year span that also saw major changes in the
way music is distributed.
Now, the band is embracing the digital age. The new album’s
first single, also titled Now,
All You Need Is has been available free on iTunes, and the album
will also be sold on Apple’s popular music site before
CDs are available in stores in February. “The way that
people consume music is obviously radically different,”
said Rhodes, who started Duran Duran with John Taylor in 1978.
Unlike some music veterans who are turning their backs on the
industry in an age when inexpensive downloads of singles have
decimated CD sales, Rhodes said he is now excited for the first
time in a long time. “This album has been such a joy to
make,” he said. “It really drives you to want to
go play shows and introduce these songs to the audience.”
New songs have titles such as Girl Panic!, Safe (in the heat
of the moment), Being Followed, Leave a Light on The Man Who
and Stole a Leopard, which features singer Kelis.
Ronson, a DJ and solo artist who has produced for Christina
Aguilera and Amy Winehouse, went back to the early Duran Duran
records to update what once worked. He has said he thinks of
All You Need is Now as the “imaginary followup to that
never Rio was.”
The producer takes Duran Duran’s synthesized sound and
twists their formidable beats and rhythms into modern songs
that the band hopes will please loyalists and win new fans.
Rhodes and the band still write all the songs. Duran Duran plans
to begin a tour early next year.
New
Duran Duran album targets the young
The
Province | Canada | 17 December 2010
Band:
They’re tuning in to different tastes | New York —
Duran Duran rose to fame in the 1980s with stylized videos that
fuelled the early MTV generation, and in recent years the band
has sold out live shows by playing old hits such as “Hungry
Like a Wolf” and “The Reflex.” Duran Duran
aims to please loyalists, win new fans. But with a new album,
All You Need is Now, set for release on Dec. 21, the band whose
synthesized pop rock helped usher in the New Wave of the ’80s
is updating its sound for a younger generation while still offering
a taste of their past. The band — Roger Taylor, John Taylor,
Simon Le Bon and Nick Rhodes — called on uber-producer
Mark Ronson for their 13th studio album, which features 12 new
tracks. “We
all wanted to get a little bit more experimental with this record.
We wanted to reconnect with fans, on the territory on which
the band, and Mark Ronson who is the producer, felt we should
own. And that was this kind of modern synth, dance, experimental,
pop music,” Le Bon told Reuters.
With hits like “Girls on Film,” “Rio”
and “Save a Prayer,” Duran Duran sold tens of millions
of LP’s, cassettes and CD’s and logged numerous
top 10 hits in a 30-year span that also saw major changes in
the way music has been distributed online.
Now, the band is embracing the digital age. The new album’s
first single, also titled All You Need Is Now, has been available
for about a week, free, on iTunes, and the album will also be
sold on Apple’s popular music site before CDs are available
in stores in February.
“The
way that people consume music is obviously radically different
than the way it was even ten years ago,” said Rhodes,
who started Duran Duran with John Taylor in 1978. Unlike some
veterans who are turning their backs on the industry in an age
when inexpensive downloads of singles have decimated CD sales,
Rhodes said he was now excited for the first time in a long
time. The reason is the new CD. “This album has been such
a joy to make because of what we have achieved with it,”
he said. “It really drives you to want to go play shows
and introduce these songs to the audience.” New songs
have titles such as “Girl Panic!”, “Safe (in
the heat of the moment)”, “Being Followed”,
“Leave a Light on” and “The Man Who Stole
a Leopard,” which features singer Kelis. Ronson, a DJ
and solo artist who has produced for the likes of Christina
Aguilera and Amy Winehouse, went back to the early Duran Duran
records to update what once worked. He has said he thinks of
“All You Need is Now” as the “imaginary followup
to ‘Rio’ that never was.” Yet, the producer
takes Duran Duran’s synthesized sound and twists their
formidable beats and rhythms into modern songs that the band
hopes will please loyalists and win new fans.
Duran
Duran goes forward on new album by going back
24 Hours Ottawa
| 17 dic 2010 | Canada
NEW
YORK Duran Duran rose to fame in the 1980s with stylized videos
that fuelled the early MTV generation, and lately has sold out
live shows by playing old hits such as Hungry Like a Wolf and
The Reflex.
But with a new album, All You Need is Now, set for release on
Dec. 21, the band whose synthesized pop rock helped usher in
the New Wave of the ’80s is updating its sound for a younger
generation while still offering a taste of their past.
The band — Roger Taylor, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and
Nick Rhodes — called on uber-producer Mark Ronson for
their 13th studio album, which features 12 new tracks. “
We all wanted to get a little bit more experimental with this
record. We wanted to reconnect with fans, on the territory on
which the band, and Mark Ronson who is the producer, felt we
should own. And that was this kind of modern synth, dance, experimental,
pop music,” Le Bon told Reuters.
With hits like Girls on Film, Rio and Save a Prayer, Duran Duran
sold tens of millions of LPs, cassettes and CDs and logged numerous
Top 10 hits in a 30-year span that also saw major changes in
the way music has been distributed online.
Now, the band is embracing the digital age. The new album’s
first single, also titled All You Need Is Now, has been available
for about a week, free, on iTunes, and the album will also be
sold on Apple’s popular music site before CDs are available
in stores in February. “ The way that people consume music
is obviously radically different than the way it was even 10
years ago,” said Rhodes, who started Duran Duran with
John Taylor in 1978. Unlike some music veterans who are turning
their backs on the industry in an age when inexpensive downloads
of singles have decimated CD sales, Rhodes said the new CD has
him excited for the first time in a long time. “ This
album has been such a joy to make because of what we have achieved
with it. It really drives you to want to go play shows and introduce
these songs to the audience.”
New songs have titles such as Girl Panic!, Safe (in the heat
of the moment), Being Followed, Leave a Light on and The Man
Who Stole a Leopard, which features singer Kelis.
Ronson, a DJ and solo artist who has produced for the likes
of Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse, went back to the early
Duran Duran records to update what once worked. He has said
he thinks of All You Need is Now as the “imaginary followup
to Rio that never was.” Yet the producer takes Duran Duran’s
synthesized sound and twists their formidable beats and rhythms
into modern songs that the band hopes will please loyalists
and win new fans.
While Ronson is the producer, Rhodes and the band still write
and perform all the songs, and Rhodes said that his love for
music — while it may have changed over the years —
never completely went away.
“If you have it in your blood and in your mind and in
your spirit that you want to make music, you don’t really
have the urge to stop,” he said. “I wake up with
a tune in my head or I scribble down some words most days. Later,
I might rub it out and think ‘Nah, that wasn’t any
good.’ But you keep thinking about the process all the
time.”
Duran Duran plans to begin a tour early next year and hopes
to play in countries like China and India for the first time.
This
article has been published also on 24 Hours Edmonton, 24 Hours
Toronto, and 24 Hours Calgary
Duran
Duran goes forward on new album by going back
Today's
Zama | Turkey & Ottawa Citizen | Canada
Duran
Duran rose to fame in the 1980s with stylized videos that fueled
the early MTV generation, and in recent years has sold out live
shows by playing old hits such as “Hungry Like a Wolf”
and “The Reflex.”
But with a new album, “All You Need is Now,” set
for release on Dec. 21, the band whose synthesized pop rock
helped usher in the New Wave of the ‘80s is updating its
sound for a younger generation while still offering a taste
of their past.
The band --Roger Taylor, John Taylor, Simon Le Bon and Nick
Rhodes --called on uber-producer Mark Ronson for their 13th
studio album, which features 12 new tracks. “We all wanted
to get a little bit more experimental with this record. We wanted
to reconnect with fans, on the territory on which the band,
and Mark Ronson who is the producer, felt we should own. And
that was this kind of modern synth, dance, experimental, pop
music,” Le Bon told Reuters.
With hits like “Girls on Film,” “Rio”
and “Save a Prayer,” Duran Duran sold tens of millions
of LP’s, cassettes and CD’s and logged numerous
top 10 hits in a 30-year span that also saw major changes in
the way music has been distributed online.
Now, the band is embracing the digital age. The new album’s
first single, also titled “All You Need Is Now”,
has been available for about a week, free, on iTunes, and the
album will also be sold on Apple’s popular music site
before CDs are available in stores in February. “The way
that people consume music is obviously radically different than
the way it was even ten years ago,” said Rhodes, who started
Duran Duran with John Taylor in 1978.
Unlike some music veterans who are turning their backs on the
industry in an age when inexpensive downloads of singles have
decimated CD sales, Rhodes said he was now excited for the first
time in a long time. The reason is the new CD. “This album
has been such a joy to make because of what we have achieved
with it,” he said. “It really drives you to want
to go play shows and introduce these songs to the audience.”
New songs have titles such as “Girl Panic!”, “Safe
(in the heat of the moment)”, “Being Followed”,
“Leave aLight on” and “The Man Who Stole a
Leopard,” which features singer Kelis.
Ronson, a DJ and solo artist who has produced for the likes
of Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse, went back to the early
Duran Duran records to update what once worked. He has said
he thinks of “All You Need is Now” as the “imaginary
followup to ‘Rio’ that never was.”
Yet, the producer takes Duran Duran’s synthesized sound
and twists their formidable beats and rhythms into modern songs
that the band hopes will please loyalists and win new fans.
While Ronson is the producer, Rhodes and the band still write
and perform all the songs, and Rhodes said that his love for
music --while it may have changed over the years --never completely
went away. “If you have it in your blood and in your mind
and in your spirit that you want to make music, you don’t
really have the urge to stop,” he said.
“I wake up with a tune in my head or I scribble down some
words most days. Later, I might rub it out and think ‘nah,
that wasn’t any good.’ But you keep thinking about
the process all the time.” Duran Duran plans to begin
a tour early next year and hopes to play in countries like China
and India for the first time.
“I’m
really not into nostalgia. In a way that’s what’s
behind the title of ‘All You Need Is Now.’ ”
Blame
it on Rio
Duran Duran’s latest album is tribute to group’s
breakthrough ’80s classic
By
Tim Willis |
Say
what you like about Duran Duran, but give credit where it’s
due. More than 30 years after it burst onto the scene the band
is still performing and — what’s truly remarkable
— have become rather hip. Twentysomethings know the words
to “Girls on Film.” Acts from Goldfrapp to Justin
Timberlake acknowledge them as an influence and Mark Ronson,
currently one of the coolest producers in pop music, has produced
their latest offering.
A
nine-song version of the group’s 13th album, “All
You Need Is Now,” arrives in the iTunes store on Tuesday,
and will be available as an expanded CD in February. “We
still have one song that we’re putting the finishing touches
to,” says keyboard player Nick Rhodes.
Ronson
has called it the “imaginary follow-up to ‘Rio’
that never was,” referencing the breakthrough 1982 album
that spawned massive hits such as “Hungry Like the Wolf,”
“Save a Prayer” and the title track. Even the untrained
ear can hear a return to the brash, shiny rhythms that sold
80 million albums.
Singer
Simon Le Bon may have the machismo and the model wife, bassist
John Taylor may have the cheekbones and the fashion sense, but
it’s Rhodes who’s got the brains. He’s an
art collector, a photographer and high-society socialite.
And
though his streaked blond hair is a little thinner and his waist
a little thicker than when he started out, time hasn’t
treated the 48-year-old badly. He is dressed in a black suit
by Hans Ubbink, crisp white Dior shirt and a silvery Armani
tie when we meet in London. He retains a trace of his Birmingham
accent and has lost none of the charm that disarmed the press
when he explained the Durans’ vision of yachts and cocktails
all those years ago.
Is
Rhodes at all embarrassed by his 18-year-old self?
“Not
even slightly,” he says flatly. “Everything we ever
created has been really honest and heartfelt. When we were teenagers,
the world was pretty gray. There were strikes and power cuts
and riots. But when you’re a kid and you’ve got
your life ahead of you, you don’t want it all to be doom
and gloom. You want something more exciting — to travel,
to see what’s out there — and that’s what
some of our earlier material was about.”
But
if the band is known for reflecting the more frivolous side
of life, it does have a serious side. “Even on the first
album there was a song about impending nuclear war,” says
Rhodes, “and ‘Girls on Film’ was about the
exploitation of women.”
He
wants to move the conversation along. “I’m really
not into nostalgia. In a way that’s what’s behind
the title of ‘All You Need Is Now.’ ”
But
neither is he too keen on discussing aspects of the present.
Apart from revealing that he is now single (his ex-wife, Julia
Anne, and 24-year-old daughter Tatjana live in Los Angeles),
he refuses to say whether he is dating at the moment.
Diplomatically,
he won’t play up the Princess Diana connection. Duran
Duran was her favorite band and at her sons’ request the
Durans headlined two memorial concerts for her. “She clearly
meant something to the nation, and she was part of our history,
so we were happy to do that,” he says.
What
does he think of the band’s new fame among a younger generation?
“I’m very happy if there is an ’80s revival.
There certainly seems to be one in fashion, and in both cases
it’s because people take influences from things they didn’t
experience the first time round and reinterpret them.”
That, he says, is what’s happened with Mark Ronson, a
trans-Atlantic rich kid who is known for his collaborations
with Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Boy George. He came into
the Durans’ orbit in 2008. He worked with them in Paris
on the invitation-only show with which they ended their last
world tour — then stayed to do the album. One insider
reports that “he’s completely starstruck when he’s
with the band — it’s sweet, he’s like a fan.”
“Mark
is not only super-sharp and very chic, he’s also a musical
geek,” says Rhodes. “He loved the analog synthesizers
that I brought into the studio — a different one every
day for the first week and a half. He was so excited.”
Ronson
was also delighted that the Durans agreed “the time was
right for an album using a lot of synth sequences, electric
guitars and dance beats. It’s like the way girls might
decide it’s not the time to wear short skirts anymore.
Well, maybe hip-hop beats are good for a while and then people
say: ‘You know what? I’m ready for some disco beats
now.’”
Enough
musicians have quoted early Duran Duran as an inspiration, he
points out, and many bands never move on from the style in which
they found fame, “but we have. So now we felt quite comfortable
taking inspiration from ourselves.”
In
this they were aided and abetted by Ronson.
“Mark
is not only a hugely talented musician who can pick up almost
any instrument and play it well. He also has a huge musical
knowledge.”
And,
it turns out, an encyclopedic recall of the Durans’ back
catalog. “He would say things like: ‘Do you remember
the middle section on the B-side of this or that single? I want
something like that.’ I think we’ve achieved something
that we haven’t done in a very long time.”
After
taking enormous pains over “each word, each intonation,”
he thinks the album is “a very complete piece of work,
in which everything seems to fit together like a jigsaw.”
It
is also likely to put the band back out on the road, something
Rhodes is looking forward to with unusual relish. His inspiration:
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
“If
you asked me in 2000 if we’d be performing 10 years later,
I’d have said no. But on the strength of the new album
I think we’ll still be at it in another 10. I mean, the
Stones have set the bar and they still look pretty good as a
unit.”
Interview
originally posted on artistdirect.com
| The band is digitally releasing its 13th album, All
You Need Is Now on December 21st, with a physical release to
follow in February! For their 13th platter, Double D have partnered
with "hot" or "right now," if you prefer,
producer Mark Ronson, who manned the boards and twiddled knobs
for sultry-voiced, bee-hived songbird Amy Winehouse. Perhaps
you've heard of her? It's a semi-surprising partnership in theory,
but the execution? Well that's right on!
All
You Need Is Now will certainly remind you of Duran Duran classics,
thanks to the synthy pop contained within. As they get older,
they get better. Still, they are hungry like the wolf. Yeah,
I went there. The record, which boasts collabs with Ana Matronic
of Scissor Sisters and neo-soul diva Kelis, as well as Owen
Pallett of Arcade Fire, is distinctly modern, while retaining
Duran Duran's signature new wave crackle.
ARTISTdirect.com
contributor and "All She Wants Is" and "The Reflex"
fan Amy Sciarretto spoke with delightful keyboardist Nick Rhodes,
who claimed he was feeling "fairly acceptable for a cold
afternoon in NYC!"
All
You Need is Now is a bit of a return to form and to early Duran
Duran music. How much did Mark Ronson have to do with that?
I
think it was the convergence of a lot of different things. Having
Mark Ronson on board was a key factor to the way the record
sounds and he was a joy to work with, as he has an energy and
enthusiasm, for music and what he is involved with, that few
I've come across have. He is a big fan and knows our new material
intimately, and was okay with saying what he liked best and
what worked about our sound and what we should be doing. We
all had such great respect for Mark and what he has created.
He made it easy to accept his opinions and views and to try
things.
What
were some of his criticisms, constructive or otherwise, that
you took to heart?
He
said things no one has said for a few decades - like listen
to some of your own material instead of going somewhere new
every time. He told us to look at things we created ourselves,
since that is at the heart of what people want and what you
are good at. We all looked deeper into catalog, to our first
few albums, and it sounds right again. It sounds like something
that should be out at the moment and modern, so it has become
a complete circle. There is no doubt that our first two albums
are the biggest influence.
You
influenced yourselves! Was it hard to get back to this place?
Not
really. Music is like fashion now. Things just feel right. It
seems silly to say, but people get bored. What do people dance
to? Disco beats. We have not used those since the early ‘80s.
It feels right again. There's technology, different angles and
different knowledge but the elements are the same. That sound,
electronic pulses with dance beats, and how [singer] Simon [
LeBon] builds up harmonies, felt contemporary when we started
playing, Artists that have cited our band as an influence and
have used that sound themselves, and we want to bring it back
into people's minds.
Your
song with Kelis, "The Man Who Stole a Leopard," is
very moody, a bit of a divergence for the upbeats of disco.
There
are very few female vocalists, to me, that have an attitude
and style and extraordinary voice that can pull off something
that is more esoteric like that. She was at the top of the list,
because her voice has that character and she has that charisma
and attitude in her delivery. It was an unusual choice for us,
but really, it was more unusual for her.
Then
you shift gears and employ Arcade Fire's Owen Pallett, who is
an indie rocker!
He
did string arranges on "The Man Who Stole a Leopard,"
which was Mark's idea. We wanted a string arrangement on a song,
but something more vibrant and not traditional to broaden the
perspective and make it more artistic and not classically traditionally.
Owen was the person to do it.
Duran
Duran's career has been marked by pauses and movement and things
like the uncharacteristic late ‘90s hit "Ordinary
World," but this is more classic Duran Duran! What keeps
you going and stops you from running out of steam 13 albums
deep?
We
don't ever run out of ideas and we like working together. We're
a different unit than most. We feel what we have within the
band is the ability to create whatever we want at any given
time. We operate within our own vacuum; we don't seal out everything
outside but we enter a room and close the doors and do what
we want. It's the balance between rock guitar and electronics,
and of course, the sound of Simon's voice. The arrangement is
not that unusual but the sound itself is. After three decades,
it is a real treat and thrill for us.
What
is on Nick Rhode's Holiday Wish List?
Hmmm,
I am considering an iPad, but I am waiting for them to release
a new one. A few books. Something decent to read. Not sure what.
I will read some book reviews, or defer to Simon. I like biographies,
but they have to be good ones.
What
is one thing you want fans to know about your 13th album!
Go
and get it. Listen to it. The music has reached a point where
it speaks for itself. I can spend hours talking about its ease
and difficulty, but it works on the whole when people listen
to it. It's undoubtedly one of the strongest of our career and
I am thrilled to be releasing it. As cliché as it sounds,
I am always the most excited the new one because we are bringing
a new thing into the world.
Duran
Duran’s Nick Rhodes Talks Bowie, Fashion, and Mark Ronson
Can you take four middle-aged, wealthy English gentlemen
who’ve sold 80 million records and become synonymous
with an entire era, and somehow re-connect them with
the sound they invented when they were young, inexperienced,
and hungry [like the you-know-what]? Mark Ronson, who
fell in love with the sound of Duran Duran’s first
two records as an adolescent, was determined to try.
Following a live, Smirnoff-sponsored “megamix”
in the Parisian nightclub La Cigale in the summer of
2008, the D.J., producer, and recording artist set his
controls for 1983. The resulting record, All You Need
Is Now [out December 21 via iTunes], is not entirely
a vintage-Duran pastiche - Ronson’s skills and
the band’s often underrated instincts wouldn’t
permit it. Tracks like “Safe (In the Heat of the
Moment),” featuring Scissor Sister Ana Matronic,
is disco for the 21st century; and the ballad “Leave
a Light On” has a worn-in maturity. However, others,
such as “Girl Panic!” and the darkly campy
“The Man Who Stole a Leopard” [featuring
Kelis], are New Romantic classics that never were. Legendary
keyboardist Nick Rhodes, who along with Le Bon has never
left the fold [the unrelated John, Roger, and Andy Taylor
reunited in 2004, with the latter departing two years
later], explains the band’s latest reinvention
and reveals where all those ruffled blouses, headbands,
and deconstructed blazers currently reside.
Marc
Spitz: As with David Bowie, Duran Duran’s
always been about constant innovation and the “new.”
Nick
Rhodes: Absolutely. We learned from the best.
And
yet lately there’s been some tacit acknowledgment
of classic elements: the original lineup’s reunion
in 2004 and, with All You Need Is Now, a production
quality that brings to mind your 1981 self-titled debut
and 1982’s Rio. How’d you get back there,
and was it tricky to find your way back?
What
happens with music is, it’s cyclical. It’s
getting more like the fashion industry in that in some
seasons certain beats sound right - then next season
it changes. Right now we have all converged on what
we were doing quite early on - merging dance beats with
rock music and electronics - it seems to feel right.
Fresh and vibrant again.
Obviously
Mark Ronson’s influence is at work here. He’s
been very public about his affection for the band. How
was it being produced by a fan?
Mark
was very clear in his vision to create a classic Duran
Duran album - for today. He’s really the perfect
producer for Duran Duran. He grew up loving the band;
he’s got a great musical ear. He’s got an
unbelievable knowledge across many genres of music,
and he’s not afraid to experiment. Given all that,
and a sense of style and charisma - it just felt right
for us.
Duran
Duran’s always been a strong enough force to collaborate
with a distinctive producer like Nile Rodgers (1986’s
Notorious) or Timbaland (2007’s Red Carpet Massacre)
and come up with something both characteristic and new,
but you’d already made a Rio. Was there any pushback
at all if you ever felt like you were repeating yourself?
A
lot has been mentioned about Mark saying this is the
imaginary follow-up to Rio. He’s good for a sound
bite, that guy. Yeah, I realize thatit’s out there
now. It’s ingrained. But what I think the interpretation
was, is that Rio was a quintessential Duran Duran album.
It had all the elements that people like about Duran
Duran in the sound. He just felt that that sound had
now come around and it was the time for us to reclaim
that.
So
in the end, yeah, things grew organically out of suggestions
and ideas from the team. Mark was very much a part of
it. It was like he was in the band actually. He fit
in rather well with us. He always wears nice shoes.
He’s very sharp.
Visuals
and fashion have always been something you’ve
taken seriously.
With
tongue firmly in cheek.
Yes,
but you respect that it’s always been a big part
of what’s made the band noteworthy - photos, videos.
Oh
definitely. We love the fashion industry, and I think
style is something that makes life a little bit brighter.
For
30 years now, there’s never been a real disharmony.
You all fit together in terms of what you’ve worn
but there’s no uniform. Have you had discussions
about the “look” of Duran?
If
we’re filming, yeah - you don’t want one
person in jeans and a T-shirt and everyone else in suits
and ties - you want some common theme. But we have a
similar aesthetic.
I
noticed you’re registered at your hotel under
an assumed name. Are there still people from the “Fab
Five” days who know you’re here in New York
City?
We
do check in under assumed names. And in this world of
twittering and tweeting and blogging and blagging, people
tend to know everything about everybody. And everywhere
you go, somebody’s got a device that can film
or take a picture that ends up on the Internet three
minutes later and 10,000 people have tweeted “about
what was wrong with it.” Such is life.
We
mentioned David Bowie earlier. Do you archive the Duran
outfits you’ve worn over the years like Bowie
has?
Yes.
I have Bowie to thank for the fact that I’ve kept
my clothing. When we met him very early on, I started
chatting with him. We were great admirers, and I asked
him, “What did you do with all the clothes?”
And he said, “I kept them, of course.” And
I thought, “Well that’s smart. I’m
going to keep all of mine.”
Do
you do anything with them? I would imagine you could
read the cultural history of the last 30 years into
some of those outfits.I recently lent several
outfits to a fashion museum in Chile. We’ve loaned
some to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -
actually,
they’ve had them long enough; I think they ought
to go someplace else. The fashion museum said, “You
have a very unusual collection.”
I do have it across a lot of different designers. The
Japanese. Yamamoto. Issey Miyake. Comme des Garçons.
Things that were happening in Paris in the 80s. Thierry
Mugler, Claude Montana, and the English ones, Galliano
and Alexander McQueen. Certainly Antony Price - he figured
heavily in our earlier clothing. Quite a broad collection
of things. I don’t know many people that have
men’s-wear collections that span as broadly.
Do
you ever try them on anymore?
I
have done a couple of photo sessions. I haven’t
done in a few years. They probably look a lot better
on girls now than they would look on me.
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